Twenty-nine-year-old trendsetter and hip-hop artist Saucy Santana is taking matters into his own hands as the beauty ambassador for Black, female-owned brand, Thread Beauty.
Santana uses his platform to push for representation in the beauty industry, especially for Black LGBTQIA+ creatives. Now, the trailblazing artist and makeup lover is representing his community and doing it in full glam.
Founded in 2011 by The Lip Bar Inc CEO Melissa Butler, Thread Beauty is Gen Z-focused, clean, and cruelty-free and inspired by BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. The company is committed to creating products that cater to all beauty lovers with diversity, inclusivity, allyship, and self-expression at the forefront of the brand’s identity. The collaboration with Saucy Santana is a major extension of that commitment.
The partnership itself is not only a step forward for representation, it also demonstrates that beauty brands not only have the opportunity to challenge traditional standards but have the responsibility and the influence to be the catalyst for change.
“Prior to launching thread beauty, we weren’t seeing diversity in the beauty space, especially when it comes to men in makeup,” Butler said. “Who better to be the face of a beauty brand championing unapologetic self-expression and genuine authenticity than ‘the’ Saucy Santana?”
Butler continued: “We are overwhelmed and overjoyed that we get to embark on this first partnership with him.”
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke to Saucy Santana about his collaboration with Thread Beauty, the importance of representing LGBTQIA+ creatives in the cosmetic industry and what he hopes supporters will take away from the partnership.
How does it feel to represent the community, considering you’ve been a longtime advocate for bringing LGBTQ creatives to the forefront of the cosmetics industry?
I feel that this collaboration is truly a win for the culture, especially being a Black, male-presenting and feminine gay man signed to a beauty deal is just great representation and visibility for my community. It’s hard to secure opportunities like this, especially in the spaces that I am in, such as hip-hop and rap, being a Black, dark skinned and feminine gay man, so I really appreciate the recognition and Thread Beauty for just giving men like me an opportunity to be seen and visible in a positive light within the beauty space.
I was getting my nails done the other day, and I was smiling to myself watching a boy who looked like me, with a bald face haircut and lined up beard, sit down and get his acrylic tip nails put on. I was so happy and so proud that more people are living their lives how they want and feel comfortable just being themselves. Our representation might not be plentiful, but we’re growing—and that’s having an impact. I think people seeing me and others like me, it’s making people feel more comfortable doing what they want to do and accept us for who we are.
What do you think beauty brands can learn from this collaboration?
Thread Beauty being Black-owned, female-founded, affordable, and offering 26 shades of foundation, including deeper melanin tones in the foundation and concealers is really ground-breaking. You don’t really see a lot of makeup brands doing that. Typically once brands get to a certain medium-deep brown shade, they stop, a lot of brands don’t usually even offer a deep enough shade for me. So I just think this is a great thing and more brands should create a more inclusive shade range for BIPOC people.
What does inclusive beauty mean to you?
I remember, back in the day, when I was getting make-up, foundation colors would stop at certain colors, and they wouldn’t really go that deep for darker skin tones. They would have two shades and then it was up to us to figure it out. I love that Thread Beauty just goes so deep, and is truly inclusive all into the deeper shades of their product line—especially the “face it” complexion sticks. That was one of the first things that attracted me to working with the brand, knowing that it would be catering to everyone and that even my dark-skinned followers and fans could find something to love with the brand.
What do you hope your fans take away from this collaboration?
That they can do it, too! We all have our own battles, even in the gay community. Boys like me, who are dark-skinned, feminine, and plus-sized, get counted out within the community and don’t get a lot of opportunities. So, for me to be the first celebrity face of Thread Beauty shows people that we are able to be accepted for who we are, and it just speaks volumes. It’s making us more visible and helping us win.
What is your favorite product from the cosmetic line?
Definitely the multi-use “face it“ complexion sticks and “cover it” complexion fluids. I love that thread beauty offers 26 shades of foundation in a truly inclusive line up catering to the BIPOC complexion range. I hear they’re expanding the line up soon, too! I love that the shade range includes deep, dark melanin-rich shades for a flawless chocolate complexion. I have a perfect foundation shade-200 in their line up and a cream contour shade match-240 that’s even darker and richer. That’s not common at all! Oh, and they also have the most bomb lip gloss: my fave is the glossy clear “gloss it!” I literally throw one in every bag when I’m heading out.
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