Sabrina Elba Is Building Beauty With Us In Mind

From the very beginning, Sabrina Elba has been clear about who she is creating for. In this episode of Go Off, Sis sponsored by Target and its Black History Month collection, which spotlights Black founders building with community in mind, the S’ABLE Labs co-founder breaks down what it means to build beauty intentionally, ethically, and with communities of color at the center rather than the margins.

At the heart of Elba’s approach is what she calls “A beauty,” a term rooted in African beauty knowledge passed down across generations. “It’s the passing down of knowledge, traditions, ingredients, customs, throughout the whole continent of Africa,” she explains. That history is not just inspiration. It is a framework for how she builds. African botanicals like shea, Black soap, and rooibos come from some of the world’s harshest climates, which Elba says makes them especially powerful for skincare. For Elba, purpose lives in how those ingredients are used, not just where they come from.

Purpose also shows up in how those ingredients are formulated. Elba is intentional about pairing traditional African botanicals with modern skincare science, creating products designed to support melanin-rich skin without irritation. “Everything is fragrance free,” she says. “I don’t want to irritate skin that has gone through it.” Her philosophy reflects a belief that starting with more sensitive, inflammation-prone skin leads to better products overall.

That mindset was shaped by personal experience. As a teenager, Elba struggled with products that damaged her skin barrier and failed to meet her needs. “It’s part of the reason I’m so frustrated with the beauty industry, frustrated enough to start a brand,” she says. Rather than adapting to what existed, she chose to build something new with intention.

Elba’s purpose extends beyond formulation into how her brand operates. As a UN Goodwill Ambassador, she brings the same care to sourcing, working directly with farming communities across Africa and prioritizing transparency, fair wages, and safe working conditions. “If a product doesn’t tell you where those ingredients are coming from, we need to question that,” she says. It is an approach that aligns closely with Target’s Made With Purpose initiative, where ethical practices are treated as essential, not optional.

The beauty founder also pushes back on the narrow way Black-founded brands are often framed. “You haven’t created a Black product,” she says. “You’ve created a better product period.” Starting with communities of color, she argues, raises the bar for the entire industry.

Listen to the full Go Off, Sis episode to hear Elba chat with Senior Content Director of Entertainment at Refinery29/Unbothered, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Brand Partnerships Lead at Unbothered, Sandy Pierre, and Social Strategist at Unbothered, Jessika Hardy, about African beauty knowledge, clean formulation, and why the industry still has catching up to do.