You should be supporting these black-owned beauty brands ASAP
Systemic inequality and racism are deeply entrenched in society — the Black Lives Matter movement seeks to dismantle these longstanding systems of oppression. And when it comes specifically to the beauty industry, it’s no secret that widespread racism exists. Many cosmetic companies design makeup with only lighter skin tones in mind, excluding women of color. Black-owned beauty brands, however, are at the forefront of innovation and inclusion, showing the beauty industry that it’s totally feasible to expand shade ranges. Here’s a list of totally amazing, award-winning black-owned beauty brands to support now and always:
1. Fenty Beauty
Not only does this beauty company owned by Rihanna offer over 40 shades to choose from with their Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, but they also offer a wide array of concealers, bronzers, highlighters, body luminizers, lipsticks, and blushes for all skin tones and shades. In particular, the Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Dragon Mami won Best of Allure in 2019.
2. Pat McGrath Labs
Self-made billionaire Pat McGrath created this beauty line to offer exceptional, high-quality cosmetics that are custom-curated for all skin types, tones, and undertones. Check out the Mothership V: Bronze Seduction palette and Skin Fetish Highlighter and Balm Duo.
3. Beauty Bakerie
Founder and owner Cashmere Nicole founded Beauty Bakerie in 2011 when she was battling breast cancer. She wanted to fill in a huge gap in the beauty industry — cosmetics made for darker skin tones, such as bronzers, highlighters, and foundations.
4. Iman Cosmetics
Supermodel Iman created a beauty line specifically for women of color after recognizing the many diversity disparities in the beauty world. Her products, including Skin Tone Evener BB Creme, allow people with darker skin tones to wear shades that actually work for them.
5. BLK/OPL
This beauty brand has set the tone for what a diverse makeup line should look like. In fact, BLK/OPL was one of the first cosmetic lines to offer shades for those with dark skin tones. What’s more, their products, including the True Color Skin Perfecting Stick Foundation, contain SPF to provide those with deeper skin tones protection against sun damage without a white, chalky residue.
6. Uoma Beauty
Founded by Sharon Chuter, who WWD named as one of the 50 most forward-thinking executives shaping the future of the beauty industry, Uoma Beauty is all about creating Afropolitan-inspired cosmetic collections. The brand offers shade-inclusive foundations, vivid lip colors, and eyebrow pencils.
7. The Lip Bar
Before cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics became popular, Melissa Butler was creating 100% clean formulas completely free of chemicals right in her own home—and that’s how The Lip Bar was born. What makes The Lip Bar so inclusive is that it offers diverse shade ranges for all skin tones as well as bold and beautiful lipsticks.
8. Mented
Remember when “nude” makeup was all the rage, but it was primarily targeted to those with lighter skin tones? Well, nude is not one-shade-fits-all. The founders of Mented wanted to reinvent “nude” with women of color in mind. They created lip products and eye shadow palettes available in a wide range of colors from deep chocolate to soft taupe.
9. AJ Crimson Beauty
AJ Crimson is an experienced celebrity makeup artist and a beauty entrepreneur who founded one of the first makeup lines to serve all skin tones. AJ Crimson’s mission is to create beauty products for women of all ethnicities instead of adopting the status quo one-size-fits-all mentality.
10. Danessa Myricks Beauty
A self-taught makeup artist, Danessa Myricks developed her own line of cosmetics to fill a void in the industry. Danessa found that she was limited by existing shades and textures, which is why she created her own cosmetics to serve people of all skin tones and shades.
References
- “15 Black-Owned Beauty Brands That Have Won Best of Allure,” Allure, June 6, 2020.
- “25 Black-Owned Beauty Brands to Support, If You Haven’t Already, Today, June 5, 2020.
- “The 30 Black-Owned Beauty Brands I’ll Never Stop Talking About,” Marie Claire, June 2, 2020.
