I'm coming to you today with tears in my eyes. “Why are you crying, Ariel?” you may be wondering. Well, I’m mourning the fact that one of my favorite beauty brands of all time, Ami Colé, is shuttering its doors in just a few short weeks.
The brand, which was founded on the premise of inclusivity for Black and brown people, has been lauded for its hero SKU, the Lip Treatment Oil ever since it launched in 2021. Fans of the formula include Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, among others, but more importantly, consumers who finally felt seen in a beauty industry that preaches inclusivity but rarely follows through. It’s a sentiment that founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye says makes the decision to close even harder. “We were in the makeup bags of [A-list celebrities], but better yet, we were on the shelves of the people whose needs matched what our products offered,” she wrote in a piece explaining her decision on The Cut.
Small businesses shuttering prematurely isn’t new, but the closure of this brand in particular feels like a visceral form of heartbreak for me. In 2020, after a string of murders by the police against Black civilians, it felt like the beauty community was finally waking up. Left and right, Black founders were being heralded and conversations about race and inclusivity were finally being faced head-on, instead of relegated to the group chats of exasperated editors of color. We were finally being heard. Brands like Ami Colé felt like a tangible result of these efforts.
Fast forward to 2025, and in just five years, this progress has stalled. Shade ranges are shrinking back to 2016-level numbers. Black and brown-owned brands that were hailed in 2020 as the pinnacle of diversity and inclusion are closing left and right. Tack on a president who has decided to apply economic practices that hurt the American people, and we’re left with moments like this—the closure of brands like Ami Colé that did the work, with no apparent solution to help said brands stay afloat. “While my story isn’t unique, it still hurts to watch an industry preach inclusivity while remaining so unforgiving,” N'Diaye-Mbaye states in her article.
While I’m sad today, I’m equal parts furious. At the investors who continue to say that beauty brands dedicated to people of color are “too niche.” At the heads of these companies, who so quickly deserted customers of color once the civil unrest of the pandemic era wound down. And even at people who continue to bully dark-skinned creators like Golloria, who are simply trying to make this space a place that everyone of every skin tone can enjoy.
It's a rough day in the beauty community, but for now, at least we can still shop the impeccable offerings from Ami Colé for a little while longer. While I stock up on my favorites, I leave the beauty industry with this: do better. Beauty is an inherently inclusive space, no matter how hard the powers that be imply otherwise. We have a collective responsibility to leave this space better than we found it. Brands like Ami Colé have left their mark—how are you going to do the same?
Shop a few of my favorite products from the brand below while you still can.
There's a reason this lip oil has a practically perfect five-star rating on Sephora. It's incredible.
This is one of the first brands that came out with a skin tint that I could use by itself without mixing. If I could give this product 100 stars I would.
If I want a bit more coverage than the skin tint offers, this foundation stick is unmatched. The undertones are incredible and again, I never have to mix shades.
The tones of this multi-stick made for some perfect monochromatic lip and cheek moments.
