From Code to Color: How Monica Ravichandran is Disrupting the Beauty Industry, One Undertone at a Time

When Monica Ravichandran walks into a room, the red lipstick usually arrives first. Not because it's loud—but because it’s intentional.

Words/Editor In Chief: Angel Neal

Photography: Grace Bukunmi

Make-Up Artist: Monica Ravichandran

Hair: Michael Dueñas

A former software engineer turned makeup visionary, Monica is the creator of the viral #LipstickColorTheory trend and a trailblazer for inclusivity in beauty. Her journey—from coding in computer science classes while rocking a full beat, to dissecting pigment formulas in Italian and Korean labs—proves that artistry and analytics don’t just coexist; they can build a movement.

“I showed up to class in full glam,” she recalls with a smile. “Everyone assumed I wasn’t smart. But I graduated with nearly a 4.0 and multiple job offers. So they figured it out.”

Growing up in a South Asian household in the Bay Area, Monica’s relationship with makeup was shaped by the vibrant, bold aesthetics of her culture—and her mom. “My mom wore red lipstick every day,” she says. “It wasn’t subtle. It was a statement.” But like many brown girls experimenting with beauty, Monica quickly noticed a disconnect: the makeup her mom used didn’t work for her own undertone. With a father five shades deeper and a mother five shades lighter, Monica struggled to find herself in the standard color palette of the beauty aisles. “Every time I tried my mom’s makeup, it looked… off. I didn’t have the language then, but now I know—it was about undertones.” That early confusion turned into curiosity. And curiosity, paired with a mind trained in logic and systems, sparked a journey that would ultimately shift the industry’s understanding of color, contrast, and inclusivity.

While content creation may have started as a side hustle during COVID, Monica’s approach was anything but casual. For three years, she worked full-time in tech while growing her audience, researching formulation, and tracking metrics with the precision of a data scientist.

“I treat content the same way I used to manage software projects,” she explains. “Everything is data-driven. We run AI sentiment analyses on comment sections, track performance across platforms, and build strategies based on the feedback loop.”

That strategic approach is what led to her rise—not just through beautiful makeup looks, but through explaining them. Monica’s virality didn’t come from trends; it came from breaking them down. Her #LipstickColorTheory series went viral by addressing a foundational gap: most beauty brands still don’t understand undertones, especially when it comes to deeper skin tones. She coined a term for it—the “orange foundation pandemic”—where even high-end brands over-saturate their deeper shades with warm, orange tones due to a lack of blue or green pigment in formulation. “If you don’t understand color theory, you’ll keep making makeup that looks good in the bottle, but not on skin,” she says. “It’s not just about the depth of a shade—it’s about how it plays against undertones, contrast, lighting, and actual wearability.”

Monica doesn’t just talk about product problems—she solves them. Recently, she visited formulation labs in Italy and Korea, digging deep into pigment chemistry and manufacturing practices. What she found was equal parts illuminating and frustrating.

“So many foundations are just slight tweaks of existing formulas,” she says. “There’s very little innovation because brands benchmark each other and repeat what's safe. That’s not disruption—that’s stagnation.”

In contrast, her collaboration with MOB Beauty tells a different story. In creating her signature red lipstick—set to launch later this year—Monica worked directly with the same chemist who once formulated her mother’s favorite MAC red. “There’s no such thing as a universal red,” she explains. “That’s a marketing myth. Red lipstick has just as much nuance as nude shades, and this lipstick was created with all of that nuance in mind—undertones, ingredients, even emotional resonance.” Yes, this lipstick is personal. It’s also the lipstick Monica plans to wear on her wedding day. Inspired by her viral “Perfect Red Lip” series—and formulated with legendary chemist Victor Casale (formerly of MAC)—the lipstick reflects years of research.

“It’s not the perfect red. It’s my perfect red—and my wedding lipstick.”

To avoid common pitfalls—like Carmine (a red dye made from beetles)—the formula balances violet, yellow, and black to create a wearable, olive-friendly red that works across skin tones. What makes Monica’s work so resonant isn’t just her depth of knowledge. It’s her relentless commitment to serving her audience. Every sponsorship is vetted for shade range, undertone accuracy, and formulation integrity. If it doesn’t match her values—or her community’s needs—she passes.

“I turned down Dove,” she says casually. “It’s not that I don’t use the product—I do. But I couldn’t see how the campaign would succeed, so I didn’t want to waste their time or mine.”

For Monica, the long game matters. Longevity over virality. Integrity over impulse. Her long-term approach has built trust with brands and followers alike. The result? Multiple years-long partnerships and a reputation for being selective, strategic, and deeply ethical.

“This is a marathon,” she says. “And to go the distance, you have to stay rooted in your values. The community always comes first.”

As she continues pushing the boundaries of what beauty content can be—data-led, theory-informed, radically inclusive—Monica is carving out a space for the next generation of creators who live in-between identities, disciplines, and skin tones. Her message is clear: Makeup is not just about transformation—it’s about reclamation. It's not about fitting in, but standing out. Not about one perfect look—but many expressions of what power, softness, joy, or rebellion might look like on any given day.

“Makeup is a feeling,” she says. “And I want every brown girl, every black girl, every olive-skinned girl to feel seen—exactly as they are.”

—

Monica Ravichandran💄 Beauty Educator | 🎨 Color Theory Expert | 💻 Engineer-Turned-CreatorFollow her on TikTok & YouTube: @MonicaRavichandranLook out for her upcoming lipstick collab with MOB Beauty — launching soon.