Melissa Butler

Butler was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.[3] She attended Cass Technical High School, and completed her bachelor's degree in business finance at Florida A&M University.[3] She then moved to New York to work as an analyst at Barclays.[1]

Growing up, her mother was not strict with her and her sister at all, but she was never the type to rebel throughout her teenage years. She grew up in a dangerous neighborhood in Detroit but never really felt unsafe. Her mother was a hard worker, always trying to provide a happy like for her daughters. Her first experience with entrepreneurship was working for her cousin's clothing shop when she was in high school. Before graduating, she spent six months in Beijing, China, learning Mandarin. Being in China, she experienced culture shock and experienced what it was like to live in a diverse community for the first time. While working at Barclays bank, she had personal hobbies and creative outlets at home. She started off by making her own natural, chemical-free soap [1]. She has always been a simpler girl and considers herself to be a minimalist, but also appreciates the art of makeup [2].

Working full-time on Wall Street, Butler did not enjoy the job and decided to start a business.[4] She was inspired to created The Lip Bar because she was frustrated by the lack of affordable vegan lipsticks in bright colors.[3][5] In 2012, she began making and selling vegan lipsticks out of her Brooklyn home and selling them as a side hustle.[1][4] She made $27,000 in her first year of sales.[6] Two years later, Butler quit her job and moved back to her hometown of Detroit to focus on The Lip Bar full-time.[1] Between 2012 and 2015 the company earned $100,000 in revenue.[3] The brand's lipsticks consist of bright colors and nudes, many with cocktail-themed names.[7] The products are vegan, cruelty-free, and use natural ingredients.[4][6]

In 2015, Butler appeared on Shark Tank with her friend and creative director Rosco Spears to pitch a mobile version of The Lip Bar.[6][5] They were rejected by all five judges, and were referred to as "colorful cockroaches".[1][3] The judges told her they did not see the colorful lipsticks as marketable.[2] Butler stated in an interview with The Detroit News, "Honestly, they were very cruel. But it worked out in the end because we got tons of exposure."[3]

She used LinkedIn to contact potential corporate buyers, and eventually made a connection with a buyer at Target.[1] As of 2018, The Lip Bar is in stock at several hundred Target stores in the United States.[1]

Butler wanted to tackle the issue of variety and diversity in the beauty industry. She found that in the beauty industry, there weren't enough shades of lipstick that complimented different complexions and skin tones [1]. Her lipstick company is an inclusive beauty product that has shades and colors that compliment women of all skin tones. Today, her company The Lip Bar products are sold at Target [1]. In our society that is becoming more inclusive, Butler is considered a pioneer for women of all colors to feel represented in the beauty industry. Butler is changing an industry that is exclusive and making it more suitable for people of all skin tones. Her products are clean and sustainable, improving the quality of ingredients in lipsticks [3]. She created “The Lip Bar Truck” where she went on a tour for six weeks to spread her message of vegan, cruelty free, inclusive lipstick. She did this before selling her products through retail because she wanted to build awareness first, emphasizing on the cause and importance of redefining the beauty industry. They partnered with different brands to park their truck in front of stores, their most remarkable partnership was with Urban Outfitters in Washington DC [1].

In 2020, INC Magazine praised her for being a top entrepreneur [2].

• Official website