Just ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Serena Williams joined Cari Champion on the Essence Festival Beautycon stage to chat about her new brand WYN Beauty. While we’re familiar with celebrity beauty brands—Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Beyoncé’s Cécred, and TPH by Taraji to name a few—Black athletes rarely join in. “Obviously I wanted something that could represent me and the way I look,” Williams told Champion.
Like Olympians Flo Jo and Sha’carri Richardson, Williams has long been a beauty icon in her sport. “Beauty is however you make it,” Williams said. From her beaded hairdo in a 1998 photoshoot by Annie Leibovitz (which Zendaya recreated for her Challengers press tour) to her signature winged eyeliner, and now being a licensed nail tech, the WYN Beauty founder has long rested her case as one to watch in the beauty industry.
So, when she announced the launch of her new brand, we knew she was filling a gap—but not just between makeup and sports. Shade inclusion has been a long-standing fight for darker skin tones and despite the push Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty has had, other brands like Youthphoria are an unfortunate reminder of the work still left to do. “I could never find anything in my color,” she said. Turning her personal struggle into a profitable business, Williams’ turned her passion to a profitable business via hard work, planning, and investing in quality products. “You want to create something that lasts … that’s something I don’t think a lot of brands take into consideration. For you that was top priority,” Champion said.
Additionally, being so busy as mother, founder, and athlete, Williams noted that she created her brand to fit her lifestyle needs. “I like the word ‘active beauty’,” Williams said. “I don’t necessarily want to put on a full face of makeup. I want to put something on that I can wear every day.”
Although she launched just over three months ago, WYN Beauty is now one of the most known movement-centered beauty brands. From her Nothing To See Concealer to the new Big Vision Tubing Mascara, and 36 shades of SPF skin tint, hydration and inclusion mixed with movement-proof makeup help keep her look set in place all day. Between bridging the gap between sports and beauty and finding innovative shade solutions, putting Black women and athletes first is at the top of Williams’ list. “I want the people [that are] a part of the company to be a part of the big win.”
