Rema has joined skincare brand Topicals as an investor, alongside WNBA star Angel Reese, as the company announces a new funding round backed by figures from entertainment and sports.
The investment was first reported by Business of Fashion, with the brand confirming on Wednesday that both Rema and Reese are part of a wider group of cultural figures backing the business, rather than traditional institutional investors. According to the report, the move reflects Topicals’ decision to work with people who already engage with the brand and its products.
Founded in 2020 by Olamide Olowe, Topicals has raised more than $22.6 million to date and has become widely known for products like its $22 under-eye masks and the $38 Faded Serum, which focuses on dark spots and hyperpigmentation. The brand has also built a strong following through marketing and storytelling rooted in culture.
Speaking on the decision to bring in investors from entertainment and sport, Olowe said: “When you think of [Topicals], you think of our marketing, storytelling and products, and you think a lot about culture. These are people who control culture.”
She also addressed the wider investment climate facing Black-owned brands: “Investors are pulling back their belief in Black-owned … businesses. We are really proud that other people who have capital in the culture want [our kind of business] to grow.”
Topicals’ approach comes at a time when access to funding has become more limited for early-stage beauty brands. Despite ending 2024 as “one of Sephora’s fastest-growing skincare brands,” Olowe says strong performance alone is no longer enough.
In an open letter, she wrote, “The operating environment for beauty has grown more challenging for early-stage and culture-led brands… The system is rewarding scale over originality, infrastructure over insight, and capital density over cultural resonance.”
As part of the new initiative, Rema will also work with the brand as a creative partner, advising on ways to connect with younger consumers, particularly men, as Topicals looks to expand its audience in 2026.
