Ami Colé closed after 4 years — inclusive beauty brand couldn't outrun market headwinds

Ami Colé was an inclusive beauty brand founded by Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye in June 2021 and named after her mother, Aminata "Ami" Colé. The brand launched with skin tints and lip oils formulated for Black and brown women, filling a gap in the market that many larger brands had overlooked. Within 16 months it expanded to 600 Sephora doors nationwide, won over 80 awards including four Allure Best of Beauty honors, and earned a spot on Oprah's Favorite Things.

On July 17, 2025, N'Diaye-Mbaye announced via a personal essay on The Cut that Ami Colé would close in September. She cited unsustainable market conditions: climbing tariff rates, brutal marketing costs for small brands, investor pullback from inclusivity bets, and operational challenges in scaling production to meet unpredictable demand. Despite a 2024 investment from Bold, L'Oréal's venture-capital fund, the brand could not raise enough to offset mounting expansion costs.

The closure was widely covered as a bellwether for Black-owned beauty brands. N'Diaye-Mbaye noted that the post-2020 surge of interest in diversity had faded, leaving brands like hers without the investor support they needed to compete against deep-pocketed conglomerates for prime retail shelf space. Less than one percent of venture-capital funds go to Black founders, Ami Colé's story illustrated how even a critically acclaimed, retail-backed brand could not defy the math.

Closed after 4 years despite 600 Sephora doors and 80+ awards, as tariffs and marketing costs outpaced funding for Black-owned brands.

Rising tariff rates, overhead costs, and marketing expenses made it impossible for a mid-size independent brand to compete with deep-pocketed conglomerates.

Investor enthusiasm for diversity-focused brands waned after the post-2020 peak, making follow-on funding scarce even for brands with strong retail distribution.

The founder lacked mentorship, family money, or formal coaching, leaving the business without a strategic cushion when market conditions deteriorated.

A breakout brand with national retail reach and critical acclaim can still fail when venture funding dries up — brand strength alone does not replace a sustainable model.

Ami Colé products remained available through September 2025. Founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye stated she was not done working and would continue her mission in a different form.