Credo for Change mentorship program announces first 13 brand participants
“As entrepreneurs we recognize that building a company is hard—really hard. And too much of the time, access to talent, industry contacts, strategic thought partners and/or funds is just not equitable,” acknowledges the page on Credo.com that outlines the new initiative.
“The Credo for Change Mentorship Program’s goal is to facilitate BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) founders—whether they’re aspiring or have launched and now want to scale—in functional areas that will prepare their brand for larger distribution in retailers or direct-to-consumer.”
A new program to support BIPOC beauty entrepreneurs and make clean beauty more equitable
The Credo for Change mentorship program offers beauty entrepreneurs individual access to Credo executives and industry experts, Zoom classes on topics relevant to brand growth, as well as networking opportunities and warm introductions to retail leaders, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and funders / investors.
The program focus is on learning and connecting; there are no grants or investments built into Credo for Change, nor is there any promise of a retail deal with Credo.
13 brands were selected to participate in the inaugural Credo for Change. And those brands started the program this week and will continue through the end of 2020.
The 2020 class of Credo for Change beauty brands
When the program was first announced, Credo for Change was looking for 10 brand participants. But this week, the mentorship program got underway with 13 participating brands—a sign, perhaps, that there are more BIPOC – led beauty brands poised to succeed in the clean beauty space than the retailer anticipated.
Those brands, founders, and their mission statements are listed here (taken verbatim from this week’s Credo for Change announcement):
- Stroller Gang – Founder, Brittany Jones
Our mission is “beyond a belly cream”. We are dedicated to providing safe, effective and beautiful products that support the evolution of a woman through motherhood and honors who she was before motherhood.
- Shatasha – Founder, Sasha Wordlaw
My goal is to normalize SPF use in hair care, especially for the black and brown communities. Beginning with a multi-tasking hydrating, SPF-infused scalp, hair and body cream that can be applied from ‘fro to toe. Clean, non-toxic and cruelty-free.
- Unconform – Founder, Tanya Perkins
Rejecting the standard way of making hair and beauty products is where Unconform was born. Traditional and even many “natural” products are loaded with chemicals, but our plant-based products are as close to nature as possible leaving skin and hair healthy and free of toxins and chemicals.
- Doubledown Cosmetics – Founders, Marvin Speller and Kristen Speller
Our mission is to provide clean beauty globally by creating good-for-you skincare & cosmetics with the highest quality ingredients for all skin tones while serving our Domestic Violence Community.
- Lamik Beauty – Founder, Kim Roxie
LAMIK is an acronym that stands for Love And Makeup In Kindness. Their mission is to transform the beauty industry inside and out and provide clean beauty products for the Women who Run the World.
- Strange Bird – Founder, Tina Chow Rudolf
My goal was to create more than a skincare routine, but to create daily rituals that make self-care truly powerful and transformative. Our products blend Chinese beauty traditions with flower and gem essences, which I like to call high vibrational alchemy. A percentage of sales go towards helping support women’s mental health.
- Organic Bath Co – Founders, Gianne Doherty and Jay Weeks
Organic Bath Co. believes in self-care made simple: Mindful moments, peaceful thoughts and nurturing your skin from the outside in. What you put on your body is as important as what you put in it—so we’ve created an award-winning bath and body line using only organic and natural ingredients that are safe, effective and easy to use.
- Common Heir – Founders, Angela Ubias and Cary Lin
Common Heir stands for high impact clean beauty that’s low impact on the environment. We push for positive change by creating the world’s best plastic-free skincare, without compromising on performance or values.
- Gloryscent – Founder, Rafaela Gonzalez
Gloryscent is a pro-melanin natural skin care brand created to facilitate the journey to healthy radiant skin and suncare for all colors through protection from environmental aggressors to help hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone, all too common in women of color.
- 54 Thrones – Founder, Christina Tegbe
Our mission is to create intimate skincare experiences through traditional African beauty rituals.
- Beija- Flor Naturals – Founder, Stevonne Ratliff
Passionate about creating natural, clean hair and skincare to tame her kinky, coily hair and combat hyperpigmentation, Beija-Flor Naturals was born and inspired by botanical ingredients infused with result-driven Brazilian ingredients.
- Laws Of Nature Cosmetics – Founder, Jasmine Rose
Passionately focused on providing Black women with “good for the skin” foundations that reflect their diverse shades, with undertones containing clean, safer ingredients suitable for all skin types and conditions.
- Undefined Beauty – Founder, Dorian Morris
At the intersection of wellness and adaptogens (like CBD), is where Undefined Beauty finds its clean, conscious, inclusive plant magic. They believe in clean beauty for all with performance-driven products, sustainably and consciously sourced and nothing over $50.
