There’s a misconception I’ve noticed—both as a founder and within the beauty industry—that I think is worth talking about.
Sometimes, when people see the words Black-owned attached to a skincare or beauty brand, they automatically assume the products were created only for Black consumers.
I understand where that assumption can come from. Black-owned beauty brands have played an important role in creating products, conversations, and representation that the beauty industry historically overlooked.
But being Black-owned does not mean being Black-only.
And at My Emollient, that distinction matters.
My Identity Is Part of the Story—Not a Limitation on Who We Serve
I’m proud to be a Black founder, and My Emollient is deeply connected to my story.
I was born in Jamaica, where plant traditions and ingredients such as cerasee, peppermint, and fever grass were simply part of everyday life. Those early influences, along with my own journey toward more intentional skincare, shaped the way I think about beauty today.
They also shaped My Emollient.
But the purpose of the brand has never been to create a closed circle around who can use our products.
My Emollient is for people who care about what they put on their skin.
It’s for people looking for thoughtfully made, plant-powered body care.
It’s for people who want greater ingredient transparency and fewer unnecessary additions in the products they use every day.
And those people come from every background, skin tone, culture, and community.
That is exactly how I want it to be.
Your Skincare Routine Should Be About What Your Skin Needs
One thing I would love to see change in beauty is the idea that the identity of a brand’s founder automatically determines who the customer should be.
When choosing skincare, I think the better questions are:
What does my skin need?
What ingredients am I comfortable putting on my body?
Why are those ingredients in the formula?
Does this product fit the way I want to care for my skin?
Does this brand align with what matters to me?
Those questions are much more useful than asking whether the person who founded the company looks like you.
Our Whipped Body Butters, for example, are made with a focused seven-ingredient foundation and 0% water. The intention is simple: concentrated moisture without unnecessary fillers.
Whether someone reaches for Lemon & Sage Body Butter, Almond + Vanilla Whipped Body Butter, Lavender Body Butter, or Sensitive Skin Whipped Body Butter, the conversation begins with their skin and what they want from their body-care routine—not their race.
A thoughtfully formulated product can belong in the routines of many different people.
Black-Owned Is Something to Celebrate
Black Business Month naturally brings more attention to Black entrepreneurship, and I believe that recognition matters.
Being a Black founder comes with a story.
There are perspectives, challenges, traditions, and experiences behind that story that deserve to be seen.
Supporting Black-owned businesses can also help create a marketplace where more founders have an opportunity to build enduring companies, introduce new ideas, create jobs, and shape the industries they enter.
But I also want Black-owned businesses to be seen as more than a category consumers visit for one month of the year.
We are building companies.
We are developing products.
We are creating intellectual property, formulas, experiences, and brands.
We are competing.
We are innovating.
And we are serving broad markets.
I want My Emollient to be recognized as a proudly Black-owned beauty brand and, at the same time, as a company contributing to the larger conversation about where skincare and body care are going.
Those two things are not in conflict.
Clean Beauty and Ingredient Awareness Should Include Everyone
One of the conversations I care most about is becoming more thoughtful about the ingredients we use every day.
Consumers are asking better questions:
What is actually in this formula?
Why is each ingredient there?
Does this product contain water or unnecessary fillers?
Is fragrance coming from synthetic fragrance, or is the scent created another way?
How transparent is the brand about what I’m putting on my skin?
These are questions worth asking.
At My Emollient, our approach is rooted in intention: plant-powered ingredients, small-batch production, ingredient transparency, and formulas designed without unnecessary fillers.
Our body butters are water-free, and our scents are developed in-house using essential oils rather than synthetic fragrance.
That philosophy isn’t meant for one demographic.
Ingredient awareness isn’t a Black conversation.
Intentional skincare isn’t a white conversation.
Clean beauty isn’t something that belongs to one community.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to understand what they are putting on their skin and choose products that align with their own standards.
That is where I see My Emollient.
Our Black ownership is part of our foundation.
Our Jamaican heritage is part of our story.
Our commitment to thoughtful, plant-powered beauty is part of our mission.
And our invitation is much wider.
Proudly Black-Owned. Proudly Made for Everyone.
I never want someone to look at My Emollient and think:
“That looks beautiful, but I don’t think it’s for me.”
If our philosophy speaks to you, if our ingredients align with what you’re looking for, and if you want a more intentional approach to body care, then I want you to feel welcome here.
You don’t have to look like me to shop from a company I founded.
You don’t have to share my background to connect with the values behind the brand.
And you certainly don’t have to be Black to support or enjoy a Black-owned beauty company.
That is something I hope we begin to normalize—not only within beauty, but across business as a whole.
So during Black Business Month, I’m celebrating exactly what My Emollient is:
Black-owned. Jamaican-rooted. Handmade in Brooklyn. Plant-powered. Made with intention. And created for anyone who believes their skincare should be chosen thoughtfully.
Explore the My Emollient collection and discover body care created with clean ingredients, concentrated moisture, and intention at every step.
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