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Our skin is one of the most important and essential things we wear every day, so why not treat it with care and grace? This philosophy lies at the heart of Range Beauty, founded by Alicia Scott in 2015 from her apartment in Brooklyn, New York. During this time, Alicia noticed a glaring gap in the beauty industry and a lack of makeup brands that truly catered to women of color. With years of behind-the-scenes experience in the fashion industry, including working on major campaigns and events such as New York and LA fashion week, Alicia was able to see firsthand how difficult it was for models of color to find makeup that matched their exact skin tones. Coupled with her own battles with severe acne and eczema breakouts and flare ups in college, Alicia rarely ever wore makeup, but when she did, it often irritated her sensitive skin.

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These experiences fueled a passion to create a makeup brand that prioritized inclusivity and skin health. After researching the best locations for black entrepreneurs to build businesses, Alicia discovered Atlanta to be the ideal place. With a clear vision, and determination, she shortly packed everything up and moved to Atlanta where she brought her dream to life and birthed “Range Beauty”- a brand truly designed to celebrate and cater to all skin tones with care.

Alicia officially launched Range Beauty in 2018 at the age of 29 years old, starting with a collection of 18 foundation shades. The brand initially debuted on Target.com in November 2020, pricing its foundations at $16. However, as Range Beauty evolved, Alicia felt the brand needed to align with a true beauty retailer rather than being limited to a cosmetics aisle. This decision led to Range Beauty’s departure from Target. In 2022, Range beauty gained attention after appearing on Shark Tank, where two investors invested and backed the growing makeup company. By 2024, Alicia took the next big step by participating in the Sephora Accelerate program, where the brand is officially able to launch in stores this year. Range Beauty now offers 21 different shades of foundations.

Alicia’s personal experience and journey with sensitive skin has been a key inspiration behind Range Beauty. For years, she struggled with breakouts and saw several dermatologists, none of whom could seem to identify the root cause of her skin issues. It wasn’t until she visited a black dermatologist that she was finally told she has eczema. This pivotal experience helped Alicia understand how to better manage the condition holistically by identifying eczema triggers and using clinically proven helpful remedies, this knowledge not only helped with her skin, but also influenced a lot of the formulation of Range Beauty products. Alicia began to incorporate botanical and holistic ingredients into her makeup line, ensuring it was safe for sensitive skin while still delivering high performance. She encourages others to explore holistic approaches for managing breakouts and skin conditions as well before resorting to harsh medications, highlighting the importance of lifestyle changes and understanding one’s true skin needs.

Alicia believes one of her biggest challenges as CEO of the rapidly growing brand has been navigating the constraints of capitalism. Limited funding has sometimes made it difficult to maintain sufficient and constant inventory to meet the demand for her products. Despite these obstacles, Alicia’s authenticity and genuine commitment to creating a brand for acne and eczema prone skin sets her apart in the highly competitive beauty industry. For Alicia, Range Beauty isn’t just a passing trend, it’s a purposeful and a strategic creation. She designed her entire line specifically to meet the needs of people with sensitive skin.

Alicia didn’t regularly wear makeup until she launched Range Beauty. Now, her everyday makeup routine starts with her True Intentions Hydrating Primer, followed by her True Intentions hydrating foundation. She then applies some concealer under her eyes, sets her face with her smooth out translucent powder and finishes the look with mascara, blush and a nice lip combo!

When asked about advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Alicia’s message is quite simple: “Just start!” She understands that you won’t have everything figured out initially, but growth and refinement will come as you go. Alicia took a leap of faith herself in December of 2019, leaving her 9-to-5 job to focus on Range Beauty full time in 2020. While the pandemic brought its challenges, it was also a blessing in disguise for the brand because she was able to sit down and truly dedicate her time and attention to it. Increased web traffic, influencer shoutouts, and major reviews helped boost her sales during that time. Though Alicia initially doubted whether she could balance the demands of running the business full time, her first year confirmed her decision. Range Beauty hit a significant milestone, generating six figures in revenue within its first year as her sole focus.

Alicia hopes to be a leading voice in reshaping how the industry approaches black beauty, ensuring black women are not only heard, but also celebrated. She envisions a future where more brands desire to create products specifically designed for black skin. “We are not a trend, and we are not giving you our dollars” Alicia states, emphasizing the importance of genuine representation and the constant need for brands to prioritize the needs of black women.

Her mission is clear, to advocate for lasting change and elevate black women’s presence in the world of beauty. Today, Range beauty continues to stand as a testament to Alicia’s commitment to inclusivity, skin health, and empowering individuals to feel confident in their own skin. 

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Range Beauty