Alicia Scott’s Business Was Started With $150—Now Issa Rae, Gabriel Union, And Beyonce Are Fans
Alicia Scott started SKNY Dip Cosmetics with a $150 investment and a dream of inclusive makeup for melanin-rich skin. Never heard of them? Alicia actually renamed her business baby to Range Beauty following a tweet from a fan raving about her foundation shades, who said, “Now this is range.”
The name stuck, and Range Beauty's sales grew from $30,000 in 2018 to $45,000 in 2019, and to $330,000 in 2020, allowing Alicia to take the business on full-time.
Today, Range Beauty's fans include Beyonce, Issa Rae, Bobbi Brown, and Gabrielle Union.
Alicia’s first personal investment into the business was just $150—she used the cash to come up with foundation formulations at home. She also did a ton of scrappy research online, digging through the reviews of other foundation products to understand what customers wanted and weren't getting from existing brands.
After launching her product and generating some initial influencer buzz through gifting, Alicia got an email from a Shark Tank producer asking her to apply.
Her first thought: "This must be spam!". It wasn't, and Alicia applied and was accepted.
Range received a deal from Lori Greiner and guest shark Emma Grede, the co-founder of Skims and Good American. The night it aired, Range sold over 1,500 of their sample kits alone.
Alicia’s brand marketing tips:
Don't be afraid to partner with companies outside your industry. Range has done this with Birchbox and NYFW.
Instead of spending all your cash on solo marketing activations, team up with a bigger brands. Range has partnered with major brands like SheaMoisture on booths for festivals, amplifying their reach and gaining more credibility.
Gift with one degree of separation in mind. Range sent their merch to celeb stylists, which landed their iconic sweatshirt on Gabrielle Union during a Vogue interview.
Alicia joined Target’s Takeoff accelerator program in 2020 and began selling on Target online.
Range Beauty’s pricing wasn't right for Target stores—it's outside their typical shoppers’ price point. Even though Range did well online and continues to get new orders from Target, the brand's higher pricing is a barrier preventing Range from actually landing in-store.
Instead of repositioning and discounting pricing, Alicia stuck to her guns and took it as a sign that Target wasn’t meant to be her first IRL shopping destination.
Following her gut was the right call. News just broke that Alicia's joining the 2023 Sephora Accelerate Cohort.
