Nyakio Grieco— the founder of Nyakio Beauty, which creates facial care products— co-founded thirteen lune along with Patrick Herning in 2020. The purpose of the “e-commerce destination” is “to highlight beauty brands and founders who, for far too long, have been neglected in terms of capital and retail partnerships,” according to Grieco’s LinkedIn account.
“My mission has been to create a community to help BIPOC beauty founders
realize success more quickly, with amplified support and on a bigger stage. thirteen lune fosters this allyship in an authentic way and with a platform in which non-BIPOC-owned brands can find us, speak with us and we can all come together in a way that shows true partnership and community,” Grieco said on her profile.
Grieco was moved to support other entrepreneurs through a new endeavor which was “inspired by the racial awakening during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Good Morning America.
The desire for additional retailers to provide Black brands with increased shelf space and representation in stores birthed the inclusive beauty idea.“We have brands from Africa, from Southeast Asia, from China, from the Dominican Republic, but they are products that have to work on people of all colors, hair texture, skin types and really tell a founder story,” Grieco said in the Good Morning America
interview.Grieco is a first-generation American whose “grandmother was a Kenyan farmer,” but she is no stranger to the beauty industry. The entrepreneur recalls the experience of picking coffee beans, crushing them, then adding oils for skin exfoliation. The Nyakio Beauty can now be found at Target. However, Grieco once felt that felt that “the continent of Africa was very underrepresented in premium beauty,” according to Good Morning America.
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