Musician Marlee Mitton was sure that Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty was the only company that caters to a wide variety of skin tones. But after browsing through the makeup selection at a new beauty store in Dupont Circle, she discovered that there are so many other options out there: Hue Noir, Danessa Myricks, AJ Crimson, and Maréna Beauté among them.

Besides lipsticks and liquid foundations that flatter darker skin tones, Mitton also checked out blushes, oils, and scrubs.

“Just to see that you don’t have to be Rihanna or be on TV to create that, it’s amazing and I’m just happy to be knowledgeable,” says Mitton, who also professionally goes by “The Mixtress.”

And that’s the one of the main goals of Brown Beauty Co-Op.

Amaya Smith and Kimberly Smith were tired of feeling like an afterthought when they shopped for makeup or hair and skin products.

For years, the entrepreneurs either couldn’t find them at all, or they were relegated to a special section. The pair (who aren’t related) felt like the staff at chain beauty stores frequently ignored them and their needs.

So the best friends formed the Brown Beauty Co-Op in Dupont Circle, a new brick-and-mortar beauty store and incubator focused on serving all women of color. For the duo, that means bringing in products that cater to an entire range of darker skin tones.

“This is for women of color,” Kimberly Smith says. “Women of color for me is not just black women. So it’s Latina women, it’s Asian women, Indian women, women who, you know, I call it ‘melanated’ skin, women who have melanin. It’s a space for us.”

After just seven months of planning, the 1,090 square-foot storefront opens to the public on December 8 (following a soft launch on Thursday).

“With this experience that we’re trying to create, we feel that when people come here, they feel at home and comfortable, know that the products are for them, know that the advice they are getting is not about the sale, but it’s about actual products that will work for you,” Kimberly Smith says.

Kimberly Smith, 38, owns Marjani Beauty, a beauty and cosmetics site focusing on all women of color with products from around the world. Meanwhile, Amaya Smith, 39, is founder and chief executive officer of the Product Junkie, a startup that helps women score products for their natural hair.

In joining forces to fill the void, the shop is tapping into a lucrative market. Black consumers alone spend more than $1 billion each year in beauty products.

With its chandeliers, bright lights, clean lines, and white shelves and tables, it invokes comparisons to upscale beauty shops Sephora and Bluemercury. While Brown Beauty offers a luxe feel, the products from both established and small brands are relatively affordable. Customers won’t find anything over $59.

There are two other elements to Brown Beauty’s business model: hosting events and serving as an incubator.

The Smiths plan to host events that empower women of color, including hair and makeup demos and pop-ups in the salon space, where they’ll house a visiting hairstylist every so often. They are starting with an official grand opening on Saturday.

Meanwhile, an incubator arm, slated to launch in 2019, will focus on mentoring owners of independent brands who need a place to sell their products.

One of the businesses in talks for incubation is LIPP Beauty, a company helmed by makeup artist Aleah Dorsey. She makes lipsticks from scratch at her Southeast D.C. home and wants in on the shop because it amplifies women of color.

“As women, we have men who are trying to hold us down, you know competition among other women, but there is none of that here,” Dorsey says. “You don’t feel that vibe and that’s really impressive, so I’m super excited.”

A welcoming space with couches and other seating invites people to hang out and chat. Positive vibes abound, with affirmations like “Melanin Magic” and “You are Beautiful” adorning pillows and candles.

“I’m trying to think of how many spaces I go into that I feel like are luxurious beauty spaces for us and not for people who don’t look like us,” Amaya Smith says. “And so we were intentional about wanting this to be a real space that felt luxurious, that felt high end as well, like you were coming in for an experience that you could enjoy yourself.”

At the shop’s soft opening, influencers and industry professionals hugged each other, chatting away while they sipped rosé, snapped selfies and sampled the products.

Ashley Ebanks, an esthetician and bartender, was feeling the vibrant energy enough to make one of Brown Beauty Co-Op’s first sales, buying a hydrating spray to soothe her dry skin.

“It’s cute, beautiful and I’m going to be here, I’m going to be shopping here — I live here already,” Ebanks says.

The Brown Beauty Co-Op is located at 1365 Connecticut Avenue NW. A grand opening event will take place on December 8, from 1-6 p.m. The store is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.