The Launch Report: 5 Black Beauty Moves to Know This Fall
Every week, Black Beauty Founders tracks the launches, retail wins and leadership moves shaping the business of Black beauty. This edition covers five founders and brands expanding their reach, from prestige fragrance at Ulta Beauty to braiding hair at Sephora and skin care in thousands of Dollar General stores.
01 | FRAGRANCE | ULTA BEAUTY
OCTAVIA MORGAN Los Angeles Brings Room 33 to Ulta Beauty
Founder and creative director Octavia Morgan has added Room 33 Eau de Parfum to her lineup at Ulta Beauty. The scent opens with pink pepper, violet and pear, moves into tuberose and jasmine, and settles on sandalwood, vanilla, amber and white woods.
Room 33 is $165 for 1.7 oz, with a 0.34 oz size, at Ulta Beauty stores, Ulta.com and octaviamorgan.com, where the brand also sells a Room 33 body oil. Rolling Out has described OCTAVIA MORGAN as the first Black and woman owned prestige fragrance line to launch at Ulta Beauty.
Why it matters: Prestige fragrance is one of beauty's most competitive categories, and a founder-led line growing its range at Ulta shows Black-owned brands holding space at the top of the shelf.
Sources: Rolling Out, Ulta Beauty
02 | HAIR | SEPHORA
Ruka Becomes the First Braiding Hair Brand at Sephora
Ruka, the London-founded hair brand led by CEO Tendai Moyo and co-founder Ugo Agbai, launched on Sephora.com on August 4 and arrived in 10 Sephora stores in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta on August 14.
The assortment centers on Synths², Ruka's patent-pending, collagen-based braiding hair, alongside styling products and hair perfumes. Black Enterprise reports Ruka is the first braiding hair brand to be sold at Sephora.
Why it matters: Braiding hair has long lived in beauty supply stores. A prestige door opens a new lane for textured hair innovation and the founders building it.
Sources: Black Enterprise
03 | SKIN CARE | DOLLAR GENERAL
Just for Teens Heads Toward 10,000 Stores
Atlanta-based Just for Teens, founded in 2020 by Brian Reynolds, is expanding to about 10,000 stores, including more than 8,000 Dollar General locations. The brand was in about 4,000 stores in September 2025.
The line is made for teens and preteens and includes facial washes, moisturizers, mineral sun care and fruit-scented pimple patches, with dissolvable cleansing pads on the way. Reynolds has also taken part in small business accelerator programs, including Dollar General's.
Why it matters: Mass retail at this scale puts a Black-owned brand within reach of shoppers in nearly every corner of the country, at a price point built for families.
Sources: UATL, Black Enterprise
04 | HAIR | GAMING
The Doux Opens a Salon on Roblox
The Doux, the Black and veteran-owned hair care brand founded by Maya and Brian Smith, has launched My Salon Empire, a free game on Roblox. Players run a virtual salon in Atlanta and create braids, locs, twists, blowouts and wash-and-gos, including styles contributed by Roblox creators.
The brand continues to scale beyond the shelf. AfroTech reported The Doux reached $38 million in 2025 sales and took a minority investment from VMG Partners in April 2026.
Why it matters: Gaming puts textured hair culture in front of the next generation of beauty shoppers, years before they walk into a store.
Sources: theGrio
05 | LEADERSHIP | SKIN CARE
Topicals Names Sukiana Chancy CEO
After five years as CEO, Topicals founder Olamide Olowe has handed the role to Sukiana Chancy, formerly global general manager for skin care, hair and fragrance at Fenty Beauty. Olowe remains involved day to day, with a focus on promoting the brand.
Chancy will lead Topicals' expansion into the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The company says it is Sephora's number one Gen Z skin care brand, has sold 10 million eye masks and has raised more than $22 million.
Why it matters: A founder bringing in a seasoned operator to lead global growth is a sign of a brand built to scale, and a playbook more Black-owned brands will follow.
Sources: theGrio, Business of Fashion
Have a launch, retail win or leadership move we should know about? Send it to hello@blackbeautyfounders.org with “Launch Report” in the subject line.
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