Charmaine, Alister, and their two daughters, before the founding of Locsanity.
When people say “support Black-owned,” the conversation sometimes gets reduced to just loyalty.
But the real issue is bigger than loyalty.
It is about ownership. It is about who gets to create the products, hire the team, build the company, serve the customer, and keep value circulating in the community.
And in beauty and care, it is also about lived experience.
Because the person behind the product matters.
A formula created from a distance is not the same as one created by someone who understands the need personally.
That is part of Locsanity’s story.
Locsanity began with hair care, but it did not begin with a trend. It began with Charmaine’s own loc journey. When she could not find products that worked for what she needed, she started making them herself.
That lived experience shaped the foundation of the brand.
Today, Locsanity has grown beyond hair care into a broader beauty and personal care brand, supporting hair, scalp, skin, body, grooming, and household routines. But the foundation remains the same: products made with care, ownership, and intention.
Black-Owned Is Not Charity
Charmaine James, Founder & CEO of Locsanity, discussing Locsanity on Roland Martin's Unfiltered YouTube Show
Supporting Black-owned does not mean lowering the standard.
The product still has to work. The routine still has to make sense. The customer still has to trust what they are putting on their hair, scalp, skin, beard, or body.
But when a product works and the business behind it is rooted in ownership, lived experience, and community impact, the choice carries more weight.
That is the difference.
It is not about buying something only because the business is Black-owned. It is about recognizing when quality, purpose, and ownership are all working together.
Because every purchase supports something.
It supports the company that made the product. It supports the people that company hires. It supports the vendors, contractors, creators, stylists, suppliers, and partners connected to that business.
It also supports the kind of ownership customers want to see more of in the marketplace.
Ownership Creates Real Impact
That ownership matters because Black-owned businesses are more than symbols of representation. They are employers, economic contributors, and community builders.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were an estimated 194,585 Black or African American-owned employer businesses in 2022. Together, those businesses generated $211.8 billion in annual receipts, employed 1.6 million people, and supported about $61.2 billion in annual payroll. (1)
That matters because when Black-owned businesses grow, the impact can move beyond the founder.
Growth can create jobs. It can support vendors. It can open doors for contractors, creatives, stylists, suppliers, and local partners. It can help more value circulate within the communities those businesses serve.
So yes, support matters.
But not in a vague way.
It matters because businesses need consistent customers in order to scale, hire, manufacture, invest, and last.
Beauty and Care Need Ownership Too
Locsanity's BOLD Men's Collection featuring a daily loc spray, body oil, beard balm, detox powder, beard oil, and hygiene spray.
This is especially important in beauty and personal care, where Black consumers have helped shape beauty culture, hair trends, grooming routines, skin care conversations, and product demand.
But influence and ownership have not always matched.
McKinsey reported that Black consumers are responsible for 11.1% of total beauty spending, while Black brands account for only 2.5% of beauty industry revenue. (2)
That gap matters.
It means Black consumers help drive the market, but Black-owned brands do not always receive a fair share of the revenue, visibility, shelf space, or decision-making power.
That is why ownership matters in beauty and care.
Because ownership affects who gets to make the product, who gets to define the standard, who gets to solve the problem, and who gets to benefit when the category grows.
From Hair Care to Whole Care
For Locsanity, that ownership began with hair care. But the brand has grown into more than one category.
That growth makes sense because people do not live in one category.
Someone caring for locs may also need scalp support. Someone managing curls may also need body moisture. Someone buying products for a child may also be shopping for themselves. Someone preparing for school, work, business, travel, or family life may need a routine that covers hair, skin, grooming, and body care.
Care is connected.
That is why Locsanity’s growth matters. The brand is becoming part of a whole-care routine: hair, scalp, skin, body, grooming, and household essentials that people can use consistently.
Rooted in Community
This August, Locsanity’s Rooted in Community campaign brings that story forward during National Black Business Month.
The campaign centers positive, empowerment-driven messaging around Black ownership and community investment.
So Locsanity is not simply saying, “Support us because we are Black-owned.”
The message is bigger than that.
Support the ownership.
Support the care behind the product.
Support the lived experience that shaped it.
Support the jobs, manufacturing, and community impact that can grow from it.
Because when you choose a product, you are also choosing the business behind it, the standard behind it, and the kind of future that purchase helps build.
That is what’s behind the bottle.
And that is why Black-owned beauty and care matters.
Use code ROOTED20 for 20% off sitewide (excluding human hair products) through August 31.
Sources
1. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Business Survey: Characteristics of Employer Businesses, 2022.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/employer-businesses.html
2. McKinsey & Company.The Economic State of Black America. (Beauty industry analysis on Black consumer spending and Black-owned beauty brands.)
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/black-representation-in-the-beauty-industry
