In the midst of the racial injustice that took place in 2020, Nyakio Grieco found herself on various Black-founded business lists, as the founder of Nyakio Beauty.
She said she was “shocked” to find she was in the company of several Black-founded brands, as she hadn't realized there were that many others out there.
As she thought about what would have helped her gain more visibility when she first started her company in 2016, she was catalyzed to create a community to help Black beauty and wellness founders reach a larger audience.
This led to the launch of Thirteen Lune with co-founder Patrick Herning in the summer of 2020, starting with 13 brands.
“I found a way to align my passion with purpose to create the beauty retail (marketplace) I always wished I had,” Grieco told L.A. Inno. “It was so exciting to manifest a space to help these founders get to success much quicker than I ever did.”
Thirteen Lune recently announced the closing of an $8 million investment round, with new participation from the BrainTrust Fund, a fund that makes early-stage investments in Black founders of beauty and wellness companies.
Foundation
Grieco’s Nyakio Beauty, which she created by integrating skincare secrets passed down from her family, as well as her travels around the world, was acquired by Unilever in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
The Nyakio Beauty line includes skin care products with plant-based ingredients including manketti, neroli and coffee seed oils.
Herning, who serves as CEO of Thirteen Lune, also founded the inclusive plus-size luxury fashion company, 11 Honoré.
Supporting BIPOC
Thirteen Lune has a 90:10 BIPOC founded-to-ally business model, Grieco said. That means 90 percent of all the brands it showcases are created by people of color from around the globe and 10 percent is dedicated to fostering “ally-ship,” Grieco said.
She defines an ally company as one that’s been thoroughly vetted to confirm it’s making an “ongoing concerted effort, both internally and externally, to be inclusive in its product assortment, mission and company culture.”
“The challenge of making the beauty industry more inclusive cannot just fall on the hands of Black and Brown founders and consumers,” Grieco said. “Ally-ship is key, and an important piece to supporting Black and Brown-owned businesses. We're here to debunk the myth that Black and Brown people only create products for themselves. We create products for all.”
Allies and expansion
One ally is JCPenny. Thirteen Lune has expanded beyond e-commerce into brick & mortar stores through a partnership with the national retailer.
Thirteen Lune is currently in 300-plus of these department stores nationwide, including in California and New York. The plan is to be in 600 of their stores by the end of the year, Grieco said.Thirteen Lune also intends to open its own flagship store in the Larchmont neighborhood of L.A. this month.
Look for the Larchmont location to premiere six brands-in-residence, along with more than 100 brands in a designated multi-brand retail section.
“This new setting will offer a place for people of all backgrounds to gather together to celebrate inclusive beauty, encouraging conversation, connection and transformation in an ever-changing global climate, Grieco said.
In an effort to create long-term change within the beauty industry, Thirteen Lune is working closely with founders, Grieco said. It’s aiming to help them break into the market by providing mentorship and including them in the JC Penney store partnerships, as well as in the Larchmont store.
White-hot growth
Thirteen Lune saw 2,000% growth year-over-year from 2021 to 2022, Grieco said.
She partially attributes this to the addition of BIPOC-founded brands to the platform, including Ami Colé, Buttah Skin and Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross.
And, 2021 also saw the launch of Thirteen Lune’s first private-label brand, Relevant: Your Skin Seen, which Grieco created.
Relevant is different than Grieco’s first skincare brand as this new offering is “a deeper dive into ingredients that are safe for all skin tones,” she said.
This line includes cleansers, a Vitamin C serum, an eye cream and an exfoliating toner.
Funding
The recent $8 million seed funding will be used to drive marketing, support brick-and-mortar retail expansion and help expand the reach of Relevant: Your Skin Seen.
The seed round brings Thirteen Lune’s total funding to $12.5 million.
