Every year we spotlight some of the most exciting beauty brand launches by women of color founders, where inclusivity and innovation meet to debut new products. In 2025, four brands are reimagining what skincare and self-care look like, whether that’s longevity supplements, Mexican body rituals, organic pregnancy-safe skincare, or Japanese-crafted skincare ingredients. More than just products, these brands are a celebration heritage and wellbeing. Read on to discover the women of color–founded beauty brands redefining the industry and the stories behind their creation.

1. Dr. Lamees Hamdan, Founder of Timebeam

Why did you decide to create Timebeam?

Dr. Lamees Hamdan: I created Timebeam to be the complete skincare solution for Gen Z and millennials because the earlier you start using longevity skincare, the better your skin results!  Your mood, your hormones, your diet, and your sleep affect your skin in a big way. Instead of taking 10 different supplements (and the cost involved in that) I did the research for our customers and simplified it into two supplements, one formulated for the morning, and one for night, that give your skin everything it needs. I believe your skin should be treated from the inside-out and the outside-in. That is my holistic skin longevity approach.

Our AM skin longevity supplement called Bounce Mode Healthy Pixie helps power your skin cells with clinically studied ingredients like NAD+ boosters, electrolytes, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B12 and Adaptogens to help lower your cortisol levels (too much cortisol causes weight gain).

Our PM skin longevity supplement called Reset Mode Healthy Pixie is formulated with rice ceramides to help plump your skin from the inside out, resveratrol to visibly even skin tone, and medicinal reishi mushroom to help blunt inflammaging that causes stress to show up on your skin and to balance your hormones that can lead to hormonal acne breakouts. I also added magnesium glycerinate and other natural sleeping herbs to give your body and skin the most restful sleep ever (just ask my Oura ring!).

What does the name Timebeam symbolize?

Timebeam makes products that give you time back in your day and make your skin beam.

What are your hero products and what do they do?

Each of our products is more than just a single-ingredient formula — it’s a stack of clinically-effective longevity ingredients. In longevity science, a stack of longevity boosting ingredients delivers better skin results than using a single ingredient alone. For example, our best-selling Skinbeam Milky Serum is a 3-in-1 lightweight serum, moisturizer, and primer that’s formulated with NAD+ Booster, peptides, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, and niacinamide to plump, firm, and smooth skin. Our hero NAD+ Booster is clinically proven to reverse eight years of skin aging in less than eight weeks.

How does your background and being a woman of color founder influence your work, if at all?

I guess being a woman of color means that I naturally think of different skin tones, because it’s natural for me to formulate products that I feel will benefit my skin. We are naturally inclusive when we formulate. And because, as a woman of color growing up, skincare brands did not have brown women in their photos. So, although I loved using skincare, I felt they weren’t being made for me. That’s why, in our Timebeam photo shoots, I felt it was important to have different skin tones that I and many others could relate to. We also hired an Arab model to reflect my identity – that was very important for me. To see someone like me reflected in a skincare campaign, I suddenly felt seen.

My background in medicine and alternative therapies means that I can draw on what works in both worlds, because both are my areas of expertise. Living in the U.S., Dubai and Europe has also expanded my horizons and has introduced me to many different ingredients (some of the ingredients we use are made in laboratories in Switzerland!).

What’s next for Timebeam?

From Timebeam: Rooted in the “everything is connected” principle of longevity health we will continue to bring our community science-backed skincare solutions that lean into smart-stacks of synergistic ingredients intentionally combined for immediate and long-term results with formulas that are uncomplicated, fun and easy to use. Stay tuned for exciting new innovation coming in 2026.

2. Jamila Friedberg, Founder of Ora Juice

Why did you decide to create Ora Juice?

Jamila Friedberg: I created Ora Juice after facing fertility issues and realizing that many people around me were experiencing similar struggles. When I began researching, I discovered that conventional skincare often contains synthetic additives that act as endocrine disruptors — something I didn’t align with. I wanted to develop formulas people could trust, made with clean, safe ingredients that wouldn’t interfere with their health.

