65% of new clients for UK on-demand makeup app Beyou are women of colour

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 23, 2019

On-demand makeup app Beyou has said that women of colour, who are underserved by the cosmetics industry, are fuelling its growth across the UK.

In fact, almost two-thirds of the people who signed up for the app in the first quarter across the UK were women of colour, Beyou revealed.

The app launched by Nawal Alkhedairy allows users to book make-up artists and hair stylists direct to their door at a price they choose.

“From personal experience, for far too long women of colour have been an afterthought for many beauty companies. Being of Middle Eastern heritage, most beauty apps simply didn’t work for me and I was reluctant to book with them. We were conscious of this and it was a major consideration when we launched Beyou at the beginning of 2018,” commented Nawal Alkhedairy, founder and director.

The mobile app prides itself in catering for all skin tones and hair types, and said a recruitment process is now underway to add more makeup artists and stylists to the roster to meet increasing demand.

Beyou CEO and director, Charlotte Green, commented: “65% of all new bookings in the first quarter of 2019 have come from women of colour. Many of them come from referrals from previous clients and, in addition, we’re thrilled with the high level of repeat bookings. This, we feel, underscores that we’re meeting the evident demand in the right way. And that we’re trusted.”

“It also helps, of course, that it seems that every major makeup brand is finally stepping it up with more high-end products that will actually work for all tones. Many of the brands used by our makeup artists are created by women of colour for women of colour. These brands ‘get’ it!”

Beyou is mostly used by millennial consumers, accounting for 44% of all users, followed by Gen X shoppers (40-60 years old) who represent 32% of all users. There is also a large share (20%) of Gen Z users (16-25) benefitting from the app, while the over-60s represent just 4%.