Behind The Brand: The Reality For Black Women In Corporate Beauty

By Lyric Christian, Founder of Mind Candy Beauty ·Updated February 27, 2025 < /> Diversity and inclusivity in beauty are often judged by what brands present to the world. In other words: campaigns featuring diverse faces, expansive shade ranges, and buzzword-laden mission statements. But true inclusivity isn’t just about what can outwardly be seen—it’s about who is making the decisions. Who’s in the rooms shaping these products and strategies? Do these brands have diverse teams that reflect the consumers they claim to serve? Are Black employees given the same opportunities to lead, grow, and thrive within these companies? And beyond mere representation, are these brands fostering environments where those voices are heard, valued, and empowered to drive real change? For Black women in corporate beauty, thesrc="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Snapinsta.app_94709189_736176690458208_7531849727274860256_n_1080.jpg" alt="Behind The Brand: The Reality For Black Women In Corporate Beauty" width="400" height="500" /> On her career target="_blank"> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brittany Heath SCAD (@thebrittanyheath) On industry barriers:The number one question I get from my network and peers is how to pivot into the beauty industry—even from those with years of highly transferable skills. What continues to surprise me is the stark contrast between Black consumers’ spending power and industry representation: Black consumers drive billions of dollars in beauty sales annually, yet make up only 5% of the professionals who are part of the workforce and influence product innovation and insights. From my perspective, the biggest barriers to entry for Black professionals are the lack of representation in companies, which creates limited access to networks and perspectives that are needed to make the corporate beauty industry feel more accessible, attainable, and relatable. Without these connections, the industry can feel exclusive rather than accessible. That’s why I’m continuously inspired by the growing number of networking organizations that not only upskill their communities but also create essential bridges for career pivots—opening doors to conversations, referrals, and opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. On lack of diversity in executive roles:It amazes me that still, in this day and age, Black professionals hold only around 3.2% of executive or senior leadership roles in large companies and represent a very small percentage of leadership positions in the US, with less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs identifying as Black. In my perspective, I believe organizations must continue to actively listen to the needs of their employee base and develop mentorship and sponsorship programs that prioritize skills, invest in custom training opportunities, and build programs that promote stronger relationships between people managers and their teams to better guide them to their full potential.The industry changes she hopes to see:I hope to see a continued focus on nontraditional skill and competencies as the unlock to inclusive and equitable beauty workforce and innovation. It’s been so encouraging to see recruiter teams continue to conduct diverse candidate sourcing and remain conscious of bias in recruitment tools and experiences, as well as focus on the power of internal mobility and retrofitting existing talent with in-demand skills. Finally, addressing the inequities and systematic barriers through optimized professional development programs, outreach, and mentorship and sponsorship.On her impact:A lot of the talent partnerships and pipelines I’ve supported were created through genuine relationships, and I hope to continue making a positive impact by simply being available as a resource and guide to my peers and networks. As a first-generation corporate professional, my motivations around mentorship, professional development, and intrapreneurship have stemmed from my own experiences and obstacles that I either hope to help the next Black girl avoid or navigate through. As an HR professional and content creator, I’m excited by the level of accessibility and information talent have around recruitment, and I hope to leave a legacy of progress for underrepresented talent like myself. Hannah Agyeman, Beauty Product Marketing Professional View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hannah (@writehan) On inclusivity in product development:I start with what I would want to see from the brand I’m working on or in the market as a whole since I’m a very active beauty consumer myself. Mainly identifying a white space in the existing product portfolio. I ask myself, “is there a reason for this to exist?” Then, it’s all about the size of the prize and building the concept and unique positioning. In the context of beauty, brands have to ensure that their ranges truly work for all skin tones, specifically deeper ones. And, during my time working on a drugstore brand, I’m also always advocating for prices to remain accessible as well.Her thoughts on the current state of the industry:We’ve made great strides in creating a deeper breadth of shade and model campaign inclusivity. We need more change makers at the mid to senior levels on staff of these brands. Black women are still quite underrepresented in these spaces. For me, it’s about being able to have more access to people who look like me and have overcome the potential pitfalls of the corporate beauty world that often keep us stuck in one place. Without that kind of mentorship, I’ve found it’s really difficult to navigate this world and make bigger strides in your personal and professional life.On navigating challenges:I was in a junior position getting junior pay yet doing the work of someone more advanced. The brand I worked on didn’t see the value of my work and any conversation about promotion was basically shut down due to the team structure. It was either I move to another brand and repeat the same cycle in the hopes they would finally promote me or I left. What helped me in that moment was tapping into my network of leaders who overcame those hurdles and helped me decode and demystify the process in moving forward into a prominent leadership position. I left that space and got the promotion I deserved in another organization. In these instances, I’ve realized it wasn’t that I was asking for too much, I was just asking the wrong person! Anonymous Beauty Marketing Professional On her journey in global brand management:I entered the beauty industry because I saw a gap—one that didn’t fully represent or cater to people who looked like me. Once I started my career, I realized that these gaps weren’t accidental—they were the result of systemic oversight. My experience as a Black woman has given me a deep understanding of what true inclusivity looks like, beyond just campaign imagery. It has shaped my approach to brand management by ensuring that marketing is not performative but rooted in authenticity. When I develop products or go-to-market strategies, I push for consumer representation at every stage, from product development to leadership conversations. To me, inclusivity isn’t just a trend—it’s a responsibility.On navigation challenges:The reality is that Black women in beauty often have to work twice as hard to prove their expertise, only to then be unofficially tasked with “fixing” a brand’s diversity gaps. I’ve experienced being the only Black woman in leadership discussions, where my perspective was sought after but not always valued when it came to decision-making power.What has helped me push through is a combination of strategic positioning and community-building. I’ve made sure to align myself with leaders who genuinely champion inclusivity, and I’ve been intentional about mentoring others to increase representation at the table. I’ve also learned the power of advocating for myself—whether that means negotiating my salary with confidence or speaking up when I see performative diversity efforts. At the end of the day, navigating these challenges requires resilience, but it also requires organizations to do better.On pay disparities:While there has been some progress—particularly in terms of brands expanding their shade ranges and making more visible commitments to diversity—there’s still significant work to be done when it comes to leadership representation and pay equity. The reality is that Black women are still severely underrepresented in executive roles, and salary transparency remains a taboo topic, which only perpetuates pay disparities.My advice to Black professionals striving for leadership positions is to advocate for yourself at every stage. Know your worth, do your research on industry salaries, and negotiate without hesitation. Additionally, seek out sponsors, not just mentors—people in positions of power who will actively advocate for your career advancement. And finally, don’t be afraid to leave a company that refuses to recognize your value. There are brands that truly want to do better, and we shouldn’t settle for less. On creating inclusive workplaces:It starts with leadership. If the decision-makers at the top don’t reflect the diversity of the consumers they serve, then inclusivity will always be surface-level. Beauty companies need to do more than just hire Black talent—they need to invest in their career growth through mentorship, sponsorship, and equitable pay.Additionally, salary transparency needs to be normalized. Pay secrecy only benefits corporations, not employees. Companies should also implement unbiased hiring and promotion practices, ensuring that diverse candidates are not only brought in at entry-level roles but are given clearrel="tag">beauty corporate environmentsThe post Behind The Brand: The Reality For Black Women In Corporate Beauty appeared first on Essence.
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