For sisters Phoebe and Leah Ellis, founders of inclusive tanning brand Caribé, beauty has always been about more than appearance. It is about feeling seen, feeling confident and having access to products that allow you to show up as your fullest self.
- Feeling like our best selves has always mattered to us, they share. We started this brand because the beauty industry built its version of radiance without us in mind.
- A Moment That Sparked a Brand
- [Additional Read: Mercedes Valencia on Redefining Beauty for Caribbean Latinas Through Quisqueya Beauty ]
- That was the moment it clicked, they explain. The only reliable way either of us had ever felt properly tanned, properly ourselves, was on holiday, in actual sun.
- Different Strengths, Shared Purpose
- When we mention that we are sister co-founders, the same comment always comes up: ‘I could never work with my sibling,’ they say. And sometimes, we agree, but most of the time it is a blessing.
- Caribbean Culture at the Core
- Culture is not a marketing layer we added on top of Caribé, they say. It is the foundation and the reason behind our name and inspired our product scent.
- We built Caribé around the belief that there is nobody quite like our customer, the founders explain. We celebrate the individuals who make up this community: their skin, their culture, their way.
- Making Space in the Tanning Industry
- Most importantly, there has never been a comparison with a Black model on This Morning during the tan segment, Phoebe and Leah share. Tanning has never been promoted to people with deeper skin tones, nor are the current products out there suited to our tone.
- It was history being made really, they say. We will always be proud of that.
- Growing Through Challenges
- Stop waiting for someone to hand you the blueprint, they say. There was not one for us either.
- Hold your standard, they add. Do not let anyone convince you that quality is optional because you are new or because you are building something nobody has built before. Consistency is what turns a good idea into a brand people trust.
- A Future Built on Inclusion
- Not a campaign line, an actual industry shift, they say. In the products that get made, in who gets funded, in whose skin gets photographed under the same light as everyone else’s.
Their journey began with a familiar frustration experienced by many people with deeper skin tones: the beauty industry’s definition of glow, bronzing and tanning did not seem to include them. Rather than accepting that gap, the sisters decided to create the solution themselves.
Feeling like our best selves has always mattered to us, they share. We started this brand because the beauty industry built its version of radiance without us in mind.
Caribé was born from the belief that radiance should never be exclusive.
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A Moment That Sparked a Brand
Although Caribé is now a growing beauty business with a clear mission, the original idea did not begin with a formal business plan or boardroom pitch. It started with a real-life getting-ready moment.
In 2015, Phoebe and Leah were preparing for Ascot. Their outfits were in place, but they did not feel as confident in their skin as they wanted to. Like many people around them, they turned to fake tan in hopes of achieving that sun-kissed glow associated with feeling polished, refreshed and ready for an occasion.
[Additional Read: Mercedes Valencia on Redefining Beauty for Caribbean Latinas Through Quisqueya Beauty ]
They chose the darkest tanning product they could find. Still, it barely made a difference.
That was the moment it clicked, they explain. The only reliable way either of us had ever felt properly tanned, properly ourselves, was on holiday, in actual sun.
For the sisters, that feeling was not simply about becoming darker. It was about the warmth, confidence and ease that comes with being in the sun, wearing an outfit you love and feeling completely comfortable in your own skin.
Yet no tanning product seemed to replicate that experience for their skin tones.
They waited for the beauty industry to catch up. It did not. So they created Caribé.
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Different Strengths, Shared Purpose
The sisters’ professional paths may have developed in different directions, but those individual experiences have become central to how they lead Caribé today.
Leah’s interests have always been rooted in creativity, dance and beauty. Her understanding of beauty products, aesthetics and product development naturally informs Caribé’s formulation and creative direction. Phoebe, meanwhile, brings experience and interest in finance, food, social media and operations, helping to shape the business behind the brand.
Together, those strengths have created a partnership where each founder has a clear role, while remaining connected by a shared lived experience.
When we mention that we are sister co-founders, the same comment always comes up: ‘I could never work with my sibling,’ they say. And sometimes, we agree, but most of the time it is a blessing.
Working alongside family has required intention. The founders have learned to separate their personal relationship from their business relationship, including setting specific times to discuss business so that work does not consume every part of their connection as sisters.
That structure has allowed them to protect both the relationship and the company.
Over time, they have also learned how to trust one another’s strengths. Leah focuses on product development, while Phoebe leads on social media and operations. The result is a business that reflects both their individual talents and their collective vision.
Caribbean Culture at the Core
For Phoebe and Leah, Caribbean heritage is not an aesthetic added to a beauty brand after the fact. It is the foundation of Caribé.
