Watch: Arielle Brown talks skincare at CultureCon LA

Arielle Brown's skincare line Bea's Bayou is paving the way for women of color in the skincare industry.

Jul 13, 2023

Attendees at CultureCon LA can listen and reflect to stories of resilience, overcoming obstacles, and using their platforms to uplift the Black community. You will find solace and inspiration at CultureCon. Arielle Brown talks her Bea’s Bayou skincare line.

“The following is a transcript of that conversation.”

Brown: [00:00:08] I’m really excited to be here in partnership with Aveeno. So I’m here to talk about my brand Bea’s Bayou Skincare, how they gave me this amazing $100,000 grant last year, and all of the progress that I’ve made since then and and hopefully encourage more people to go apply. [00:00:23][15.2]

Gilmore: [00:00:42] Let’s dive right into that, your skincare line. Tell us about it. Why did you start it? Like where was the need? Like you’re here surrounded by so many Black entrepreneurs, like, tell me about it. Let’s go. [00:00:51][9.0]

Brown: [00:00:52] Sure. So in 2020, I was dealing with a flare-up. I have seborrheic dermatitis, which is a type of eczema for African-Americans that affects 90% of us, actually different types of eczema. That was mine. And I was really encouraged by, I, you know, inspired by my grandmother, Beatrice. She made natural tinctures and pies, pralines, the whole thing. And I wanted to make something natural that I could use. So we are microbiome-friendly, which means we’re using the innovation of probiotics and we’re mixing them with herbs, some of which grow in our bayous in Louisiana, like sassafras and blue green algae, and educating people on what we can do to better our skin from the inside out. [00:01:31][39.1]

Gilmore: [00:01:40] You know, other young Black women, Black men like yourself, you know, being an entrepreneur, like what are those? Like, what words of advice that you would give? [00:01:48][8.2]

Brown: [00:01:49] I would say become the CEO of your mind first, believe in yourself. Do not subscribe to what other people tell you you can and cannot do. Do what you do. And if you need to change environments to do it, do it. Find amazing mentors and go find grants. They are out there. You just need to tell your story and be clear about the problem you’re solving. But there are so many grants out there to help you build your business while you can experiment and make some mistakes. [00:02:14][25.5]

Gilmore: [00:02:04] Thank you. Thank you. And lastly, traveling, we’re doing a big thing. We’re traveling at theGrio. What’s the number one destination for Black people to go before they die? Where’s the number one place they need to go now? What? [00:02:15][10.2]

Brown: [00:02:15] Okay. Besides Africa. And I’m serious. Like, I really want to go to Ghana and experience South Africa and the whole nine. I would also say checking out Peru is one of my favorites for food and all that good. And I’m from Lafayette, Louisiana, so check out Festival Internationale every single April. It’s the other best part of Louisiana besides New Orleans, I promise you that. [00:02:37][21.6]

Gilmore: [00:02:37] So there you go. Arielle. She told us where to go. With theGrio. Thank you so very much. Here at CultureCon [00:02:37][0.0]

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