Indigenous creator Ruth Ann Thorne brings ancient wisdom to the modern skincare market with her brand N8iV Beauty.
Ruth Ann Thorne didn’t want to break into the already saturated beauty industry. The Luiseño/Payomcawichum entrepreneur and creative has spent decades developing her art business in California’s Paloma Valley, home since time immemorial. But as she points out, necessity is the mother of invention, and maternal instinct inspired her to launch N8iV Beauty. N8iV Beauty was one of the first luxury skin care brands developed by Native American women, and the first to include organic acorn oil sourced from the tribe. land.
It all started back in 2020, when Thorne took her then-14-year-old daughter shopping at Sephora. As she gazed at the endless aisles of cosmetics, Isabella asked her mother a simple question. “Where’s the Native American section?” They asked the store clerk for help, and they were directed to an area with products for South Asian ethnic groups. It was then that Thorne realized that Indigenous skin simply wasn’t represented in the mainstream market, and set out to change that.
N8iV Beauty Founder Ruth-Ann Thorn (Luiseño/Payom Kawichum)
In the years since, she has honed her skills as a cosmetic formulator while learning the ins and outs of the industry. From the beginning, she wanted to share the teachings of her ancestors who relied on powerful plant medicines to cure diseases.
“Full disclosure, I’m not a scientist, so developing the formula took a lot of trial and error,” Thorne says with a laugh. “I really relied on my extended family, tribal elders, and health care workers in my community for guidance.”
Thorne, who grew up on and off the 5,000-acre reservation of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians in San Diego County, collected acorns with his family and learned about the importance of this staple food to many Native communities across California. It has expanded. But this fruit (yes, fruit) from oak trees is more than just a superfood. Plant-based healing oils soothe cuts, burns, and other skin problems. N8iV Beauty’s playful and evocative name pays homage to the eight-season calendar that saw Thorne’s ancestors move from the mountains to the coast to the rhythm of nature’s abundance.
While building his brand, Thorne stayed true to his Indigenous values of putting people before profits. “The reality is the beauty industry is designed to make money,” she says. “But I approached it from a completely different perspective. The goal is to create a space for the next generation of Indigenous women while honoring our ancestors who have lived with this land for thousands of years. ”
Following that ambition wasn’t always easy. Her startup experience includes spending 18 months coming up with formulations, securing rare small-batch manufacturers, and working with living plants, which are inherently more variable than cheap lab-grown synthetics. It involved finding a chemist willing to work with them. But bringing authentic indigenous expressions and their ingredients to the skincare realm has been an adventure absolutely worth it.
N8iV beauty products range from the mineral-rich Móomat cleanser to the gentle Móyla exfoliator.
Now, her booming business is blossoming. Conscientious consumers are clamoring for her flagship products, Daybreak Moisturizing Cream and Starlight Regenerative Cream, both infused with acorn oil. In August, she added six new products to N8iV Beauty’s roster. The range ranges from the mineral-rich Móomat cleanser (made with algae, seaweed and kelp), to the gentle exfoliant Móyla (enhanced with sweetgrass), to the color-correcting Timét sunscreen (formulated). Contains algae and cactus extracts). This fall, her line debuted in Nordstrom stores and on the retail giant’s website, marking a milestone for the Native-owned beauty brand.
While these accomplishments are certainly exciting, Thorne has an even bigger goal in mind. “In a society where some people are inherently more valuable than others based on their appearance, I really want to elevate the concept of inherent beauty,” she says. . “Indigenous beauty concepts are based on nature, and nature never repeats itself. No two leaves on a tree are the same. No two snowflakes are the same. No two animal prints are the same. The existence of a tribe depends on people with unique attributes, and we want to get us back to celebrating that uniqueness.”
Even in a time of unprecedented Indigenous representation, many people still have outdated ideas about what Indigenous people look like. Thorne’s engaging campaign, featuring models of all shapes, sizes and skin tones, challenges these assumptions. “I use N8iV Beauty to highlight people from all over India, and they all look very different,” explains Thorn. “One model has blonde hair and blue eyes, and people often wonder if she’s Native. We’re trying to fight the stereotype that all Native people look like Pocahontas. Because we are not.”
N8iV Beauty’s campaign features models of all shapes, sizes and skin tones, “to highlight people from all over India,” says founder Ruth Ann Thorne.
Similarly, she is eager to work with thought leaders to showcase the beautiful diversity of indigenous cultures from all over Turtle Island (which many indigenous communities call North America). These partnerships will focus on key plant medicines from other regions, such as pumpkin and blue corn, and share stories about those tribal nations to educate customers about the ancient rituals and traditions they practice. .
But above all, Thorne’s main aim is to carve out a space for Indigenous people in the skin care sector so that Indigenous youth don’t have to ask why their culture isn’t represented in stores. be. “We’ve never had space on the shelves before, so we feel it’s time to step out of the reservation and into the mainstream,” she says. “After all, we have so much beauty to share with the world.”
indigenous wisdom
Soothe your skin concerns with these 5 go-to natural ingredients.
Navigating the world of skin care can be difficult, especially in the age of greenwashing. Here, Ruth Ann Thorne gives you the inside scoop on her favorite beauty plants that have been used in Native communities for centuries. A word to the wise: Make sure the products you use contain the real thing and not synthetic substitutes.
acorn oil
Benefits: Calms inflammation, promotes cell turnover and regeneration, heals cuts and rashes
sweetgrass extract
Benefits: Skin rejuvenation, reduce oiliness, brighten complexion
prickly pear oil
What it does: Moisturizes dry skin, soothes inflammation and protects against free radicals and sun damage.
green tea extract
Benefits: Soothes redness, reduces sebum production, removes dirt, bacteria, and pollutants.
evening primrose oil
Benefits: Improves skin elasticity, improves uneven skin, relieves acne and eczema.
From the November/December 2024 issue.
For more information, visit n8ivbeauty.com.
Photo: Laura Bravo Mertz
