Latest news with #DiarrhaN'Diaye-Mbaye


Elle
22-07-2025
- Business
- Elle
Ami Colé Wasn't Just Makeup—It Was a Love Letter to Us
As I write this, scrolling through Ami Colé's website feels like a dream for beauty obsessives like me—Black, chronically online, and armed with a wallet awaiting their next purchase. The beloved Lip Oil that earned permanent real estate in every Black girl's bag since launch? Now slashed to half its original price of $20. The dense, malleable Complexion Brush that applies cream and liquid formulas with ease? Marked down, too. The waterproof lip liner that hugged the edges of the Lip Oil's glossy finish. The Foundation Stick with the kind of undertone that melted into your skin in a single swipe. One second, I was adding items to the cart, and the next, my total ballooned. And as I hit 'place order,' the sigh that left my chest wasn't relief—it was grief. The confirmation email landed in my inbox, and it didn't come with the usual rush of excitement. Instead, it sat there like a slight ache. Ami Colé is closing, and with that comes the quiet heartbreak of losing one of the few beauty brands created with Black women in mind—by someone who looked like us, understood our skin, our undertones, our routines, and our struggles. Launched in 2021 by Glossier veteran Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye, Ami Colé combines the influences of Harlem and Senegal that shaped N'Diaye-Mbaye's sense of beauty, named after her mother. What began as an Instagram focus group during the nascent stages of building Ami Colé transformed into a full-fledged community championing a brand that delivered results. The products and support spoke for themselves, and as a result, Ami Colé eventually raised over $3 million in funds and secured real estate in more than 600 Sephora stores after launching in the retailer in 2022. Ami Colé's signature tangerine packaging became our version of Tiffany Blue—instantly recognizable, deeply cherished, and proudly displayed on vanities, in makeup bags, and TikTok makeup tutorials. However, Ami Colé's orange signaled something more radical: accessibility, intention, and a sense of belonging. It didn't whisper exclusivity from behind a glass case—it smiled back at you with familiar warmth, saying, You're seen. You're centered. You're home. We weren't fed too-red, barely-deep, or far-too-ashy finishes. In fact, natural, everyday dewiness was the cornerstone on which Ami Colé was built. Excellence was many customers' first love—a deep chocolate tint that was light enough for your lips' natural hue to shine but pigmented enough to offer a subtle brown veil (even better when paired with the Midnight or Cafe Touba lip liners, which arrived years later). Some found a home in the white tube of the satin-finish Skin-Enhancing Tint. I found relief after swiping the former's offshoot, Skin-Enhancing Stick, which connected with my neutral (sort of golden) undertones to reveal a filter-like drydown I hadn't experienced with any other complexion stick. (Read our review here.) Few brands made me feel this considered, this prioritized, this seen. Ami Colé didn't just make good products; it was home for the ridges on our two-toned lips, pining for an everyday glossy (not sticky) finish, or the different textures and tones on our skin just looking for a complexion boost. Or as founder N'Diaye-Mbaye puts it in her farewell op-ed in The Cut, 'Better yet, we were on the shelves of the people whose needs matched what our products offered.' You didn't need to be Black to shop at Ami Colé and understand its messaging, which was abundantly clear: these products are designed to solve the issues that Black consumers had battled for decades. Gone were the days of scathing social media uproar in brands' comments following a lazy complexion launch that left us with three deep shades and numerous light ones. We didn't need to wait for a brand's second-round relaunch after consulting with a Black influencer. Ami Colé got us the first time. A purchase meant more than supporting a Black-founded, Black-marketed brand; it was a signal to beauty's behemoths and corporations that intentional branding, thoughtful research and development, and community building are not insurmountable tasks. The road wasn't easy, but when is it ever for a Black founder? Still, N'Diaye-Mbaye kept the mission afloat even when she was drowning herself. However, even with best-selling SKUs, a legion of Ami Colé devotees, and a laundry list of accolades built in four years, N'Diaye-Mbaye explains that Ami Colé couldn't outrun damning expectations from investors who rallied behind the brand's inclusive messaging when inclusivity and diversity were the buzzwords du jour during the height of George Floyd protests, but ultimately sang a new song under the scope of today's anti-DEI world. 'We've got this president, climbing tariffs, and marketing costs that are brutal for small brands like mine. And while my story isn't unique, it still hurts to watch an industry preach inclusivity while remaining so unforgiving,' she explains. Soon—September 2025, to be exact—there will be a world in which my Lip Oil will run out, brushes will lose their muscle, and lip liners will be worn to the nub. So yes, I stocked up. But more than that, I'm holding onto the feeling this brand gave me—one of joy, pride, and reflection, because that's the part you can't just reorder. And while we won't be able to restock forever, we can savor what we have now. Below, ELLE editors rounded up a few of their Ami Colé favorites, products that made us feel most like ourselves—and that we'll be using down to the very last drop.


