JoAnn Fowler–Emmy nominated makeup artist and owner of SAPPHO New Paradigm beauty brand–is fired up! “I never questioned what was in that lipstick I was putting on somebody,” she tells me during our call.”I feel like my whole life I trusted these companies. I trusted the FDA. I thought things were safe.”
When she found out that the products she was using as a professional makeup artist were not, in fact, safe, she dedicated her professional life to doing her part to transform the beauty industry. That’s why she created SAPPHO New Paradigm, a “clean, conscious, vegan” makeup brand.
JoAnn describes her younger self as “ a short, fat kid.” She laughs when she tells me that she wanted to be Twiggy– the skinny 1960s supermodel famous for her big eyes. As a teenager, JoAnn first learned about makeup in a glossy magazine. An article told her that she could make her eyes look bigger with contouring. So she asked her mom if she could take a makeup class. “She told me only whores wear makeup.” JoAnn laughs as she reveals her response, but quickly adds that her mom was very supportive of her, and probably in a bad mood that day.
Years later, JoAnn found herself working as a childcare counselor, but remained “artistic and creative.” It wasn’t until the 1980s that JoAnn realized there was a whole industry built around makeup, and she wanted in.
Eventually, JoAnn would land a job that would change her life, when she was hired as an on-set makeup artist for The L Word, which premiered in January 2004.“In the trailer is the most fun,” she tells me as I ask what it was like being part of a groundbreaking show, one that shaped young queer women like myself.
Toward the end of The L Word’s run, Mia Kirshner told JoAnne, “I’m not wearing any more parabens in any of my makeup.” JoAnne was confused. “I had just bought thousands of dollars of makeup and I told her, ‘I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.’” But JoAnne, who has lost family members to cancer, was intrigued. So she read Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, by Stacy Malkan. She was blown away by what she learned. “They are poisoning us,” she tells me, before launching into an explanation about the chemicals that are getting into her bloodstream, mine, yours. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), she explains to me, are synthetic chemicals. “1500 have been identified. 15,000 exist.”
Her goal when she started SAPPHO New Paradigm in 2008 was to create a sustainable and organic beauty line free of parabens, synthetic emulsifiers, or phthalates, to name a few. “We’re doing our best to be as transparent as possible,” JoAnn tells me. One visit to their site and you’ll see that JoAnn walks the walk: SAPPHO New Paradigm’s About Us page includes the ingredients you’ll find in their makeup, how they utilize sustainable packaging, how the brand takes action to support healthier people and a healthier planet, and the brand’s goals for the future.
In the 15+ years since starting the brand, JoAnn has experienced her share of setbacks, but she always stays true to her beliefs. “We need honest and compassionate people,” she tells me, as she explains that the brand is her “apology” to the next generation. She’s dedicated her life–and her life savings–to her clean beauty philosophy. “I have nothing to lose anymore,” JoAnn insists, but I remind her that consumers are catching on. We want to spend our money with ethical brands, and we want clean, safe products on our skin.
We are thrilled to welcome SAPPHO New Paradigm to Pink Robin, and for you to discover their products for yourself.
Hey there. Laura Leigh here. I’m a wife, writer, mama, small business owner, podcast host, and the Head of Content here at Pink Robin.
I love supporting the queer community and bringing shared experiences to life.
If you have a story to tell, I’m here for it.
la********@pi***********.com
I remember when my wife and I first became moms, I knew that our ability to “pass” was behind us. I was never going to pretend that my wife and family were something other than exactly who they were. It was freeing to know that I had to live my queer life out loud, that I would forever be myself in every space, all the time.
In a 2023 CNN article Daniel Korschun, associate professor of marketing at Drexel University explained that when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, executives “are becoming much more skittish about taking these stands and making strong statements.
According to a 2022 Pew Research Poll, roughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say there is at least some discrimination against transgender people in our society. Because trans rights have become such a contentious issue across the country, companies that used to view supporting pride as “low stakes” have become less likely to support the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. “The pendulum is swinging a bit back … toward a more conservative approach, where they’ll be less vocal,” says Korschun. According to a recent NBC News article, Target stores will only sell pride merchandise in select locations this year. The retailer will not have Pride collections in about half of their locations. Additionally, they will only sell pride merchandise for adults.
An argument that Target has made in the past and is now using again is that this decision protects their LGBTQ+ employees, but let’s be clear: Conditional allyship is not support. Pulling queer merchandise from their shelves and essentially pretending that we don’t exist–and ignoring those of us who have children that want to celebrate pride with us–is detrimental to our community. Erasure threatens our safety. This weekend my mom told me that she’s done with Target. Like her, I can’t say I feel good about spending my money in a place that doesn’t value my family. As of today, the ACLU is currently tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. We exist, and abandoning us only endangers us.
