Thread Beauty is the first beauty brand designed with the Gen-Z, BIPOC community as the headline and not the afterthought.

Photos: Thread Beauty

Representation matters — especially in the beauty industry. Inclusivity no longer means adding black people to your marketing campaign, or using phrases like “for men and women.” There is a whole community of BIPOC and people with non-traditional identities who are often excluded from the conversations.

Gen-Z is one of the first generations to publicly burst open the seams on this topic. By using influence and media, we see the younger generation eliminating conformity in social settings, the workplace, and with beauty and fashion. So the timing was ideal when Thread Beauty hit the scenes earlier this year.

Melissa Butler, CEO of The Lip Bar, founded Thread Beauty and launched it with a campaign that focuses on beauty inclusiveness targeted to the unapologetic Gen-Z market. The goal is to put humans of color at the forefront, where they were historically an afterthought, but leave space for allies by offering 24 different shades of complexion sticks.

But seeing people of color is not the leading highlight of the brand. Thread Beauty included gender-fluid and transitioning Gen-Z models to make it clear that this beauty brand is for everyone.

According to Butler, “Thread beauty is much more than a makeup line, at the heart of our existence is a brand ethos that encourages inclusivity, accessibility, and freedom. With each product and every post, we are challenging beauty norms through the lens of BIPOC, Gen-Z consumers.”

Photos: Thread Beauty

The affordable, debut collection contains three multiuse categories of products:

FACE IT Complexion Stick
A weightless, cream complexion stick that includes long-wearing, concentrated coverage in a retractable component for medium-full coverage on-the-go. It is available in 24 shades.

BLEND IT Multistick
A seamless, buildable cream stick that’s blendable and easy to wear. To make it pop, apply Blend It with fingertips, beauty sponges, or brushes. Choose from deep reds to lustrous metallics.

COLOR IT Lip Color
A smooth and creamy lipstick that is non-drying. With matte finish that’s crust-free and a satin finish that’s as smooth as laid lace, it comes in 14 shades.

Thread Beauty is currently being sold at 500 Target stores and on Thread Beauty’s website.