Alicia Scott made history with her appearance on on “Shark Tank.”

Scott, a former account executive, is the founder of the cosmetic brand Range Beauty, which was supported through a personal investment of $150, she revealed on the Foundr podcast. The company, marketed as a “clean beauty brand for the forgotten shades” and geared towards acne & eczema-prone skin, officially launched in August 2018, according to its LinkedIn.

Within two months of its launch, she was contacted by a Target buyer interested in potentially shelving the product. At the time, Scott wasn’t quite ready to take that business leap, but felt validated by their interest

“That’s where I felt like ‘Okay if a major retailer is reaching out that means I have something,'” she explained on the podcast.

The company’s potential shone once more when a surge of orders followed an influencer‘s social media post praising its inclusive shade range. At the time, Scott was still working a full-time job but decided to quit in December 2019 to focus on scaling Range Beauty.

“A few short months later we get the notice about the pandemic occurring and I’m like ‘Wow this is the tough time that I chose to go full-time. I’m like ‘Okay I decided did you go full-time because it started getting chaotic’ and If I could take this extra time and energy that I’m putting into this 9 to 5 and put it into just going full-time like who knows what the results could be,'” she expressed on the podcast.
The wake of COVID-19, although she recognized it as “devastating,” also taught her the beauty industry was recession and pandemic-proof. She recalls receiving 500 orders overnight. She assembled a team and, by the following year, transitioned product fulfillment to a third-party logistics provider.
In 2021, Scott brought the company to “Shark Tank” during the show’s 13th season, ultimately securing an investment from judges Lori Greiner and guest “Shark” Emma Grede. Scott received $150,000 in exchange for a 20% stake in the company.

Range Beauty became the first Black woman-owned beauty brand to receive an investment on “Shark Tank,” notes Essence.
Scott expressed gratitude for the investment, speaking fondly of Grede, who wears many hats as the co-founder and CEO of Good American, a founding partner of Skims, and the board chair of the Fifteen Percent Pledge.
“It’s so special working with Emma because she is a Black woman. She understands working with underserved communities I think even when we look at what she’s doing with Good American where her and Khloe Kardashian really pushed inclusivity really pushed you know making sure they have inclusive size ranges, making sure that they told retailers we’re not entering your stores unless you carry our full size range, we’re not going to just let you take the small sizes,” Scott mentioned on the Foundr podcast.
She added, “Knowing how much of a champion she is for black founders. She sits on the board at the 15% pledge which encourages retailers to support more Black brands on their shelves. It just couldn’t have been a better match truly and her marketing mind she is just a genius when it comes to working through how to show up through digital marketing how to show up in person marketing so it’s been amazing working with her.”