How Sharon Chuter’s 51 Inclusive Shades Changed Beauty Industry Norms
How Sharon Chuter’s 51 Inclusive Shades Changed Beauty Industry Norms
A visionary leader, Sharon Chuter’s work has redefined what true inclusion means in the beauty industry. The beauty industry recently lost one of its boldest innovators
A visionary leader, Sharon Chuter’s work has redefined what true inclusion means in the beauty industry. The beauty industry recently lost one of its boldest innovators with the passing of Sharon Chuter, founder of Uoma Beauty and the driving force behind the reformative Pull Up for Change movement.
Chuter, who died on August 14, 2025, at just 38, leaves behind a legacy that continues to inspire meaningful change across the global beauty sector. Challenging Norms and Building Community Born in Nigeria , Chuter
spent years working with global brands including L’Oréal and LVMH before founding her own company in Los Angeles . In 2019 , she founded Uoma Beauty, focused on making beauty more inclusive.
This brand became known for releasing 51 foundation shades aimed at meeting the needs of a wide variety of skin tones, far exceeding the typical shade offerings from competitors. Chuter’s public remarks and mission consistently focused on creating a company and products that reflect the diversity of real people.
She believed that diversity should be embedded in every product from creation to marketing. Pull Up for Change Radical Transparency Chuter’s influence spread beyond her own brand.
During the racial justice movement of 2020, she launched Pull Up for Change , which challenged beauty companies to disclose the number and percentage of Black employees, especially in leadership. Her efforts pushed hundreds of companies to share their diversity statistics publicly…
Members-only article
Unlock the rest of this story
Join free to keep reading RetailBoss retail coverage, industry analysis, and market intelligence.
Full article access
Industry analysis
Free account
Free access. No credit card required. Your account is created after you verify your email.