A Black Jamaican woman living in Canada has quietly carved out space in one of the world’s most competitive industries, not by chasing trends, but by solving a problem most beauty brands overlooked. June Smith, founder of TAJJ Cosmetics, embodies the popular Jamaican idiom “tun yuh hand mek fashion”. Faced with a challenge, she chose to act, creating a product that serves women of colour across the diaspora.
That distinctly Jamaican innovation and ingenuity have earned Smith and her brand global recognition, including an award at the Black Beauty and Fashion Awards UK for innovation in 2020 and, most recently, a “Best Innovative Beauty Brand” honour at the 2025 Canadian Choice Awards, major milestones for a Jamaican-owned brand.
Jamaican Roots and Early Life
Born and raised in Jamaica, June Smith grew up in a culture that prizes self-reliance, creativity, and making the most of what is available. Like many Jamaicans, she learned early to observe problems closely and find workable solutions rather than wait for permission or perfect conditions. Smith often sums up this way of thinking with a guiding belief she has repeated throughout her career: “If you make an observation, you have an obligation.” That mindset would later shape her entry into the beauty industry.
Beauty and fashion were always part of her world from her early days on the island. Friends and family regularly turned to her for beauty advice long before she ever considered the beauty industry as a career path.
She later migrated to Canada, where she raised her three sons while building her professional life, a journey that would eventually lead to the founding of TAJJ Cosmetics in 2008.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by June Smith (@tajjcosmetics)
Turning Observation into Innovation
Smith founded TAJJ Cosmetics to address a specific but widely experienced concern: corns. Both she and her cousin dealt with the condition and, through conversations with other women, realised it was far more common than anyone openly acknowledged, often affecting confidence around wearing open-toe shoes.
Encouraged by her cousin, Smith began searching for a solution and quickly discovered there were no products on the market addressing the issue. That gap led her to a simple but inventive question: if makeup exists to conceal blemishes on the face, could it also be used for the feet?
The result was the Toe-riffic Toe Concealer, a multi-award-winning product designed to conceal discolouration on the feet after callous removal. Practical, specific, and unapologetically niche, the product gained attention quickly and validated Smith’s belief that there was demand for thoughtful solutions to everyday beauty concerns.
By 2011, she expanded TAJJ into a full cosmetics line for women of colour, developed by a woman of colour, with careful attention to shade accuracy and formulation.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by June Smith (@tajjcosmetics)
An Award Winning Innovation
Over the years, TAJJ Cosmetics has steadily built a reputation beyond its original innovation. Smith’s work has been recognised by several organisations across Canada, the UK, and the wider diaspora. Among the most significant honours is the 2025 Canadian Choice Award for Best Beauty Brand, a recognition that signals how far her idea has travelled.
The brand has also received Best Innovative Beauty Product recognition at the Black Beauty and Fashion Awards (Diaspora) and People’s Choice honours in Canada. Smith herself was named among the Top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada in 2017. These accolades serve not as the starting point of her story, but as confirmation of work built steadily and with intention.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by June Smith (@tajjcosmetics)
Centering Women of Colour
June Smith’s work through TAJJ Cosmetics highlights the importance of creating for audiences long overlooked in the beauty and fashion space. By centring women of colour in her product development, she has built a brand rooted in practical thinking and cultural awareness.
Smith often encourages women to believe in themselves and their ideas, reminding them that if they can think it and truly believe in it, they can achieve it. For her, beauty is not something applied, but something already present, with makeup serving as a tool for expression rather than definition.