Fashion Network
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Melanin-rich skin beauty brand Ami Colé to close
Black-owned beauty brand Ami Colé has announced plans to shutter operations this September, with brand founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye saying she couldn't compete with "the deep pockets of corporate brands." N'Diaye-Mbaye, who founded Ami Colé in 2021, cut her teeth at L'Oréal and Glossier before creating her minimalist makeup brand for "melanin-rich skin." In the last four years, Ami Colé drew investments from L'Oréal's Bold venture capital arm, True Beauty Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, Greycroft and Debut Capital. In 2022, the brand inked a milestone retail partnership with LVMH -owned beauty retailer, Sephora, across the U.S. and Canada. In 2024, at the time of its L'Oréal investment, the brand was said to have grown its revenue 75 percent the previous year, according to a press release. In a letter written for The Cut, N'Diaye-Mbaye said that part of her company's downfall was competition from more prominent companies that had bigger financial backing. 'I couldn't compete with the deep pockets of corporate brands; at retail stores, prime shelf space comes at a price, and we couldn't afford it," she said. The entrepreneur went on to thank her fans and investors via her brand's Instagram account. "After four powerful and soul-stretching years, l've made the hard decision to wind down Ami Colé. What started as a mission to create clean beauty for melanin-rich skin became a movement and a metaphoric home for so many of you (just like what my mother built with her salon). We were a brand rooted in purpose, storytelling, and the bold celebration of who we are," said N'Diaye-Mbaye. "Let's not forget bomb ass products! This moment is bittersweet. You've witnessed me start from a sketch in my Brooklyn apartment to the shelves of every Sephora in North America in four years. Thank you for everything you've taught me about living your dreams out loud." The announcement comes after beauty heavyweights Estée Lauder, Coty, and Shiseido Americas announced plans to reduce their workforce, signalling industry-wide headwinds.


Fashion Network
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Melanin-rich skin beauty brand Ami Colé to close
Black-owned beauty brand Ami Colé has announced plans to shutter operations this September, with brand founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye saying she couldn't compete with "the deep pockets of corporate brands." N'Diaye-Mbaye, who founded Ami Colé in 2021, cut her teeth at L'Oréal and Glossier before creating her minimalist makeup brand for "melanin-rich skin." In the last four years, Ami Colé drew investments from L'Oréal's Bold venture capital arm, True Beauty Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, Greycroft and Debut Capital. In 2022, the brand inked a milestone retail partnership with LVMH -owned beauty retailer, Sephora, across the U.S. and Canada. In 2024, at the time of its L'Oréal investment, the brand was said to have grown its revenue 75 percent the previous year, according to a press release. In a letter written for The Cut, N'Diaye-Mbaye said that part of her company's downfall was competition from more prominent companies that had bigger financial backing. 'I couldn't compete with the deep pockets of corporate brands; at retail stores, prime shelf space comes at a price, and we couldn't afford it," she said. The entrepreneur went on to thank her fans and investors via her brand's Instagram account. "After four powerful and soul-stretching years, l've made the hard decision to wind down Ami Colé. What started as a mission to create clean beauty for melanin-rich skin became a movement and a metaphoric home for so many of you (just like what my mother built with her salon). We were a brand rooted in purpose, storytelling, and the bold celebration of who we are," said N'Diaye-Mbaye. "Let's not forget bomb ass products! This moment is bittersweet. You've witnessed me start from a sketch in my Brooklyn apartment to the shelves of every Sephora in North America in four years. Thank you for everything you've taught me about living your dreams out loud." The announcement comes after beauty heavyweights Estée Lauder, Coty, and Shiseido Americas announced plans to reduce their workforce, signalling industry-wide headwinds.


