Melanin Beauty Awards: Beauty Influencer — Golloria

Many users create content online, but not many have actual influence, but then there’s Golloria George. 

A scroll through the beauty maven’s social media profiles is a beauty lover’s dream — vivid cover images of the inexplicably radiant creator, with titles in standout fonts showing the viewer exactly what products she’ll be reviewing. 

She also makes sure to provide her loyal following with a diverse array of content like daily vlogs, photos, and “Get Ready With Me” videos to the tune of the latest Afrobeats hits. 

The South Sudanese digital phenomenon has built audience trust through authenticity, personality, and most importantly, advocacy. 

Who Is Golloria George?

Golloria credits her upbringing for why she uses her voice to speak up for others. 

“I am a refugee and I have experienced the effects of being displaced, and experiencing that is why I am the way I am today,” the creator said in a 2023 TikTok video expressing solidarity with Palestine.

“I understand that it’s always going to be scary to speak up but you have to do it.”

When you take a closer look into her videos, she holds our gaze through her hooks, the attention-grabbing first few seconds, which are the golden ticket to retaining viewers — and when she asks brands to “come to the front,” you better be paying attention. 

If Golloria starts a video with, “A contour…” or “A bronzer…,” the product she’s testing may be an item she loves or something deserving of critique. 

Another line she uses, and arguably one of her most famous is,  “This is the darkest shade of…” 

This phrase is often heard at the beginning of her Darkest Shade series of videos she created to test out the complexion products from a variety of beauty brands, showcasing those with inclusive shade ranges and ones without, and it is a shame to say that in 2025, many beauty brands are still missing the mark. 

And no brand is spared in Golloria’s reviews. The digital star does not shy away from having honest conversations about the lack of inclusion in beauty, even from the most well-known brands.

In a now viral video from April of 2024, Golloria reviewed the darkest shade of Youthforia’s Date Night Foundation, a part of the foundation brand’s release of an extended shade range, after missing the mark in its first release.

In the video, she painted one side of her face with the darkest shade, 600, and the other with jet black face paint, showing her audience the similarity of the two shades — and voicing how Youthforia’s product lacked the undertones necessary for it be of use to anyone with a dark complexion.

“When we say that we want you guys to make shades for us, we don’t mean to go to the lab and ask for minstrel show black,” the influencer said while also showcasing the few deep and dark options available within the brand’s extended release. 

“Not only in 2024 is this so disgusting and disrespectful, but this needs to be pulled off the shelves,” she continued.

Shortly after Golloria’s video garnered over 3 million views on TikTok alone, and other beauty influencers chimed in on the viral conversation, Youthforia was dropped by popular retailers, Credo and Revolve.

In August of 2025, the controversial makeup brand announced it would be closing its doors.

If that’s not impact, tell us what is. 

The Youthforia video was just one example of the mark that Golloria has made in the beauty industry, and she’s only getting started. 

In addition to her beauty content, the online powerhouse is not afraid to leverage her digital presence to speak up for ongoing global issues in Sudan, Congo, and Palestine — even halting her usual beauty content to focus on sharing information and resources to support international causes. 

This goes to show how the 24-year-old has used her platform to illustrate that Black women and other marginalized groups deserve to be more than an afterthought, not just in beauty, but in ever space.

So far, her contributions have placed her on esteemed lists like the Ebony Power 100, Forbes 30 under 30, Time 100, and more.

“To be a dark-skinned woman in this industry is to know what it feels like to be overlooked, dissected, doubted, and still show up, whole,” Golloria shared in her Time 100 announcement.

“Take up space and do it unapologetically with purpose.”

It is clear that Golloria George is doing just that, which is why she’s our Melanin Beauty Awards Beauty Influencer of the Year, and her legacy will continue far beyond beauty.