Shontay Lundy is the founder of Black Girl Sunscreen (BSG), a lotion that helps protect the skin of people of color from the sun. When Lundy founded the company in 2016, she was initially skeptical about the chances of her business idea, as she wanted to target only women of color. Nonetheless, she persisted in her firm belief that she was bringing something unique to the market.
Due to the presence of melanin in the skin of black women, many do not see the need for a lotion to protect them against the sun’s rays when they are at the beach or outside, unlike whites and albinos. But the risk paid off for Lundy. BSG has recorded high sales since COVID-19 became widespread in the U.S.
In May 2020, she raised $1 million in private investor funding, according to Forbes, after successful sales and marketing that focused on the complexion needing sunscreen. Following the successful raise of private investor funding, her company was valued at $5 million, Forbes added. In addition, over 200 Target stores across the U.S. sell her products.
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Lundy has currently earned another million dollars, this time, on Amazon, after about three months on the platform. This was after removing imitators of her brand, who literally used her brand image, name, among others.
“So what’s new with Black Girl Sunscreen is that we hit $1.1 million today in about three months on Amazon.com… This is important because previous to us being on this platform, we had a lot of bad actors posing as Black Girl Sunscreen, literally using our images, our name, our likeness, and selling products as Black Girl Sunscreen,” Lundy said in a video shared on Instagram.
“So we came on the platform and wiped them all out, and now we’re getting the money for us, for our business,” she continued. “So Black Girl Sunscreen, the 2-ounce, has sold 20,000 units in one month. 20,000 units. And when I think about that, I think that that could be going to an unauthorized seller. So that’s why it’s important to see what’s going on with your brand on these other platforms.”
How did it all start for Lundy? It was fueled by her ambition to have a sunscreen that caters to the skin of black women. She told Business Insider: “I knew that there had to be a solution to the lack of options. The journey began to find a solution for eliminating white residue and making women of color feel great and look great in the sun.”
“Normally, Black people don’t wear sunscreen because we weren’t taught to do so,” she said. “I didn’t know if anyone would purchase Black Girl Sunscreen however, I did know that I couldn’t be the only black girl that was looking for sunscreen.”
When the pandemic began ravaging black-owned businesses, she and her team adopted an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to stay afloat. “I told the team we need to change the narrative and be very nimble to survive this,” she told Forbes.
They also capitalized on social media by boosting their presence and adopting new strategies to attract customers, in addition to working for long hours to maximize sales and attend to growing demands. The strategy paid off as orders skyrocketed.
Black Girl Sunscreen uses no parabens, or other harmful chemicals while infusing the finest ingredients to shield and moisturize your melanated skin without the dreaded white residue common with most sunscreens.
