Chemical biology Ph.D. candidate AJ Addae (P. Weiss/Caram groups), founder of SULA LABS, was named a $100,000 co–grand prize winner of musician and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize Competition.
SULA LABS was recognized for its achievements in designing and clinically testing cosmetic products for several beauty brands found in Sephora, Ulta, Target, and other major retailers. “While the prize money is incredible, the win is a symbol that our hard work to close inclusivity gaps in cosmetics and personal care through science has a significant impact and scale,” said Addae at the event. Her co-grand prize winner was Alexander Zanders of UfarmX.
Addae received the prize at a two-day forum in Miami in November 2025. The Black Ambition 5th Annual Demo Day & Fundable Founders Forum took place at The Sacred Space Miami. The events focused on founders and startup development and included investors and entrepreneurs.
About AJ Addae
AJ Addae graduated from Northeastern University in 2020 with a biology major with minors in English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Before coming to UCLA, she founded SULA LABS, a research and development laboratory that specializes in designing and clinically testing cosmetics for beauty brands that appear in major retailers such as Sephora, Target, and Ulta. The products designed at SULA LABS are particularly relevant for addressing the needs of melanin-rich skin and textured hair.
Addae joined UCLA’s chemical biology graduate program in 2022, working in the groups of Professor Justin Caram and Professor Paul S. Weiss, where she develops zinc oxide-based sunscreen formulations and studies their colloidal and photophysical properties.
In 2024, Addae’s work in the Weiss lab resulted in a publication and journal cover in Accounts of Materials Research titled “Standardizing the White Cast Potential of Sunscreens with Metal Oxide Ultraviolet Filters”. That same year, Addae won Northeastern University’s first-place Women Who Empower Women Innovator Award, and second place in Powering Diverse and Inclusive Communities of Belonging Award.
In 2025, Addae delivered a TEDx talk highlighting her journey in using scientific research to close inclusivity gaps in the beauty industry by developing skincare solutions and sunscreens tailored for melanin-rich skin. That same year, she became a recipient of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists Madam C.J. Walker finalist award.
Lastly, Addae’s work in the Weiss and Caram labs recently resulted in a publication in ACS Materials Letters titled “Flame-Synthesized Zinc Oxide Tetrapods for Photoprotection in Sunscreen Formulations”.
Photo Credit: Stephen Crosson
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
