Chichi Eburu Makes Inclusive Cosmetics Through Juvias Place

Chichi Eburu, a Kenyan-born Nigerian-American entrepreneur, is the founder of Juvias Place. Her company is a direct response to the lack of representation in the beauty industry for people of color and those with darker skin tones.

Eburu was inspired by her mother, who created her makeup from ingredients found in their garden and discarded household items like egg yolk and petroleum jelly. The products are formulated specifically for every complexion and under $25.

Juvia’s Place is a response to the multi-billion dollar global beauty industry. As African-Americans make up only 4% of the beauty industry, Chichi Eburu and her team at Juvia’s Place want to ensure that everyone can and will be able to use their products.

In 2014, Eburu opened a beauty vending machine in New York City with Juvias Place products. The vending machine received news coverage from almost every major magazine and television network.

On March 15th, 2015, Chichi Eburu launched her first brick-and-mortar store in Harlem, New York City. This milestone was a huge accomplishment for the company and its mission to provide affordable cosmetics for all women of color. It brought attention to how diverse the ownership of businesses is in Harlem and how vital the role of Queens-native Chichi Eburu was in this industry.

In addition to Juvia’s Place’s brick-and-mortar store, there are several distribution points in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Washington D.C. There are also mobile retail locations with the same products.

Juvia’s Place is a direct response to the lack of representation in the beauty industry for people of color and those with darker skin tones. Chichi Eburu wanted to create an environment where she could provide her customers with a wide range of makeup products that were affordable and created specifically for every complexion.