Fashion Network
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Melanin-rich skin beauty brand Ami Colé to close
Black-owned beauty brand Ami Colé has announced plans to shutter operations this September, with brand founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye saying she couldn't compete with "the deep pockets of corporate brands." N'Diaye-Mbaye, who founded Ami Colé in 2021, cut her teeth at L'Oréal and Glossier before creating her minimalist makeup brand for "melanin-rich skin." In the last four years, Ami Colé drew investments from L'Oréal's Bold venture capital arm, True Beauty Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, Greycroft and Debut Capital. In 2022, the brand inked a milestone retail partnership with LVMH -owned beauty retailer, Sephora, across the U.S. and Canada. In 2024, at the time of its L'Oréal investment, the brand was said to have grown its revenue 75 percent the previous year, according to a press release. In a letter written for The Cut, N'Diaye-Mbaye said that part of her company's downfall was competition from more prominent companies that had bigger financial backing. 'I couldn't compete with the deep pockets of corporate brands; at retail stores, prime shelf space comes at a price, and we couldn't afford it," she said. The entrepreneur went on to thank her fans and investors via her brand's Instagram account. "After four powerful and soul-stretching years, l've made the hard decision to wind down Ami Colé. What started as a mission to create clean beauty for melanin-rich skin became a movement and a metaphoric home for so many of you (just like what my mother built with her salon). We were a brand rooted in purpose, storytelling, and the bold celebration of who we are," said N'Diaye-Mbaye. "Let's not forget bomb ass products! This moment is bittersweet. You've witnessed me start from a sketch in my Brooklyn apartment to the shelves of every Sephora in North America in four years. Thank you for everything you've taught me about living your dreams out loud." The announcement comes after beauty heavyweights Estée Lauder, Coty, and Shiseido Americas announced plans to reduce their workforce, signalling industry-wide headwinds.


Business of Fashion
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Black-Owned Beauty Label Ami Colé to Close
Ami Colé, the premium cosmetics line stocked in Sephora and backed by L'Oréal, will shutter in September, founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye confirmed on Thursday. In an article for New York Magazine's The Cut, N'Diaye, who previously worked at Glossier and L'Oréal, wrote that she could not compete with the 'deep pockets of corporate brands' and that 'prime shelf space comes at a price' the business couldn't afford, describing how its attempts to grow dented its sales. According to sources close to the company, it was searching for a buyer before making the decision to close. 'We made operational decisions that felt necessary at the time — like scaling up production to meet potential demand — without truly knowing how the market would respond,' N'Diaye wrote. Stock levels became difficult to predict, as viral peaks could cause products to sell out and then be overstocked, and that investor expectations, which she described as 'temperamental,' were piling up. Founded in 2021, the line launched with a range of skin tints and lip oils, designed by N'Diaye to fill a gap in the market for darker skin tones. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the line became one of many Black-owned consumer brands to garner venture capital support; the line raised over $1 million subsequently and launched in Sephora in 2022, becoming available in more than 600 stores. In October 2024, the line received a minority investment from BOLD, the corporate venture capital arm of L'Oréal. A crop of independent founder-led brands, Black-owned labels like Uoma Beauty and Hyper Skin, have struggled to maintain access to growth capital — the former's founder is currently suing MacArthur Beauty, its private equity owner, alleging it was under-sold without her knowledge or consent, while the latter is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to raise $150,000 to save its business. In a press release circulated at the time of its L'Oréal investment, the brand was said to have grown its revenue 75 percent the previous year. It won more than 80 industry awards and was featured in Oprah Winfrey's 'Favorite Things' list. Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day's most important beauty and wellness news and analysis. Learn more: Uoma Beauty Founder Sues the Brand's New Owners The suit alleges that the December 2023 purchase of the brand's assets was an unauthorised sale, and seeks damages for 'unjust enrichment'.