Meet Amber Makupson
Advancing safer beauty through science, policy reform, and responsible industry leadership.
Amber Makupson is a beauty and wellness founder, policy advocate, and institutional builder working at the intersection of culture, public health, and clean beauty.
She is the Founder of Meraki Hair Wellness, an award-winning non-toxic hair wellness brand rooted in ritual, ingredient integrity, and holistic scalp health, and the Executive Director of the Clean Beauty Coalition, a national advocacy nonprofit advancing safer cosmetic standards through education, policy reform, and environmental justice.
Amber’s work is guided by a singular principle:
beauty should never come at the cost of health.
The Work Behind the Mission
Amber’s advocacy began after she suffered second-degree chemical burns from a widely available beauty product—an experience that exposed the regulatory gaps and ingredient risks embedded in the beauty industry.
As she researched cosmetic safety, she discovered a troubling pattern: products marketed to Black women were often more likely to contain hazardous, and sometimes undisclosed, chemicals due to outdated regulatory oversight.
What began as personal inquiry became institutional action.
Amber founded Meraki Hair Wellness to demonstrate that high-performance beauty could exist without toxic tradeoffs. Through non-toxic formulations and ingredient transparency, the brand reflects her commitment to both wellness and accountability within the beauty industry.
As her work evolved, she expanded beyond brand-building to address the broader systems governing cosmetic safety.
This led to the founding of the Clean Beauty Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing ingredient transparency, strengthening consumer protections, and advocating for safer beauty standards at scale.
Advocacy and Policy Work
Through the Clean Beauty Coalition, Amber collaborates with scientists, toxicologists, policymakers, and community leaders to advance modern cosmetic safety standards and strengthen public health protections.
Her work focuses on ingredient transparency, regulatory reform, and environmental justice within the beauty and personal care industry.
Amber is currently leading advocacy efforts around the Safer Beauty for Georgians Act, a legislative initiative aimed at eliminating toxic chemicals from beauty and personal care products while strengthening consumer protections.
Her work bridges industry expertise with public health advocacy, positioning beauty not simply as commerce, but as an issue of safety, accountability, and public responsibility.
Safer Beauty for Black Women
Amber also leads the Safer Beauty for Black Women campaign, an initiative addressing the disproportionate exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals in beauty and personal care products marketed to Black women.
The campaign raises awareness about endocrine-disrupting chemicals, targeted product marketing, and gaps in cosmetic safety regulation. Through public education, research, and policy engagement, the initiative seeks to advance stronger consumer protections and safer beauty standards.
A New Standard
Amber’s leadership is grounded in long-term vision, scientific integrity, and a commitment to systemic change.
Her work centers the belief that luxury can be ethical, wellness can be evidence-based, and beauty can be a force for public health protection and cultural responsibility.
Amber Makupson
At the Intersection of Beauty and Public Health
After experiencing firsthand the consequences of inadequate cosmetic oversight, Amber began asking deeper questions about safety, transparency, and accountability in the beauty industry. What started as personal inquiry evolved into institutional action.
Today, she is the Founder of Meraki Hair Wellness, a non-toxic hair wellness brand rooted in ingredient integrity and holistic scalp health, and the Executive Director of the Clean Beauty Coalition, a national advocacy organization advancing modern cosmetic safety standards through science, policy reform, and systems accountability.
Across both platforms, her work is guided by a singular principle: beauty should never come at the cost of health, safety, or dignity.
Her work now bridges industry leadership and public health advocacy, helping shape the future of safer beauty standards.
“Black women experience disproportionately higher exposure to certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to personal care products.”
- Amber Makupson
Business as a Public Commitment
Meraki Hair Wellness was founded with the belief that beauty should never come at the cost of health, safety, or environmental responsibility.
The company operates as a Public Benefit Corporation and is currently pursuing B Corp Certification, a global standard recognizing businesses that meet rigorous benchmarks for social and environmental impact.
For Amber, this commitment reflects a broader philosophy: businesses should not only generate value—they should also protect people, communities, and the planet.
Why This Matters?
When I founded Meraki Hair Wellness, I wanted to prove that high-performance beauty could exist without compromising health or integrity. Operating as a Public Benefit Corporation and pursuing B Corp Certification reflects that commitment—building a company that values transparency, accountability, and long-term impact.
Advancing Safer
Beauty Standards
Beauty and personal care products are part of everyday life, yet many of the safety standards governing these products have not kept pace with modern science.
My work focuses on advancing safer beauty through three interconnected priorities: protecting public health, modernizing cosmetic regulation, and ensuring that environmental responsibility is part of the future of the beauty industry. protecting public health is the foundation of my work.
Through the Clean Beauty Coalition, we advocate for safer beauty standards by reducing toxic chemical exposure in personal care products and advancing ingredient transparency.
Our mission is simple: no one should have to choose between self-care and safety.
