Kreyòl Essence + Sephora

Recently, I was selected by Sephora as one of the 10 new female business leaders to be part of its esteemed accelerator cohort. Forbes calls the Sephora Business Accelerator “3 of the best and unique accelerators” to be part of in the U.S. Sephora is a leader in prestige beauty and is owned by the luxurious LVMH. In addition to a shared commitment to excellence, what makes this incubator a perfect fit for Kreyòl Essence is the focus on women owned businesses that are dedicated to social impact.

As you may know, one of the reasons I love Kreyòl Essence is because it marries my three raison d'être’s: beauty, economic development in Haiti, and empowering women (especially women of color).  If we want to alleviate poverty through beauty + expose the world to the prestige of Haitian ingredients, who better to learn from then Sephora?

A few people actually discouraged me from applying to the Sephora Accelerator (and from pitching our products to Whole Foods Market for that matter). Why would these esteemed retailers be interested in a small company focused on natural + premium Haitian ingredients, devout to its social mission, with women of color as its primary customer base? It seems obvious now but I was rattled by the questions and doubted if these retailers would share the same values as Kreyòl Essence.

I remember asking you, our customers, if I should pursue these retailers and you all told me— Yes!

I am glad I listened. You can now find our signature Haitian Black Castor Oil in over 60 Whole Foods Stores and our entire collection is at the Philadelphia Whole Foods.

I am in San Francisco as we speak.  My week will consist of meetings and workshops led by Sephora executives and industry leaders at Facebook, Google, and Youtube. I plan on soaking in every minute of this rare opportunity so that we are better able to market and introduce the world to the best Haiti has to offer.

These wins remind me and Stephane (my co-founder) to keep believing and to keep pushing towards our vision and goals for Kreyol Essence.  Follow me on Facebook + Instagram to continue to take this journey together…

Truly Excited,

Yve-Car Momperousse