Introducing Mango People, Sephora’s first Ayurvedic makeup brand

For Sravya Adusumilli, launching a beauty brand was never in the plan. “All I wanted was a nude pink lipstick that actually looked good on pigmented lips, with skin-loving ingredients,” says the founder and CEO. This quest for inclusive, non-toxic lipstick shades led to the birth of Mango She People, a South Asian-focused makeup line infused with Ayurvedic wisdom and sustainability. .

“Growing up in a South Asian household, my mother always taught me to be mindful of what I eat and what I put on my body,” she says.

Adusumiri said her mother was worried about the ingredients in cosmetics, so she was prohibited from using them.

Adusumiri started dabbling in makeup after entering university. “As a poor college student, buying just one makeup product was pretty expensive, let alone buying multiple makeup products to complete my entire routine. “I used to buy one and one shade,” she recalls, “and I would also apply lipstick to my eyes and cheeks.”

It was only later that she discovered that her favorite lipsticks contained not only petroleum byproducts but also colors derived from coal tar. “It was frustrating,” the 27-year-old says.

While some may think finding alternatives isn’t such a hassle, finding the right shades of makeup to complement the various undertones of South Asian skin can seem overwhelming. It can be a great experience.

“I tried to find alternatives, and when I found a brand that had really great ingredients, its shade range wasn’t very comprehensive,” says Addusmilli. “Most shades made me look gray or faded,” she added.

Mango People was born from this struggle. Funded with his $10,000 from personal savings, the pandemic-born brand debuted in September 2020 with three of his products, including his TikTok favorite, Multitick.

Mango Butter-infused Makeup Stick features a pigment-rich, creamy formula that blends quickly onto cheeks, lips, and eyelids, and the color washes off easily. The multi-stick has eight shades to suit different skin tones.

“We wanted to create a product line that would allow anyone, regardless of their skin tone, to find the perfect shade to highlight their natural beauty without compromising performance.” [and] ingredients,” says the chemical engineer turned independent contractor.

Antioxidant-rich adaptogens such as Ashwagandha, Brahmi, and Triphala have long been revered in Ayurvedic medicine and are the star ingredient in Mango People’s makeup.

While researching Ayurvedic principles, “One of the philosophies that really resonated with me was, ‘What you can’t eat doesn’t belong to your skin,'” Adusmilli says. “Of course, this is not meant to be taken literally, but the idea is that we should be conscious of not only what we put in our bodies, but also what we put on our skin,” she explains.

In addition to Ayurvedic herbs, the brand is formulated with nutritious botanicals and vegetable oils such as apple, avocado oil, blackcurrant, cherry, and olive oil.

“When you read our ingredient list, it’s like a recipe,” says Addusmilli. “Eighty percent of them are recognizable,” she adds. Many of them are in the kitchen.

Despite weathering a turbulent pandemic market that hit cosmetics sales due to weak demand, the bootstrapped business grew to 66% within a year by leveraging social media and word-of-mouth marketing strategies. It is reported that the sales have increased by several orders of magnitude.

Last year, the Los Angeles-based brand joined Sephora’s Accelerate program, a beauty incubator focused on supporting founders of color.

Starting this month, Mango People Makeup will be available for purchase on the beauty retailer’s website for $27 each, making it Sephora’s first Ayurvedic makeup brand.

“Personally, I’m so lucky to have grown up with these incredibly effective ingredients and beauty rituals, and I hope everyone can experience and enjoy them,” says Beauty Entrepreneur. says the house.

Adusmilli says the entire collection is designed to be multifunctional to streamline consumers’ beauty routines, minimizing packaging waste that ends up in landfills.

Plus, this formula is concentrated and highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way and will last longer before you repurchase.

Each product contains no water, is made without petrochemicals or petroleum byproducts, and contains recycled aluminum tubing.

“I have always been conscious of my impact on the environment and do my best to live mindfully, and I wanted to share this philosophy with Mango People,” says Addusmilli.

“For us, true inclusivity starts with formulation and product innovation,” Adusmilli said of the brand’s role in broadening the conversation around inclusivity and representation.

“We’ve put a lot of thought and effort into our formulas and shade range.” Learn about color theory, learn about the different hues and tones, and why certain shades work for certain skin tones and others. I spent a lot of time researching whether or not the color tone has an effect. In contrast to many brands that put such aspects on the back burner, says the founder.

Additionally, “the images we use on our website and social media are comprised of a diverse group of models and creators of all skin types and tones,” she says.

She says of the direction the beauty industry as a whole is taking in terms of inclusivity and diversity. “We have definitely come a long way.

I’m not just looking at diversity [in] So many marketing campaigns target people of all skin types, body sizes, and all ages, not just skin color. ”

But Adusumiri believes there is more work to be done. “While I really appreciate seeing people who look like me in these ads, I think there should be more emphasis on the products themselves. “It’s about formulating and designing products that are made in the world,” she says. .

To that end, Adusmilli suggests hiring a more diverse group of chemists at beauty companies. “It’s simple logic: The chemists who create products should be as diverse as the individuals who use those products,” she says.

“We also need more diverse representation in clinical research and trials,” she says, to further help brands create truly inclusive products that work for people of all skin types and textures. added.