What does the name Ora Juice symbolize?

“Ora” has multiple meanings across cultures, but its Greek root, “hora,” signifies a season of transformation, a period of growth and renewal. “Juice” is a personal touch; it’s a nickname my dad has called me since childhood. Together, the name represents embracing your natural journey, transformation, and authenticity.

What are your hero products and what do they do?

Ora Juice currently has four core products designed for all skin types. A cream cleanser that removes impurities while keeping the skin balanced, a toner that gently exfoliates and removes dead skin cells for a smoother complexion. An elixir that hydrates and enhances your natural glow. A moisturizer that provides deep hydration and protects the skin barrier from moisture loss.

While suitable for everyone, those with dry skin should use the toner only a few times a week. The collection also targets hyperpigmentation, especially for melanated skin, using ingredients like Vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, ginger root, turmeric, and leaf extracts to fade dark spots and rejuvenate the skin.

How does your background and being a Black founder influence your work?

As a Black founder, my experiences have shaped how I approach authenticity and representation. Growing up, I was taught that not everyone would accept me because of my skin color but to stay genuine and true to my values regardless. That principle carries into Ora Juice. I want to create a brand that celebrates transformation and integrity while offering clean, effective skincare for all.

What’s next for Ora Juice?

Right now, Ora Juice is available exclusively on its website, but the dream is to launch in Sephora and expand the presence of clean beauty brands overall. The debut “Golden Beryl Collection” was named after my grandmother, Beryl, and the goal is to continue creating new collections centered around gemstones, each addressing specific skincare needs through natural, purposeful ingredients.

3. Hina Mian, Founder of DEAU

Why did you decide to create DEAU?

Hina Mian: DEAU started from a very personal place, my own experience with hyperpigmentation. For the longest time, I didn’t even realize that’s what I was dealing with. I just knew my skin looked dull, uneven, and reactive, no matter how much I invested in products. Growing up in Florida, where the sun is constant and unforgiving, I dealt with discoloration for most of my life. The real issue was that there was very little education, expertise, or innovation around skin of color. Skincare wasn’t speaking to us, and it certainly wasn’t made for us.

On a more personal note, I’ve been obsessed with Japanese products for as long as I can remember. I spent countless summers in Japan growing up, and once I experienced the quality, I could never go back. The precision, the detail, the intention behind every product always stood out to me. But even the most beautifully formulated products weren’t created for skin like mine.

DEAU is my answer to that gap. It’s where my personal frustration met my lifelong obsession with Japanese craftsmanship, and it became a mission. I wanted to merge these two worlds into something purposeful, something smart. DEAU is high-performance luxury skincare created exclusively for skin of color. It’s formulated in Japan’s number one skincare lab, but designed from the ground up for people who have always been an afterthought in this industry.

What does the name symbolize?

DEAU means “to meet” in Japanese, and it represents transformation in the most powerful, personal way. It’s about meeting a new version of yourself, one that’s more confident and self-assured. The name is a reminder that real change doesn’t mean becoming someone else. It means stepping into who you’ve always had the potential to be. DEAU invites you to open a new door and meet a new you, to see yourself in a new light, and to move forward with more confidence than ever before.

What are your hero products and what do they do?

Each product in our line is a hero product. They’re designed to multitask and deliver the benefits of four products in one — saving time without compromising performance.

• DE-SPOT Brightening Serum: This is our dark spot powerhouse. It gently but effectively fades stubborn hyperpigmentation while calming and protecting the skin. No irritation, no redness, just clarity.

• C³ Glow Veil Defense Serum: A triple-layered vitamin C serum that boosts radiance and protects against environmental stressors such as blue light, pollution, and free radicals.

• Gentle Force Retinol Cream: A next-gen retinol that delivers all the anti-aging and texture-refining benefits without the usual dryness or flaking. It’s perfect for sensitive skin and melanin-rich tones.

• Onsen Water Cream: A lightweight but deeply hydrating moisturizer made with real Japanese Onsen hot spring water. It strengthens the skin barrier, calms redness, and leaves the skin smooth, bouncy, and glow-ready.

