Maesa, the world’s leading beauty incubator in mass, has announced the winners of the second annual Maesa Magic Incubator program. The initiative continues to focus on bridging the entrepreneurial access gap by amplifying promising early-stage beauty and wellness entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, including those identifying as women and/or BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, differently abled, low-income and seniors above 65.

“We are incredibly proud to continue the mission of the Maesa Magic Incubator, which was created to unlock the potential of underrepresented entrepreneurs with powerful ideas but limited access to resources,” said Piyush Jain, CEO of Maesa. “This year’s winners exemplify innovation, creativity, and a deep commitment to meeting unmet consumer needs through disrupting the beauty industry. We’ve seen firsthand how this program not only accelerates growth through key learnings, mentorship, and funding but also instills confidence in winners, fosters community amongst founders, and creates lasting, powerful industry connections. We can’t wait to see how they will transform the beauty and wellness industry.”

Here, this year’s winners.

 

Jadis Montijo, Motivo Scar Care

Motivo Scar Care was founded by Jadis Montijo, a FTM transgender entrepreneur. In 2018, Jadis met Dr. Jonathan Keith during a surgical consultation. After Jadis’ first procedure performed by Dr. Keith, Jadis struggled to find a scar tape that would satisfy his aftercare treatment. Products available on the market failed to fit his active lifestyle or match his skin tone. After many failed attempts to find a scar tape that would stick, Jadis approached Dr. Keith about teaming up to create a life changing innovation in the scar care industry.

 

 

Marsha McBain, Berri-Clear Skincare

 

Berri-Clear Skincare, founded by Marsha McBain, proudly pioneers the world’s first dark spot superfruit skincare line, harnessing the power of fruits and vegetables native to Trinidad and Tobago to effectively reduce hyperpigmentation. Founded in loving memory of Marsha’s mother, Olive, who passed on her cherished formula for radiant, flawless skin before her passing in 2019, Berri-Clear honors her legacy by empowering women of color to reclaim their natural glow and confidence through even-toned, luminous skin.

 

 


Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio

Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 2021 by Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio is a luxury hair care brand designed to elevate, celebrate and simplify your hair care journey. Each product is derived from our Founders’ own story experimenting to find the perfect ‘potion’ on her natural hair care journey. Today, our formula was created with the multifaceted curly person in mind because keeping it fresh and convenient is key. We believe everyone deserves handcrafted products infused with natural ingredients that actively hydrate and strengthen their curls and coils even while wearing protective styles.

According to Maesa, these three visionary entrepreneurs stood out amongst an incredibly competitive pool of applicants each addressing critical gaps in the market and resonating with consumers seeking innovative and inclusive solutions. Applications were evaluated on several merits, including how the brand’s founder understood consumer insight; the “why” behind their brand; and the brand’s financial viability and go-to-market strategy.

Amongst the robustly competitive applicant pool, 10 finalists emerged, with the three winners personally selected following comprehensive interviews with Maesa’s leadership team. In addition to the winning cohort, the incredible finalists included:

Glamour Divine: Founded by the dynamic mother-daughter duo, Natasha and Khadija brings innovation to hair care with The UnBraider, a revolutionary tool designed to simplify braid removal and promote healthy hair. Their vision is to empower Black women by offering unique, effective solutions that cater to the needs of braid and loc wearers.

 

Karité: Karité is a dry skin solution founded by three sisters, one of whom is a board-certified lifestyle dermatologist, Dr. Naana Boakye. The skin care brand sources its hero ingredients from Ghana, where the sisters are from. Karité products are clinically proven to alleviate dry skin for all skin types, skin tones, ages and genders.

 

 

Butter & Me: Dive into Butter & Me’s world, where sustainability meets charm. Born from a love for the planet and playful care, the brand creates solid skin care marvels.

 

 

 

 

Cayla Gray: Cayla Gray is a clean fragrance company that is one of the few that discloses all ingredients.  The journey to deeper self-discovery started after suffering a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, leading to the creation of Cayla Gray, which was going to be the name of my first baby. The brand connected my deep love for the nostalgia of scent but also honored the heartbreak I experienced. I am really proud of the company and community around me.

 

Ourside: This award-winning conscious luxury fragrance brand is on a mission to reignite spirits through scent. Founded by Keta Burke-Williams, a Harvard Business School graduate, Ourside creates high-quality, sustainable-minded scents that evoke connection and self-expression.

 

 

 

Frens of Frens: Created for an underserved market while changing the conversation to demystify the stigma around cosmetic procedures. The brand modernizes skin solutions post procedure and shortens downtime for today’s clientele.

 

 

 

 

Naturally Drenched: This hair care brand is dedicated to nourishing curly hair and promoting scalp health by crafting salon-quality vegan products with innovative ingredients.

 

 

 

 

The 2024 Maesa Magic Incubator program equips founders with the essential tools to build successful brands from concept to aisle. It combines interactive lectures, personalized mentorship, hands-on training, and a no-strings-attached $35,000 grant for each winner. Designed as a fast-track, practical initiative, the program delivers tangible results by blending foundational business principles with specialized tracks, such as Finance and Integrated Marketing. Winners also receive admission into the coveted “Future of Commerce and Work” program, hosted by the Emerson Group, located on-site at the Harvard Faculty Club. As an additional benefit this year, winners will receive a graduation gift from Cosmoprof North America: an incredible opportunity to attend a fully-paid trip to Cosmoprof North America Miami in January 2025 and complimentary admittance to their illustrious Entrepreneur Academy.

The program culminates in a pitch deck presentation to an esteemed advisory board, featuring industry leaders and investors such as Maesa CEO Piyush Jain; Maesa Founder & CGO, Scott Kestenbaum; Managing Director at Bain Capital, Liraz Evenor; Hairitage founder Mindy McKnight; Being Frenshe founder Ashley Tisdale; and Nyakio Greico, Founder of Nyakio Beauty, Thirteen Lune, and Relevant.