In the same vein of the black-owned fashion brands post that I wrote yesterday, I also wanted to dedicate a post to black-owned beauty brands that you need to support now. In complete transparency, I am even less educated in black-owned beauty brands than I am in fashion brands. However, I have spent some time educating myself, researching other people’s recommendations, and narrowing down the list to the ten companies I am most excited to try.
As with my fashion post, I would love for you to leave your suggestions of brands to try or experiences with any brands or products listed above that you have used and love in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to follow along on Instagram for more BLM resources.
Golde: While this brand is more a wellness/skincare brand, I love that its focus is on inclusivity- both race and price point- in a segment of the industry that is typically not geared to anyone but wealthy, white women. Their products- both ingestibles, as well as their face masks, focus on the use of superfoods to help with health and skincare issues. I also love that this brand was not only started by a woman and man of color, but they were both in their early 20s and right out of college when they started it. I am dying to try the Lucuma Brightening Mask.
B. Simone Beauty: Move over Kylie Jenner Lip Kits, there is a new lipstick queen in town. B. Simone Beauty was founded by the Instagram and You-Tube star of the same name. Her product line focuses exclusively on lipsticks, glossed, and lip pencil- all at a fabulous price point. Here is the bad news…her stuff sells out as fast as a Kylie lip kit, so make sure you follow the brand on social media and sign up for their newsletters so you are the first to know about re-stocks.
Pear Nova: Alright, I have just found my new favorite nail polish company. This brand, founded by Rachel James, is a vegan, “5-free” nail polish company that was founded after Rachel graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago. The nail polishes, inspired by high fashion and runway design, brings the look, feel, and colors of the season from the runway to your fingertips. LOVE IT! And as if you need another reason to love the brand, Rachel is a huge supporter of Domestic Violence charities and donate portions of proceeds from sales during Domestic Violence Awareness month to charities that support that cause.
BLK+GRN: I love this brand because it is not just a black-owned company, but it is an all-natural black artisan marketplace for clean beauty and skincare products. How cool is that! I love that you can support such a diverse list of black artisans in one place and they cover all of your skincare, haircare, and clean home product needs. They do the work of vetting all artisans by black health care experts to ensure not only that the products work, but that they also are all-natural. They also have an awesome blog that covers tons of self-care related issues.
Pat McGrath Labs: I had to honor one of the original queens of the black beauty movement in this list. I am sure all of you are familiar with the name Pat McGrath, if not already loyal users of her product. As a celebrity make-up artist, she has done the faces seen on some of the most famous runways and fashion magazines in the world. Her products are definitely an investment, but the quality, hues, and pigments that you get out of them are worth every penny you pay.
Mented Cosmetics: Y’all, this brand! It is a full-range beauty brand founded by two friends that have absolutely beautiful products that are inclusive of women of all skin tones and shades. But the thing that impressed me the very most was this Instagram post they shared on their account. Even when processing their own pain and distress over current events, they are focused on their employees, their customers, and the betterment of the community. They are giving all employees Friday’s off in the month of June for mental health and well-being reasons, they are donating a portion of sales to support protestors around the country, and they are hosting a masterclass on starting an e-commerce business on June 18th at 3pm ET.
Bossy Cosmetics: Another fabulous lipstick brand that I am loving. Their pigments are absolutely beautiful and their product and package is so luxe. I also love that they too focus their mission on uplifting all women, both through their products and also the philanthropic causes they support.
Oui The People: This brand started primarily as a shaving brand and has since grown into a full range of skincare, shaving, and beauty products. Founded by the child of a Caribbean immigrant, Karen wanted to focus on the reConstituion of Beauty. Meaning she wanted to take the negative language that typically surrounds skin and beauty products- anti-aging, flawless, perfect- and create effective products that don’t come at the expense of women’s psyche. Can I get an AMEN!
Nolaskinsentials: Doing research on African-American owned beauty and skincare brands has taught me two things very quickly: 1) What am I doing with my life? I can not believe how many of these brands have been started by young women of color- like Nolaskinsentials was. 2) I am absolutely thrilled with how many of these black-owned companies focus on either all-natural, clean, vegan, or cruelty-free products. Amazing! Nolaskinsentials is a vegan, handcrafted skincare line that focuses on AFFORDABLE (I am talking less than $10) skincare products for all skin types, skin colors, and skincare concerns.
Beauty Bakerie: A full-line beauty brand started by a young woman who became a mother when she was only 16. I love that her tenacity and grit lead her to leave a stable life as a nurse to pursue her true dreams…and that was how Beauty Bakerie was born. So inspiring! Check out this Proof is in the Pudding Palette. The colors are gorgeous and it is under $40!