How does your background and being a Southeast Asian founder influence your work?

Everything I do is shaped by it. Growing up in Florida as a Southeast Asian girl, I didn’t see myself reflected in beauty standards or products. I constantly felt like I had to mix and match or settle. That experience made me hyper focused on creating something that wasn’t just inclusive in marketing but exclusive in formulation.

I know what it’s like to not feel considered, and that’s why every detail of DEAU — down to the texture, the actives, the formulation is made specifically for skin of color. I also bring a deep respect for Japanese craftsmanship. DEAU is my love letter to Japanese artistry, reimagined for the beautifully diverse world we live in.

When you hold a DEAU product, you’re holding a story. It’s the story of every little girl dreaming of a beauty line that reflects her. It’s the story of every young woman learning to embrace her unique skin despite the lack of products that support her. It’s a story of a brand born to create the best quality products for diverse skin, redefining what beauty can do.

What’s next for DEAU?

We’re building a deeper skincare ecosystem,  products that stand strong on their own but work even better together. We’re focused on expanding our reach, growing community, and continuing to push a cultural shift where skin of color is not an afterthought, it’s the starting point. Long term, I want DEAU to redefine what luxury skincare looks like for melanin-rich skin. Not just clean, but smart. Not just good-for-you, but exclusively made for you.

4. Alicia Nogales and Angelique Van Wyk, Co-Founders of SANTU Beauty (Featured image above)

Why did you decide to create SANTU?

Alicia Nogales: Angelique and I both moved to a small Pueblo on the Pacific Coast of Mexico at the same time about 10 years ago. She started a mobile spa visiting her clients at their hotels or homes. We joke about me being one of her best clients [laughs]. I would get massage treatments from her a lot because she had magic hands and heart and was so knowledgeable in her expertise as a therapist. Also, she was making and selling salt scrubs and I loved them. I’d buy the professional-size scrubs and bring them back to my home in California. I never wanted to run out.  I am not a make-up or jewelry girl, but I am a water girl. I feel the most connected physically, emotionally, and spiritually when I’m near water. The ocean, a pool, a fountain; I live in my bathtub and shower. 

About three years ago, after telling her I thought she should sell the products she was making in the U.S., we just looked at one another and said, ”let’s do this, let’s see if we can make a business of making premium body care products rooted in Mexican self-care rituals.” We co-founded Santu and incubated the brand for two years before launching our first products, the lotions and salt scrubs in our three signature scents using our own copal oil which is Santu’s hero ingredient. Our premium body care line was born in Mexico. My great grandmother was a curandera (healer) in the border town where my father was raised. With Angelique’s 17 years of esthetician experience, we have created a line using ethically sourced ingredients from Mexico. We manufacture in Mexico and collaborate with local artisans. Even our creative storytelling comes from Mexico down to the models in our photo shoots. I’m so proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish thus far and see a bright future ahead of us.

Angelique Van Wyk: When Alicia became my best client, she ordered her massages a month ahead of time. She fell in love with the body scrubs I made and I had to order tubs of scrubs. When I say tubs I mean the professional use not the retail. After a few years Alicia and her husband came up with the idea to sell the scrubs, expand the line and export to the U.S. We had so many ideas, but one idea that was present from the beginning was that we wanted to celebrate the country of origin, which is Mexico where we met and include local ingredients and working with local artisans
I have been in the wellness industry for about 17 years, sharing my knowledge and expanding my resources. Alicia has been a yoga practitioner and wellness advocate for many years. Together, we want to share our passion and create this self-care ritual for the rest of the world.

What does the name Santu symbolize?

Nogales: When I’m asked this I like asking what the word sounds like and means to the person asking the question. Santu comes from the Spanish word, sanctuario or sanctuary. For me, Santu means sacred or holy and we wanted to create moments of ritualized self-care and well-being where one takes the time for themself and can feel the integration of the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being manifest. We believe we are all self-care practitioners and moreover I believe we can’t love ourselves too much. Unlike money or any other commodity, love is a wellspring that never runs out. The more one can prioritize their well-being, the more they can do for their family, friends, and community. We like to say Santu is Rooted in Love.

