Aris Singleton became CEO of TGIN beauty products at 28, and is a proud industry leader
Aris Singleton is at the top of her field as one of the youngest leaders in the beauty industry.
Singleton is chief executive officer of the haircare line Thank God It's Natural, or simply TGIN. She is now 31, but became CEO at the age of 28.
Singleton has national eyes on her, from an Oprah Daily Award to a place on Black Enterprise's "40 under 40" list. She is among the Chicago Defender's Women of Excellence. In 2023, a collector's edition of Jet Magazine was dedicated just to her.
"I would say that's one of my biggest accomplishments," Singleton said.
But Singleton will be the first to tell you her success is not a solo act.
"I'm very grateful for my childhood and for my upbringing," she said. "I believe that is why I am successful today."
Singleton grew up on the East Side of Detroit, Michigan. Even as a little girl, she was interested in big business.
"I was always in some sort of business program. My mother had me learning about stocks on the weekends," Singleton said. "My mom was actually an educator, but she always had a business mindset."
When Singleton was a teenager, her aunt Chris-Tia Donaldson, a Harvard lawyer, created TGIN. It grew largely out of Donaldson's struggle as a Black woman whose hair did not look like everyone else's in the corporate world.
"In the law field back in the early 2000s, it was not acceptable to wear your air in its natural state," Singleton said. "Our hair is an expression, It is a part of who we are, our identity. So when you tell a woman that you can't wear your hair curly, you can't wear your hair this way, you are taking her identity away from her — and it shouldn't be."
The natural hair movement was beginning, and the company was taking off. TGIN products were now in now in big-box stores — Target, Walgreens, CVS, Ulta.
After graduating with a finance degree from Texas Southern University, Singleton got a call that changed everything.
"Chris-Tia said: 'I need you to come work for me for six months. I need you to come help out with operations and finance," Singleton said. "I was only supposed to be here for six months, and here I am eight years later."
Singleton went to work in every aspect of TGIN.
"I sat in HR, I sat in finance, operations, marketing, sales — I have done it all," she said.
But nothing could prepare Singleton for the tragedy that was to come at that point.
"I had just turned 28, and Chris-Tia passed not even two months after my 28th birthday," said Singleton.
Chris-Tia Donaldson died of breast cancer in 2021, at just 42 years old.
"Losing Chris-Tia was devastating," said Singleton. "I was not expecting to lose her."
But Singleton had lost more than an aunt. Donaldson was her role model in business — and life.
"I always admired her drive. She never took no for an answer," Singleton said. "Chris-Tia was very much a go-getter, and really pushing the pushing the limit, testing the boundaries.
But there was little time to grieve. Suddenly, Singleton was called on to become a CEO.
"I had to pull it together," she said. "Payroll had to be done. Business still had to be taken care of. Having that responsibility dropped in your lap, it changes you — but for the better," she said. "I am a better leader, a better woman because of that situation."
To this day, TGIN continues Donaldson's legacy. A look at the warehouse shows a growing product line.
"We have shampoos, conditioners, oils, leave-in conditioners—and our new collection, the Miracle Styling collection, is more focused on styling," Singleton said.
The company is still a family affair. Singleton's business-minded mother, Dr. Piper Farrell, is the chief operating officer.
So what is it like working with a CEO daughter?
"Honestly, it's fun. It's fun because, you know, for 30 years I was telling her what to do," said Farrell. "Now she thinks that, you know, because we're in business together, she could tell me what to do — but she can't."
But in seriousness, Farrell is very proud.
"To see this dynamic woman really take the reins of TGIN and lead it into the next generation is just phenomenal," she said. "I'm just impressed by the woman that she has become."
The mother and daughter agree that TGIN is all about helping other women become their best in every way possible.
"Looking great on the outside is great, but how can we go deeper?" Singleton said. "We are looking at the woman as a whole. How can we support and uplift women as a whole — not just your hair?"
TGIN also operates a philanthropic arm — the TGIN Foundation. The late Donaldson created it in 2017 as she was battling breast cancer.
The goal is to help women struggling with the disease by helping them get access to care, transportation, and emotional support.
