Topicals

Topicals was founded in 2020 by Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng to fill a gap they kept running into personally: clinical-grade skincare for people with eczema, hyperpigmentation, and other chronic conditions, formulated first for deeper skin tones. Olowe had previously co-launched SheaGIRL under SheaMoisture while at UCLA; Teng came from clinical dermatology research at Stanford. The brand soft-launched in August 2020 (delayed twice — once by COVID, once by the 2020 racial-justice uprisings) and quickly became Sephora's fastest-growing skincare brand by 2022, with one Faded Brightening Gel selling per minute at peak.

Topicals' positioning is the most distinct of any 2020s skincare launch: clinical efficacy plus an explicitly Black-founded, mental-health-aware brand voice ('Funner skincare for chronic skin conditions'). Faded (kojic acid + tranexamic acid + niacinamide brightening gel), Like Butter Mask (heavy hydrating mask), High Roller (peptide eye treatment), and Slick Salve (tinted lip protectant) are the four products that drive most of the volume. Mid-range pricing, Sephora-only US distribution, and a 1%-of-profits donation to mental health organizations are why the brand became the Gen-Z reference point for inclusive clinical skincare.