Balanda Atis facts for kids

Balanda Atis, born in 1972 or 1973, is an American chemist who works with cosmetics. She has worked for L'Oréal since 1999. Balanda is known for helping L'Oréal create more makeup shades for women of color. Her work has been featured in popular fashion magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Elle.

Early Life and Learning

Balanda Atis is a first-generation Haitian American. She grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. She studied biology at Rutgers University for her first degree. Later, she earned a master's degree in cosmetic science. This advanced degree came from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Her Career as a Chemist

Before joining L'Oréal, Balanda Atis worked at a company called Playtex Products. There, she helped create many different personal care products. These included well-known brands like Banana Boat and Jhirmack.

Joining L'Oréal

In 1999, Balanda started working for L'Oréal USA. Her first job was to develop new types of mascara. However, she noticed that there were not enough good makeup options for women with darker skin tones.

Creating New Makeup Shades

In 2007, Balanda began a special project at L'Oréal. She got permission from her boss to work on it. Balanda and two other scientists traveled across the United States. They collected skin color measurements from many women of color.

Through her research, Balanda made an important discovery. She found that a special blue pigment called ultramarine could be used in foundation. This helped create rich, deep shades of makeup. It also prevented the makeup from looking "muddy" on dark skin tones.

Leading a New Lab

In 2014, L'Oréal opened a new laboratory. This lab was specifically for developing cosmetics for all skin tones. Balanda Atis was chosen to be the manager of this important lab.

She also helped create the foundation used by actress Lupita Nyong'o. This foundation was for L'Oréal's Lancôme advertising campaigns.

Recognized for Her Work

In October 2020, Elle magazine recognized Balanda Atis. They named her one of "10 Black women making history." The magazine called her the "driving force" behind L'Oréal's expanded makeup shades. Thanks to her, brands like Armani, Lancôme, Maybelline, and Urban Decay now offer many more colors. These new shades are made to fit all Black skin colors.