How Aisha Asunramu turned a beauty pain point into a category-shifting brand collaboration

Beauty creator Aisha Asunramu spent years lining her lips with eyeliner because mainstream brands didn’t make deep enough shades. This year, she turned that gap into a product collaboration with The Beauty Crop – showing how authentic creator-brand partnerships can drive innovation by directly responding to unmet consumer needs.

Asunramu spoke to The Daily Influence about the moment the idea clicked, the mechanics behind the deal, and why understanding both community and commerce is now central to creator success.

TDI (Victoria Ibitoye): Let’s start with the collaboration. How did this idea actually begin?

Aisha Asunramu: It started on a shoot with The Beauty Crop in 2023. I’d already been working with them as a brand ambassador at the time. We were filming content and the makeup artist went to do my lips using their lip products. I had to say, “I can’t use these because they’re not dark enough for me.” I explained that I always used their eyeliner as lip liner instead because that shade worked better on my skin tone.

Little did I know that Ning Cheah, the founder, heard the conversation, went home and thought about it. Then in February 2024, out of the blue, I got an email saying they wanted to collaborate on a product, likely a lip product, and they’d be in touch soon.

When we had the first meeting, they said directly: we want to make a product for dark skin. 

Yes, anyone can use it, but the intention and the marketing would centre deeper complexions. I don’t think I’ve seen many UK collabs that explicitly do that, especially with creators who aren’t sitting on millions of followers. It felt significant.

TDI: Do you feel your long-term relationship with The Beauty Crop is what made the collaboration possible?

Asunramu: One hundred percent. It wasn’t something I pushed for. I naturally gravitated towards the brand because they were affordable and accessible – and my audience responded to that. When TikTok Shop was blowing up, there weren’t many dark-skinned creators reviewing viral products and showing how they looked on us. So my content naturally filled that gap as I was building community around products that actually worked for deeper skin. 

That made it normal for me to give honest feedback like, “This shade isn’t deep enough.” The difference is The Beauty Crop listened. They went away, thought about it, and turned it into a collaboration. That’s what long-term partnerships can do.

TDI: Before we go deeper – you were also nominated for the New Beauty Breakthrough category at the Beauty Awards this year. Did that recognition feel like a milestone?

Asunramu: It definitely did. I’m very humble about things like that, but it meant a lot. So much of what we do as creators is behind the scenes – filming every day, posting consistently, building community, and sometimes you don’t know if people are really seeing it. So to be nominated was really encouraging. Especially as a dark-skinned creator, it felt important to be visible in that space.

TDI: You mentioned TikTok Shop. How important has it been in your growth?

Asunramu: Very important. I started using TikTok Shop properly in October 2022. I’d bought the Jordana Ticia Black Girl Magic bundle for Black History Month and posted a review that went viral. I made my first proper TikTok Shop income from that, and the TikTok team emailed me soon after.

Once you start posting consistently with Shop links, you see how powerful it is. TikTok pushes those videos because it wants sales. And the commission is real, brands increase your percentage during big sales periods. I literally got a message this week saying my commission was being raised from 10% to 25% for Black Friday and Christmas.

People joke about creators making serious money from TikTok Shop, but some genuinely do. Some creators treat it like QVC. If you’re already recommending products, it can be a very smart revenue stream.

TDI: Before all this, you worked in-house at Rimmel London. What was that experience like?

Asunramu: That job changed everything for me. I’d tried doing YouTube in 2018, like everyone else, but nothing really took off. Then in May 2022, I got the Rimmel role after a LinkedIn job ad my manager sent me. I went all out, filmed sample content, made a moodboard, and did a whole pitch deck. When I got the job, it felt like the breakthrough I’d been waiting for.

We basically acted as full-time creators for the brand. We’d join product launch meetings, pick up products directly from the office, go home and film mascara demos, concealer routines, trend videos – whatever was needed. If a sound went viral on TikTok, we could film it immediately. There was no waiting for external creators or long approval loops.

There were two of us, and neither of us had big followings at the time. Over time, though, people started recognising us as part of the brand’s personality – “What are Aisha and Molly doing today?” It taught me how much authenticity and consistency matter.

TDI: And what did that teach you about the business side of influencing?

Asunramu: That it’s a real industry. Brands are investing serious money. We had training sessions on how to sell online, how to structure lives, and how to analyse performance. Those skills still help me now.

We also saw the scale of investment behind influencer marketing. In our first week, we met the CEO of Coty, and she told us directly how important social was to the company. That’s when it hit me: brands aren’t doing this as an afterthought. Influencer marketing is central to their strategy.

It gave me the mix I needed – personality and professionalism. I could be myself on camera, but I also understood deadlines, deliverables and what a brand actually needs from you.

TDI: For someone starting out today, what would your biggest advice be?

Asunramu: Your network is your net worth. So many opportunities have come from being at events, speaking to PRs, speaking to creators, just being present. I met [beauty influencer] Jenny Jenkins recently – she’s an OG – and she already knew who I was. That blew my mind. But it shows you that people are watching, even when you don’t realise it.

And honestly? Don’t quit. I’ve been trying since 2018. Things only started to click in 2022. Most people stop right before it gets good.

It’s also important to know your why. Mine is my mum. She passed away from breast cancer three years ago, two months into my Rimmel role. She never got to see this part of my life. After she died, something lit up in me. I wanted to make her proud. That’s why one of the lip liner shades is named after her. It reminds me why I keep going, especially on the days when engagement dips or emails slow down.

TDI: And what’s next for you?

Asunramu: I want to do more consultancy with brands on inclusivity, especially on the high street. I have a younger sister who’s getting into makeup, and I don’t want her to walk into shops and see nothing for her skin tone. I’ve already seen brands respond to my feedback – e.l.f., Made By Mitchell, Doll Beauty – all bringing out deeper liners after conversations around shade gaps.

I’d love to be in the room earlier, not just giving feedback after products launch. And yes, I’d absolutely love another collaboration. This doesn’t feel like the end of something. It feels like the beginning.