January 13, 2015

Alumna’s cosmetics company recognized in Portland Business Journal

Paula Hayes BS ’92—a Board of Trustees member and upcoming recipient of the Pioneer Alumna Leadership Award—was recently featured in Portland Business Journal for her innovative cosmetics company.

Paula Hayes BS ’92—a Board of Trustees member and upcoming recipient of the Pioneer Alumna Leadership Award—was recently featured in Portland Business Journal for her innovative cosmetics company. Hue Noir’s beauty products are designed for an underserved market of darker-skinned women whose skin colors and tones aren’t readily compatible with mainstream products.

Hayes launched Hue Noir in her garage five years ago and opened a new market and research center in October. The facility—opened in a Beaverton office park with support from the city, the Oregon Bioscience Association, and the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership—will help the company to expand production to match rising levels of demand.

Hue Noir is targeted at the estimated 38.4 million women who aren’t well served in the $58.8 billion U.S. beauty market. In the article, Hayes says Hue Noir’s revenue and customer list have doubled in the last year, and that the company is looking to break into the international market in 2015.

A biology major at Lewis & Clark, Hayes credits the school for helping to merge her dual interests in science and cosmetics.

In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees, Hayes was also a Board of Alumni member and has volunteered with the Office of Admissions and Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement.

Portland Business Journal article Alumni and Parent Programs

“Entrepreneurial Alumni” from the Chronicle Magazine