In Conversation With Jacqueline Kusamotu, co-founder of Candour Beauty

We had the pleasure of having a chat with co-founder of Candour Beauty (an online beauty business designed to create a space for black beauty products as a result of underrepresentation they faced in the beauty industry). What I love is that co-founders Jacqueline Kusamotu and Abi Lawrence-Adesida took an example of a gap in education, and created a place for it online - and during a pandemic no less. Find out all about Candour, what Jacqueline’s best piece of business advice she ever received was, how she is the ultimate power mum and whether unisex skincare is on the up.

Tell us about Candour Beauty. Why and when did you start it?

After starting my family (Jacqueline has two gorgeous sons) and working in IT for the past 10 years, my fire for Entrepreneurship and Beauty has been sparked again, with the launch of Candour Beauty in March 2020 - right when the pandemic was rearing its ugly head.

My business partner Abi and I started Candour Beauty because of discussions we had with friends, family and research done online. We found that women of colour across the UK were feeling the same way as us when shopping for skincare and beauty products - underrepresented and lost. When shopping in stores, or even in more 'professional' beauty spaces, the staff weren't trained to know about black skincare concerns - so we created a place where those issues were leading the conversation, and women of colour could find what they needed with ease, online.

Your website specifically mentions the lack of authentic spaces for black women’s beauty products - is it important for you to be a pillar or example of a brand that listens to their customers and provides products that fill that space?

When retail specialists or brand-builders speak to brands, the first questions they ask are, 'who is your consumer, what are they looking for, and how are you helping them find that?' Searching for the best products for black skin, and black women's beauty needs is our 'why', so of course it's integral that we create an authentic, trusted space for women of colour to shop for what they need, with expertise and professional dedicated to answering their questions, and finding a solution for their skin.

For example - for the majority of black women, Hyperpigmentation is one of the biggest skincare concerns, so I would highly recommend being mindful of the fact that dark skin is still very sensitive, and can manifest dark marks. Once the skin barrier is compromised for example by a pimple, it is likely to develop a dark spot if 'played with'. This is not the type of advice an assistant in a high street store would be able to give, as they're simply not trained to know.

I love the ‘Candid Stories' part of the Candour Beauty website, what made you want to feature other female founders and truthful stories on your website? And in your opinion, what’s the best Candid story on there?!

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m a natural solutionist with an inquisitive mind, from as far back as I can remember. My first venture into the Beauty world was selling eyebrow pencils in secondary school! So when Candour Beauty started gaining traction, people started to ask and learn more about each of the brands we stock - Candid Stories was my solution - a great way to tell the story of each brand, and make the whole platform a little more insightful and light-hearted at the same time. It's too hard to pick a favourite, but there are some I will come back to and re-read when I need to...

Tell me something, is unisex beauty going to be/or has it already become less of a stigma? I love the idea that men can take care of their skin as much as women.

Definitely! Men's grooming is taking steps into the self-care world, now that the pandemic has had such an impact on all of us, men are really starting to find solace and moments of importance in taking care of their skin. Ultimately, what I will always say is that it's really important to know your skin; how it feels and reacts at different times of the month/year is quite key to getting the best out of your products. Because we all know, men and women, that our skin behaves differently in different weather, or when we eat certain foods etc. Knowing this will allow you to know when, how or what to apply during these times to help reach your skin goals, no matter what they are.

Where do you personally draw your inspirations from? Is it people, places etc?

I draw a lot of inspiration and support from my business partner Abi Lawrence-Adesida, as we're really in collaboration on the whole of Candour Beauty as a project. But generally it comes from reading articles, watching interviews and learning more about people who have stepped out of their comfort zones to change something, solve a problem, or fix an issue that they've seen with their own eyes.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I've been given is to remember that life cannot be controlled; we have to find a balance and accept that some days do not go as planned. I've also learned that it's very important to understand the person that you are, and know what you want in life. This will allow you to operate and make decisions from a place of understanding and vision.

As a full-time business owner and a mum, seriously, how do you do it all? Tell us your time management secrets!

Honestly, it was challenging during the home-schooling stage of the pandemic, as the house was filled with lessons all day long. I have two very active boys under five, who would normally be at school and nursery, so having to navigate that alongside my husband's work schedule and mine was tricky, but amongst the chaos we've worked it out.

I have a great routine now, which I try to stick to, and sometimes put on Instagram (find me at @msjacqueline). It's up early and my skincare regime really does get me out of bed some mornings - that and my 6am club! You'll have to follow me on Instagram for more..

What’s next in 2021 for Candour Beauty? Anything we should let our readers know about?

We have just become the UK's official stockists for Lashify, something you have got to try - they're the most innovative and gorgeous new lashes, and have their own special 'formula'... so that's been our latest exciting news.

For me myself, I've just been announced as part of the Team officially supporting the Beauty Backed initiative, which we're working hard to ensure the Beauty industry that we all know and love, is supported in the right way through these tricky times. You'll have to follow @candourbeautyofficial for more big announcements, coming up soon!