Kim Roxie wanted to create cosmetic products that were safe and healthy for Black women, which led her to launch LAMIK Beauty. The cosmetic line offers products for women of color with vegan, natural and organic products.
Roxie spoke with rolling out about what inspired her to create LAMIK Beauty.
Why did you decide to launch LAMIK Beauty?
I was in my hometown of Houston, Texas. I was there inside of my makeup shop that I had opened in the mall, and upon working with customers, and understanding the landscape of the beauty industry, I realized that 75% of beauty products marketed to women of color were toxic. I then knew I wanted to create a clean, nontoxic makeup line that was inclusive and could fit all of our skin tones.
Why are you passionate about your company?
My mom, who loved makeup, passed away from metastatic breast cancer. That’s what got me digging and searching for answers, and what could be [contributing] to breast cancer tumors. I found different ingredients that are found in personal care products like cosmetics, and studies have shown the link. I wanted to create a brand that my mom should have been able to wear that was safe for her. Finding a solution like this means everything to me, it’s my inspiration, passion, and the reason why I get up every morning. I also now have a daughter, so I think about that solution being able to impact generations to come.
What’s it like being a female founder?
I understand being able to take other people’s experiences and dissect them and understand what a customer needs. It’s something that I think as a female founder, I’ve been able to understand. I also think as a female founder and a mom, I’m someone who a lot of times is thinking about the future, and trying to make this world a better place is something that I’ve acknowledged as well, and the fact that we’ve been underestimated. As a Black woman, we get less than even 1%. We’re not even on the board of venture capital funding that happens, but I have some friends in my network who are Black women who have raised over a million dollars in venture capital. We discuss the fact that people have underestimated us and that we’re actually pulling in great returns, and we’re able to do more with the cash and the money we get because we’re so used to being under-resourced.
