Pholk Beauty founder Nyambi Cacchioli talks about plant-based skincare for women of color

To receive you need to Nyambi Cacchioli, historian, esthetician, and avid gardener, plants are a form of healing. So much so that she turned her love of plants and knowledge of beauty rituals from across the African diaspora into Pholk Beauty, a skincare brand created using melanin-rich skin in the mind. Ahead she tells how she curates skin care procedures for colored women and offers tips on how to rediscover yourself at any age.  

What inspired you to create Pholk Beauty? 

I grew up in Kentucky at a time when most blacks were also green people. I come from a long family of farmers and gardeners, so it's part of my DNA and everyday culture. The women in my family used a blend of basic cosmetics from the drugstore mixed with natural ingredients from the pantry and garden (such as glycerin, solid oils, olive oil, and rose water). I grew up learning how to take care of myself inside and out with pure, natural ingredients. We didn't have a name for it, but it was part of our family culture. It wasn't until I moved to the UK for graduate studies that I realized that a pharmacy culture existed throughout Europe. It wasn't considered elitist, it was more like buying groceries. I immersed myself deeply in the culture and it made me feel at home. 

The ingredients I bought at the herb markets reminded me of my grandmother, aunt, and mother, as well as the gardens and orchards I grew up in. understand that there is so much of this narrative in plants. During my travels, I met black and brown people, and even if I couldn't speak their language, we had a common heritage of herbal healing. 

When I returned to the United States in 2008, I was pregnant and lived in the Northeast for the first time. Because beauty is my touchstone, and it helped me repatriate. I didn't have time to do my own skincare because I was trying to learn how to be a mom while focusing on my career as an academic and teacher. However, I would do the same as in Europe and go to organic cosmetics stores. I found that I was invisible in these spaces here. I would have to educate the staff about the needs of melanin-rich skin using words like hyperpigmentation and ingrown hairs. They didn't know how to organize the experience for me. 

In any of the cosmetic stores, even in ordinary ones, I could not find a product suitable for my skin. Sure, there were bits and pieces from Africa, the Caribbean, and the American South, but they weren't put together in a way that catered to our needs. The beauty industry sees melanin as a problem that needs to be addressed and therefore does not offer holistic solutions. Instead of getting upset about it, I decided to combine my knowledge and create this love letter for black plant healing. I'm trying to be part of a movement that teaches women of color and the rest of the beauty industry how to balance melanin-rich skin instead of trying to make it look paler.  

How did you choose the ingredients you want to use in Pholk products? 

I started with ingredients that were meaningful both to me and to my personal folklore history—ingredients I grew up around, like hemp seed oil, aloe, and rose water. I'm both a Kentucky girl and a beauty activist trying to do two things at the same time. First, I try to find ingredients that balance the skin. Black and brown women are always offered the toughest products on the shelf. Melanin actually protects the skin barrier, so I wanted to offer women of color the softest ingredients possible. Secondly, I'm trying to bring back these ingredients like marigold and hibiscus as botanicals for the soul and botanical heirlooms grown by brown hands. 

How did you develop treatments for different skin types?

For me, the melanin-positive approach to daily skincare regimes focuses on ingredients that are gentle and meaningful to the black plant's heritage. Because women of color have such a wide range of skin tones and concerns, I wanted to make sure we offer daily regimens for all skin types, from oily to dry. Regardless of skin type, it is important that melanin-rich skin is hydrated and protected with a moisturizer.

I love our hydrosol facial sprays that hydrate and purify the skin. Our fogs, including Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Facial Mist, are sourced from farmhouse distilleries to produce the purest botanical water, so they are very gentle on the skin. Many of our family work in hospitals and schools and are thrilled that sprays are a quick and easy way to clear skin, unclog pores and minimize masking.

After moisturizing, it is best to seal the skin. Many women of color want to use coconut oil or avocado oil the same way we use these natural ingredients for hair and body. However, the problem is that if you are acne-prone, have oily skin, and are prone to ingrown hairs, coconut oil is not for you. I love dry oils like hemp seed oil and moringa oil, which give a nice plush feel without being greasy. As women of color, we care about looking brilliant. We prefer to have a glow that doesn't turn into glitter. When thinking about how to get black and brown women to use facial oil, texture is important. 

Do you have a favorite product? 

The Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Facial Spray is a dream come true and emotionally means a lot to me because my grandma was an avid gardener and I am an avid gardener with spreading bushes in my backyard. We had a honeysuckle grove in our yard where I played. Allowing yourself to play with my wording is everything. During the era of slavery, black women used flowers such as jasmine, honeysuckle, and rose as perfumes and in love spells. For me, my vocation is to remember the beauty of the African diaspora and understand it as a basis for healing. I read it through the mist. 

On the other hand, I really love Werkacita Allover Balm. Balm Werkacita Allover Balm is amazing. This is for any place you're shy, but it can also be used in many other ways. The hemp seed oil for these balms was sourced from an independent farmer in my home state of Kentucky. Also, I've been iterating this balm for about 20 years now. First for myself, then for friends. When my friends started using the very first version, they made me charge them. They pushed me to start a business. 

How do you practice self-care?

I have a garden. I love that I have a backyard where my kids learn that growing plants is easy. Not at first, but when you are with him all the time, he becomes part of your family life. Gardening keeps me grounded. I also have a Pilates teacher who does a body-positive version of the exercise. As I get older, it's important for me to feel like my body can do new things. It helps clear out mom's brain and entrepreneur's brain. 

What advice would you give - beauty or not beauty - to yourself in your youth? 

I would tell myself in my youth that training is very important. I supported entrepreneurship. I did something and people liked it. In the end, I decided to study on a farm and beautician. It really gave me a lot more confidence in things I already knew. I see so many beauty entrepreneurs trying to take their place, but they don't necessarily know or understand skin. If you don't have any skin care experience, even if you don't want to work as a beautician, I suggest you just get trained. It's a privilege to touch someone else's skin, so make sure you have the preparation and understanding of what the skin actually needs.

Entrepreneurship aside, when I was in high school, I was the clumsy black girl in my squad. I basked in the shade of my friends' sunbeams. They were so bright and I was very shy. I'm such a late bloomer, and although I came to my senses, I found out that I used to create a shadow for myself. When you're ready to go, do it at your own pace and at your comfort level. You can rethink yourself at any age.