MAKE: Charitable Cosmetics

Make items from Mana Products.

Photo By Kyle Ericksen

Nikos Mouyiaris, the founder and owner of beauty supplier and contract manufacturer Mana Products, has come up with a new twist on charitable giving — provide hard-pressed families with the means to help themselves.

Mouyiaris believes the way to reduce income inequality is by providing employment to neighborhood people through the establishment of local cooperative businesses. MAKE is a 220-stockkeeping-unit color cosmetics brand, that will be sold on the internet, beginning Oct. 15.


The Make collection ranges from eye shadows, lipsticks, mascara and foundation to primers, moisturizers and makeup removers, along with brushes and tools. Prices range from $5 to $42, including a $15 lipstick.

Nikos Mouyiaris

Photo By Daemian Smith

The collection will be sold on WeSeeBeauty.com, the website which was created specifically for the sales and marketing of the brand. One third of the sales dollars will go directly to the non-profit, We See Beauty, to create the neighborhood businesses.

Mouyiaris said the first venture has been targeted: a cleaning service co-op based in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn. He envisions the pilot co-op not only performing cleaning services, but manufacturing and marketing natural household products that will be retailed through a store located in another Brooklyn neighborhood. The co-op and the store will be named Do Good/Be Beautiful. He estimates that the co-op will initially employe 15 to 20 people and be operational by January.

“You empower the family; you empower the community and eventually you make the country better.” ~ Nikos Mouyiaris