This New Beauty Brand Is The First To Accept Payments In Cryptocurrency

Inclusivity is at the forefront of many beauty industry conversations, with race, age and gender all hugely important (and long overdue) elements of brand strategies in the past few years. Nowadays, an extended foundation range simply doesn’t cut it – we want brands that have considered how all different types of people live their lives. In step Air Cosmetics, a make-up brand that not only addresses the lack of cosmetics for women of colour, but offers an inclusive way of paying for them.

The first beauty brand in the world to accept cryptocurrency, Air accepts Bitcoin, Ether and Multicoin to allow women around the world, who are “unbanked” (meaning they’re not in possession of a bank account) to purchase wherever they are and in whatever situation they find themselves in. With stats that show women influence 83 per cent of all consumer spending, it seems an obvious port of call for a brand that aims to cater to every woman – more than one billion women worldwide aren’t privy to a basic bank account (for reasons that span from legal prohibitions to financial abuse in both developed and underdeveloped countries) and therefore do not have the autonomy to spend. What they can do now is spend online using cryptocurrency. It’s arguably the most inclusive way to spend.

With an onus on being luxury yet equally affordable, Peter Alfred-Adekeye, the brand’s founder, wanted to create a cosmetics line that was available to all – whatever their price bracket. So instead of slapping one uniform price on each product as we’ve come to expect from our beauty buying, he has implemented algorithmic, location-based discounts so that each shopper is charged based on their location – something that typically says a lot about their financial status. Before such thinking, consumers paid the same price whether they were in an affluent London suburb or somewhere rural and far flung – accessibility, for Air Cosmetics, is the name of the game.

From a range of liquid and powder foundations to mascara, Alfred-Adekeye and his team have created an all-bases-covered make-up line. The real star of the show is the lipstick: Africa. Dubbed by the brand as the “world’s sexiest lipstick”, it’s a universally flattering shade of red that looks as good on pale as it does on dark skin tones. With carmine pigments, shea butter, vitamin E and antioxidants in the formula, it sits softly on skin without drying or pulling, plus the packaging is stamped with a reflective gold wax print, an African textile.

“We want the world to discover Africa through our brand,” Alfred-Adekeye said. “All of our products are named after an African landmark.” From the places to the people and the culture, the brand also offers a snippet of life in the continent, allowing those around the world who are finally able to buy online a chance to enjoy the beauty of another place.