Fizah Pasha's Inclusive Makeup Brand Brulée Beauty Aims To Celebrate Diverse Skin Tones "Inclusivity in makeup matters. Every skin tone should be seen and considered when creating products."

Any woman with a golden-hued complexion will tell you that finding a concealer to perfectly match their skin tone is rare– if not, impossible. In the vast spectrum of skin tones represented by makeup brands around the world, warm skin tones have long been miscategorized and left underserved. In fact, complexions with prominent golden yellow undertones are prone to under-eye circles and skin discoloration, and the industry's stereotypical "warm" or "cool" labels have traditionally exiled these tones to a generic medium-tan label. And if you don't have the right concealer, the rest of your makeup simply doesn't work.

That's the problem Dubai-based makeup artist Fizah Pasha -the founder and CEO of Brulée Beauty- set out to solve. "I've been a makeup artist for about 10 years, and I struggled to find the right formulas for my clients with yellow undertones," she says. "I would constantly need to mix two or three different foundations and concealers to get the right color and texture. Our dark circles are a bit different, and we don't really fit the cookie-cutter formula. Your complexion can appear ashy and grey if you're using a concealer that doesn't match your skin and undertone."

Trained at the world-renowned Delamar Academy in the UK, and working across London, Dubai, New York and Karachi, Pasha heard women from diverse ethnic backgrounds all sharing the same skin concerns as they collectively struggled to find flattering, color-enhancing under-eye shades for their specific skin tones. And that's how she ended up employing advanced color theory, dermatology, and cosmetology principles to develop the Brulée collection of high-coverage concealers that celebrates multifaceted skin tones that exist in a spectrum of shades ranging from macadamia to deep caramel.

Having launched in 2020, Pasha says it was doubly hard to get Brulée noticed in an ultra-competitive and oversaturated industry. "It was tough launching in a pandemic year, as there weren't many opportunities to meet people or go to events to introduce myself or the brand," Pasha recalls. But the old adage rang true for the founder: build it, and they will come. "The feedback I got was most fulfilling, from people switching from some pretty holy grail brands to Brulée," she says. And the icing on the (Brulée) cake, Pasha added, came when Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor –who frequently posts her glam routine tips and tricks on Instagram– shared how much she loves the Brulée concealer.

Looking ahead, the founder plans to expand her product range beyond concealers that will further serve women with sun-kissed undertones. "Inclusivity in makeup matters," she says. "Every skin tone should be seen and considered when creating products."

Fizah Pasha, founder and CEO, Brulée Beauty. Image courtesy Brulée Beauty.

EUREKA: Fizah Pasha on how to make an idea a great one

1. Trust the process- it can take time "After having worked on the formula for two years to get it just right, the product works as a corrector and concealer, and it takes literally a minute to blend."

2. Always fill a need in the market "There isn't a brand in the market that thinks of all the issues that women of golden and yellow undertones face. That's why Brulée works."

3. Purpose should come before profit "I came up with the idea of my own beauty line, catering to a niche that was forgotten, shortly after my divorce. I was fortunate to have the means and education to pursue my idea. Brulée helped me empower myself. And so, I thought to myself: how can I empower women to stand on their own feet and not feel compelled to stick around in unhappy situations? I wanted to empower women of yellow and golden skin undertones through representation, but also use my brand to help give women a voice by supporting education for girls. To start, we'll be donating 5% of our profits to trusted charities that support young girls and women in developing countries in three key areas: formal education, skills and training, and mentorship. I discovered my purpose through working on this brand. When someone buys Brulée, I want them to know they're not just buying a product. They're buying a piece of me and my vision."

Brulée Beauty is one of the companies included in the 2023 edition of our annual 10 Great Ideas feature, which celebrates individuals and innovations that impress with their ingenuity. Check out the full list of 10 Great Ideas in our print issue here.

Related: How Huda, Mona, And Alya Kattan Built The Billion-Dollar Huda Beauty Brand Out Of Dubai