The Lip Bar (TLB): Melissa Butler (2020)
Melissa Butler, founder of The Lip Bar (now TLB), and her partner Rosco Spears explain how they launched a bold lipstick brand from a kitchen in New York, overcoming a disastrous Shark Tank appearance to secure a partnership with Target. Butler details the technical challenges of formulating vegan lipstick using wax, oil, and pigment, and sourcing heavy steel molds from a closing lab. The company scaled by moving operations to Detroit, launching a promotional shuttle bus, and eventually expanding into 500 Target stores while addressing the lack of funding for Black-owned beauty businesses.