In recent years, beauty brands have started catering to a wider range of skin tones, making it possible for me as a Black woman to find a foundation, concealer, or bronzer that enhances my natural complexion without changing it completely. Of all those beauty players, none struck a chord with me the way Ami Colé did.
The brainchild of Senegalese founder and CEO Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, Ami Colé catered to melanin-rich skin, a category that has historically been overlooked. From the warm website imagery to its emphasis on diversity, the clean beauty brand put people like me at the center of the narrative – not as a result of giving in to public calls for inclusion but as part of a genuine commitment to uplifting Black beauty.
The clean beauty brand put people like me at the center of the narrative – not as a result of giving in to public calls for inclusion but as part of a genuine commitment to uplifting Black beauty.
Now, four years after Ami Colé was founded, N’Diaye-Mbaye announced it’ll be officially closing in September 2025. In an article for our sister brand, The Cut, she revealed that the brand is shuttering in part due to a lack of support from investors. “Instead of focusing on the healthy, sustainable future of the company and meeting the needs of our loyal fan base,” she wrote, “I rode a temperamental wave of appraising investors – some of whom seemed to have an attitude toward equity and ‘betting big on inclusivity’ that changed its tune a lot, to my ears, from what it sounded like in 2020.” Her story echoes that of several Black founders who note that support for Black-owned brands has waned following the racial reckoning in 2020.
Still, Ami Colé’s impact is long-lasting and immeasurable, and we tapped beauty insiders across the industry to speak to the enduring legacy it leaves behind. Inspired by the beauty of Black women and the way we show up in the world, the collection includes an award-winning skin-enhancing tint, a light-catching highlighter, and a lip treatment oil that our editors raved about – all made from hydrating ingredients such as baobab-seed extract, hibiscus extract, and pumpkin-seed extract that draw on the founder’s heritage. These products are still available to shop through the end of September 2025.
Ahead, read love letters to Ami Colé from several beauty editors. And keep scrolling to explore a curated edit and bring home these thoughtful pieces while you can.
