Health, happiness, and supporting diversity are the common traits of Beauty Bakerie and its CEO, Cashmere Nicole. The entrepreneur delved into the beauty industry in 2011 to establish Beauty Bakerie, an inclusive company that caters to the cosmetic needs of women of all skin tones and ethnicities. Nicole’s battle with breast cancer and the concurrent founding of Beauty Bakerie also provides an empowering narrative centered around triumph, self-confidence and using your light to be a light to others. Nicole’s business recently attracted the attention of Unilever Ventures and became the latest startup to receive funding from the venture capital and private equity firm.

Unilever Ventures, whose subsidiaries include Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Dermalogica skin care, has acquired a minority stake in Beauty Bakerie, contributing to the $3 million in funding raised by the San Diego-based company. Other investors include Adebayo Ogunlesi, a Goldman Sachs board member and the chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners; Charles Phillips, CEO of software company Infor and former president of Oracle Corporation; Lazard Managing Director William Lewis; and American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault.

Beauty Bakerie’s significant digital presence includes a large social media following across all major platforms and sales in more than 100 countries, with top markets including the U.S., U.K., Southeast Asia and Canada. This impressive reach has equipped Nicole’s team with the necessary tools to succeed to date. The new funding will “accelerate Beauty Bakerie’s [future] growth trajectory in a meaningful way,” according to Nicole. The new resources will be devoted to growing the company’s consumer base with marketing efforts, inventory and more.
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Promoted by U.S. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, Beauty Bakerie’s expanding success speaks not only to the consumers but also to the vision, perseverance and creativity of its chief executive. As a breast cancer survivor, Nicole knew that her purpose extended beyond her illness. Her desire to live as a role model for her daughter and to fulfill her philanthropic objectives became her driving force to continue to fight the disease day after day. Through divine intervention and her will to survive, Beauty Bakerie developed as a “safe space” for women of all colors to encourage inner and outer beauty, while learning about the importance of breast cancer awareness.

Combining her love of sweets and knack for creating, Nicole discovered her love for makeup artistry and product development. Since its inception, Beauty Bakerie has cooked up bakery-inspired products for women of all skin tones that beautify, sweeten and encourage customers to “be better not bitter” in life’s difficult circumstances.

Championed by Beyoncé for her tenacity and vision, Nicole continues to change the world by “sweetening the lives of others” and inspiring her customers to do the same. Check out Cashmere Nicole’s diverse product line, and satisfy your sweet tooth at Beauty Bakerie by shopping products including liquid lipsticks, setting powders, illuminators and more.