Meet Althea Branton (she/her/elle) | Founder + Skincare Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Althea Branton (she/her/elle) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Althea, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always thought myself to be creative… yet the world at large told me otherwise.

Apparently I’ve never had the skills, training, etc etc etc to be considered a (air quotes) creative. Needless to say, I’ve never been a person to truly pay attention to anyone or anything that doesn’t align with what lights up my soul.

Creativity is in all of us. We come into this life bursting with creativity, genius & deliciousness; then somewhere along the way it gets taken away with us and replaced with conformity, mediocrity and suffocation. Let’s also consider who can be creative… and it’s usually people who don’t look like me.

To me, skincare is art. It’s fashion. It’s not only a necessity but it’s a revolution unto itself. I design & create skincare that feels good on your body and is good for your body. Plus when you feel good, you shine. We definitely need more of us shining in the world.

What should our readers know about your business?
Althea Branton is a genderfluid skincare line for Black & Brown bodies. As the beauty industry is based on Eurocentric beauty standards, products aren’t formulated for people of the global majority. There’s an ageist emphasis for looking (air quotes) younger – especially for women. While there have been strides made for more inclusivity, there’s still a long way to go to achieve actual representation of the global population.

I’ve always had a thing for skincare. That feeling when you apply a product to your body and it makes you feel amazing is just that – amazing. I would feel accomplished; proud of myself; strong.

I’d go to craft fairs and see these artisans creating handmade products with natural ingredients. I found it mesmerizing to see how they were earning a living making all this deliciousness. I knew this was where I needed to be. So I earned 2 diplomas in cosmetic formulation at the height of the pandemic with a young child at home. While the Earth was closed, I decided that skincare was going to be what I wanted to do for the rest of my days.

I also knew I wanted to start my own line. I didn’t just want to create soaps and lip balms; I wanted to create skincare that not only worked for my skin but felt good… really good. I needed skincare that was a reflection of all that I am… something that I wasn’t seeing in the marketplace. Sure, I’d see models that looked like me but they had very Eurocentric features – and I do not.

That’s when I decided to create an eponymous line (my name does in fact sound like a designer handbag) that is intentionally & purposefully made for Black & Brown bodies. So much of skin care is all about the face. I want to change that narrative. We have skin all over our bodies. We can triple-cleanse our face and add all the things but somehow there’s a growing faction of people who believe that it’s possible to go days without cleansing the body (in a global pandemic! Yuck).

Cue the barriers.

I’m a queer Black woman entrepreneur who owns & runs a post-kyriarchal business. I don’t subscribe to patrichal and/or capitalist methods of sales, marketing & operations. I certainly don’t put profit over people. Yet to the world at large, I have no idea what I’m doing, I lack skills and I definitely can’t be trusted with large amounts of money because I might burn it on getting my hair & nails done. I don’t even like getting my nails done. Le sigh.

I’ve had prominent post-capitalist & feminist figures tell me my concept is “BS”; “fodder for conservatives”; “racist against white people”; my personal favourite is “this will alienate cishet ablebodied Black people from buying your product” – a response to my statement about how marketing images will feature queer, disabled & neurodivergent Black & Brown people.

Then there’s the funding. There’s money everywhere, they say. Get investors to invest in you, they say. Too bad I barely qualify for grants and have zero intention of existing for an investor to make a few percentage points off my back so they can take that money and ship it off to its new life in a bank account surrounded by warm ocean waters.

I want the world to know that despite ALL of this, I’m still here. I’m not going to quit now. My product designs are stellar. I know I’m on the cusp of greatness – greatness, of course, that’s defined by me. I’ll find a way to keep going – I always do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’d start with a long walk near the lake. Then we’d have a nap – seriously.

Then we’d walk down the road to this super-adorable Spanish/Mexican restaurant for food that’s categorically made with love.

Next up would be a drive on the parkway to see the peak fall colours and a stop at a local fruit stand.

Shopping is necessary and good for the soul so we’d check out the massive outlet mall on the other side of the canal. After copious amounts of people watching and a good lunch in the food court, we’d stroll around for deals on designer labels.

Then off to my favourite winery. It’s got the best rosé in the known universe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my favourite human – my son. You are my treasure and my gift. You’ve taught me how to evolve; how to persevere; how to believe in myself and how to love fully, genuinely and wholly. I shine to infinity because of you. I love you to the reaches of the Observable Universe.

Website: www.altheabranton.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/althea.branton

Other: email: connect@altheabranton.com

Image Credits
Althea Branton Atelier Oluwatosin