You’ll never catch Javon Ford dancing on TikTok, though you might see him explaining how wet hair’s increased malleability makes it more prone to damage to the tune of 1.5 million views.
“I usually post if somebody beckons me,” demurred the Los Angeles-based cosmetic chemist, who has amassed a TikTok audience of 480,000-plus by bringing a scientific perspective to the platform’s trending topics — from Givenchy’s recent hero setting-powder reformulation, to why DIY sunscreen (à la a viral video by model-influencer Nara Smith) perhaps isn’t an effective way to maximize sun protection.
This April, in response to a gap he saw in the market for shade-inclusive blushes, Ford launched his own — a $32 gel-cream cheek stain in three orange, blackberry and cherry shades, each formulated with a color-adaptive technology meant to suit all skin tones.
Here, WWD speaks with Ford on his journey from chemist to content creator to two-time founder — and what else he has in store.
WWD: How did you become interested in beauty, and what did your early experience in the industry entail?
Javon Ford: I majored in chemistry in college on a pre-med track, but I had a very creative side because of my music and theater background. When I stumbled upon cosmetic chemistry about halfway through my college career, I instantly thought it was so cool — but it was incredibly competitive to get an internship or even an entry level job in the field, so I wound up working in South Carolina as a nuclear engineer — which, yes, was somehow easier than getting a chance to make lipstick — and founding my own brand, Éclat Naturals.
I was making makeup, nail polish, skin care, and after three years I moved to L.A. to work with a few different contract manufacturers until COVID-19 hit and I was laid off. I then went the consulting route, offering formulation services for brands directly while also making hand sanitizer through Éclat during the shortage.
WWD: When did TikTok come into the picture, and what opportunity did you see on the platform?
J.F.: My first few videos were actually about a Kickstarter campaign I had created to get funding for a concept trailer — I moved to L.A. for screenwriting, too — but I made my third video while staying after hours at work and just decided to just address misconceptions about hyaluronic acid. I woke up to 9,000 followers, something like 100,000 views, and people suggesting new ideas for me — I just kept making content from there.
WWD: You’ve since brought your perspective to trending topics from hair Botox to endocrine disruptors to shade range controversies. What have you found effective in translating the nitty-gritty, back-end details of cosmetic formulation to a mass audience?
J.F.: Honestly, I don’t talk to people like they’re 5 — I know that’s something people suggest you should do, but I don’t do talking down, especially when the bulk of my following are Millennials or Gen-Zers who may not have a college education, but they’ve either completed or are in high school at the very least, so they can understand chemistry on a basic level.
It’s just a transparent, “Hey, this is what’s in the product, this is how this ingredient works, this is why it works” — and I will always use the actual government name of everything on an ingredient list, because I want people to become familiar with it. There’s too much scientific illiteracy in this community — well, this country — and I feel that the best approach is to not dumb it down; just tell people what it is, why it’s there, and how it works.
WWD: How do you strategize your content?
J.F.: I usually post if somebody beckons me, or if there’s some topic I see gaining traction on TikTok, but usually people will beat me to it. I’ll get like, 20 or 50 tags in one video and then stitch that video, especially if it’s spreading misinformation — I want to correct that. Two years ago, there was the whole pad/tampon debacle when people discovered that a lot of pads contain titanium dioxide, which is a carcinogen when inhaled. I was being tagged like crazy, so I addressed it from the scientific standpoint that titanium dioxide isn’t cancerous when it’s anywhere outside of your lungs — but that people trusted me to speak on that was just one of those moments of, “Oh, wow — y’all really like me.”
WWD: What prompted you to launch Javon Ford Beauty, and how did your learnings with Éclat inform your brand-building approach this time around?
J.F.: I knew what not to do, and at this point have a better grasp of how to market from working with other brands who, even as a chemist, will still ask me for input on what ingredients to call out. So I knew Javon Ford Beauty would work — kind of from trial and error — but also, my followers had asked for it. I made a video using the blush formula last year after making it on a whim, and folks were like, “Hey — I need that orange blush.” Then when I saw Milk Makeup launch its jelly blushes earlier this year, it was kind of like, OK — I have this formula I’ve been sitting on for a year — I can create a whole line out of this. Since launching in April, I’ve already made a profit, and seeing people enjoy the product and getting that validation has been incredible.
Javon Ford Cheek Stain in Georgia Peach, Blackberry and Cherry Pie.
courtesy
WWD: What has that positive reception shown you about what consumers might want next from Javon Ford Beauty?
J.F.: I’m not sure if I want to launch another product just yet. If I can find a gap in the market — in terms of the chemistry, not the marketing — then I will gladly fill it, but I’m a creative; cosmetic chemistry is my creative outlet, and from a formulation perspective, it’s boring to make something that has already been done. If I was to do another product, maybe it would be lipstick — there’s a lot of talk about how there aren’t enough true red lipsticks suitable for brown skin — or I’d revisit the customizable foundation I was working on in 2017 via Éclat, where I had three different bases varying based on skin tone depth, and you would add pigment drops to match your shade. I didn’t have the capital to scale it at the time — but I could see myself going back to that idea. Otherwise, my approach is kind of these small, niche launches where I’m like, “Hey, I’m going to drop this gem, buy it when it’s available, and when another need arises, I will be there to fill that gap” — and then peace out again.
WWD: In the meantime, what’s next for you?
J.F.: I want to focus more on long-term collaborations with brands where I can influence both their marketing and their formulation; it always creates a greater impact when brands come to me not just as a content creator but as a chemist, too, and I can influence them from the ideation stage.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
