Sarah Spencer Washington - Beauty and Body Pioneers
Beauty and Body Pioneers
Sarah Spencer Washington
When people think of early beauty moguls who revolutionized “black beauty”, names like Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone rightfully come to mind. By the time Sarah Spencer Washington entered the scene in 1913, these two giants had already laid down powerful foundations in the hair care and beauty world.
Yet, what makes Sarah’s story remarkable is that she not only built a business during the same era as these titans, she created a beauty empire that stood out, thrived, and endured, particularly by emphasizing skincare and cosmetics alongside hair care.
This post explores how Sarah carved her unique path in a landscape already occupied by two of the most successful Black
businesswomen in history, and why her focus on skincare made her a true beauty pioneer.
Early Life and Education: Roots of a Visionary
Born in 1889 in Beckley, North Carolina, Sarah Spencer Washington grew up in a post-slavery America still grappling
with racism and inequality. The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, she pursued education with determination,
graduating from Atlantic City public schools and Atlantic City Business College, equipping herself with the skills that
would one day fuel her entrepreneurial journey.
A Competitive Beauty Landscape
By the time Sarah began experimenting with cosmetics and hair products in the 1910s, both Madam C.J. Walker and
Annie Turnbo Malone were already a household names in Black communities. Walker’s products were famed for their
hair-growing formulas, while Malone’s Poro brand had created an entire beauty system with schools and franchises across
the country.
Sarah entered a market that was not empty but was still very much lacking. And yet, this is where Sarah's genius shows;
instead of simply imitating, she innovated.
In 1913, she opened her hairdressing business in Atlantic City by 1919, she founded Apex News and Hair Company, focusing not just on hair care (which was expected), but also making major inroads into skincare and cosmetics in areas that Walker and Malone touched on but didn’t center in the same way.
Cold creams and lotions that nourished skin, addressing issues like dryness and hyperpigmentation in a way
that mass-market brands ignored.
Face powders in shades that matched the beauty of deeper complexions — revolutionary at a time when most
powders on the market left Black women looking ashen or unnatural.
Cleansers, tonics, and skin preparations designed specifically for the unique needs of well-melanated skin.
Where Walker and Malone had focused primarily on hair and scalp health and skin as a second thought, Sarah broadened
the definition of Black beauty care to include the whole face, whole body, and whole woman.
Unlike Walker or Malone, Washington created an even wider range of businesses under the Apex brand; including a
publishing company (Apex Publishing), a nursing home (Apex Rest), laboratories, and even a newspaper (Apex News).
Business Growth in a Crowded Market
Even while Walker’s empire flourished and Malone's Poro agents dominated communities, Sarah's Apex brand carved out loyal customers by offering a more complete beauty solution — from scalp to skin to spirit.
At its height, Apex had 215 to 500 employees and no less than 35,o00 agents across the country. The company operated
beauty schools, including training in skin care and cosmetics, preparing women to earn a living through multiple beauty
disciplines. Apex expanded internationally, opening schools and selling products in places like Haiti and Africa.
What made Sarah's empire unique wasn’t just what she sold — it was how she sold it: she offered Black women the tools to create entire careers in beauty, just as her competitors had, but with an expanded focus that included skin health and self-care.
Resilience After the Titans
It’s important to note that after Madam Walker’s passing in 1919, and as Poro, began to face various challenges in the 1930s,
Apex kept growing. Sarah Spencer Washington guided her company into the 1940s as a beacon of Black beauty excellence, earning her the title of
"Most Distinguished Businesswoman" at the 1939 World’s Fair.
Her business endured and thrived long after many of her contemporaries' enterprises waned, a testament to her
adaptability, vision, and understanding of what Black women wanted and needed in their beauty routines.
Why Sarah Spencer Washington Is a Skincare Pioneer
Sarah didn’t just add skincare to an existing hair empire — she centered it. In doing so, she helped redefine beauty for Black women as something holistic, empowering,
and deeply tied to self-worth.
In an era when other beauty pioneers made history with hair, Sarah Spencer Washington added the essential glow of skin,
proving that Black beauty was, and always will be, multi-dimensional. With that being said, I absolutely hate that she sold bleaching cream.
“I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South... and built my own factory.” – Sarah Spencer Washington
Final Thoughts
Sarah’s story reminds me that competition doesn’t have to stifle greatness, and that I should find inspiration in it.
In a market where two giants already reigned, Sarah Spencer Washington innovated, expanded, and empowered.
That’s what makes her a true pioneer in beauty and skincare history.
Sources
National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
New Jersey Women's History
https://njwomenshistory.org/biographies/sara-spencer-washington/
Atlantic City Experience
https://www.atlanticcityexperience.org/sarah-spencer-washington.html
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