ARClight initiative launches to support black-owned skincare brands

Ultrasun and Skinsense have joined forces to launch ARClight; an initiative designed to champion and support black-owned skincare brands to achieve the mainstream platform they deserve.

ARClight will launch this year and run annually. Each year the initiative will offer an independent black-owned skincare brand access to a suite of free business support assets over 12 months, enabling them to create a tailored business plan.

Support available includes lessons on distribution and warehousing, marketing and PR, quarterly advice and support lessons. There will also be retail introductions and key retail strategy support.

“Inclusivity and equal access to the market can only be normalised as they should be and as an industry we should look at what contribution each of us can make to levelling the playing field,” Abi Cleeve, founder of Skinsense, told Cosmetics Business.

“Ultrasun and Skinsense have always formulated for all skin types and all skin tones, and we have been fortunate enough to spread the word with the expert partners we work with.

“Talented, innovative black-owned skincare brands that require nothing more than to be given the floor and equal access to market that make sure a business is seen.”

ARClight will offer continued support to the previous year’s winner, allowing the number of businesses benefiting from the programme to accumulate and grow annually. Applicants will be shortlisted and from there candidates will be interviewed and selected by a judging panel.

The ARClight judging panel will include Brown Beauty Talk’s founder Ronke Adeyemi, content creator and brand consultant Lynda Daboh, and founder of Skinsense Abi Cleeve.

Apply for the ARClight programme via www.graphters.co.uk/arclight. The deadline for applications is 18 September.