Sharon Chuter’s inclusive beauty brand Uoma Beauty has been making waves in the beauty industry since it launched with a 51-shade foundation range back in 2019. “I came into this industry with one goal,” Chuter says. “I wanted to create a radically, outspokenly inclusive culture around beauty.”
Between the brand’s platform — which Chuter says is all about encouraging everyone to embrace their authentic self — and its cult-favorite products, Uoma Beauty has positioned itself to be one of the most groundbreaking and innovative brands in the beauty space. Chuter’s desire to shake up the corporate world hasn’t stopped with Uoma however. In addition to launching a second inclusive beauty brand — Uoma by Sharon C — Chuter is also the founder of Pull Up For Change, whose mission is to advance the economic well-being of Black communities worldwide by inspiring change at the corporate, community and individual levels.
Within the last few years, Uoma Beauty has expanded its presence beyond the US and the UK into Canada, and has continued to capture the attention of the internet and editors (the Double Take Contour Stick is an Underscored editor fav). To learn more about Uoma Beauty, we spoke with Chuter about the brand’s mission and direction and its bestselling products.
What inspired you to create Uoma Beauty?
Sharon Chuter: I got to a certain point in life where I got the things that I wanted and I wasn’t happy. I had changed my name, changed my accent, changed everything about me to get into an executive role. You feel beautiful when you’re you. You feel beautiful when you’re authentic. And there’s just a whole new level you unlock in life where you can step into yourself and be proud of who you are. That’s really what inspired me to create Uoma Beauty, because I wanted to move away from being part of the machine and part of this wheel to going in and actually contributing to making it better, to improving it and making lives better. I wanted to create a space and inspire people to love themselves authentically.
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When you first started Uoma, did you imagine your brand would become this successful?
SC: I dreamt big but did I think Uoma Beauty would be here today, right now, at this point in time? No.
It was only this year I finally had a chance to put everything into perspective because when you’re in it, you beat yourself up for all the things that are not going right and all the things that you want to happen that are not happening. I came into this industry with one goal when I started in 2019 — I wanted to create a radically, outspokenly inclusive culture around beauty. If I give myself a scorecard three years later, it is insane how far we’ve come and the impact we’ve made to this industry.
For people who are unfamiliar with your products, what do you most want them to know about your brand?
SC: The first thing to know about our brand is that we’re a lifestyle. We’re a community of radical lovers, who are determined to make the world a better place whilst we have a lot of fun along the way.
The second thing to know is that our formulas are unmatched. We are definitely one of the most awarded brands in beauty and we’re still very young. The formulas are truly groundbreaking and they’re all very skin-loving. Whether it’s an eyeshadow, a lipstick, every single formula that I touch is absolutely dedicated to making the user’s skin much better. And of course, our price point and our packaging are wonderful.
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What are some of Uoma Beauty’s bestsellers? And what is it about those products that make them bestsellers?
SC: We have three top sellers in our range. The Trippin Smooth Powder is a phenomenal product. Everybody knows powders — they’re extremely messy — so for the first time we’ve created a packaging for powder that entraps it into a component that’s doughnut-shaped. You twist the bottom and it dispenses an exact dose for you, so you get a mess-free powder. t controls oil and shine whilst not drying your skin — so you can be a mature woman and use it and get a beautiful blurred effect, but not have that dryness on your skin.
Another top seller for us is the Drama Bomb Mascara. It’s the first time anybody in the industry ever thought that we need to create one mascara any lash type can use. The third product is our Black Magic Lipstick. It just feels like butter and melts on your lip, which is why the product itself is quite soft. So those three products are cult products, and of course our 51-shade foundation range changed the game by creating six custom formulas for different skin tones.
If you could only take one Uoma Beauty product in your bag with you, which one would it be?
SC: Drama Bomb Mascara. I use it on my top lash, my bottom lash, I use it on my brows and I also smudge it and use it as an eyeliner so it’s super versatile. That’s why that one’s going to win. I pretty much take that mascara and do a lot with it.
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In the long run, what’s next for Uoma Beauty?
SC: We are going to continue to bring useful innovation. We’re going to continue to excite and delight. We’re going to continue to take that story around the world. But in the short term, we’re going to focus on some amazing product innovation and some amazing storytelling.
Uoma Products Worth Trying
This lipstick in the shade Diana is my go-to when I feel like adding some color to my lips. (It’s seriously THE perfect red.) Because these matte lipsticks have a creamy formula, the product feels comfortable on the lips and you don’t have to worry about them feeling drying afterwards. Another thing to love about these lipsticks is the color payoff, and the lipstick tube, which has a magnetic closure, looks super chic in any makeup bag.
While I have pretty full eyebrows, I loved how easy this product made it to fill up some of the more sparse spots. I simply used the spoolie side to brush my brow hairs and then the side with the pencil to fill in the spots.
When it comes to mascaras, I want one that’s going to give my lashes definition and length, which is exactly what I got from this. While I found that this mascara applied wetter than I would have liked it to, I was so happy to find that it didn’t flake throughout the day and didn’t leave my lashes dry or brittle.
I tried out this product in the shade Bronze Venus, but it's available in 20 shades. This concealer has a creamy formula which feels nice and smooth on the skin, plus it's buildable and easy to blend out. Everything you could want in a concealer, really.
Similar to the Badass Icon Matte lipstick, this lipstick from the Black Magic collection has a creamy formula for comfortable wear and is available in a range of stunning colors. I really love the beautiful shimmer you get from the glitter and how buildable the color is. (I tried this lipstick in On-fire.) And as someone who loves vanilla scents, I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing this lipstick smells.
This easy-to-use stick, which comes in six different shade combinations, allows you to highlight and contour your face with just one product. While the strobe side of the stick gives a subtle shimmer to your skin that can be built up, the sculpt side is highly pigmented and easy to blend out so you’re not left with harsh contour lines.
When it comes to this highlighter, a little bit goes a long way. Despite the fact that the pump dispensed a lot more product than I would have liked, I really appreciated how beautiful the shimmer looked on my skin.When the weather gets warmer, I’m excited to mix this product in with my body lotion to create an all-over glow.
I also tried out this powder highlighter that comes in a compact and has this amazing coconut and vanilla scent. I wore it on my eyelids as an eyeshadow and loved the beautiful golden shimmer it created.