The 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture saw skincare giant Aveeno partner with ESSENCE to present the Aveeno SkinHealth Startup Accelerator Showcase Winner’s Circle on the Beauty Carnival stage. The grand-prize winner received $100,000 in funding for her business, while the runner-up received $50,000 in funding for her business.

To kick off the segment, ESSENCE Chief Revenue Officer Pauline Malcolm-Thornton was joined by Aveeno Principal Scientist Sabrina Henry, just because the two ladies introduced a congratulatory message from Tia Mowry.

“I really feel that these dynamic entrepreneurs are amazing businesswomen and role models,” Tia said in a video message. “I look ahead to seeing their businesses proceed to grow.”

Sabrina then gave a temporary overview of the aim behind partnering with ESSENCE for the Aveeno SkinHealth Startup Accelerator program, which is able to provide educational resources, materials, access, and mentorship to assist fuel Black women-owned businesses within the skincare industry.

Read just a little about each winners and their brands below, after which take a look at the video above to listen to the conversation in full. For more of all the pieces you missed on the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, visit our official video content hub HERE.

WINNER ($100,000)
Arielle Brown is the Founding father of Bea’s Bayou Skincare, a line that goals to supply relief for individuals with eczema-prone scalp or skin.
“90% of African-Americans have dandruff, which is a form of eczema, and 50% of individuals worldwide have dandruff—all linked to inflammation in our bodies,” she said. “In performing some research, we’ve found that probiotic extracts are really amazing for the skin. So, now we have our best-selling scalp solution, our amazing face serum, our prebiotic scalp oil, and our newly-added shampoo & conditioner.”

FIRST RUNNER-UP ($50,ooo)
Dr. Anne Beal is the Founding father of AbsoluteJoi, a clean-beauty skincare line designed for individuals with melanin-rich skin over the age of 35.
“I began AbsoluteJoi because frankly, I used to be uninterested in trying to seek out products that worked for me,” she said. “As I used to be getting more mature and moving into my 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond, I knew that the anti-aging products that were in the marketplace really weren’t addressing my needs. It is because a number of the products on the market deal with wonderful lines and wrinkles, nonetheless, individuals with melanin-rich skin show age first, not with wonderful lines and wrinkles, but with dark marks and hyperpigmentation.”