Female Founders Series; Vouee
Photo via Vouee
VOUEE: Where Beauty Meets Empowerment
Ever see those viral videos where people try to blend in their sunscreen, rubbing it in like it’s a workout? 2024 and we're still there.
When Fenty Beauty entered the scene, we all did a collective dance. We went shopping in groups; it was a team sport all of a sudden. Why? Fenty crashed into our monotonous beauty aisles and delivered an unprecedented range of shades. When they did this, they were challenging all the long-standing industry norms. It was a pivotal moment in beauty – a celebration of diversity.
For too long, melanin-rich skin tones were largely relegated to the sidelines, underserved and overlooked. The historical gap in catering to darker skin tones was a gap in shades - in understanding and representation.
When we talk about inclusive beauty though, it has to extend beyond expanding your shade ranges. It's about understanding the specific needs of different skin tones, from combating hyperpigmentation to providing sun protection that doesn't leave a white cast. It’s about starting with everyone in mind.
photo via vouee
This history, this lack of representation, was core to the reason VOUEE was created. VOUEE's story is deeply rooted in my own experiences as a dark-skinned woman. I looked for products that were made for my skin, tested on women who looked like me and actually helped my skin concerns. I largely came up empty. For me, skincare was a journey of trial and error, mostly error.
I remember this lovely moisturiser I got for my mum. It came in a blue container and white top and I think I got it at an airport randomly just to test. She absolutely loved it. My mum never battled acne or pimples or even spots, but as she got older she wanted something to support collagen and to hydrate her skin. So for her to love this, was great. I go back to buy another 9 - as you do - and it was gone.
And this is the typical story. When you have darker skin, you generally want someone who looks like you to have validated that it actually works. That it doesn’t leave a weird grey sheen on your face, and it will actually help clear dark patches that you are prone to. You want something that was made with your skin type in mind.
That moment of disappointment in finding that moisturiser for my mum was a turning point for me. This is when I started formulating. At first, just to make something for her and for me. I started in my kitchen; surrounded by lotions, potions and oils. I mixed and I loved it. The more I did, the more I realised I was building something for more than just my mum. This was for women, who like me, have made do with things that were not made for us.
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We’ve blended in sunscreen. We’ve mixed it with foundation. We’ve bought £200 serums to help clear our hyperpigmentation. We’ve been told to ‘lighten’ or ‘whiten’ as a path to beauty.
When we started I knew we had to have something for hyperpigmentation. Many people dismiss dark spots or dark patches as superficial, but they can really affect how people feel about themselves. You have people who won’t take the trash out without make-up. You have women who don’t feel beautiful because they have dark spots, and who stop feeling attractive. And they will try anything, including some very harmful products to get rid of them.
I had to tackle this and so we began here - with the goal of creating a product with premium active ingredients that would gently help fade dark spots on darker skin tones, without dryness, irritation or worse - even darker spots. So when the market research came back for this product and women were saying how it brightened their dark spots, their skin felt firmer, they were radiant and glowing, I think I almost cried.
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Some people might wonder, 'Can't we just use what's already available?' The answer is not as simple as it seems. People with darker skin produce more melanin, which is what gives skin its colour. It also means our skin responds differently to acne, injuries, scars, or even too much sun. The thickness of our skin layers are different, which means hydration in darker skin is different. Over 95% of the decent sun protection creams on the market don’t work on our skin.
If you've ever felt overlooked by an industry - whether it’s fashion, makeup, or hair, you’ll understand why VOUEE is a game-changer.
VOUEE soft-launched in December and will be pushing into the UK and the US this year. The commitment in every market remains the same. The mission I have with VOUEE is the same today as it was when I was formulating for my mum. It is to ensure that everyone, regardless of skin tone, feels seen, heard, and catered to in the skincare industry. That no one feels they have to be several shades lighter to be beautiful.
Every VOUEE product is a blend of science and passion, crafted meticulously by a team of experts in Korea. The products are tested on darker skin tones to ensure they deliver for this community with no excuses. This is skincare that doesn't just treat or enhance; it empowers.
“When I first used their products, I noticed a few things - but the most important was that the apprehension was gone. That fear, that this serum will actually make my hyperpigmentation worse or that I will have spent £200 on yet another sunscreen that promises no white cast and doesn’t deliver.”
Some of our ingredients will be familiar to people but we raise the game. Take our vitamin C - we’ve gone for the most stable one available because this is key to gently and continuously seeing improvements in your skin. Our Correct and Boost serum has an intensely hydrating serum from Japan that our skin just loves. This is our best selling product at the moment too.
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VOUEE is about feeling confident and dignified in your skin. It's about knowing that someone somewhere sat down and thought about you when they made this. The VOUEE commitment is clear - inclusive products, non-toxic ingredients, transparency on what is in the serums you are slapping on each morning and sustainable beauty.
Beauty should be empowering, inclusive, and respectful of all skin tones.
IG: @voueeskin