From Beauty Brand to Cultural Blueprint: Janell Stephens’ Impact Beyond the Shelf
What began in a kitchen with a mother’s mission to heal her children’s eczema has grown into a beauty/lifestyle empire. But it’s not your typical beauty brand. It is a brand that is reshaping beauty, community, and culture on a major scale.
Janell Stephens, the founder and CEO of Camille Rose, never needed permission to make waves. That confidence has allowed her influence to go beyond natural hair care products. It has evolved into an expansive movement that celebrates womanhood, wellness, and cultural legacy.
In June, Janell hosted the 5th annual Beaute Noir Fest in Atlanta, a city she calls “The Mecca” for music, entrepreneurship, and Black style. The festival was a high energy event filled with beauty, creativity and culture. From live music and well chosen vendors to food trucks and hair showcases, the event represented the full spectrum of Black culture and excellence. It also solidified something more important. Camille Rose is no longer just a brand on the shelf, but rather it’s a cultural blueprint.
When starting the Camille Rose brand, Janell took it upon herself to research ingredients that were moisturizing and nourishing for the hair and all natural. Janell believes “being natural is [about] growing organically,” and she uses that same technique with her branded events. This annual event started out just as an intimate dinner, to now major artist Mariah the Scientist as the headlining performer this year.
Intentionality is present throughout everything that Janell builds. Camille Rose is curated with love, and so is the energy behind Beaute Noir.
“[Women] can do whatever it is that they want to do,” Janell said.
Women walk into events like this with a desired legacy they silently carry into these rooms. And Janell’s mission is for women to see her in themselves as a way of pouring back into the community that helped shape her. Janell is helping women recognize that their power, just like their hair, is both sacred and bold. Through Camille Rose and Beaute Noir, she’s cultivating a legacy that stretches beyond commerce. It’s emotional, generational, and deeply personal.
“The festival is not centered around just hair products, it’s a lifestyle”, Janell said.
Camille Rose’s growth in retail stores such as Target, CVS, Sally Beauty, Walmart and more, shows the brand’s mission is not being reduced. It’s an expansion of honor, soul, and community when it comes to Beaute Noir.
Beaute Noir was never meant to mirror traditional beauty expos because it has always and continues to be rooted in something deeper. It’s a love letter to culture, a gathering space for community, and the elevation of hair care as a cultural experience.
Keeping the festival in Atlanta isn’t just about logistics. It’s an environment where precision meets purpose when it comes to keeping the culture alive. Atlanta represents creative energy and entrepreneurial competency. Janell’s mission has never been about products alone. It’s about changing one’s viewpoint to prove what’s possible when a woman builds with purpose and refuses to shrink her vision to fit outdated molds.
From the kitchen counter to retail shelves, from nourishing curls to curating culture, Janell has always led with intention. Now, that intention is shaping impact by reaching beyond beauty aisles into the heart of how we gather, celebrate, and define ourselves.
