In this article:
- Sephora will begin selling its first brand owned by a South Asian woman.
- The beauty chain has made a greater push for diversity in recent years.
- Diversity in beauty has become increasingly important.
Cosmetics retailer Sephora is adding brands by people of color to its vast collection.
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On February 15, 2022, Sephora will begin selling Ranavat, its first beauty line owned by a South Asian woman. Founded by Michelle Ranavat Ranavat uses Ayurvedic oil, an ingredient found in her parent’s native India.
Ranavat’s line takes its inspiration from the South Asian body healing practice known as Ayurveda. The word Ayurveda means “knowledge of life,” and the practice focuses on balancing the three doshas, or life forces, of the body.
But Ranavat has added a twist to the 5,000-year-old tradition, adding her own ingredients to make products to her liking. Those products include Ayurvedic herbs and spices like saffron, sesame seed oil, and manjistha. The line provides solutions for conditions such as acne, hyperpigmentation, and dark undereye circles. In response to Sephora adding the line to their stores, Ranavat said: “it really matters that we’ve created the space for ourselves, and can stand next to traditional skin-care and hold our own.”
In recent years, beauty brands such as Sephora have striven to be more inclusive, offering makeup and skincare made by people of color, for people of color. Sephora also has started selling LYS Beauty, the first “clean” line owned and operated by a Black woman named Tisha Thompson. LYS Beauty makes products specifically designed for a broad range of skin tones. Its popular Triple Fix Serum Solution comes in 35 different shades. Thompson started the beauty business in Atlanta, Georgia in 2021, after becoming frustrated by “the gap in the beauty industry and the lack of diverse shade ranges that were also formulated with clean ingredients.”
Sephora is part of a larger push for more diversity in beauty. In 2017, pop singer Rihanna blazed a trail in beauty with her makeup line Fenty. Fenty’s line includes foundation in 40 different shades. Sephora’s decision to add businesses by people of color shows inclusivity is here to stay.