Founder Stories · Brand Spotlight

Picture this: you walk into a beauty store, search every shelf, and leave with nothing, because nothing on those shelves was made for your skin. For most of us that's a frustrating afternoon. For Jahnessa Adeyemi, it was the moment that started a brand.

“There's no reason why a woman should walk into a beauty store, and walk out empty-handed because she couldn't find cosmetics for her skin tone or skin type.”
— Jahnessa Adeyemi, Founder & CEO, Yemi Cosmetics

Today, her answer to that problem is on our shelves. Meet the founder behind Yemi Cosmetics, and the three-step routine she built for the skin the beauty industry kept overlooking.

From pain to purpose

Jahnessa's story doesn't start with a business plan. It starts with years of feeling invisible. She has spoken openly about the bullying she faced over her dark skin from elementary school through high school, and about how it got bad enough that she tried to bleach her skin and burned herself.

“I felt like such an afterthought and extremely excluded,” she told Shoutout Arizona. “It was very clear to me that the cosmetic industry set its standards for beauty, and I felt obligated to take action.”

Learning to love her complexion took time. When she got there, she decided no other woman should have to take that road alone. In her words: “I took all that pain and turned it into a passion for a greater cause.”

What's in a name: “Yemi” means “fits me”

The brand name comes from Jahnessa's own last name. Adeyemi is Yoruba for “the crown befits or fits me,” and Yemi means “befits” or “fits me.” It's a promise built into every label: beauty that fits you, not the other way around.

Yemi Cosmetics is a Nigerian-owned, woman-owned indie brand founded in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2019. Its mission, straight from the brand: “to bring awareness to diverse beauty unseen, and positively impact the beauty industry.” Jahnessa calls it a beauty rebellion, one that declares beauty fits you just as you were made.

Built by hand, from the logo to the formula

Jahnessa graduated from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor's degree in Digital Design in spring 2019, the same year Yemi launched. Instead of outsourcing, she used that training to design everything herself: the logo, the brand identity, the website, the product labels and the photography.

Then she took on the hardest part. “One of my biggest challenges was learning how to formulate cosmetics,” she said. She learned anyway, and now hand-formulates her own products, which she calls “the icing on top of the cake.”

The season she almost quit

Founder stories can make success look like a straight line. Jahnessa is honest that it wasn't. She has described stretches when sales didn't come in for days, weeks and even months, and says she was tempted to shut everything down more than once.

She also grew up in Special Education, and she still lives with a stutter and speech challenges, which made stepping into the role of CEO and public face of a brand feel like a stretch. Her faith is what kept her going, along with a very different idea of what confidence really is:

“True confidence is quiet, steady, and rooted in God's strength.”

And on why she didn't walk away: “The vision takes time, and my calling is worth fighting for.” Today she's a serial entrepreneur, with a luxury luggage line, FLYT3, alongside Yemi.

Her 3-step routine: Cleanse. Treat. Mask.

Every Yemi product is vegan, cruelty-free and suitable for all skin types, and designed with melanin-rich skin in mind. Here's the routine we carry at AMP, and what each step does for your skin.

Step 1: Cleanse

Ultimate Foam Cleanser with Aloe Vera & Rose Water · $39.99

An airy, cushiony foam made with organic rose water and aloe vera leaf juice. It lifts away makeup, excess oil and daily buildup without stripping your skin, so your face feels clean, soft and comfortable, not tight.

• Gently cleanses without drying or irritation
• Antioxidant-rich sea buckthorn and green tea help defend against environmental stressors
• Leaves skin balanced, hydrated and radiant-looking

Step 2: Treat

Rejuvenating Oil Serum · $47.99

The hero product. A lightweight blend of organic oils that sinks in fast to nourish, soften and seal in moisture, with no heavy, greasy feel. Wear it alone for a natural glow, or layer it under moisturizer or makeup.

• Absorbs quickly to nourish and soften skin
• Helps support your skin barrier and lock in moisture
• Leaves skin glowing, smooth and comfortable from morning to night

Step 3: Mask

Detoxifying Clay Mask with Aloe Vera & Oatmeal · $31.99

A powdered, preservative-free mask you mix fresh each time, so every application is at full strength. Kaolin and French green clay draw out impurities and gently exfoliate, while organic aloe vera and colloidal oatmeal calm visible redness.

• Helps detoxify pores and absorb excess oil
• Refines the look of pores for smoother, more radiant-looking skin
• Soothes sensitive skin, without over-drying

What customers are saying

“At first I was hesitant with the oil because I have combination skin. Boy was I surprised! Doesn't clog my pores and my skin feels very soft. I usually use one pump of the oil. It goes a long way for me.”
— Michelle Mancilla, on the Rejuvenating Oil Serum (review shared on yemicosmetics.com)

Tried Yemi? Leave a review on the product page. We'd love to share your experience here.

Find your Yemi fit

When you shop Yemi at AMP, you're supporting a Black, Nigerian-owned, woman-owned brand, and a founder who turned exclusion into a mission to make every woman feel seen.

Start with the serum, or build the full routine. All three together ship free, because every order over $40 ships free at AMP.

Shop Yemi Cosmetics at AMP →

Quotes from Jahnessa Adeyemi's interviews with Shoutout Arizona and Bold Journey, and from yemicosmetics.com.