Once a queen, always a queen. Queen Latifah has already proven that to be true with her decades-long career in entertainment, but lest we forget, the multihyphenate star has also been an icon in the beauty industry. In 2006, CoverGirl enlisted Latifah to collaborate and be the face of its Queen collection, the brand’s first attempt at diversifying its shade range to better accommodate women of color.
“I thought it would be so amazing for everyone to see me as a Covergirl because I didn’t get to see that CoverGirl growing up,” she told Essence magazine in 2017, sharing that the idea for the Queen collection was initially inspired by a comment from a fan.
“The woman came up to me and was like, ‘I’m so happy for you and CoverGirl. I love that, but I wish ya’ll made a shade in my complexion,’” she recalled. “I [thought], ‘okay, let’s go make a shade in your complexion’. I thought why am I CoverGirl if we can’t get our different shades?”
Photo: John Lamparski/WireImage
Latifah worked with CoverGirl for over a decade before the Queen collection was discontinued. But now, the Equalizer star is back on board with the brand—and once again, she’ll also be influencing greater inclusity behind the scenes, reports BusinessWire.
“It feels like a full-circle moment to be back with my CoverGirl family,” said Latifah via a statement. “I’m excited to reconnect and collaborate with them once again to bring inclusivity to the forefront every step of the way, from product creation to ad development to product dissemination. I’m excited to be back and look forward to what we can create together!”
As noted by WWD’s Beauty, Inc, Latifah’s reunion with the brand comes as parent company Coty Inc. takes the legacy brand “into growth mode.”
“Bringing back Queen Latifah to the CoverGirl family was a no-brainer for us. Latifah is one of the most powerful voices of our generation and we are thrilled to join her in her endeavors to inspire and evoke change,” said Stefano Curti, Chief Brands Officer of Consumer Beauty at Coty (h/t BusinessWire). “The future is big for CoverGirl and Queen Latifah,”
“The emotional side and connection with American consumers is super, super strong. And therefore reactivating memories, reactivating this love factor, is one of the key elements of success,” adds Chief Executive Officer Sue Nabi in conversation with WWD, teasing what the new phase of Latifah’s partnership will look like. “[Queen Latifah is] going to represent products such as TruBlend [foundation], our line that’s going to demonstrate our ability to be one of the most inclusive brands in the U.S. in terms of shades.”
WWD further notes the line currently boasts over 50 shades—and that the 52-year-old Latifah’s return to CoverGirl is also a statement on ageless beauty. As Nabi put it: “You do exist after 40 years old.”
“She’s been an icon,” Nabi continued, later adding: “Queen Latifah is going to bring to the brand all these generations of consumers who have been in love with the brand in the past.”
Maiysha Kai is Lifestyle Editor of theGrio, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades’ experience in fashion and entertainment, a love of great books and aesthetics, and the indomitable brilliance of Black culture. She is also a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and editor of the YA anthology Body (Words of Change series).
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