Taraji P. Henson and Winnie Harlow launch skincare lines
She gave us Peace of Mind; now Taraji P. Henson is moving on to our bodies. The actress-producer-entrepreneur’s mission of encouraging self-care has gone skin-deep with the launch of Body by TPH, a skincare companion to her two-year-old TPH by Taraji haircare line.
Photos: Getty Images
WWD’s Beauty Inc. got the scoop on Henson’s new offering, which launches with 13 products, including a body wash, creams, oils and body butters, and an assortment of candles, reports WWD. Unlike Henson’s texture-focused haircare line which launched at Target in early 2020, the debut collection of Body by TPH is intended for all skin types and exclusively available at Walmart, with prices ranging from $8.97 to $11.97.
As Henson told WWD, the line is an extension of the self-care ethos she’s been promoting in recent years. “When we thought about taking care of self, I wanted to go from scalp to toe,” she said. “I always had that vision in mind. We wanted to give spotlight to products at an affordable price, luxurious-looking packaging, and spa-like scents to feel like you’re in a spa.”
WWD further reports the line includes buzzy skincare ingredients typically found in higher-end products, like lactic acid and niacinamide. Henson said her intention was to not only bring the luxury spa experience to a largely homebound audience (thanks to the ongoing pandemic) but “to bring luxurious products to those people, at an affordable price and with an emphasis on self-care.”
Henson isn’t the only well-known face venturing into skincare. On Friday, supermodel Winnie Harlow launched her new sun care brand, Cay Skin, at Sephora. Co-founded and incubated through author-entrepreneur Kim Perell’s 100.co, the brand has the distinction of being powered by artificial intelligence.
“I wanted to create Cay Skin for all those people who have sensitive skin, who have vitiligo, who are light, dark, any color under the sun, and Kim and the 100.co team have given me an unbelievable platform to develop this line of products,” Harlow, who has vitiligo, told WWD. “They were with me every step of the way, from product concept to manufacturing and from fundraising to marketing. Most importantly, their AI platform gave us the data and insights to understand the market gaps not being fulfilled by traditional skin care brands.”
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Through 100.co, Cay Skin was developed using the company’s proprietary AI technology called Claire. The technology analyzed millions of retail data signals and beauty trends to develop a brand that fit both Harlow’s vision and to meet market needs. The platform also analyzes consumer product reviews and translates those insights into recommendations for formulations and packaging.
Source: WWD
“I’m passionate about sun care, but the beauty industry is such a crowded market,” Harlow explained. “Getting insights on what makes consumers passionate about skin care and what they love and what they don’t gave me confidence in the products that we were building together. The insights enabled us to create products that people are going to love.”
As for the brand’s initial offerings, all of its formulations are vegan and silicone-free as well as reef safe and certified carbon neutral. Cay Skin has also partnered with the LA-based youth-focused nonprofit A Place Called Home, where Harlow has given talks and mentoring. But the Cay Skin story is far bigger than a launch.
Not only did Harlow score an enviable spot on Sephora’s shelves; in the process of developing and raising funds for Cay Skin she also became “one of only 100 Black female founders to have raised more than $1 million in venture capital,” reports WWD. The statistic is alarming, but as HArlow explained: “What I pulled from that is that I really want to make that number bigger, not just with myself but to figure out ways to encourage and empower other women, other Black women and women of color.”
Body by TPH and Cay Skin are available in Walmart and Sephora, respectively.
Maiysha Kai is Lifestyle Editor of theGrio, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades’ experience in fashion and entertainment, a love of great books and aesthetics, and the indomitable brilliance of Black culture. She is also a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and editor of the YA anthology Body (Words of Change series).
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