Is the Beauty Industry still failing BIPOC Women?
Hi friends,
the past weekend I was part of an exciting panel talk hosted by informed as part of The Ground Festival in Berlin. This is a new format introduced this summer with many Pop-ups, DJ sets,Talk, and even a Ballroom-Happening.
My IG was buzzing and I just had to share so much, however, I decided to give you a quick overview of the thoughts and research I have done for my topic:
Is the beauty Industry still failing BIPOC Women?
Recent studies in the US showed that Black brands make up only 2.5 percent of all beauty products sold in the industry, yet Black people are the highest group to spend on beauty (11.1 percent). This is an incredible high mismatch that still has to be met.
This shoot was taken by informed.
Underrepresentation also leads to misinformation!
Mismatch: Low supply, high consumer demand
Furthermore, we have to consider the much higher burden for black founders to enter the start-up scene and get investors when there is a lack of representation.
Racial inequity and underrepresentation of BIPOCs among retailers, large influential brands, and even investors make it difficult for young businesses to be seen and supported. Data about the demand and needs of underrepresented ethnic groups often do not exist. This is crucial because good data supports the necessity of that one brand and identifies gaps in supply.
Since I always like to think positively and see how far we have come (even though I believe getting good haircare in drugstores in Germany is still difficult) I wanted to point out the NGO Fifteen Percent Pledge ( found by Aurora James in 2020) which urges retailers to dedicate at least 15 percent of their shelves to black-owned or black-founded brands.
I hope you're all enjoying your summer.
