Beauty incubator Maesa has revealed the winners of its Maesa Magic Incubator programme, aimed at supporting minority-owned beauty brands.
First announced back in July, the three brands will each receive a US$35,000 grant, as well as mentorship and education opportunities from the maker of Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty and Fine’ry Perfume.
The recipients include Fuzz Clinic, a hair removal brand aimed at multicultural consumers which offers skin care products as well as treatments including laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation treatments and facials.
Maesa said the brand was chosen due to its focus on issues that are not frequently discussed within the industry, such as hair removal issues and hormone imbalances.
Also selected was ‘clean’ fragrance brand House of Foster, which offers gender-neutral scents using upcycled ingredients and modern accords such as Sweet Tea, Moon Milk and Satsuma Solstice.
Finally, Ayurvedic-inspired brand Squigs is targeted at Gen Z with a range of skin and hair care products for the face and scalp.
Described as ‘happy headcare’, the brand also donates a portion of its sales to mental health charities.
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“Our primary aim with the Maesa Magic Incubator is to help give wings to the dreams of entrepreneurs among underserved communities in the beauty and wellness sectors,” said Piyush Jain, Maesa’s CEO.
“We have a group of visionaries who have found a consumer insight and designed innovative products and solutions to meet unmet consumer needs."
The announcement comes as other beauty players have moved into incubators, including Too Faced founders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson, who launched their incubator Toy Box Brands in July.
Estée Lauder Companies, meanwhile, once again teamed up with Indian beauty retailer Nykaa for its Beauty & You incubator awards to spotlight Indian beauty brands.