PhorestFM Episode 306: Breaking Barriers — Black Beauty & Redefining Excellence (Live Panel Discussion)
In 2022, a report by McKinsey & Company estimated addressing racial inequity in the beauty industry to be a $2.6 billion opportunity. Two years later, despite a more-than-welcome surge in conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion, Black hair and beauty professionals, entrepreneurs and consumers still face significant barriers.
Breaking these barriers will require us to redefine excellence and unlearn ingrained practices fueled by a commitment to serving all communities—especially those historically underrepresented.
This conversation — recorded live at the Salon Owners Summit 2025 — draws on the experiences and success stories of leaders and panelists Winnie Awa, Dija Ayodele, Tendai Moyo, and Keya Neal. It challenges the current white-centric standards of the beauty industry, explores the influence of Black culture within this sector, and emphasizes the urgent need for inclusivity, innovation, ethical practices, and investment in Black communities.
Guests
Winnie Awa
Winnie is the Founder & CEO of Carra, an award-winning AI-driven hair care personalisation and multicultural consumer intelligence platform, disrupting the status quo and challenging the global hair care industry to be more inclusive.
Carra is powered by its proprietary and award-winning Textured Hair EngineTM. With over 15 million data points, Carra Labs partners with hair care brands, cosmetic formulators and marketers, providing the richest and most targeted insights to power inclusive innovation. Its recent Texture Gap report was lauded by Harper’s Bazaar as the report to change the hair care industry as we know it.
Winnie has 12 years of experience building innovative consumer-tech platforms for world-renowned companies like Net-a-Porter, ASOS, LVMH and EY. After seeing firsthand how the textured hair customer wasn’t being served, she was determined to make a change. She initially launched the cult platform Antidote Street. In running this, she had the front-row seat to the biggest challenges facing customers with textured hair, and thus, Carra was born.
Winnie is a recipient of the Women in Innovation UK grant, was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Beauty Disruptor award and co-chair of the British Beauty Council DEI committee. Recognised by the likes of BBC, Sunday Times Style, Vogue Business, Harper’s Bazaar and Refinery29, Winnie regularly contributes to conversations about inclusive innovation and multicultural perspectives.
Dija Ayodele
Skincare expert and aesthetician, Dija Ayodele is the author of Black Skin, The Definitive Skincare Guide, the owner of skincare clinic West Room Aesthetics in London, and the founder of the multi-award-winning educational platform Black Skin Directory (BSD). With over 15 years of experience in understanding and treating skin health, she has become a pivotal champion and advocate for providing the tools for people of color to be educated on their unique skincare needs whilst pushing the beauty industry forward in its requirements to serve this sector.
Her clinic is a go-to destination, especially for Black women seeking skin rejuvenation treatments and advice for their skincare needs. She is a Trustee of the Beauty Backed Trust and an Advisory Board Member to the British Beauty Council, British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (BABTAC), and Aesthetic Medicine Journal.
Dija is an experienced public speaker at both industry and consumer events and has taken the stage at the House of Commons, Stylist Live, British Association of Dermatologists, Financial Times, Cosmoprof and Refinery29. She also works with a host of respected brands within the global beauty and cosmeceutical industries, such as Dermalogica, Walgreen Boots Alliance, and L’Oreal, as a Consultant and Key Opinion Leader.
Tendai Moyo
Tendai Moyo is a visionary entrepreneur. As the CEO and co-founder of the trailblazing hair brand Ruka Hair, Tendai has successfully positioned Ruka Hair as a globally recognised leader in the haircare industry, known for its innovative products and commitment to inclusivity.
Ruka Hair has secured over $4 million in funding since its incorporation in 2020 and most recently won the Estée Lauder Companies ‘The Catalysts Program,’ an initiative aimed at nurturing the next generation of beauty talent launched in collaboration with TikTok. Tendai has attracted global press throughout her journey as an entrepreneur across prestigious BBC and Forbes, plus British Vogue and The Independent.
Keya Neal
Keya Neal, a seasoned beauty industry professional with 30 years of experience, is renowned for her groundbreaking work breaking the textural and racial boundaries that segregate the hair industry. As a color educator, speaker, and DEI consultant, Keya has transformed the landscape of hair education and advocacy.
As the founder of Kolour Kulture and the Texture VS Race movement, Keya teaches stylists to identify and work with all hair textures. Her REPAIRations program partners with Texture VS Race Collab Coaches to provide underserved Black stylists with equitable education, championing diversity and inclusion both behind the chair and behind the scenes in the salon industry.
Texture VS Race operates on multiple fronts, featuring education, advocacy, equity, support for the school system, and consulting with major beauty brands to help them present themselves authentically. Keya has transitioned her expertise into a multifaceted consultancy role, specializing in leadership training, DEI initiatives, campaign activations, and engaging fireside chats with internal groups.
Known for her keynotes, panel facilitations, and leadership training, Keya draws upon her extensive background as a business owner, team leader, and educator to empower people nationwide in fostering safer and more inclusive environments. She was featured in HBO Max’s four-part documentary “Not So Pretty,” where she was celebrated as the “Wise Woman” and shared the history of the broken relationship between Black individuals and America, emphasizing that “Hair is indeed a fabric, not a race.”
