16 Black-owned beauty brands you should know about

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It took a long time for the industry to finally reach its 50-range standard in shade diversity, but rich and deep colour offerings are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the continuing lack of representation in the world of beauty.

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While it’s hard to deny that many of the biggest and most successful makeup and hair trends are heavily influenced by Black culture, Black brand owners, makers — and customers — are still largely overlooked. Now, more than ever, there’s a necessary call to action to show solidarity and make the conscious effort to support Black-owned businesses.

Here, we’ve rounded 16 Black, women-owned beauty brands you should know about.

Beneath Your Mask

When Beneath Your Mask founder Dana Jackson was diagnosed with Lupus after her 30th birthday, she set out to create a natural, non-toxic beauty brand that she could feel good using on her skin. Today, the brand specializes in skin, body and hair rejuvenation designed to restore, repair, and reverse the toxic effects of environmental hazards, health challenges and stress from countless other unforgiving aspects of all lifestyles.

KNC Beauty

Named after Kristen Noel Crawley, the skincare brand that first specialized in the first all-natural, collagen-infused lip mask has now evolved into a cult-recognized label best known for hydrating perfect, kissable lips.

Essentials by Temi

Toronto-based makeup artist and philanthropist Temi Shobowale combined her two passions to formulate skincare products with organic, plant-based ingredients.

Briogeo

Briogeo: the name is derived by Brio meaning "full of life" and Geo representing "earth and nature.” Founded by Nancy Twine, the brand was inspired by Twine’s family tradition of making natural beauty products from scratch in her kitchen and the belief that haircare shouldn't be compromised.

Oui the People

Aiming to reconstruct the constitution of beauty, Oui the People makes efficacious products, designed thoughtfully, that help you feel great in the skin you’re already in — without the falsehoods of flawlessness.

Bailly

A signature fragrance has always been a staple in both of the co-founder’s, Ariel Gough and Edwina Govindsamy, beauty routines. Bailly is committed to offering coconut oil-based fragrances to help create a soft scent that is not irritating or overpowering but doubles as a nourishing moisturizer.

SheaMoisture

Catering to the glossary of curly hairstyles, types, essentials, concerns and woes, Shea Moisture uses natural, sustainably-produced ingredients to nurture your hair and body. They strive to be sulphate-free, paraben-free and more, whenever possible.

Golde

An independent, Brooklyn-born brand with the mission to make superfood-boosted essentials for health and beauty. Co-founders Trinity Mouzon Wofford and Issey Kobori started Golde in 2017 with the foundation of bringing good vibes to the wellness industry.

Uoma Beauty

Founded by Nigerian born, LA and London- based former beauty executive Sharon Chuter, the UOMA (pronounced ‘uh-ma’) Beauty range is made to rebel against the original standards of the beauty industry and restructure the rules of inclusivity and diversity.

Anita Grant

After finding herself in the hospital after having a bad reaction to a lotion containing propylene glycol, the brand’s namesake Anita Grant became obsessed with skincare ingredients and started to make her own products. “No more off the shelf cosmetics, for me, ever,” reads a statement from her on the brand’s site. Today, Anita Grant is best known for her offerings of apothecary's face, hair and body products made with the partnerships of fair trade and organic farming communities.

Mented Cosmetics

What started as a conversation about the struggles of finding the perfect nude lipstick has evolved into a fan-favourite makeup brand specializing in everything from lipsticks to eyeshadow palettes to blushes to perfectly match golden and deep skin tones. Founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson believe that when it comes to beauty, “no one deserves to be an afterthought.”

jELN

Raised in a Caribbean household, Crystal Rowe developed a strong passion for natural herbs, medicine and healing. Today, the Toronto-based founder has channelled her knowledge and passion for developing nourishing self-care products for everyone.

Luv Scrub

Inspired by her Ghanian roots, brand CEO and founder Caroline introduces the Luv Scrub to North American beauty routines. Used in parts of West Africa, the Luv Scrub is essentially a mesh body exfoliator that effectively smoothes and eliminates the look and feel of dead skin cells.

Baby Tress

Specializing in the Edge Styler, a 3-in-1 beauty tool made natural boar bristles to swoop, smooth, shape edges for perfecting finishing details, Baby Tress is all about bridging the gap in the beauty supply store industry.

Beauty Bakerie

Soon after launching the brand in 2011, founder Cashmere Nicole’s success skyrocketed after a video of her budge-proof lipsticks went viral on Instagram. Today, Beauty Bakerie is best known for its wide range of lipstick products — which have miraculous staying power —and face makeup which is specially designed to cater to all skin tones.

Pear Nova

Created by Rachel James, Pear Nova is a collection of nail polish which offers a wide selection of subtle hues of lacquer to fit all complexions. Best of all, formulations are all made cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and 5-free, which means no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, and dibutyl Phthalate DBP.

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