Van Wyk: To me Santu means sacred, our body being our sacred vessel. A sacred vessel that we need to take care of and protect to really show up for others. We believe that we are all self-care practitioners. We created SANTU to share our knowledge and passion, to create a daily self-care ritual. SANTU is not just products, it’s a ritual. A love story, a self-love story, where you can come back to yourself and reconnect, physically, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. The more you love yourself, the more you can show up for others.

What are your hero products and what do they do?

Our hero ingredient is our artisanal copal oil used throughout the line. Copal is a Mexican tree resin that has been used in the country we celebrate dating back to the Mesoamerican times. My Nana Lola used copal in her practice for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Thousands of years later copal is still used in spiritual ceremony for grounding and rooting to the earth and calling upon our ancestors and spiritual guides (however you define this). Medicinally, we use copal in our lotions, scrubs, and massage candles for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. 

Our line is soul-led and scent-forward, which is why we wanted to create a sensorial self-care body care line highlighting our signature scents that transport you to a place or a feeling and along with ethically sourced ingredients from the Costa Grande on the Southern Mexican Coast, like the nourishing butters and hand-harvested sea salt which illuminate the sensory experience of physical application; providing exfoliation, hydration, and purification. The skin, being our largest organ, deserves celebration with the rituals of self-care born from Mexican roots. 

Van Wyk: Our Mexican lime salt scrub is currently our bestseller in our range of products. We work with local farmers that still harvest their salt the old traditional way, on limestone, making it sustainable and eco-friendly. The lagoons are located close to where we live and are harvested only a few months of the year. Using fresh Mexican lime, eucalyptus, and rosemary, has made this a zesty-fresh grounding salt scrub that’s absolutely dreamy.

How does your background and being a woman of color founder influence your work, if at all?

Nogales: I was born in 1969 to bi-racial parents who were civil rights activists living though another time of disruption and unrest. My father was the son of Mexican migrant workers who picked up and down the state of California depending where the crops ready to pick were. My blond-haired blue-eyed mother retired as a bilingual, bicultural educator after a life career as a teacher, principal and published teacher of teachers mostly to underserved populations. I was raised proud to be Mexican American. 

I was privileged to be able to be at home raising our three boys. And, I was a professional volunteer I like to say. I worked in the non-profit sector mostly in the area of arts education and youth mentorship. At 56, I know that every experience prepares us for where we individually are currently.

I remember walking through one of our manufacturing partner’s factory. There was a library of amazing products — American, French, Italian, Asian countries, all made in Mexico. I knew then that Santu would be the one brand celebrating the country we love through and through. We are proud to be Mexican and Mexican-descended women who pay homage to the country and its people we love and revere. I feel really strongly about this. 

It was after we had a year under our belt when I attended a panel discussion about the BIPOC beauty space. I learned that only 4 percent of all American beauty companies are Latino owned. And Santu makes up the less than 1 percent of this 4 percent (Latino- owned beauty business) which highlights and celebrates our country of origin. We’re proud Latina owners who want to bring the traditional self-care Mexican rituals which are sourced and made in Mexico to the world. 

Van Wyk: I was born in South-Africa, my story is one of resilience and hard work. Both my parents were of color; working hard and uplifting others has always been part of my culture. I came to Mexico about 15 years ago after I got married to my Mexican husband. 

Being part of Mexican culture marks deep roots in my heart, and it is with pride that I can say that South Africa has laid my foundation, and Mexico taught me how to keep moving from the heart and encourage others to do the same.

What’s next for Santu Beauty?

Nogales: Rooted in the rhythms of renewal, we’re developing new ways to experience our care rituals, thoughtfully designed to complement the full spectrum of what you might find in a modern spa. Coming next year, this next chapter deepens the connection between body, spirit, and Mexico, expanding the world of Santu while staying true to what grounds us: love, craft, and intention.