The beauty identity of Jill Scott began with a question proposed on her very first album: Who Is Jill Scott? The album, released in 2000, went platinum. Then, we received an answer. She’s Beautifully Human. From then on, the beauty of her vocals became synonymous with that of her lipstick. Deep, full-bodied, and something that commands notice. As her beauty evolved over the years, we’ve seen every side of the Neo-soul icon. Well, almost. Scott just released her first full-length project in eleven years, To Whom This May Concern, opening up an entirely new definition of beauty—one that reflects the last decade of her life.

But, first, let’s look back at how she got there. At VH1’s Save the Music Foundation benefit concert in 2001, her brown lipstick, purple eyeshadow, and twisted updo defined her start. She was natural and soulful. Then, at her “Real Thing” cocktail reception in 2007, she untied her twists for a big afro and a simple lipgloss instead of dark lipstick. By the 2010s, her makeup was more muted, but her hair had something to say. At the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards in 2012, for one, she wore a Diana Ross type bouffant with flipped ends.

While the late 2010s was all about her blow out, like at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, she found her home in braids and locs a few years later. Returning to the festival in 2023, for example, Scott wore a locked up hairdo held up with a big silver hair accessory. Then, when she headlined in 2025, she brought back the dark-toned lipstick she debuted her career in, paired with a blunt cut bang. Now, with her new album out, we can expect to see another side of the Grammy-winning artist we haven’t seen yet.

According to her stylist, and former ESSENCE beauty director Pamela Macklin, Scott’s To Whom This May Concern‘s beauty and style is all about “using her platform to promote Black creatives,” she tells ESSENCE. “We have been playing with an unstructured structure, shapes, textures, and fabrics that read luxe—with comfort as our north star.” In one of her latest beauty looks, she performed with DJ AG in London wearing a black head wrap adorned with a brooch, berry lipstick, and an onyx manicure.

Ahead, see how Jill Scott’s beauty has evolved over the years in honor of her 54th birthday.