When Passion Isn’t Enough: Why the Closure of Ami Colé Hits Different

The beauty world felt a shift when Ami Colé announced it would be closing this fall. For me, this wasn’t just “another brand shutting down.” This was personal.

Ami Colé was more than skincare and lip oil. It was heart, heritage, and home. It was a beautiful reminder that melanin-rich beauty deserves luxury too. And knowing that its founder, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, named the brand after her mother made it even more special. So when I read her open letter in The Cut, I felt the weight. Her words weren’t just about business—they were about identity, sacrifice, and legacy.

“This brand wasn’t just mine. It was my mother’s. It was my daughter’s. It was ours.” — Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye

We Don’t Talk Enough About What It Takes

There’s this idea that if a brand makes it to Sephora, they’ve made it. But that’s not the full story. Getting on retail shelves is just the beginning. What people don’t see are the costs behind staying there—marketing demands, shipping logistics, investor expectations, and the constant race to prove your worth, especially when you’re Black-owned.

Diarrha raised over $3 million in funding. The brand got amazing press, celebrity love, and loyal customers. So why did it still feel like she was fighting uphill?

Because the odds have always been different for us.

The Real Cost of Being a Black Founder

Here’s some context that often gets left out of the conversation:

• Black women receive less than 0.35% of all venture capital funding.

• Despite contributing over 11% of beauty industry sales, Black-owned beauty brands receive only a small fraction of retail shelf space.

• Investors tend to back “what they know”—and often, that doesn’t look like us.

That’s the kind of math that doesn’t add up—but it’s the silent weight so many founders are carrying.