Vending
College entrepreneur expands beauty supply vending machine to New York campuses
August 29, 2025
Chantel Francis, a recent graduate of the State University of New York at Brockport, has expanded her company, Hello Beauty, which provides beauty supply vending machines to college campuses. The idea was born out of Francis's personal experience as a student who found it difficult to access beauty and personal care products on campus, according to an Afrotech report.
Francis's entrepreneurial journey began when she won a campus pitch competition, which gave her the resources and confidence to secure her first location at SUNY Brockport in January 2025. The vending machines are stocked with items that cater to BIPOC students, including durags, bonnets, hairsprays and skincare products.
In August 2025, Francis announced the expansion of Hello Beauty to a second location at SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville.
"As a college student, I often felt that my campus didn't have what I needed when it came to beauty and personal care," Francis told the news outlet. "It wasn't inclusive, and finding the right products meant going off-campus and driving long distances. That's when I thought, 'What if we had a vending machine?'"
