Indie Beauty Dish: Executive Appointments, Closures, Expansions And More In January 2025

Uoma Beauty’s website and social media are active again after a hiatus of several months following financing and investment firm MacArthur saving it from closure in late 2023. The inclusive makeup brand was launched in 2019 by Sharon Chuter, who formerly worked at L’Oréal, Benefit and Revlon and founded nonprofit Pull Up For Change.

Field Botanicals, an Augusta, Ga.-based clean beauty boutique carrying brands such as Dip, Elate, Kinship, UpCircle and Three Ships, is closing on Feb. 15 after over six years in business. In social media posts on the closure, founder Jennifer Tinsley wrote, “The retail landscape has shifted significantly over the past few years, making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to thrive amidst giants like Amazon, Temu, fast fashion and ‘haul’ culture.”

Nécessaire has appointed Chitra Balireddi, former chief commercial officer at Glossier, as CEO. Randi Christiansen, who previously held the post, is continuing to occupy founder and board roles.

Stripped Beauty, a vegan skincare brand founded by Melissa Arpino in 2018 when she was in college, is closing. In an Instagram post, Arpino explains, “One of the biggest things I care about is sustainability, and it’s kind of like, this isn’t sustainable. I’m just putting more products out, and every brand comes out and they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re sustainable,’ but it’s like, no, the sustainable thing to do is not have a brand.” She’s not exiting the beauty industry and is working on her cosmetic chemist mother Cathie Arpino’s brand Hudson Valley Skin Care and developing a haircare brand.

Justin Silver is leaving Aavrani, the Ayurvedic brand he started with his Wharton classmate Rooshy Roy in 2018, and handing over the GM reins to Serena Giovi, former CMO at Bare Minerals, according to a post on LinkedIn. His next venture is the forthcoming brand SymptoGuard, which will market supplements addressing the side effects of GLP-1 usage.

You Go Natural, a hair accessory brand also known as YGN, has paused new production to focus on restructuring and is liquidating inventory at $10 per item, according to an email from the brand. Despite the pause, YGN informed customers they can still buy its products at CVS, Target and Bloomingdale’s. It also alerted them to its campaign on the crowdfunding platform Wefunder, where it shares that it’s generated over $25 million in lifetime revenues. YGN appeared on “Shark Tank” in 2023 and secured investment from Mark Cuban. In 2021, it raised $2 million in seed funding.

After announcing its closure in May last year, Boscia, a pioneering clean skincare brand owned by Japanese beauty conglomerate Fancl Corp., has come back to life for a limited time. Asked by a commenter on Instagram when it will close for good, the brand responded, “We will be closing in a few months😌 We’ll let you guys know in advance!”

John Masters Organics, which celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2024, abruptly revealed on its website, social media accounts and emails to wholesale partners on Jan. 2 that it was closing its e-commerce site and wholesale operations in the United States and Canada. Twenty days later, the brand owned by Japanese private equity firm Aspirant issued a press release saying it’s focused on expanding its footprint across Asia, including with new partnerships in Taiwan and Malaysia, and will remain present in the U.S. through online marketplace sales.

Earth Tu Face, a skincare brand founded by Berkeley herbalists Sarah Buscho and Marina Storm in 2012, has been taken over by April Vaugn Shabazz, a nutritionist and wellness advocate. It was previously carried by Goop and Net-a-Porter.

Joaquina Botánica, a skincare brand founded in 2021 by Giovanna Campagna to give consumers an appreciation for Latin American beauty, has closed. It achieved distribution in a number of retailers, including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie, CAP Beauty and Beauty Heroes.

Rufescent, a brand that sold red lipsticks designed for women of color, has shuttered. On its Instagram account, founder Kristin McIntyre wrote, “What began as a mission-driven project to connect Black and Brown women to their hidden confidence through the power of a red lip evolved into something beyond my wildest dreams. Over time, I lost sight of the mission, letting the noise of the industry shift my focus to monetization over movement. But now, with spiritual clarity and alignment, I’m prioritizing community over commerce.”

First reported by publication Women’s Wear Daily, makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis has cut ties with the namesake sustainable makeup brand she launched in 2010. Disclosing her departure on Instagram, she wrote, “Kjaer Weis has been my life’s work and my joy, so far. I am proud of the change it has made in a beauty landscape that desperately needed a non toxic, uncompromising alternative, rooted in authentic Beauty and in Love.” Waldencast Ventures obtained a majority stake in Kjaer Weis, which is carried by Nordstrom, Bluemercury, The Detox Market and Dermstore, in 2021.

Becalia Botanicals, a natural skincare brand started by Jazmin Guerrero in her kitchen six years ago to celebrate Mexican culture, has closed. In an Instagram post on the closure, Guerrero wrote, “This isn’t goodbye forever. I hope that one day I’ll return with a new vision, a renewed purpose, and the same love for this community that has always guided me.”

Wavvy Bath, a colorful bath products brand that sold at Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, is closing. Its site will be live until March 1. In an email to customers, co-founders and sisters Hillary and Candice Reeves wrote, “We have built a community of customers who love our products, but who also share our belief that downtime is essential to good health. And that’s what’s behind this decision.”

Mount Lai has released The Vitality Qi LED Advanced Scalp Massager, a $145 device that combines vibrations, heat, white jade and red LED light to boost circulation in the scalp and stimulate hair follicles. The brand known for gua sha tools is sold by Sephora, Credo,  Bloomingdale’s, The Detox Market and Amazon.

Whenever a big trend pops in the beauty industry, the pace at which companies respond to it can be dizzying. That’s been the case with tallow. Brands and retailers are vaulting onto the bandwagon. A few of the brands are Talo, Touch of Tallow, Bonemade Feed Your Skin, Tallow Twins and Summer Solace, which recently launched on Nordstrom’s website.