Some people’s lifelong dream is to launch a product. Victoria Monari wasn’t one of them. When the 26-year-old East African Londoner recently embarked on an entrepreneurial career, she even surprised herself. “If you told me, even two years ago, that I’d be launching a product, I wouldn’t have believed you,” says Monari.
After she received her master’s degree in publishing at the University of the Arts London last year, Monari hit a career wall and changed her direction. While she’d gotten some cool bylines as a writer, including in Coveteur, she says, “Nothing ever felt right for me.” Traditional corporate roles, she adds, “Never sat right in my soul. I’ve filled out so many LinkedIn applications. I’ve applied for just about every job you can think of.”
Fast forward to 2023, and Monari, who was unexpectedly inspired to jump into entrepreneurship upon joining her school’s incubator startup program LCC Accelerate, is gearing up to launch her namesake skincare line by the end of the year. She’s also offering a course where she takes people through the journey of starting a beauty brand from scratch.
Monari is seeking to raise the pound equivalent of around $65,000 to $250,000 before the launch of the line. Once that’s in hand, the brand is slated to introduce its hero product, Joy Honey Lip Oil. Infused with honey, aloe vera and likely vitamin C, it will feature a gloss texture and three shades (golden glitter, espresso and rich red). Monari describes the lip oil as “subtle luxury” and anticipates it will be priced at the pound equivalent of $25 to $34. More than appealing to specific skin types, Monari says, “I really want this to feel like a feminine brand, that’s the main thing.”
The brand’s core demographic is projected to be Black women in their twenties and thirties. Its packaging will be 100% compostable. Monari Skin wants to be verified by the eco-conscious organization Provenance and eventually gain B Corp status as well as join the 1% for the Planet effort to support sustainability efforts.
Monari Skin plans to start selling in direct-to-consumer distribution, although it eventually aims to secure partnerships with major retailers. Monari identifies Liberty, Sephora and Selfridges as target retailers for the brand. Citing Beauty Pie’s successful membership model, she mentions a subscription option could be in the brand’s future, too. Monari Skin will rely on social media for marketing across all major platforms. It garnered more than 1,500 views on its debut Instagram Reel.
“The overall goal is to help our customers engage in more mindful beauty practices using AI.”
Monari underscores Monari Skin will differentiate itself from other gen Z beauty brands by creating personal wellness experiences via artificial intelligence. The objective is to make wellness accessible, she says, by offering consumers an integrated skincare routine based on specific lifestyle needs and preferences. With an AI beauty assistant tool, the brand will recommend products and complementary wellness practices, including life events like date nights, long flights or holidays, designed to make a person feel better in a specific moment,
“A lot of my self-confidence has come from a mixture of skincare and wellness,” says Monari. “Those are the two things I need to feel whole. When I thought of the skincare brand, it took me a moment to bring the wellness bit into it.” She elaborates, “The overall goal is to help our customers engage in more mindful beauty practices using AI. Tech is the tool, beauty is the canvas of possibility, and wellness is the message. We want to add to our savvy customer’s already well-established wellness routine as we know that the gen Z wellness and beauty community are already well-versed in their choices.”
Monari isn’t the only person mixing skincare and wellness. According to the fitness and wellness software company Mindbody’s 2023 Wellness Index Report, 65% of consumers believe that beauty and grooming are important parts of wellness. Monari’s ambition is to tackle time poverty and promote inclusive wellness practices.
Monari highlights the importance of Monari Skin being a Black-owned business that gives back to its community. She says it will donate 1% of earnings to an impact fund that prioritizes the wellness of people of color by donating to various charities in the United Kingdom and United States that spread inclusive wellness.
As Monari steps into her new role, she’s out to change the landscape for women of color. She says, “So many women like me want to fully pursue their dreams, but they just don’t have the means, and the funding barrier won’t allow them…I want someone who looks like me to feel confident in pursuing this head-on.”
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