Welcoming to the Stage: Ginger Beauty
In 2015, Estelle Waldeck walked into the Glossier showroom in SoHo and noticed there weren’t any eyebrow gels for her auburn hair color. After asking a sales associate if there was an eyebrow color for redheads, they replied, “Not yet, but that’s a good idea. We should do that.” At that moment the idea for Ginger Beauty struck and Waldeck’s gears started turning. Who better to come up with a brand tailored to redheads than a redhead herself?
Even though the idea arose in Waldecks’s head back in 2015, she started putting in the work toward making Ginger Beauty a reality in 2021 after applying yet another brow powder that was too dark for her auburn coloring. Enough was enough and a fabulous brand began working its way into a reality. Ginger Beauty is based in the United Stated but Waldeck plans to take the brand worldwide since there are many ginger beauties all over the globe.
Ginger Beauty is more than a representation within the beauty industry for the rarest color in the world; it is a community for redheads to come together.
Since being a redhead is rare, it is common for redheads to feel isolated and different from those around them. Waldeck was bullied throughout her adolescence because of her red hair and freckles—being called names like “Fire Crotch” and “Day Walker” by her peers. “Ginger” was included in the list of insults pelted at her as she grew into the woman she is today. Many other redheads can relate to this school-yard ridicule. Waldeck decided to name her company Ginger Beauty to allow fellow redheads to resonate with her brand in a positive light—rewriting the narrative and claiming the word ‘ginger’ for her community.
“It is our mission to create space in a niche that is fiercely untapped. We want auburn, strawberry blonde, and dark red shades to be celebrated. We want makeup for redheads to be more readily accessible.” said Waldeck when asked about her goals for Ginger Beauty.
The makeup industry is constantly evolving, which makes it difficult to break into. Despite this, Waldeck knew she still needed to give it a try. She also knew she couldn’t be the only redhead sick of the extremely limited options available to her in the makeup world. Whenever doubt would start to rear its ugly head, Waldeck would find reassurance in that every redhead she spoke to shared her frustrations and experiences within the makeup world.
Everyone deserves representation within the industry, and Waldeck is helping redheads take up as much space as they need through the community she has created in Ginger Beauty. Being unique is something to be celebrated.