110: How To Work With Retailers & Get Your Products In Retail Stores w/ Katonya Breaux

Black to Business

Name: Katonya Breaux

Business Name: Unsun Cosmetics, INC.

Current Title: Founder

Location: Los Angeles

About Katonya:

Katonya B. Breaux is the founder and President of Unsun Cosmetics, Inc. a Los Angeles-based cosmetics company dedicated to providing both beauty and skin protection to women of all skin tones.

Born in New Orleans, Breaux grew up in Los Angeles as the seventh of eleven brothers and sisters but returned to New Orleans where she obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Arts Administration. She stayed in New Orleans for 20 years, running a construction company she started just prior to finishing graduate school. In 2013, Breaux returned to Los Angeles to be nearer to her family and to launch an idea she had been working on, her cosmetics company UNSUN.

“I have worn sunscreen diligently since my twenties,” says Breaux. “Initially it was to prevent the little black moles on my face that were so prevalent with the women in my family. However, as I matured and became more health-conscious, I realized that even someone with my complexion could get skin cancer. The idea of “sunscreen” was no longer just about vanity. Protecting my skin meant protecting my life”

Breaux’s ability to identify specific needs and her entrepreneurial spirit led to the launch of UNSUN Cosmetics, Inc. Not a fan of highly chemical products, she created a natural SPF 30 sunscreen that doesn’t leave the white “residue” that is quite common when other “natural” products are used by women of color. Also important to Breaux was the idea of creating a product that is perfect for all skin tones, light to dark. “Beauty is multi-dimensional and comes in all shades, sizes, and genders”, Says Breaux. “Everyone should be able to look their best while protecting themselves from the harmful effects of the sun.”

DURING THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• The importance of creating an inclusive brand
• How to get into major retail stores
• How to build relationships with national retailers
• The difference between online and offline shopping experience
• How to sustain and scale your business when bootstrapping
• How to know if your business is ready for retail stores

For complete show notes and resources mentioned for this episode go to: blacktobusiness.com/110

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