In the beauty industry, if you want to spark change, sometimes you have to be a risk-taker, tread paths not yet traveled, and make bold, targeted decisions that put what you stand for in the spotlight. This is Swedish-born, model-turned-entrepreneur Roger Dupé’s current mission. Dupé is the founder of Stockholm-based Melyon, a global luxury skincare brand that launched in October 2020. His current vision entails carving out a place for his Black-owned beauty brand to thrive in an industry that has long excluded the specific skincare needs of people of color.
He explains, “After everything I saw in the fashion industry, I wanted to create something beautiful that lifts up the minority that are actually the majority in the world. Diversity and inclusion starts from within the company vision…not just from the marketing.” Melyon embodies Dupé’s thoughts as a Black beauty founder that, “We need to create for our people but not exclude. It’s not we against them. It’s more about, ‘I was thinking about you and my people.’”
What makes this beauty story so interesting is Dupé’s story itself. How did a Black male model living in a predominantly White country take his knowledge of the elusive fashion and beauty industry to create a brand that attempts to bridge the gap between the worlds of luxury, high quality, and the everyday beauty consumer?
Born and raised in the suburbs of Sweden to immigrant parents of Ghanaian and Togolese heritage, Dupé’s original desire was to be a professional soccer player. However, an injury halted that dream and took him down what he calls the “wrong path.” A chance meeting in a clothing store led to him getting scouted, ultimately changing his life trajectory, making him one of Sweden’s first Black models. He would go on to work for major brands such as Vogue, GQ, Ralph Lauren, Rolls-Royce, H&M, Kenzo and more across the Milan, Paris, and New York fashion markets.
Working in an industry that is known for its lack of diversity, Dupé knew there was a need left unfulfilled. Throughout his career, Dupé was used to being one of only a few Black models—sometimes being the only model of color in castings and campaigns. While needed for “representation,” he questioned whether fashion brands were truly committed to being diverse or simply following diversity “trends.” Dupé acknowledges seeing how other models of color like himself were treated and were always left to bring or use their own beauty products as beauty professionals on set often had no idea how to cater to their skin type. He notes, “I remember how it was to take a product into [a room] and every White person is asking, ‘Why are you using that?’ I’d respond by saying I’m dry. I need to have a certain product that works for me.” A conversation with his mother about her inability to find products in Sweden for her hair helped spark Dupé to create a beauty line that caters to the needs of the marginalized consumer. “I had the idea to create something that was for us, by us—that many people can relate to.” However, Dupé also wanted to take brand aesthetics to another level. He adds, “When we talk about products that are made for us, they aren’t always made of the same standard. There may be amazing ingredients, but no luxury design. I wanted to create something that was meaningful, feels luxurious and something that you can feel proud of.”
Dupé worked for almost two years to launch Melyon, using his professional contacts and experience to navigate the hurdles of first-time entrepreneurship such as product development, manufacturing, and financing. His unique position as a Black Swedish model with African roots, immersed in the European high-luxury sector, served as grounding points for the brand’s core values. Dupé’s Swedish heritage was the inspiration for design, packaging, brand identity, and sustainability, while his West African heritage served as the starting point for sourcing the best ingredients. The name Melyon is a play on the words “melanin” and “enyonam,” which means “It is good for me” in the Ghanian language Ewe. While Melyon products focus on conditions such as hyperpigmentation, ingrown hairs, dark spots, and dry skin commonly found among darker skin tones, Dupé markets the products as being “suitable for all.” The four products in the initial Melyon launch—a cleanser, day cream, detox serum, and night cream—feature vitamin C–rich, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory baobab oil as a base ingredient, and are all vegan and cruelty/paraben free.
Dupé hopes that Melyon can help change the standard ideals of beauty by also showing that skincare doesn’t have to be only for one race, gender, or lifestyle. One look at Melyon’s beautifully executed Faces of Melyon brand campaign shows Dupé’s commitment. He and his team brought together “inspiring people, beautiful with their natural flaws and features” to share their thoughts on the topic of beauty. On this, Dupé says, “When you look at advertising and campaigns, [beauty] should be a translation of the society we live in and include all types of people.” With this launch campaign, Dupé created a unique space to discuss societal issues through the lens of inclusive beauty and show the world the wide gamut of how it can be defined.
In a beauty world that can be oversaturated where consumers get confused about the best products to use, another part of Dupé’s inclusive mission is making products “that don’t make it complicated to take care of yourself.” Launching with four SKUs was intentional and part of Dupé’s “less is more” approach. He states, “A lot of brands are [genderized] but formulations are the same. I don’t want to be the founder that tells everyone that my products are for him or her. Let people choose. No matter who buys my product—it’s for everyone. I want to hit every person. That’s my goal.”
Melyon is showing the beauty world that Black founders can make beautiful, high-end, sustainable, responsible products and not be pigeon-holed into marketing to one consumer segment. “I want to be a well-known global brand that inspires change in the industry,” says Dupé on the future of the brand. “It’s important to stand for something. We need to get the story out there that beauty doesn’t have to look so White like how they are marketing it in Europe. They love our culture and history but we don’t get the credit. It’s embarrassing for me. I want to share my story and support other Black founders and those doing great things for our community.”’
Next on the horizon for Melyon is ultra-luxe and moisturizing, French-made bar soaps, which Dupé hopes to launch later this year.
