43. Should Green Beauty Exclude Black Women? with Erin Clemons, Lauren Hooper & Chelsea Williams

Is the clean beauty industry inclusive and representative of Black women? And what does it make you feel when you don’t see yourself in these spaces? We explore these and more with Erin Clemons, Lauren Hooper, and Chelsea Williams, members of the Diversity Team at Erin’s Faces. In this episode, we’ll hear some of the insights from our conversations. Erin Clemons is a creative professional who is passionate about the intersection of arts and activism, and finds joy in creating connections. She was our guest in Episode 8 where we discussed her experience in Hamilton on Broadway. Lauren is a mother of two who finds joy immersing herself in her garden and applying her mind to her onscreen roles, most recently appearing in Homeland. Chelsea of That's Chelsea is a plant-based public health specialist who holds a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition, and is a media contributor and wellness writer. 

We discuss their clean beauty experiences and the frustration they have felt at not seeing women who look like them in these spaces. The team touches on superficial representation and performative allyship; how brands need to do the work and educate themselves to speak to Black women’s needs. All of the women came to green beauty differently, but they share similar struggles in not being able to access the full range of products available from brands. Our conversation also touches on the work white-owned brands have to do to move past their blind spots, colorism, the value of thorough market research, and why true inclusion benefits the bottom line.  

Our email this week (50:52) is about what makes an ingredient Active or Inactive. 

Call Outs from the Episode: 

• Erin Clemons
• Erin Clemons on Instagram
• Erin Clemons on Twitter
• Lauren Hooper on Instagram
• Chelsea Williams on Instagram
• Chelsea Williams on Twitter
• Fenty Beauty
• ILIA Beauty
• Glossier

 Tweetables:

“We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t find products or clothes that [fit] different body types.” — Lauren Hooper [0:15:07]

“It’s like you have to be assimilated in order to be accepted.” — @HiThatsChelsea [0:16:21]

“This whole issue, it’s a human issue, it’s not a brand issue. I just wish that human beings would talk to each other more, ask the questions, be able to listen, take the feedback, and use it. Don’t just placate.” — @ErinEClemons [0:48:22]

“I will take my dollars where I feel valued and appreciated and create a shift that way if that brand doesn’t want to improve.” — @HiThatsChelsea [0:49:18]

Come have fun with us!
Our private Facebook Group: Erin’s Faces Green Beauty Gathering
Instagram: @erinsfaces
Email: [e-mail]
Website: erinsfaces.com