Sunscreen is essential for your skin, and Winnie Harlow founded her own line — Cay Skin — to highlight the fact.
Ahead of Cay Skin’s launch last week, the model raised a $4.1 million seed round in January — making her one of about 100 Black female founders to have raised more than $1 million in venture capital funding, Fortune reports. The latest round brought her brand’s total funding to $6.5 million.
Investors in Cay Skin include Duggal’s Female Founders Fund, True Beauty Ventures, New Money Ventures, Air Venture Partners, and Silas Venture Partners.
Cay Skin's Launch
Growing up in Jamaica with vitiligo was the foundation for the idea behind Cay Skin. However, what moved her further to create it was a modeling job where she was told to not reapply sunscreen because of its blue-silver shine, according to Forbes. The aftermath resulted in serious pain and inflammation.
Cay Skin — led by CEO Cass Devor — includes products for head-to-toe coverage in addition to a range of preferences and needs.
View this post on Instagram
With her skincare line, the center focus for Harlow is inclusivity.
“I wanted it to be representative of everyone under the sun, from light to dark,” she told the outlet. “Sun care is for everyone under the sun. It’s not just for girls who use products and it’s not just for little kids. So, I wanted this to be suitable to sit on my boyfriend’s countertop and for his aesthetic, and my countertop. And genderless and ageless.”
She continued: “I really wanted to create something from scratch. It’s so easy to slap your name on a product, but this line has so much to do with me, from the ingredients to the packaging I’ve created. This is my brainchild. I did my own campaign, but I also had to cast other models, I had to book hair and makeup, and make sure that I got the right stylist and photographer. I’ve worn so many hats when it comes to Cay Skin.”
