Eadem, a skincare brand led by Alice Lin Glover and Marie Kouadio Amouzame, operates with one sole mission in mind. “Our vision is to create a beauty brand that never existed for people like us—one that targets our biggest skin concerns (starting with hyperpigmentation) with safe, effective formulas proven to work on skin of color,” Glover says.
The brand has worked diligently toward achieving this goal since launching in 2020; however, Glover and Amouzame have been bonding over their love of skincare for much longer. "We met long ago while working together at Google," Kouadio Amouzame explains. "Over the years, we had many conversations about our cultures and beauty. We realized we had many similarities that united us as women of color, even though our backgrounds differed vastly. I was born in Côte d'Ivoire and raised in Paris, and Alice is Taiwanese-American. Through our friendship and travels, we became completely obsessed with skincare."
The Inspiration
The duo’s fascination with skincare led to countless conversations about the lack of products targeted toward people of color, particularly those with chronic skin concerns. “As an adult, I struggled with severe cystic acne and eczema and relied on harsh ingredients like hydroquinone to help with my hyperpigmentation,’ Glover shares. “The more I looked into what’s in beauty products, particularly the ones designed for people of color, the more I knew that there was a white space in the market for safe, targeted skincare products for us.”
Beyond creating inclusive products, Kouadio Amouzame also felt called to launch Eadem to increase the visibility of people of color in the beauty industry. "I never saw any representation of myself in ads, on websites, or social media," she says. Echoing her sentiments, Glover adds, "Eadem is redefining beauty standards and challenging the industry to push beyond tokenism. Our mission is to center our brand and products around people of color for bare-skin confidence."
The Products
The beauty of Eadem's products is that each formula is unique and carefully tailored based on the needs of skin of color. "We formulate all of our products from scratch alongside a chemist and dermatologist, both of whom are women of color themselves," Glover says. "We even took a huge financial commitment as a small brand to run clinical testing with a proprietary panel of darker skin tones—something that most brands who market their products to people of color do not do."
With the help of their product development team, Glover and Kouadio Amouzame created the brand’s trademarked Smart Melanin Beauty Technology, which powers the entire line. “Smart Melanin Beauty formulations uniquely care for the skin of color and are clinically proven to effectively reduce hyperpigmentation without changing your skin tone,” Kouadio Amouzame explains. “Our board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Ann Brewer, supervises our formulation process to ensure ingredients are safe and effective on skin of color and suitable for sensitive skin types.”
Eadem’s first product, the Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum, perfectly embodies the brand’s ethos. The serum targets hyperpigmentation—a common concern amongst people of color—and minimizes the look of pores. “We launched with one hero SKU because we knew it was something our community needed as there aren’t many options on the market,” Glover says.
Since then, the brand has launched the Cloud Cushion Airy Brightening Moisturizer and Dew Dream Cleansing Balm, both inspired by community feedback. "It always starts with our community," Kouadio Amouzame notes. "Because we center skin of color, it's all about understanding what needs we are solving, what we want to convey, and our unique point of view.
Product Picks
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The Future
Having become skincare brand founders three years ago, Glover and Kouadio Amouzame have much to look back on and much more to look forward to. "When you take a big leap of faith to start your own business, and Covid happens, it makes you wonder if you're going to make it," Glover says.
However, the brand has definitely made significant strides, striking a retail partnership with Sephora (online and in stores). "When we launched in-store at Sephora, and then a month later, they told us we're rolling out to every single store, it validated that we're doing the right thing," Glover says. Kouadio Amouzame adds, "This was a huge milestone for us, and we look forward to continuing to grow our line in 2024 with products designed for melanin-rich skin."