Youngest Black Woman to Ever Raise $10 Million in Funding Takes Skincare and Mental Health by Storm
Photo by NAILAH HOWZE via Forbes
Many Black people face challenges when looking for natural skincare products tailored to their skin types and conditions.
Fortunately, Olamide Olowe, the founder and CEO of Topicals is addressing this issue by selling skincare products made of natural ingredients while raising awareness about how mental health is tied to skincare.
While an undergraduate at UCLA, she interned at Shea Moisture for two years. During her internship, she cultivated her company, Topicals, which she designed with marginalized communities in mind.
“At Shea Moisture, there was an ethos of doing well by doing good,” she told Forbes. “That inspired me to build Topicals with a social mission.”
Topicals launched in 2020 to "transform the way you feel about skin through effective science-backed products and mental health advocacy.”
Olowe’s experience with a skin condition was part of her reasoning for creating the skincare brand.
“Beyond disrupting the ointment category, Topicals helps people accept and embrace flare-ups and have fun taking care of themselves. As someone who grew up with chronic skin conditions, it’s so rewarding to see people talking about their skin journeys in a positive way,” Olowe told Forbes.
Since its launch in 2020, Topicals have donated over $50,000 to support nonprofit organizations helping marginalized communities seek mental health resources.
Olowe recently became the youngest black woman to raise $10 million in funding at age 26, thanks to financial assistance from CAVU Consumer Partners.
According to Black Enterprise, Olowe plans to use the funding to expand Topicals’ company and branding and “raise awareness of the connection between mental health and skin conditions.”