The new face of bold clean beauty
In a world where using makeup to cover up “irregularities” like freckles on the face is the norm, Remi Brixton, inspired by her love for freckles and daring attitude, takes an eccentric pivot to make them even more pronounced.
Debuting her beauty mark on an industry traditionally inclined to cover them up, Remi fought—and still fights—to go against the seemingly natural flow of things in the beauty industry. Her defiant nature resulted in the creation of a cosmetic line that changed the game with its bold line of beauty products while also serving to redefine the meaning of beauty.
Born from a single offbeat idea for a freckle cosmetic, Freck Beauty is a cosmetic manufacturer with a wide assortment of makeup products designed to help you stand out and embrace your true self.
The brand deals majorly in creating cosmetic products that imitate and reproduce the appearance of freckles while also functioning as healthier organic cosmetic options for your skin and serving to accentuate beauty. It is from its specialization in the creation of freckle cosmetics that the brand derives its seemingly cheeky name.
Born as the materialization of a lifelong obsession, Freck Beauty is more than just a brand or a cosmetic product line. As so stylishly articulated by the brand, Freck Beauty is an attitude; a bold and clean beauty brand for anyone that cares about ingredients, respects the process, and doesn’t care about the rules.
Also, being an LGBTQ+ owned brand, the company spreads its message of diverse, bold, and unconventional beauty while also representing as a proud pillar of the community.
Freck Beauty’s founder, Remi, who identifies as bi-sexual, sees the need to draw attention to the company’s identity as a queer-owned brand, thereby emphasizing the contributions and impacts of the community on the beauty industry.
What’s more, all Freck Beauty products are vegan + cruelty-free and inspired by Remi’s unique vision and the vibrant, diverse East LA where she lives.
Although the brand’s success so far speaks to the adeptness of its founder, Remi’s life wasn’t always geared toward the beauty industry, nor was she always inclined toward a career making cosmetic products.
In fact, Remi actively pursued a career in interior design. However, even during those years, her passion for freckles continued to burn within her, and she began to toy with the idea of starting her own cosmetic line. But it wasn’t until Remi got a push from her mentor, Des Wilson (now COO of Freck Beauty), that her dream became realistic and her goals attainable.
“Initially, I pursued interior designing as my career, but the thought of creating a cosmetic product for freckles lingered in my mind. It wasn’t until I found an outstanding mentor, Des Wilson (our COO), with extensive expertise in cosmetic production, that I had a realization that I could achieve this idea.” – Remi Brixton (CEO).
Coming onto the scene in 2017, Freck Beauty made its daring break into the beauty industry and has been changing the game ever since.
With the launching of its pioneer product, Freck OG, the first ever freckle cosmetic, Freck Beauty became the new face of unconventional beauty. Building on that, with a variety of other fascinating products such as the Freck XL, Cheek Slime, Freck Noir, the new Ritch Bitch serum and lip balm, LashRoket Mascara etc, Freck Beauty has become a cult favorite among the press, celebrities, influencers, MUAs, retailers, millennials, and Gen Z.
However, some of the brand’s newer “converts” may not be aware that, like any other business venture, Freck beauty did face some challenges in its earlier years.
Remi admitted that trying to create a cosmetic line that focused on accentuating, displaying, and imitating what the industry labeled “imperfections” and was traditionally inclined to cover up proved very challenging.
“At that point, the timing for introducing a faux freckle product was less than ideal. The beauty industry was leaning towards full coverage foundation and facial laser treatments to mask and erase freckles, so the concept of Freck OG was not particularly “on-trend” by industry measures.” – Remi Brixton (CEO).
However, Remi didn’t let herself get swept up by the flow of the tide. She audaciously pressed onward against tradition in the venturous pursuit of her dream and passion.
Unfortunately, her venturesome crusade would once again suffer an even bigger setback.
Before its inception in 2017, Freck Beauty had a very bumpy start. After missing the goal for a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, the brand, then called Freck Yourself, became the butt of a Jimmy Kimmel joke on live TV.
“Freck Beauty had a really bumpy start in the beginning! In 2015 I launched a Kickstarter campaign for what was then called Freck Yourself (and later evolved into Freck Beauty). We missed our goal and somehow became the butt of a Jimmy Kimmel Live joke, which went viral and led to some nasty bullying. It was a total kick in the gut!” – Remi Brixton (CEO).
Luckily, however, Remi’s temporary setback was just that, temporary. Picking herself up from the dirt and brushing off the dust, and owing to her persevering nature, Remi was able to refine and reform her idea into a successful business venture, creating the brand fans have come to know and love.
“…looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing. Failures force you to rethink what you’re doing and create something better—and that’s exactly what happened with Freck Beauty.” – Remi Brixton (CEO).
As a queer owned brand, Freck Beauty’s successes in the beauty industry go far beyond business deals and making profit. Their triumph in weathering a sea as tumultuous as the beauty industry inspires hope in other members of the community who may dream of venturing onto the scene. Showing that it is indeed possible to make a name without losing their identity in the process.
Testament to the brand’s bold and defiant nature, most—maybe all—Freck Beauty products carry seemingly cheeky names. So if the brand name itself, which is obviously derived from Freckles, seems like an entendre to you, then you’re probably on to something.
Choosing a name for her brand proved almost as challenging as any other aspect of the venture. After toying with many options, the idea for the brand name gradually evolved toward perfection.
“…we had a ton of revisions from the Kickstarter days to now: Go Freck Yourself (yikes, so agro) > Freck Yourself > Freck > Freck Beauty… I knew Freck was the right name when I thought about it on a billboard over Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park where I live.” – Remi Brixton (CEO)
Freck Beauty has come so far since its wild idea for a freckle cosmetic years ago, and the brand’s founder expresses her gratitude for a competent team, which has been indispensable in creating a dynamic brand.
The brand’s gratitude also extends to the “Freck Community,” who share their attitude and views in challenging what “beauty” can look like, and it hopes to continue to create killer products that the Freck Beauty community will enjoy.
TROORA MAGAZINE | JUNE 2023
WRITTEN BY JESSE ADUMA
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RONY ALWIN | BRIANNA ORTEGA | FLANNERY UNDERWOOD | NASERA ALAYON
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