The founder talks plant based formulas, girls’ education and what comes next for her brand
From a walk through a spice farm in Zanzibar to a growing beauty brand, Deida Massey has built Bixa Beauty on a single plant discovery. The celebrity makeup artist and philanthropist turned that plant into a vegan lip and beauty line that gives back to girls’ education in Tanzania.
What inspired you to launch Bixa Beauty?
What inspired me is a walk through the spice farm. I visited a spice farm in Zanzibar while on a missions trip, and I was introduced to a plant called Bixa Orellana, nicknamed the lipstick plant. That instantly sparked my interest, and as a makeup artist I had an aha moment and decided to start a lipstick line from the plant. Because I was there on a mission trip, I have a nonprofit for girls in a village called Mwanza, Tanzania, and 10% of the proceeds goes back to the girls and helps with their education.
How has Bixa Beauty made an impact since its launch?
Since our inception in April 2021, we have sent about 50 girls to school and helped 30 to 50 families. Through my nonprofit, Reel Beauty, and Bixa Beauty, we give back. I like to walk the village with the girls and their families to see what their needs are, and we get a report from the executive director showing where the money is going, who it is going to and what schools they are attending. To date we have doctors, lawyers, a young lady interested in being a pediatrician and one who is into animal medicine. When people purchase our product, we are giving back. We are the lip whip that gives back.
Tell us about the new Bixa Brow product
That is a new product launch, and in all transparency we had some challenges launching our pencils. The formula is incredible, it is a plant based formula that includes henna for women dealing with menopause so the color does not rub off. It has candelilla wax, rice wax and jojoba oil, all things that are good for your skin, and it includes the Bixa extract. We had to pivot from putting our formula in the pencils to pots because our formula is softer than the harsher brow pencils typically on the market.
Everyone will be receiving small pots and a brush to put on your brows. The formula has not changed, we are just pivoting into the pot. We have six brow colors. Jet Set is a natural black, we have Foxxxy Brown, Brown Sugga, Safari Tint, Mahogany for our redheads and Goldie Locks for our blondes.
Why was it important for you to create something clean, vegan and plant based?
It was important for me to create something clean and plant based because I wanted Bixa to be rooted in sustainability, cultural relevance and integrity. I used to be a raw vegan when I lived in Los Angeles and saw the benefits of it, and I have not had beef, pork or turkey in over 25 years. I wanted my lifestyle to mirror the kind of products I wanted people to wear. There is a niche in the beauty industry for clean makeup because people are becoming more conscious about what they put in their bodies and on their skin due to different ailments and illnesses like cancer.
What advice would you give someone starting in plant based beauty?
I would say consult a great manufacturer and do your research. Every line that is out there is not vegan, it is popular now to say eco-conscious but we really are made from a plant. I was introduced to the plant in 2016 and we did not launch Bixa until 2021 because we had to find out how to extract from it. The base of every color for your lips and your eyebrows is made from the plant, and then my chemist and I apply color theory to come up with colors. I love feedback from our customers because it helps us grow.
Since there are no preservatives or harsh chemicals in our products, we needed anything natural to still last and look good, and I was blessed to have a chemist who is a retiree from L’Oreal. We worked day and night coming up with formulas. We do sell wholesale now with our lip balms, and I would love to be a distributor for those who want to have an eco-conscious beauty line.
What is next for Bixa Beauty?
We turned 5 this year. I am building Bixa to be acquired. As an owner I have seen how difficult it is to get capital for small Black owned businesses, and I would like to become someone who can sit down with small business owners and be a venture capitalist or investor, and also mentor those who have ambitions to run their own businesses. My motto is to scale, sell, invest and rest. I am in my scaling stage, and hopefully it will transition soon into a sale so I can invest in other small businesses and offer advice.
Which product would you like us to try and where can we find Bixa Beauty?
Jane Doe is one of our top sellers. It is mixed with fuchsia and red, so for those who like red or fuchsia but are not sure about wearing it, this color is for you. It is bold, no smudge, no budge and highly pigmented because of the plant. It goes on moisturizing and dries down matte. You can find Bixa at bixabeauty.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @bixabeauty.