One hundred and eight years ago, 22 incredible women founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on the campus of Howard University. Now, more than a century later, the legacy of those women is being carried on by those who came after, and that includes Deltas claiming their rightful spot within beauty industry.
In celebration of 108 years of DST excellence, we’re highlighting five members of the organization who are blazing trails in beauty, creating their own lane, and doing so with women of color at the front of mind.
Tisha Thompson – LYS Beauty (Launching in February)
“Our goal with LYS is simply to debunk the myth that clean formulas, wide shade ranges and high performance products cannot coexist at affordable prices,” Tisha Thompson, founder and CEO of LYS Beauty says. “We proudly formulate clean products that speak to groups that have been historically left out of clean beauty conversations.”
Melissa Butler – The Lip Bar
Created by Melissa Butler in 2012, The Lip Bar has become the go-to brand for women of color looking for lippies to compliment their skin. What started off as an operation in Butler’s kitchen, has now expanded to occupying shelves in Target, and in its own flagship storefront in Detroit, Michigan. “I always tell people, I’m not passionate about makeup,” Butler says on her website. “I’m a minimalist girl who believes a pop of color on the lips will give you enough confidence to take on the day and kick its ass!”
Smita Sharma – SnoBee Chic
“Ironically enough, my line sisters inspired me to start my business,” Smita Sharma, founder of SnoBee Chic, an ethically-sourced hair extension brand says. “Every time that I would mention that I’m going back home to India, because my family is all still back there, they would ask me if I could bring them back hair. I started to do a little bit more research about the industry and realized that there really was a huge demand for high-quality, luxury, and premium hair without the middle man. That’s exactly what we’ve been able to provide.”
Emilia Ramos – Agrestal Beauty
“Agrestal Beauty purpose is to serve as a daily reminder to choose yourself always,” Emilia Ramos, CEO and founder says. “The brand was born and inspired by my own personal mental health journey of finding self-love and self-worth. This journey collided with my desire to create a handcrafted natural skincare line. Understanding the importance of self-love and mental health, I wanted to created a skincare brand that encouraged people to fall in love with their most natural self—their own skin. The goal is to go beyond self care and continue to build a community around self-love and mental health.”
Africa Miranda – Beauty By Africa Miranda
The 2016 launch was inspired by the many travels of founder Africa Miranda. Since then, the brand has expanded to three glow-getting products. “After coming back home from my very first solo trip to Rio, and finally sifting through vacation photos I was stricken by the sight of my own glowing, dewy complexion,” she says on her website. “Brazil and my skin had an incredible love affair and I suddenly wanted to share it with people everywhere. It was then that beauty by Africa Miranda was born, along with my debut product the Facial Elixir which I affectionately call ‘Brazil in a bottle.'”