• Rosh Kumarasinghe of Beauty by Rosh on sustainability and inclusivity within the beauty industry

Society the world over is obsessed with the ideal of beauty. Conventional beauty standards come with a lot of baggage and the beauty industry, in many ways, reflects this. 

Eurocentric beauty ideals set the tone for much of what defines conventional beauty standards today and the majority of makeup produced worldwide reflects these beauty standards. The majority of makeup produced focuses on white skin tones, often marginalising people with darker skin tones.

Skin whitening is a multi-billion-dollar industry that predominantly targets women of colour in every region of the world. Beyond that, the global beauty industry produces more than 120 million units of packaging each year and packaging accounts for 70% of the industry’s waste. 

In a world dominated by these conventional beauty standards, Rosh Kumarasinghe, the Founder of the Australian-based beauty brand Beauty by Rosh, has charted a new course, championing sustainability and inclusivity. 

Rosh started what would become Beauty by Rosh as a YouTube channel in 2016, conducting tutorials for people with South Asian skin tones – those with brown skin – showing what to use for different skin tones and how to do so. The progression of her channel also saw Rosh conduct masterclasses – workshops for everyday women of colour on makeup. 

The year 2020 and the pandemic saw Rosh elevate this platform to create the brand Beauty by Rosh, and, in the intervening years, Beauty by Rosh has gone from strength to strength, focusing on its core values of inclusivity and sustainability. 

The Sunday Morning Brunch caught up with Rosh for a chat on what inspired her to pursue inclusive and sustainable makeup and how exactly she goes about delivering this vision. 

The beginnings of Beauty by Rosh

What sets Rosh apart is her self-taught approach to makeup. Having always had an intense passion for makeup, this naturally bloomed into her YouTube channel once people began to approach her for tips on how to get the most out of makeup for brown skin tones.

Her lack of formal training actually served to make her more approachable and accessible, which was what led to her developing her masterclasses in the first place. Today, she is an educator at the South Australian Beauty Expo, where she has spoken for three consecutive years. 

These masterclasses quickly crossed the boundaries of mere workshops, becoming events meticulously devised to educate and empower everyday women seeking to enhance their beauty. In response to a growing following from different parts of the world, these masterclasses also began to span across a number of cities and countries, further driving home to Rosh the importance of makeup that is inclusive and geared for women who don’t have skin tones associated with traditional Eurocentric beauty ideals. 

The pandemic limited Rosh’s ability to travel and conduct masterclasses and this in turn led her to channel her talent into actually developing makeup that could cater to the women of her following. Thus, Beauty by Rosh was born, offering an assortment of makeup and skincare products for brown women, including lipsticks, lip and cheek tints, eyeliners, mascara, liquid eyeshadows, makeup removers, face washes, various face masks, and a limited-edition glitter palette. A Vitamin C serum and booster further augment the brand’s skincare offerings.

Building a sustainable beauty brand

The hallmark of Beauty by Rosh is its steadfast commitment to sustainability. Rosh firmly believes that sustainability should permeate every facet of the beauty industry, from the constituents of products and the testing processes to the materials used in packaging. 

“Sustainability, to me, is not an option; it’s a moral imperative,” she shared, adding: “Every choice we make as consumers has a profound impact on the planet’s future. It’s about being responsible stewards of the Earth.”

The question naturally arises: why is sustainability so pivotal within the beauty sector? 

“The beauty industry, with its extensive reach and considerable influence, bears a distinct moral responsibility to lead the charge in the domain of sustainable practices,” Rosh said. “The choices made by beauty brands today are instrumental in shaping the world that will be inherited by forthcoming generations.”

For Rosh, sustainability transcends being merely a fashionable catchphrase – it is a guiding ethos that profoundly influences the formulation of every product within her brand through three fundamental tenets: sustainability, inclusivity, and staying cruelty-free and vegan. 

This unwavering commitment ensures that no animals endure harm during the testing (Rosh is proudly one of her own test subjects) or the development of products. Furthermore, it precludes the inclusion of animal-derived ingredients, replacing them with ethical alternatives, such as eschewing beeswax in favour of vegan substitutes.

Beauty by Rosh also abstains from incorporating palm oil in its products, thereby mitigating its contribution to deforestation and the endangerment of orangutans, two grave environmental issues intrinsically linked to palm oil production.

Palm oil is used in many beauty products, and is often cited as an essential ingredient for makeup and beauty products, but Rosh shared that this is just not the case. There are plenty of alternatives to palm oil, they would just require companies, especially large (and risk-averse) companies to make a significant shift – in their formulation, in their packaging, in their distribution, and in their pricing. Risks that large companies simply do not want to take. 

For instance, opting for glass containers over plastic ones for product packaging may yield a more sustainable outcome, but the associated production costs may considerably escalate. But Rosh emphasised that sustainability doesn’t always have to be a complete leap. 

“Sustainability is a journey, not a destination, even for small enterprises. While achieving 100% sustainability may remain elusive, businesses can nevertheless undertake substantive strides toward fostering a more environmentally-conscious industry,” she shared. 

And this goes beyond simply the environment. Sustainability is also about building a better world on a social level too. One of the fundamental missions of Beauty by Rosh is the creation of products expressly designed for brown skin tones. Rosh articulates: “The scarcity of products catering to brown skin tones is a significant concern. We aim to rectify this by offering inclusive and accessible products.”

To achieve this, Rosh meticulously selects shades and formulations to ensure that individuals with brown skin can identify products that accentuate their inherent beauty. She contends that the scarcity of such products in the market is a glaring issue – one that her brand endeavours to rectify.

For Beauty by Rosh, Rosh shared that while she had entrenched sustainability across the brand as much as possible, that did not mean it wasn’t challenging and her pricing did reflect some of these challenges, but this was because the values of sustainability were important to her, and, she hoped, to her customers as well.

“My price point is not the cheapest, but it’s not the most expensive either. It lies slightly above the middle. There is a lot of investment that goes into Beauty by Rosh’s products, into creating good products, and it also goes back to what I want to believe in. I test these products on myself and so I need to believe in them and want to use them. If I can’t do that, then I don’t want to have it in my line. You simply can’t sell something that you do not love.”

Making beauty more than skin-deep

The beauty industry’s impact on the planet tends to run under the radar. Its impact on society is gaining more and more discussion. From gender diversity and ethnic diversity to body diversity, discussions on inclusivity are happening and there is progress. Slow progress, to be sure, but steady progress. 

And this must certainly be applauded. “Beauty is not just about the exterior; it’s about our values, our choices, and our impact on the world. We have the power to redefine beauty as something that celebrates diversity and cherishes our planet. Sustainability and inclusivity are not trends; they are the cornerstones of a better future.”

In a world where beauty knows no bounds, Beauty by Rosh sets a remarkable example, reminding us that beauty is not only skin deep; it is a reflection of our values and a testament to the enduring harmony between humans and their environment.

In terms of where Beauty by Rosh is heading in the next few months, Rosh shared that she was very excited to be conducting a masterclass in London on 21 October – something of a return to pre-pandemic life. 

This year will also mark the introduction of Beauty by Rosh’s complexion products, with Rosh busy at work to launch a range of complexion products toward the end of this year, including foundations, primers, and setting powders specifically for brown women later this year. These products have been meticulously formulated to cater to a broad spectrum of skin tones, ensuring that every individual can locate their ideal match.

The brand’s global footprint is expanding, with increasing demand and availability in Sri Lanka, Dubai, Australia, the US, and Singapore, something that Rosh finds very inspiring, and hopes will continue to grow, saying: “We are excited to reach more individuals around the world and make a positive impact in the beauty industry globally.”