Keya’s passion for education and her impactful work have led her to be named North American Hair Awards’ 2024 (NAHA) Educator of The Year, a testament to her significant contributions to the beauty industry.
@keyaartistically on Instagram
Transcript
Alex Bélisle-Springer: Welcome to PhorestFM, the forward-thinking industry podcast that celebrates inspiring stories from the salon floor and amplifies community voices all over the globe.
This episode is a live recording of the Salon Owners Summit 2025 panel discussion featuring industry innovators, founders, and leaders Winnie Awa, Dija Ayodele, Tendai Moyo, and Keya Neal.
Winnie Awa is the Founder and CEO of Carra, an AI-driven hair care personalisation and multicultural consumer intelligence platform. Winnie has 12 years of experience building innovative consumer-tech platforms for renowned companies like Net-a-Porter, ASOS, LVMH, and EY and her work with Carra challenges the global hair care industry to be more inclusive.
Dija Ayodele is the author of Black Skin, The Definitive Skincare Guide, owner of the skincare clinic West Room Aesthetics in London and founder of the multi award-winning educational platform Black Skin Directory (BSD). With over 15 years of experience in understanding and treating skin health, she has become a pivotal champion and advocate for providing the tools for people of colour to be educated on their unique skincare needs whilst pushing the beauty industry forward in its requirements to serve this sector.
Tendai Moyo is the Founder and CEO of Ruka Hair, a company dedicated to providing high-quality hair extensions and products tailored for Black women. Under her leadership, Ruka Hair addresses the unique needs of textured hair, aiming to redefine beauty standards and promote inclusivity within the hair industry.
With 30 years in the beauty industry, Keya Neal is the founder of Kolour Kulture and the Texture VS Race movement. She is recognized for her efforts in bridging textural and racial divides within the hair industry. As a color educator, speaker, and DEI consultant, Keya teaches stylists to identify and work with all hair textures, promoting diversity and inclusion both behind the chair and in salon operations.
Now… the Salon Owners Summit is Phorest’s annual two-day conference full of fresh new ideas with big impact only — from educational and inspirational talks to practical workshops. Naturally, this means most keynote presentations and workshops touch on innovation.
And according to an article written by Peter F. Drucker in the Harvard Business Review, areas of opportunity for innovation inside a company or industry typically come from:
- unexpected occurrences
- Incongruities
- process needs
- and industry or market changes.
If you look outside a company or industry, then you can add three more areas of opportunity:
- demographic changes
- changes in perception
- and new knowledge.
What I’d like to stress here is that innovation doesn’t necessarily and always mean tech innovation. It can also take the form of, for example, the creation of new business models.
Regardless of the shape it takes, though, to be truly successful, innovation is said to need three elements: ideas, action, and foresight.
Let’s zoom back out.
I’m your host, Alex Belisle-Springer, and this episode is a call to action for salon owners, spa professionals, medi-aesthetic specialists, and beauty entrepreneurs to find their — your — role in shaping an industry that serves all textures, tones, and experiences.
In 2022, a report by McKinsey & Company estimated addressing racial inequity in the beauty industry to be a $2.6 billion opportunity.
Even despite a more-than-welcome surge in conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion over the last 3 years or so…
Even as the hair and beauty industry increasingly acknowledges the economic power of Black consumers…
And even as Black entrepreneurs continue to redefine what success and inclusivity look like…
Black hair and beauty professionals, entrepreneurs ,and consumers still face significant barriers, from representation to limited funding, very often leaving them on the margins of the industry’s euro-centric culture and standards.
As a biracial, queer, trans, and autistic person, much of my lived experiences —in and outside of the industry— have been on the margins. And since coming out as trans 4 years ago now, I have dedicated a lot of my energy to advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in my personal and professional life, blending advocacy and mentorship.
Without saying I share the exact experience of a Black industry founder, leader or consumer, because I don’t, I knew I wanted to approach this panel with a deep level of care, intention and co-creation with Winnie, Dija, Tendai and Keya — and not on the principles of pushing for change from existing structures but instead rooting ourselves in imagination, in foresight… in pulling from the future.
Black beauty is such a powerful expression of identity and heritage, with so many stories and examples of resilience, resistance, community building, innovation, and empowerment.
Before you dive into the episode, I encourage you to download a worksheet we’ve made available on our website — the direct link can be found in the show notes — and I invite you to listen to your physiological reactions and pause the episode whenever you feel activated by something that was said or being discussed. Write down what you’re thinking and feeling in one column and what was said on the other.
I hope you enjoy and take some time to consider one or more of the following seven questions as you listen:
- Are you listening to understand, or are you listening to defend?
- What biases—implicit or explicit—are shaping your role in the beauty industry?
- How do we shift from surface-level representation to systemic change?
- What does authentic investment in Black beauty look like beyond traditional venture capital?
- And how do we hold brands accountable for sustained inclusivity rather than fleeting gestures?
- What role do you feel called to play to ensure Black beauty is not just included, but centered in the industry’s future?
- And most importantly, what steps are you taking next?
Remember: Together, We Grow. And now, I’ll let the tape roll.
Related links
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2026 tickets now!
Download The Texture Gap Report
Join The Ruka Pro Academy for education that fights hair discrimination
Purchase “BLACK SKIN, The Definitive Skincare Guide” by Dija Ayodele
