We were lucky to catch up with Dymond Cannon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dymond thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Growing up as a female-coded child, access to beautification was something seen as integral to your development. From hair styling to levels of makeup usage, the world as we knew it had differing levels of navigation, that were reliant on how much beauty you could achieve in a set amount of time. Being multi-marginalized (dark skinned, fat, neurodiverse and impoverished), my access to these tools and rituals was limited, and often times seen as an after thought within the world of cosmetics. Through years of searching, trial and error, and seeing my lived experience through the eyes of other marginalized populations of people, I knew in my heart and spirit that I had to do something to invoke change in an industry that made most of its money from us, yet didn’t care to hear our voices.

With a focus on solution-based products, I began to research and find ingredients and processes that would fulfill the needs of people like myself that required sensory awareness and accessibility through ease of use. Many brands that have been in the industry for years longer failed to address these things, as it is statistically proven that marginalized voices go unheard more often than not.

The most exciting part of running my business has been to see people finding tangible solutions in real time from using the products we’ve formulated and sourced over years of research and testing. Although I had no major backing monetarily, I’ve proven to myself and others that finding solutions can happen.

Dymond, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

There are many elements that make me the person that I am and will become. I am a queer, Black, married mother of 1 and curator of visual art and self expression. My pronouns are they/them and she/her, and I am non-binary. Through years of self discovery and expression, I used my passions for visual art, makeup, and body care to curate products geared towards upkeep, expression of self and mental wellness. Becoming a visible presence was important to me, so that I could be a tangible representative of our mission- Every Body Deserves Care.

I provide an array of products across various categories. Those categories include; lip care (lip balm, lip scrub, lip gloss, lip liner, lipstick), skin care (facial wash, moisturizer, clay and jelly masks, toner), hair care (conditioning hair cream, hair oil, curling style jelly), makeup (eyeshadow, eye liners, oil cleanser), body care( body wash, foaming scrubs, body oil, body lotion, body cream), stationary (memo pads) and accessories (bracelets, keychains).

The products we offer are carefully crafted with sensory needs, ease of use, and visual stimulation in mind. We’ve removed arbitrary gendered language from access to cosmetic care, as an intentional way to foster our mission that every body deserves care. Many folks like myself that do not exist within binaries have found comfort in buying the items to care for themselves in affirming ways.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started DyCan Cosmetics, I was determined to offer everything I could make by hand. After a year of pushing and testing, I had to sit with my body and mind, having clear introspection into how to proceed with expansion that wouldn’t compromise my physical health and mental well being. After having those moments, I was able to find solutions for outsourcing that aligned with my business practices, and alleviate some of the load of producing by hand for certain products.

By doing so, I was able to further produce other products by hand and provide an even better experience for my customer base while further being present in my intrapersonal relationships (my marriage, the relationship with my family, etc.)

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Two words; SOCIAL MEDIA.

In the digital age, having a presence within the social sphere is crucial to the development of your brand and growth of your customer base. Social media has done the task of giving way to building community, changing lives and growing small businesses.

I’ve not only found myself, I’ve also found community and mentorship through social media networking and exposure.

Contact Info:

• Website: HTTPS//:dycancosmetics.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/dycancosmo