Janell Stephens Built Camille Rose Entirely From Scratch

Back in 2010, Janell Stephens was working as a therapist by day and moonlighting as a DIY chemist in her kitchen. The mother of five was on a quest to create effective skincare products (the not-so-glamorous kind — think diaper-rash cream) for her eczema-prone children using natural, food-grade ingredients.

“My only goal in those early days was to create something that worked for my family,” she says. Entrepreneurship was nowhere on Stephens’s radar as she whipped up her homemade concoctions. She says this allowed her to remain hyper-focused on a sole mission — creating quality products — without any distractions.

“If I had set out to be an entrepreneur, I would have put more focus on scaling and growth,” she says. “But because my journey began with the simple goal of solving a personal need for my family, it allowed me to concentrate on the quality of the products. I was creating out of love, care and necessity.” After all, has any parent ever ransacked their kitchen pantry in search of remedies for their children’s discomforts with sales figures in the back of their head? “I had the freedom to move at my own pace, to learn as I went and let the brand evolve naturally.”

The following year, once she’d found success with a couple of formulas that helped her kids’ eczema, she launched Camille Rose as a line of skincare products, including the aforementioned diaper-rash cream as well as a nursing cream. “I named the brand after my grandmother Camille Rose, whose nurturing spirit and homemade recipes deeply influenced my approach,” explains Stephens.

By 2012, Stephens had expanded the brand to include hair-care products. “I realized that my kids’ hair, like their skin, needed care and nourishment, so I started experimenting with blends of oils, butters and herbs to create products that would restore moisture and enhance their hair’s natural texture,” she says.

Soon after, she set up shop at a beauty trade show to showcase Camille Rose’s small but mighty lineup of product offerings, which were still being made and packaged in her home, including the brand’s Curl Love Moisture Milk leave-in conditioner and Almond Jai Twisting Butter — both of which remain bestsellers today.

“I didn’t know that trade show would change the course of my business,” she says. “A buyer from Target happened to stop by, and after hearing my story and learning about the brand, he invited me to meet with the rest of the Target buying team.” That meeting led to an order for a whopping 100 stores.

Staying true to her DIY spirit, for the first year, Stephens continued handmaking every product to meet the growing demands of the retailer. “My dining room became my production space,” she says. “I spent countless hours perfecting and packaging batches and preparing shipments. It was a whirlwind of growth and growing pains. But it kept me in tune with my customers’ needs.”

Stephens says that her background as a therapist helped her immensely in her role as CEO, and it still does. “I know the importance of listening, empathy and understanding people’s needs — all of which are skills I carry into my role at Camille Rose. Building a brand is about more than creating products; it’s about connecting with people and providing solutions that enhance their lives.”

Today, Camille Rose has expanded its retail partners to include Walgreens, CVS and Duane Reade in the United States and Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, Amazon and London Drugs in Canada. In fact, it’s become the leading Black-woman-owned textured haircare brand in the United States — something that Stephens says is the result of a slow-and-steady approach to growth.

“Innovation and consistency go hand in hand,” she says. Fifteen years later, Stephens insists that Camille Rose’s ethos remains unchanged.

“The beauty industry is fast-paced, and there’s a lot of pressure to say yes to every opportunity or to follow every trend. But I’ve always believed in intentional growth — building at a pace that allows you to maintain quality and authenticity. Saying no when you’re not ready is just as important as saying yes when the timing is right. It’s a lesson that can benefit any entrepreneur, especially in a space as competitive as beauty.”

Best Sellers

Meet two of Camille Rose’s fan-favourite products.

Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk

Formulated with silkening rice milk and macadamia nut oil, this curly-hair-approved leave-in conditioner promises to leave tresses feeling silky smooth.

Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter

Rich in vitamins and minerals, this styling butter utilizes ingredients such as sweet almond milk, honey and aloe vera to ensure that hair is properly moisturized and protected for twist out styles.

This article first appeared in FASHION’s April 2025 issue. Find out more here.