While tons of beauty brands have been coined as “changemakers,” there’s one figure who was a part of the industry’s game-changing era before it became trendy—Kristen Noel Crawley. In 2016, the Chicago-bred entrepreneur created KNC Beauty, a skincare line that’s known for its viral feature-specific masks, carefully crafted from all-natural ingredients. Although the brand is relatively young, it’s managed to catapult the new wave of beauty with innovative products like star-shaped eye masks, which we would later see being sold in other iterations by fellow companies. But let’s be clear, Crawley was one of the first to do it, and it’s about time we give her some flowers.
The cult-favorite lip masks highly praised by the likes of Kim Kardashian emerged with a purpose that can’t be mimicked. While in Tokyo for a brand trip with Dior, Crawley found herself in Don Quijote where she discovered aisles of beauty products she’d never seen before, particularly lip masks. She was immediately smitten by the concept, especially since she struggled with dry lips, but was alarmed by the product’s formulation. “I thought it was kind of weird to have so many ingredients on something that could be ingested so I looked for a more natural alternative and couldn’t find one,” she tells Essence GU. Crawley’s solution? She made her own.
The void that Crawley saw in the market set the foundation for what would be a successful brand, yet her love for beauty was cultivated from a young age under her mother’s influence. She often spent hours watching her mom in the mirror as she engaged in various routines like plucking her eyebrows and coloring her hair. “I wanted to look just like her and do everything that she did, so much that I cut the crap out of my legs trying to shave while reading catalogs like Cosmo and Delia’s,” she recalls. “I would try my best to emulate the women in my life, my mom and sister, and that’s how I fell in love with beauty.”
Crawley’s love affair with beauty has sustained her since those formative years, even through the ups and downs of owning a business. Since its inception, KNC burst onto the scene in a then Instagram-obsessed world but has faced struggles in recent years due to TikTok’s dominance in the market. “We went viral on TikTok earlier this year and we sold out which was great, but also presented new challenges,” she states. Being that newer brands have grasped consumer attention, Crawley didn’t anticipate such success, which resulted in a long six months before her best-selling products were back on the e-commerce site. “Through situations like that, I’ve learned that although the opportunity might seem amazing, it’s important to make sure you can handle it.”
Although the industry is extremely saturated, the former Elle beauty columnist has cemented her brand as one that’s not relying on the unpredictable emotions of the TikTok cycle. Instead, Crawley is leaning into a business that will transcend generations, which she already has. At the time of KNC’s buzzy beginning almost eight years ago, Kim K was wearing its infamous lip mask and just this year, North West (who holds a similar influential power) was seen sporting the leaf mask on her TikTok, directly making the brand Gen Alpha-approved.
Outside of creating effective and aesthetically pleasing products for the skin, Crawley is ensuring that legacy and community remain at the center. After the tragic 2020 racial reckonings, she was moved to launch the KNC School of Beauty, a tuition-free virtual beauty school to help BIPOC women in their entrepreneurial endeavors through the fashion and beauty industries, with special guidance from experts like Olamide Olowe of Topicals. “I just remember being at home and having to explain to my son why an innocent man like George Floyd was killed,” Crawley said of her inspiration. “I wasn’t able to participate in protesting at the time and had mentored a few women before, so I thought this could be a cool idea and my way to give back to the community.” Since then, Crawley’s hosted six sessions with a $10,000 grant given away at the end of every course.
With almost a decade of business, Crawley is not making a comeback, but further creating true impact. She’s expanded its offerings with products like the Self-Care Bundle which includes a reusable silicone mask and eye serum infused with skin-loving ingredients like Tiger Grass and Purslane. She also plans to tap into other categories of skincare like lip oils, glosses, and beauty routine tools. With these endeavors, Crawley is focused on KNC staying authentic to its DNA of being a female, black-owned brand that will last for years to come. “I can’t look at other brands because it’s like comparing yourself to another girl on Instagram; they might be perfect-looking but you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes,” she says. “Even on days where I feel like I’m not doing enough, I remind myself that comparison is a thief of joy, and my authenticity will win in the end.”
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