Meet Black-Owned Beauty Store Thirteen Lune + My Favorite Products

Allow me to introduce you to my new go-to beauty store: Thirteen Lune! The company launched its retail website in December 2020 and is making major moves, FAST. You may have seen them in JCPenney—they’re in more than 600 stores nationwide—replacing the JCP Sephora stores. In 2023, they launched a flagship brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles.

Here is what makes them different than other beauty retailers:

THEY’RE BLACK CO-OWNED

Like many inclusive businesses and initiatives, Thirteen Lune is a product of the summer of 2020 and was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Nyakio Grieco and co-founder Patrick Herning (founder of luxury plus size brand 11 Honore) were moved to diversify the beauty industry.

Before Thirteen Lune came to be, Grieco founded the beauty brand Nyakio Beauty and eventually sold it to Unilever, creating an opportunity for her to have the capital to start Thirteen Lune (A positive example of selling a small Black-owned company to a corporation!).

PRODUCTS

Ninety percent of the products sold at Thirteen Lune are “created by BIPOC founders.” That is far and beyond what you typically see in the beauty space. The other 10% of their products “exemplify allyship.” If you’re like me and want to be a socially responsible consumer and research a brand before adding it to your cart, shopping at Thirteen Lune (and other stores that carry all or mostly Black-owned products like Da Spot in NYC) takes away the stress of Googling every brand on the shelf.

I know y’all are thinking, can I actually find EVERYTHING I need here? Can this replace my Sephora and Ulta shopping trips? My advice is to always use what works best for you. However, Thirteen Lune has Skincare, makeup, haircare, bath, and body products, so check out what products you can swap out in your routine!

One of my favorite features on their site is the search function that allows you to view Black, Latin, or Asian-owned brands. They carry around 200 brands online!

BACKERS

Thirteen Lune jumped from concept to start-up to JCP pretty quickly, and a lot of that success is thanks to the early investors who backed the company. This is a pretty impressive (partial) list of financial supporters:

• Diddy

• Gweneth Paltrow

• Naomi Watts

• Gregg Renfrew (CEO of Beautycounter)

Those are major dollars and major confidence in a new brand (in a post-summer 2020 world, of course).

MY FAVORITES:

• Ami Colé Lip Oil Treatment

• 13 Stems Perfume

• Satya + Sage Candle

• Candy Paints

• Scalp Bliss Itch Calming Balm

Shop my faves here: https://shopmy.us/collections/114389 (I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link.)

HOW YOU CAN SHOP NOW:

Online: https://thirteenlune.com/

JCPenney: Click here to shop online and use the filter to find products in a store near you.

Flagship store: Located in Los Angeles. Click here for full location details.

ICYMI:

• Why Can't I Find Black-Owned Brands in Stores?

• Why Black-Owned Products Cost so Much (Sometimes)

• What you need to know to shop Black at Amazon

• Black Representation: Barbie Inspiring Women Series

Need a consultant? Or want me to speak at your event? Please contact me at hello@retailwhileblack.shop