Nyakio Grieco is the founder of the beauty e-commerce platform Thirteen Lune and the award-winning brand Relevant: Your Skin Seen. Grieco wants to move the beauty industry forward with inclusivity and collaboration by circulating dollars not only in the Black and Brown communities but with our allies as well.
The beauty entrepreneur shared with rolling out how she promotes diversity through her brands. She also elaborated on the best products to use for vibrant skin, and what makes her a sister with superpowers.
What inspired your passion to build an e-commerce beauty brand?
Creating Thirteen Lune, which is the first of its kind, is a truly inclusive beauty retail platform. You know, the retailer I always wished I had. At the heart of it is inclusion and diversity. We adopted our own pledge, which we call our 90-10 rule. And so 90% of all the brands we carry are created from and by people of color from around the globe, who create products for everyone. I saw it as a real opportunity to debunk the myth that we only make products for ourselves. We will truly build generational wealth by not just circulating our own Black and Brown dollars, which is important, but it’s having people who are true allies shopping our brands as well. We [buy] a lot of brands that are not Black- or Brown-owned, and have helped make this industry a multibillion-dollar industry. So, 90% BIPOC owned and then 10% dedicated to fostering allyship. Beauty is universal. It’s a way to connect people.
What clinical research was done to create a brand that is safe for all skin types?
Well, I hired two Black independent chemists. I really wanted to make an inclusive brand that was great for all skin tones, but I wanted to start with the most melanin-rich skin first because we often deal with the most when it comes to eczema, rosacea and hyperpigmentation. I wanted to be able to tackle these issues. I have a five-acid toner resurfacing solution that’s done at active levels that you will literally glow like a light bulb, but it’s done at levels that are safe, and that will not harm the skin. I have a vitamin C serum, that’s the most stable vitamin C on the market. I have a cleansing balm because I love to double cleanse with my cleansing serum, all with these amazing Earth and science-backed ingredients. And an eye cream that has acetic technology so that it literally tightens the skin while also hydrating, while also helping to minimize fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles.
What makes you a sister with superpowers?
I think what makes me a sister with superpowers is a couple of things. I think I’m a good listener, and that helps you be a better learner. I’m a storyteller, I love sharing stories, and I’m a mentor; who also has great mentors. [I] always look for the helpers, and I think very collaboratively. I think my love of collaboration is also what led me to create Thirteen Lune. I didn’t know these brands existed until I saw them on these lists, and now I have all of these amazing human beings that I’m surrounded by. I think my desire to collaborate is one of my superpowers.
