Inequity Tag

When Devin McGhee Kirkland, cofounder of adaptogenic wellness brand Deon Libra, received the clinical testing results for the brand’s hero topical product Big Up Body Glaze, $63, she was surprised. The participants were all white men between the ages of fifty and 65. She immediately told the team, “Return and do it again because that’s not my goal market.”  Deon Libra’s current product range. Courtesy McGhee Kirkland founded her wellness brand after losing her father to a stress-induced heart attack and discovering that Black individuals are disproportionately affected by stress. That assessment is backed up by data. In keeping with Mental Health America, Black adults “usually tend to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness,” in comparison with their white counterparts. While...