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About
Diamond Beauty Academy (DBA) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that empowers youth through beauty, cosmetic chemistry, and entrepreneurship. DBA blends hands-on STEM-to-beauty labs with workforce readiness, financial literacy, mentorship, and mental wellness support, building confidence and economic opportunity for young people from all backgrounds. Diamond Beauty Academy was founded on the belief that every young person regardless of zip code, deserves access to real skills, real mentors, and real opportunities. Diamond Beauty Academy meets youth where they are: through beauty. Then it takes them somewhere transformative. What began as a community-based program has evolved into a structured academy-level pathway blending cosmetic chemistry, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and mental wellness.
The goal of the programs the Academy offers is to provide a holistic education to prepare students for careers in the beauty industry, while also focusing on personal growth, self-confidence, and trauma-informed care.💎
Build with excellence
What We Do
At Diamond Beauty Academy, we equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to build careers and businesses in beauty, cosmetic chemistry, haircare, skincare, fashion, and entrepreneurship.
Through hands-on labs, creative studios, and real-world industry exposure, our students learn how to formulate products, construct garments, develop brands, understand compliance, price strategically, and pitch their ideas with confidence. We merge beauty with STEM, artistry with business, and creativity with discipline.
01
Technical training in cosmetic chemistry and product formulation
02
Practical experience in makeup, skincare, haircare, and fashion creation
03
Financial literacy and entrepreneurship education
04
Workforce development and professional skill building
A Glimpse into Our Growth
What began as a passion project has evolved into something more. We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead. What sets us apart isn’t just our process it’s the intention behind it. We take time to understand, explore, and create with purpose at every turn.
95%
COMPLETION/GRADUATON RATE
60+
UNDERSERVED YOUTH REACHED
95%
INTERSHIPS + INDUSTRY PLACEMENT
45+
INDUSTRY EXPERTS + FACILITATORS
Diverse Beauty Education Designed for Every Dream
This course introduces students to the chemistry behind the products we use every single day from lip gloss and lotion to shampoo, foundation, and fragrance. At Diamond Beauty Academy, we don’t just talk about what products do. We break down how they work, why they work, and how to create them with intention.
This course takes students beyond brushes and palettes and into the real science and strategy behind creating high-performing makeup products. We explore how color is created, how texture is engineered, and how performance is tested because great makeup isn’t accidental. It’s designed.
This course takes students beyond simply understanding skincare ingredients. Here, they become product developers. They learn how to take an idea “a cleanser for acne-prone skin” or “a moisturizer for dry, sensitive skin” and turn it into a structured, tested, and intentional formulation.
Haircare Product Development is where students learn to engineer performance, honor texture, and create products that truly serve diverse hair needs.
This course teaches students how to take an idea from sketch to structure from concept to completed garment. We explore how clothing is engineered, how fabric behaves, and how design choices communicate identity, culture, and confidence.
What people are saying about Diamond Beauty Academy
Testimony 1
"Diamond Beauty Academy is an introduction into a career space that helps young women of color see the beauty in themselves, both internally and externally."
Testimony 2
"Diamond Beauty Academy fills a gap by providing readiness, business foundations, and a sense of community that would otherwise be missing."
Testimony 3
This program is helping people find their passion. It’s helping young people see things differently. They get into an industry and see it from the bottom up, they see where they can place themselves: a CEO, a chemist, a marketer. There's so many avenues in this industry."
community spotlight
Community Spotlight is a powerful video series highlighting the voices, stories, and brilliance within Diamond Beauty Academy. Each feature captures students, mentors, and industry leaders sharing how the Academy is shaping their confidence, creativity, and future in beauty. It’s a celebration of growth, purpose, and the transformative power of learning, creating, and shining together. ✨