Culture is not a marketing layer we added on top of Caribé, they say. It is the foundation and the reason behind our name and inspired our product scent.
The brand’s identity draws from their shared love for Caribbean culture, sunshine, warmth, people and the sense of freedom that comes with being in spaces where you can fully be yourself. That influence can be felt across the brand, from the sensory experience of its products to the way Caribé communicates with its community, affectionately known as the Caribaés.
At its heart, Caribé is built around celebrating individuality. It recognises that beauty is not one look, one shade, one standard or one version of confidence.
We built Caribé around the belief that there is nobody quite like our customer, the founders explain. We celebrate the individuals who make up this community: their skin, their culture, their way.
That philosophy is particularly meaningful in an industry that has often treated deeper skin tones as an afterthought. Caribé challenges that mindset by positioning melanin-rich skin not as a niche category, but as central to the beauty conversation.
Making Space in the Tanning Industry
One of Caribé’s most significant milestones came shortly after launch, when the brand appeared on This Morning as part of a tanning product comparison.
For the sisters, the moment was both surreal and historic.
Being featured on such a well-known programme was a major achievement in itself. However, the real significance came from seeing a Black model included in a tanning comparison segment, something that had rarely been represented on mainstream television.
Tanning products have traditionally been marketed through a narrow lens, often excluding people with deeper skin tones altogether. When those consumers are left out of campaigns, product development and testing, the implication is that tanning, bronzing and glow-enhancing beauty products are not for them.
Caribé is helping to change that.
Most importantly, there has never been a comparison with a Black model on This Morning during the tan segment, Phoebe and Leah share. Tanning has never been promoted to people with deeper skin tones, nor are the current products out there suited to our tone.
For them, the television appearance was not just publicity. It represented visibility, proof of concept and a challenge to long-held assumptions within the industry.
It was history being made really, they say. We will always be proud of that.
Growing Through Challenges
Like many founders, Phoebe and Leah have learned that building a brand comes with unexpected challenges. Caribé is currently navigating a change in manufacturing, a process they describe as difficult but necessary.
Switching manufacturers can affect product consistency, timelines, costs, relationships and customer expectations. For a young beauty business, it can feel like a disruption. However, the founders are approaching the experience as an opportunity to strengthen the business rather than a setback.
They have gained a deeper understanding of the importance of relationships, diversification and transparency. They have also been able to learn from other beauty professionals while refining their approach to product development and growth.
The experience has reinforced a key lesson: sustainable brands are built by maintaining standards, even when it may seem easier, faster or less expensive to compromise.
That principle sits at the centre of the founders’ advice to emerging Caribbean entrepreneurs and creatives.
Stop waiting for someone to hand you the blueprint, they say. There was not one for us either.
Their message is clear. Do not allow the absence of a traditional pathway to stop you from creating your own. Be willing to imagine beyond the limits that have been placed around you, and to build the rooms, platforms and products you wish already existed.
They also encourage new founders to protect the quality of what they create.
Hold your standard, they add. Do not let anyone convince you that quality is optional because you are new or because you are building something nobody has built before. Consistency is what turns a good idea into a brand people trust.
A Future Built on Inclusion
Looking ahead, Caribé is focused on building something with lasting impact. While beauty trends may move quickly, Phoebe and Leah are not interested in creating products simply to chase the moment.
Their goal is bigger than a single launch or seasonal campaign. They want to help transform the tanning industry from the inside out.
Over the next five years, the sisters hope that more beauty companies will understand that true inclusion is not achieved simply by casting models of colour in advertisements. Inclusion must exist in formulation, product testing, retail access, investment, education and the conversations shaping the industry.
They hope to make Caribé more accessible globally, including through physical retail opportunities that allow customers to experience the products in real life. They also plan to expand the product range so that more people can access the feeling that inspired the brand from the beginning: the confidence of being completely at home in your own skin.
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The founders also see Caribé as part of a wider movement for accountability in beauty. They want to be in rooms where industry decisions are made, contributing to conversations that shape policies, product standards and consumer protection, including discussions around harmful skin-bleaching practices.
Ultimately, Phoebe and Leah want their legacy to be an industry where every skin tone is understood as standard.
Not a campaign line, an actual industry shift, they say. In the products that get made, in who gets funded, in whose skin gets photographed under the same light as everyone else’s.
For the Caribbean community around the world, their message is both simple and powerful: “You already know who you are. We are just here to make sure you feel like it, every single day.”
Caribé is not simply selling a tanning product. It is creating space for people with deeper skin tones to experience glow, confidence and beauty without having to ask whether the product was ever made with them in mind.
