Chana Ginelle Ewing

Ecommerce site, Geenie, is aiming to help consumers discover indie beauty brands that align with their personal values and identities via a shopping and community building platform. Launched in late July by Chana Ginelle Ewing, the website is designed to offer a safe space for users to connect and explicitly shop brands based on race, gender, sexuality and beliefs.

“I am on a mission to help build an intersectional world. As a cultural entrepreneur, it is very important to me to help tell the stories of and drive revenue to traditionally underrepresented founders,” said Chana.

Before the launch, Chana self-funded a subscription box company, GeenieBox, in 2016 which featured inspiring books and lifestyle products curated by iconic Black women. That experience, she said, was the catalyst for developing Geenie.

“I saw an opportunity to create a shopping community for consumers looking to buy based on their values, while uplifting and spotlighting products and brands that are marginalized through a beauty marketplace,” said Chana.

While browsing products on the site, shoppers see various icons that are placed above each item, illustrating the values of each brand. Currently, there are ten icons representing the following: Sustainable/Clean; No Colorism; Feminist; Gender Expansive; LGBTQ-Owned; Inclusive Shades; Gives Back; Black-Owned; Hispanic/Latinx-Owned, and Indigenous-Owned.

In addition to ecommerce, the website also features a private community space designed for members to discuss race, gender, disability and their intersection with beauty, while also sharing their favorite products and tips.

Here, CEW Beauty News spoke to Chana about how she selects brands for the site, raising awareness and advice for entrepreneurs.

Beauty News: How many brands are currently in stock?
CE: Geenie currently stocks 10 brands: Beauté Brownie, Kami Cosmetics, Gold Label Cosmetics, Hi Wildflower, Fempower Beauty, Lamik Beauty, We Are Fluide, Prados Beauty, Vive Cosmetics and Cheekbone Beauty.

BN: How are brands chosen?
CE: For a brand to be featured on Geenie, they need to be what we consider Culture First. What we mean by that is that these brands represent the vast diversity of beauty consumers and most significantly, use their business to move society forward. That includes brands that are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous and/or womxn-founded and that offer clean, sustainable and inclusive products as well as brands that have made a substantial, ongoing and authentic commitment to social justice as part of their mission. We’re essentially looking at the background of the founders, the design of the product, and the impact the brand hopes to make.

BN: What’s a notable top seller on the site?
CE: Currently, our top seller is Thanks by Gold Label Cosmetics – it’s a velvety rich berry color that looks amazing on everyone, plus it’s perfect for the fall. Beyond the product, Gold Label’s imagery is so striking and beautiful – they have the right mix of a great founder story, packaging and promotion, and clean formulation.

BN: How has your business been impacted by current events?
CE: The beauty industry generally tends to be recession proof. That said, these are unique times. Consumers are spending more time on self care and in turn purchasing makeup and skin care. Additionally, they are more discerning with the brands they spend their money on. Our platform has entered a moment where consumers are leveraging the power of their dollars to hold brands accountable.

BN: How are you raising awareness?
CE: Our marketing mix has included press to drive brand awareness at launch and over the next month we’ll be focused on growing our community through content marketing on our site, newsletter and private chat space via Geneva.

BN: Do you have investors?
CE: Geenie is currently exploring a round of fundraising from investors.

BN: How has the site grown since launch?
CE: We launched with just five brands in order to test our value proposition. We saw that the average order was $25, about two products; a 32 percent returning customer rate; in our first two months we were able to grow our community by 8 percent.

BN: What advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to start a business?
CE: Surround yourself with advisors and a team that both complements and augments your skill set. You want a team that can see and help close gaps that you may not see and that inspires you to do your best work.