When I came across cosmetic chemist Javon Ford during a scroll through TikTok, it was a welcome relief. Even as a self-proclaimed skin care obsessive, I’m often overwhelmed by the unending launches of beauty products and constant cycles of newly touted ingredients that promise to help alleviate my latest insecurity. Ford’s refreshing and simplified take was an outlier among the barrage of influencers promoting all the new, must-have goods.
Ford studied science and chemistry at Howard University, has worked in the cosmetics industry and is currently formulating his own makeup products based on the needs of deeper skin tones. In his videos, he speaks unpretentiously and with a passion for product formulation. I got the sense that, through his content, he aims to empower consumers to know more about what ingredients and products work best for them and why, rather than reaching for the latest trendy ingredient.
Ford’s also a fan of product essentialism, which can be a bold take in a beauty culture filled with influencers and their 10-step skin care routines.