Local skin wellness company Klur, founded by Pasadena resident Lesley Thornton, is among the nine Black-owned businesses that will be showcased at Meta’s (Facebook) storefront holiday window pop-up in Los Angeles starting Friday.
Meta’s retail promotion is located at 420 N. Fairfax Avenue in the Fairfax District and is part of its #BuyBlack campaign.
Launched in 2014, Klur boasts of offering clean, ethical and inclusive beauty products which use plant-based ingredients.
Speaking to Pasadena Now, Thornton said she launched the brand after she realized that there were not many Black-owned brands in the luxury beauty space.
“Using botanically plant-based ingredients and products along with taking care of ourselves, whether it be our sleep or our daily diets or how we live our life, all have an impact on our skin.”
“And I wanted to build a brand that would inspire people to just live better,” Thornton said.
Thornton said that she also uses ingredients from locally-grown plants including the Poppy, state flower of California, for her products.
Thornton’s resumé includes 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, but her entrepreneurial drive started when she was young.
Born and raised in Compton, Thornton became familiar with the lives of those in one of the country’s most affluent neighborhoods as she and her mother would commute to Beverly Hills each morning, where her mother was a school nurse for the local school district and where Thornton attended school.
“Returning to Compton each day after school during the LA Riots, Lesley saw how life was so different for her 90210 classmates, and realized there was more to life that she wanted to grab for herself,” according to a company representative’s statement.
She started her career as a makeup artist in department stores and eventually, she worked for magazines. In 2010, she became a licensed esthetician and skincare therapist and opened her own facial studio.
Currently, Klur’s products are being sold online. Despite being present only in the digital space, Thorton noted the growing support for the brand from the local community.
“Living here in Pasadena, the community has been really receptive,” Thorton said. “It’s been a wonderful experience, especially in the last couple years.”
She said people are now recognizing the importance of Black brands and what a triumph it is for Black-owned brands to make it past the first five years.
“It’s been a difficult experience in some ways, for sure, but I do think that I have a lot of support from my community,” she added.
For more about Klur, visit https://klur.co/
