18-Year-Old Lands Her Vegan Beauty Brand in Target

18-Year-Old Lands Her Vegan Beauty Brand in Target

Young entrepreneur and CEO Zandra Cunningham has landed a deal with Target. Stores across the nation will stock a cruelty-free and vegan beauty box from her brand, Zandra Beauty.

The “Treat Yo Self” box will contain Zandra Beauty’s nourishing hand and body lotion, exfoliating sugar scrub, and its lip and body balms“I am so excited to offer my unique brand of American made yuck free products in an exclusive gift box designed specifically for Target,” Cunningham said in a statement.

The Buffalo, NY, native launched her cruelty-free beauty brand at age nine, after her dad refused to buy her lip balm. “His ‘no’ forced me to do the work and make my own,” Cunningham wrote. She began selling chemical-free, plant-based whipped shea body butter and lip balms under the brand Azariah’s Innocence at her local farmer’s market in the summer of 2010.

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“I made it my mission to make products that smelled good and kept my skin soft without irritating it,” Cunningham wrote. “I wanted to give girls a natural alternative to all those commercial products with yucky, unhealthy ingredients.”

Zandra Beauty now offers 50 skincare products, including deodorant, makeup remover, body wash, and artisan soap bars. The green beauty brand aims to encourage teen girls to pursue their interests in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) through its “Science Behind It” program.

“This is yet another dream come true for me. I am working hard to pave the way for other indie brands with teen CEOs,” Cunningham continued. “My journey hasn’t been easy but it will forever be worth it. I am on a mission to shatter the status quo, and with partners like Target, I am making that happen.”

Cruelty-Free and Vegan Beauty in Target

Worldwide vegan cosmetics launches rose 175 percent between July 2013 and June 2018, according to global research firm Mintel, driven by demand primarily from Millennials and Generation Z.

Shifting consumer habits has seen to an increased number of vegan-friendly and cruelty-free beauty brands occupying shelf space at major retailers like Target, such as Shea Moisture, Pacifica Beauty, e.l.f., NYX, and Wild Child perfumes.

Zandra Beauty’s Target-exclusive box is available at a select 707 stores across the nation.