WITH an aim to take advantage of the evolving Caribbean beauty, cosmetic and personal care industry and celebrate skin tone diversity, ‘Tonal Cosmetics’ is currently working on expanding its brand in Guyana. This will shape opportunities to explore different cosmetic preferences and meet growing customer demands in unique, creative and affordable ways.

“I felt there was something missing in the marketplace that should really represent us as Caribbean people,” said Christal Alert, a 27-year-old cosmetic scientist and owner of ‘Tonal Cosmetics’.
Alert, who currently resides in Barbados after she left Guyana at five years old with her family, shared that she was motivated to become a woman in business due to the glaring gap in manufactured cosmetic products sold in the local and regional markets, as well as the lack of inclusive skin tone cosmetics.

“When I looked at the shelves, it was always imported products and brands from the US, and Europe and I wanted to change that,” she said.
Tonal Cosmetics offers a range of skin-perfecting foundations in 10 different shades and allows anyone to make a variety of fun and essential selections of the right foundation shade that matches one’s skin tone and complements one’s skin type.

“We are a brand that celebrates beauty for a living. There is power in beauty and we want to let people have that confidence. We want to empower people,” said Alert.

Tonal Cosmetics was officially launched in Barbados in November 2020 and in Trinidad at the beginning of 2022. It was first made available in Guyana in March 2021 at the Lingerie Shop on Regent Street, and in the Amazonia Mall. In April 2022, the brand graced a shelf in the collaborative retail space, Collage, on Sheriff Street.

“We’re really hoping to expand across the country, region, and then move into the US and Canada hopefully very soon,” she added.

As a cosmetic scientist, Alert has extensive experience and expertise in cosmetic production and distribution and she is a part of the Tonal Cosmetics team that source raw materials, develop and test cosmetic formulas, package the brand’s products and ensure adherence to industry regulations.

Throughout the years, she has always held an immense passion for the field of cosmetic science, which is an area of study on the chemical formulation, development and use of cosmetic products. After graduating in 2011 from Harrison College in Barbados, Alert went on to boarding school in Canada, and then to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience, Biology and Physiology at the University of Toronto.

Driven by her passion and academic zeal to boost the cosmetic industry, Alert later pursued a dual Master’s in Europe. She spent one year in France at ISIPCA, a post-graduate institution specialising in cosmetics, perfume and flavouring studies, and at the Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines before attaining a Master’s in Cosmetic Science and Perfumery. Alert then spent a year in Italy at the Università degli Studi di Padova where she obtained a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on the cosmetic industry.

Currently, Alert is using her broad cosmetic science skillset, rich cultural background and entrepreneurial vigour to transform ‘Tonal Cosmetics’ into a household brand and build a community of confident and empowered customers in Guyana, the Caribbean and international market. “We are all about celebrating you!” she remarked.

Tonal Cosmetics can be found on Instagram @tonalcosmetics, YouTube at @TonalCosmetics and the brand will be launching its website www.tonalcosmetics.com very soon.