How the Maesa Magic Incubator Transforms Emerging Beauty Brands

From left: Jadis Montijo, Motivo Scar Care; Marsha McBain, Berri-Clear Skincare; and Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio.

💡Discover how to stay ahead in the ever-evolving beauty industry at Beauty Accelerate 2025! Join Nadia Khan of Maesa, for The Future of Beauty Innovation, where they’ll share insider tips on building strong consumer connections, adapting to 2025 trends, and crafting winning retail and marketing strategies.👉🏽Don’t miss this interactive session—register now to secure your spot! 

Maesa has successfully completed the second cohort of its #MaesaMagicIncubator program. Launched in 2023, the incubator supports emerging beauty and wellness entrepreneurs from underserved communities, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, differently abled individuals, low-income groups and seniors over 65. This year’s participants were:

Jadis Montijo, Motivo Scar Care

• Focuses on premium scar care products to improve the appearance of scars and redefine healing standards.
• Built from patient experiences and doctor expertise.
• Gained tools and insights from Maesa to successfully enter and grow in the beauty industry.

Marsha McBain, Berri-Clear Skincare

• Creates the world’s first dark spot superfruit skin care line, using fruits and vegetables from Trinidad and Tobago.
• Targets hyperpigmentation with effective, natural ingredients.
• Benefited from transformative mentorship, networking, and business opportunities through Maesa.

Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio

• A luxury haircare brand for textured hair, emphasizing nature and quality ingredients.
• Simplifies hair care routines with intentional, high-quality products.
• Received mentorship and strategic guidance from Maesa, refining brand positioning and preparing for Sephora Accelerate.

Empowering Emerging Beauty Founders Through Funding, Mentorship, and Industry Connections

Over 12 weeks, three winners received personalized mentorship, business training, and $35,000 each in funding. They participated in tracks covering key areas like Finance and Marketing, gaining practical skills and strategies to scale their businesses. Participants also enjoyed unique opportunities, such as attending Harvard’s Future of Commerce and Work program and a fully funded trip to Cosmoprof North America Miami for industry exposure and networking.

The program concluded with a pitch deck presentation to an advisory board of industry leaders, including Maesa executives and notable investors. This milestone showcased the participants’ growth and readiness to make a significant impact in the beauty and wellness space.

“The Maesa Magic Incubator is more than just a program–it’s a movement,” says Piyush Jain, CEO of Maesa. “In just two years, we’ve witnessed firsthand how access to funding, mentorship, and industry connections can fast-track the success of emerging beauty founders. This program isn’t just about providing funding to brands, it’s about equipping entrepreneurs from under-represented communities with resources and expertise to build scalable, lasting businesses. With each graduating class, we’re not only championing innovation but also shaping a more inclusive and dynamic future for beauty and wellness. We couldn’t be prouder of this year’s cohort and look forward to seeing their continued success.”

How the Maesa Magic Incubator Transforms Emerging Beauty Brands

In an exclusive Q&A, the participating brand leaders discussed the Maesa program and the incubator model in general.

What can an incubator setting do for a brand that perhaps other industry platforms cannot?

Marsha McBain, Berri-Clear Skin: As a recipient of the Maesa Magic Incubator award, an incubator setting offers unique advantages that other industry platforms may not provide. Unlike traditional accelerators or funding opportunities, an incubator is deeply invested in a brand’s long-term success by providing tailored mentorship, operational infrastructure, and hands-on brand-building expertise. Here’s what set Maesa Magic Incubator apart from other programs, accelerators, pitch competitions and grants:

• Access to Industry Experts & Mentorship – Unlike other platforms that may offer general guidance or networking opportunities, the MMI program connected us directly with seasoned beauty industry leaders who provide personalized, strategic advice on product development, branding, retail expansion and more.
• Hands-on Product Development & Innovation Support – Many funding or accelerator programs provide capital, but Maesa offers in-house formulation expertise, packaging innovation, and supply chain solutions, ensuring that products are both high-quality, scalable and retail ready.
• Brand Storytelling & Marketing Expertise – Many industry platforms provide visibility, but Maesa helped shape my brand’s narrative, ensuring my vision is translated into compelling marketing and digital strategies that resonate with consumers.
• A Built-In Community of Like-Minded Founders – Unlike grants or investment deals, MMI fosters collaboration amongst the founders in my cohort, creating opportunities for partnerships, resources, and peer learning in ways that industry networking events can’t replicate. Jadis, Aziza and I have grown so close.

