Good Mela Exclusive – Makeup that Treats the Skin.

Good Mela at LFW A/W 2022 Showcase.

As London Fashion Week kicked off, one of the highlights so far was an event hosted by Paramount Consumer Products. A Black-Owned Haute Couture Runway Show inspired by ‘Coming to America’, celebrating and amplifying Black creatives, designers and Black-owned Businesses.

The wealth of African culture was amazingly portrayed in the show and the strength of innovation of business creativity here in London by Black Entrepreneurs was impressive! The House of Nubian womenswear and Saville Row designer Kwame Koranteng’s menswear graced the catwalk in some inspiring and exciting outfits. 

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The make-up brand for the LFW womenswear show, Good Mela was particularly of interest as it not only showcased African tribal art and culture but also has some unique properties not yet offered by other leading companies.

Mela Haughton founder and creator of the brand agreed to give us an exclusive interview about the background and aspirations for her make-up products. 

An inspiration herself with a degree in Biochemistry and Neuroscience, Mela’s university dissertation addressed reproductive dysfunctions such as Polycystic ovaries and endometriosis, being a sufferer herself. ‘These conditions often cause skin problems for women, including breakouts and oily skin’ she tells me.

Mela saw a gap in the market for make-up products that not only enhance women’s beauty but are health conscious and can treat the skin at the same time. Sounds like a dream right? One wonders why the industry has had to wait so long for a Mela to come along.

Her hopes for the brand is to :

‘Bridge the gap between great beauty products and ones that treat your skin at the same time so being good for your health.’

Looking at the current make-up market, Mela tells me that ‘traditional beauty products can irritate and cause breakouts containing a lot of chemicals and fragrances that are harmful to women’s skin.’ We all know how hard it is to find a foundation that not only suits your tone but makes your skin feel good. Just thinking about it makes me break out!

Without wanting to sound like a cliche, Mela states that her all-inclusive products are aimed at everyone.  ‘Everyone, that feels they were not previously represented.’ 

However, Mela is quite forward in stating that ‘making set shades for different colour skins and races can actually be excluding.’  Indeed, having a pre-dictated colour chart which you have to match your skin to, does seem the wrong way round when you think about it.

On the contrary, Mela likes to be very ‘personable’ with her consumers. Rather, she works with ‘skin undertones which transcend race’ and she likes to ‘listen to her customers who can tell her when things are missing from her range.’ 

‘What connects us all are undertones and we can make shades for an undertone that a black woman or an asian may have in common.‘

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With her science background, she can tailor-make products in response to consumer feedback. She sites the Punjabi community which she has had a lot of interaction, as an example. 

The bespoke element of the make-up, as well as the health benefits, do certainly make this brand unique.

On the subject of what is actually in the product, Mela talks about the ‘creative process’ which is different. It’s about being ‘science forward, not about what can be supplied.’  She strongly feels, given her background, that the company focus is – ‘changes in science trends first.’ 

The setting powder, for example, contains mainly oats which are high in lipid content which is great for the skin and have solved her own oily skin problem. Natural, organic ingredients and no toxins are on the agenda for every product made.

Ethically the brand has a stringent vetting process which can take years. As well as being a vegan, Mela is anti aluminium, and all suppliers have to be cruelty-free. Can this get any better – a beauty line that is good for the skin and guilt-free?

Frustratingly though, the company has annoyingly experienced some impacts of Brexit and some important organic ingredients from Europe have proved more difficult to get hold of. A hurdle that they have had to overcome more recently.

Although a country girl herself, Mela chose London to showcase her brand as she believes it is a hub, a hotspot capital where the truest representation of being black British exists. Black people choose to migrate to London, a place that resonates best with the brand.

What are the hopes for the brand going forward? Mela replies that she wants to maintain the community feel of the brand and the creative excitement. The Business is a family one, her dad created all of the graphics for the beautiful packaging and a percentage of profits is donated to research into reproductive dysfunctions.

As a true Jamaican would say, ‘wi likkle but wi tallawah’, we may be small but we’re determined.

There are plans to expand the range, and that is exclusive, but for now, you can purchase the products at www.GoodMela.com

Author: Vicky Hatia