A Beauty Industry Playbook That Works for All

Let’s be real: the beauty industry was never designed to serve the full spectrum of consumers. It was built around one standard, one definition of luxury, one idea of who gets to be aspirational. Everyone else? An afterthought.

And even now, after all the “inclusivity” talk, the industry is still running the same gatekept, whitewashed, investor-approved playbook.

The truth? The industry doesn’t have a diversity problem—it has a power problem.

Because real equity means funding the people who shape beauty. It means killing the idea that whiteness = premium and everyone else is “other.” It means putting culture owners in control—not just cutting them a check when it’s convenient.

So, what’s the way forward? It starts with breaking the industry's outdated model and building something that serves all consumers—not just the ones it has historically prioritized.

By Getting Over the Fear of “Niche”
The industry loves scaling mass appeal but hesitates when it comes to deep, specific cultural needs. But the reality is, what’s niche today shapes the mainstream tomorrow. Instead of treating textured hair, deep skin tones, or hyperpigmentation as side categories, brands should understand that specialized beauty is the future of beauty.

By Funding People Who Don’t “Look” Like Beauty Founders
The people who get venture capital in beauty still look shockingly similar. Investors love a “girlboss founder” narrative, but only when it fits within their comfort zone. To truly serve all consumers, beauty brands and investors need to bet on the people who actually understand their audience—because they are their audience.

By Letting Go of the “Diversity Guilt Complex”
Too many brands make inclusivity decisions out of fear of being called out rather than a real business strategy. The industry will never evolve if inclusivity is reactive, not proactive. If a brand only hires Black talent when they need “cultural credibility” or only expands their shade range after backlash, they’re clearly playing defense instead of building a future-forward brand.

By Understanding That Trends Have Origins, Not Just Aesthetics
Brands love embracing trends—but not their origins. The clean girl aesthetic? A watered-down version of Black and Latina beauty traditions. The bleached brow moment? A runway remix of alternative subcultures. Instead of just repackaging these looks, the industry should be honest about where beauty innovation actually comes from and who deserves to be credited (and paid).

By Asking: Who Gets to Be Aspirational?
For decades, beauty has had an unspoken hierarchy. Certain skin tones, features, and hair textures have always been positioned as the default for luxury and desirability. That’s why darker shades are often relegated to drugstore aisles, why textured hair products still get labeled as “ethnic,” and why fragrance ads rarely show Black women as the face of elegance. If the industry truly wants to serve all consumers, it needs to break this hierarchy entirely—not just expand it slightly.

By Making Inclusivity Boring.
Real inclusivity happens when it’s no longer a headline, just the norm. Right now, every “first Black creative director” or “first Asian-owned beauty brand in a major retailer” is treated like a novelty, not a standard. The beauty industry will know it has evolved when these milestones aren’t once-in-a-decade announcements but everyday occurrences.