Glossier is a successful beauty business that is well known for their aesthetic minimalist packaging and effective skincare products. Founder Emily Weiss launched the brand in 2014, with only four products, including the Milky Jelly Cleanser, Priming Moisturizer, and the infamous Balm Dot Com lip balm. For the next four years, the Glossier products were only available for purchase online through their website. Throughout these years, the brand continued to release skincare products, as well as makeup products and merch. Many famous women, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Megan Thee Stallion, have worn Glossier’s makeup products. On November 8th, 2018, the brand’s first physical storefront was opened in New York City. Since then, Glossier has opened ten more retail locations in the U.S. The brand has described itself as “a people-powered beauty ecosystem.” on a mission to “change how the world sees beauty.”
In an attempt to work towards this mission, Glossier has also created a grant program designed to address the racial inequities within the beauty industry. Research shows that only 4 to 7 percent of beauty brands carried by beauty stores, department stores, drug stores, and grocery stores are Black-owned brands. Providing an economic opportunity for Black-owned beauty brands may increase the diversity of products available to consumers in stores. This is important in the makeup industry, as most consumers expect makeup products to accurately match their skin tone. This is also important in the haircare industry, since curly hair often requires different products than straight hair.
This year, the Glossier Grant Program will distribute $300,000 among six Black-owned beauty businesses. The announcement of this 2023 program on Instagram has accumulated over 6,000 likes and 70 positive comments within a few days. The annual grant program began in 2020. Since then, Glossier has provided funding and curated business courses to 26 beauty brands. Although this may have only had a small impact on the beauty industry as a whole, it has had a significant impact on the lives of these small business owners. Patrick Boateng, the Founder and CEO of Ceylon Skincare, told Glossier that the program provided “an opportunity for real friendships” and “helpful, detailed feedback.”
For the 2023 Grant Program, applications are due on April 11th, 2023 at 11:59 P.M. Applications will be reviewed based on three criteria: purpose, differentiation, and business plan. Glossier defines purpose as the inspiration “behind your business and the impact you hope to achieve both for your customers and the broader community.” In other words, Glossier wants to know how the applicants plan to positively impact the world. For example, a previous grant winner, Fourth Phase, donates to mothers that are experiencing homelessness in Sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S. The definition provided for the differentiation criteria is “what sets your brand and products apart from others in your category.” An example of this is how previous grant winner Rebundle produced the first US-made, plant-based, compostable braiding hair. These criteria, as well as the resumes of previous grant winners, show that Glossier is planning to support ethically responsible businesses with this program.
In addition to the $50,000 grant, the winners will also receive networking opportunities and a shoutout. The networking opportunities include a one-on-one call with the CEO of Glossier and monthly video calls with the other grant recipients. Grant winners could use these networking opportunities to learn more about finance, marketing, and product design. The dedicated shoutout will be posted on one of Glossier’s social channels, such as Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Since Glossier has over 100,000 followers on each of these social media platforms, grant winners are very likely to receive some new customers.
The Glossier Grant Program aims to increase diversity within the beauty industry and provide equity to smaller business owners. Hopefully, this brand’s efforts toward inclusivity will inspire other larger businesses to use their privilege to have a positive impact on the world as well.