The Maesa Magic Incubator is more than just financial support—it’s a strategic program that provides the tools, expertise, and industry connections to turn a niche skin care brand into a household name!”

Jadis Montijo, Motivo Scar Care: An incubator program takes a deep dive into your business with full transparency, where you are now and how to get you to the next level. Unlike broader industry platforms, an incubator offers tailored, hands-on guidance that’s specific to your brand’s challenges and opportunities. I’ve been through several programs, but the Maesa Magic Incubator felt like it was built for my business. Getting validation from experts about the whitespace in the market and how my Motivo Scar Care fits into it was game changing.

Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio: An incubator setting like the Maesa Magic Incubator offers a level of hands-on support, mentorship, and industry access that other platforms often can’t provide. Unlike accelerators or traditional funding opportunities, an incubator provides tailored guidance from experts who understand the nuances of launching and scaling a beauty brand. For me, being part of the Maesa Magic Incubator has given The Potion Studio access to industry leaders, insider knowledge on go-to-market strategies, and real-world brand-building support that would be difficult to access otherwise. The incubator environment fosters collaboration, allowing emerging founders to refine their vision while receiving constructive feedback on everything from product development to retail expansion. It’s not just about funding—it’s about learning the playbook for long-term success and building key relationships that can open doors in ways a typical business course or network might not.

What was the top insight about your brand or strategy that you took away from the program?

Marsha McBain, Berri-Clear Skin: As a winner of the Maesa Magic Incubator, the top insight I gained about my brand and strategy was the importance of rebranding Berri-Clear Skincare to align with its next stage of growth. The program provided invaluable guidance on how refining our brand identity could enhance our positioning, resonate more deeply with our audience, and increase retail readiness. Through hands-on mentorship and strategic feedback, I learned that rebranding isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about clarifying our brand story, strengthening our market differentiation, and optimizing our packaging and messaging to better connect with consumers. Maesa’s expertise in product development, marketing, and retail strategy highlighted how a refreshed brand identity could unlock new opportunities, from attracting larger retail partners to expanding our customer base. The incubator setting uniquely offered tailored insights, deep industry knowledge, and direct access to experts who helped refine Berri-Clear’s evolution into a more compelling and scalable beauty brand. This experience has been transformative in shaping our next chapter!

Jadis Montijo, Motivo Scar Care: As an early-stage founder, it’s natural to want to reach as many customers as possible, especially with products like mine that address different types of scars across a broad demographic. But one of the biggest lessons I took from the Maesa Magic Incubator was the power of niching down early. I initially struggled with narrowing my focus, but through the program, I gained a much clearer understanding of my core audience and how to speak directly to them without making others feel excluded. That strategic clarity has been invaluable.

Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio: One of the biggest insights I took away from the Maesa Magic Incubator was the importance of clear market positioning and refining our go-to-market strategy. Before joining the program, I was torn between whether The Potion Studio should lean more into the prestige beauty space or scale in a way that makes clean, high-performance haircare more accessible to a broader audience. Through the incubator, I gained a sharper understanding of where we fit in the market and how to communicate our value proposition more effectively. I also learned how crucial it is to align brand storytelling, pricing, and distribution strategy to create a strong, cohesive presence that resonates with both retailers and customers. Additionally, the program reinforced that our multifunctional, climate-adaptive approach to haircare isn’t just a niche—it’s a competitive advantage. It validated that customers are looking for innovative, simplified routines without compromising on quality, which has helped shape our next steps for growth.