Is it possible to move the needle towards beauty justice by going to the source? In this episode, Dr. Tamarra James-Todd is joined by Boma Brown-West, previously at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), to discuss how partnering with beauty product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers is an effective way to drive systemic change. Included in their conversation is how clean beauty has historically left women of color out of the picture and some of the strategies and frameworks EDF has utilized to get businesses to commit to producing and selling cleaner products that are marketed to all of their clientele.

Boma Brown-West has spent 20 years championing product sustainability and safer chemistry. She is currently the Chief Growth Officer at Healthy Building Network (HBN), a national nonprofit with a vision that all people and the planet thrive when the environment is free of toxic chemicals. Previously, Boma led EDF's safer consumer products program—specifically EDF+Business—which works to forge partnerships with companies and supply chains to activate smart and ambitious safer chemicals policies and sustainability programs covering products, food, and packaging. She has an M.S. in Technology & Policy from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.

Check out this Non-toxic Black Beauty Product Database for safe products made by Black-owned businesses: https://www.safecosmetics.org/black-beauty/