Why Black Internet is Not Feeling Ami Colé’s Boss Joining Forces With Kim Kardashian

Diarrha N’Diyae stunned the beauty world this summer by announcing the closure of her beloved Ami Colé cosmetics brand. Now, just months later, N’Diyae returns to the industry in a big way as EVP for beauty and fragrance at Kim Kardashian’s upcoming Skims Beauty brand – and people are talking about it.

For Kardashian, adding someone like N’Diyae, whose impressive resume includes work at major beauty brands like L’Oreal and Glossier, to her Skims team was a no-brainer. N’Diyae launched her beauty brand, Ami Colé, in May 2021 with shades and ingredients that were flattering to women of color and a bestselling lip oil that fans couldn’t live without. She used social media masterfully to learn what makeup products resonated with women of color and what products they believed were missing from the market.

So, many women of color were heartbroken when she announced in a July 2025 essay for The Cut, that she made the difficult decision to shut down her brand after struggling to scale her business in a competitive market.

“This decision was so hard for me — the business bears my mother’s name and, as I built it, my daughter’s name, too. But after looking at every option, it became clear that continuing in this current market wasn’t sustainable,” she wrote.

Celebrating Success

Lots of people online are celebrating the news of N’Diyae’s new position. TikToker @plaintej is happy that the beauty boss is going to get her coins at Skims and thinks adding her to the team was a good strategic move for a brand that has had a rocky relationship with some Black women.

“First things first, I am so happy for her. Second, choosing to align herself with one of the most controversial brands in the Black beauty space is very interesting. The girls have big, big, big problems with Skims. I’m very curious about how this is going to play out in terms of like public perception. ” she said in a post.

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Others added that we should be happy that a Black woman is taking a seat at the table of an established brand.

“To see Black women have access to so much power in the beauty industry is very rare, and I do think that this is something that’s commendable on Skims’ part,” said @nanispicks on TikTok. “They chose someone who had a story and someone who had a journey. It’s not just about business and profit and a proven track record for them.

@nanispicks

My hot take: Why Diarrha N’Diaye joining Skims Beauty is actually a power move. Let’s rewrite the narrative and celebrate this as a win for black women in beauty 🤍 #skims #beautynews #myhottake

♬ original sound – N A N I

Proceed With Caution

But others are expressing concern that N’Diyae is bringing her talent to a brand they believe exploits Black culture.

“Two things can be true at once. Am I happy and proud that a Black woman is getting her check and thriving? Yes. And am I also slightly disappointed in her joining an organization and a brand that has profited and exploited Black culture? Yes,” said @heyitsmariya on TikTok.

@heyitsmariya

Supporting BW forever of course, but it’s ok to have mixed feelings on this. #amicole #beauty #relatable #blackwomen

♬ original sound – Mariya

As for Kardashian, she is excited about N’Diyae’s ability to help her grow Skims Beauty into a brand for everyone.

“I want Skims Beauty to be a place where everyone feels represented, and there was no better person to help us do that than Diarrha,” Kardashian said in a statement. “She has an incomparable talent at marrying the emotional and tactical sides of beauty, and her instincts and experience for innovation and authenticity will power our brand.”