20 Black Beauty Brands You Should Know
Words Shemiah Heckman
In the past few weeks we've seen endless posts circulating on social media stemming from the devastating incident of George Floyd who was senselessly murdered by a white male police officer in the US. The question on many people's lips has been what do we do next? How can we support?
There's no doubt that the protests, endless resources and information being made available as a result of this incident has been amazing to see, amongst which we've seen many people come together to support and push 'black owned brands'. However this shouldn't be something we just do now to jump on the wave of racial activism, now more than ever, even beauty brands that aren't 'black owned' should wake up to the reality that it's time to be inclusive of every race and nationality with their campaigns, products and staff.
Here is a selection of some of the best black owned beauty brands:
1. Charlotte Mensah
@CharlottemensahThe British/Ghanian award winning hairstylist provides a phenomenal hair-care product line formulated around Manketti Oil - an extract sustainably sourced from the manketti nut that not only hydrates, but also smooths frizz, adds shine, and soothes dry scalps.
2. Everyday Cosmeticss
@everydaycosmeticssThe latest e-commerce wholesale beauty business founded by Black British born founders Sarah Bakare and Josephine Anane which launched in January this year. Everyday Cosmeticss is your arsenal of beauty products, all with very affordable prices and very fast delivery!
3. Maya Nije Perfume
Maya Nije PerfumeMaya Njie was inspired by her small Swedish summer house to her grandparents' visits on a Sunday afternoon when developing this perfume line, she set out to capture scents that would help revive the memories so engrained in her family photo album. These perfumes capture the soul of Njie's Swedish-Gambian heritage, whether that's with hints of leather, bursts of sweet summer fruits, or a unique combination of vanilla and cardamom that's particular to Swedish tradition.
4. MDM Flow
@mdmflowFor all the 90's babies! An inspiring LCF cosmetic science graduate, born and raised in London, Florence Adepoju who found a niche for a cosmetic brand inspired by the late 90's and the reigning years of Hip Hop with all it's glamour. Florence launched her cosmetic line at 22 and it's very popular for the highly pigmented lip collection.
Check out: MDM Flow Lip Collection (£13-£15)
4. Pat McGrath Labs
@patmcgrathlabs_contactNo doubt, Pat Mcgrath set a high standard for makeup artists in the fashion industry for many years, with her cosmetics line 'Pat Mcgrath Labs' being one of the first beauty brands to cater to a variety of different skin tones. From the eyeshadow palettes to the matte lipsticks, these highly pigmented are some of the most luxurious and high quality you will ever get your hands on.
Check out: Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Concealer (£26)
5. TPH by Taraji
@tphbytarajiTaraji P Hensen is not only an amazing actress but the founder of TPH which was birthed after years of her bad experiences with stylists who didn't know how to work with black hair. This is an issue that is very common in most creative industries so it's great to see a hair line that caters for all hair types; natural hair, wigs, installs, braids, locs, straight hair, wavy hair & curly hair.
Check Out: Master Cleanse was the first product Henson made for herself. It's a refreshing formula made with witch hazel water, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil to break down buildup. Its packaging is outfitted with a tri-touch applicator, which provides deep access your fingers might not get to - whether you're wearing a protective style or cleansing your natural curls.
6. B.Simone Beauty
@bsimonebeautyThe inspirational Businesswoman and Youtube personality who's 'road to a million' video went viral on social media launched her namesake vegan and cruelty-free line which is made up of mainly lip products, including liners, lipsticks, and glosses, as well as makeup bags and accessories. These products are very affordable and long-lasting!
Check Out: The Lip Mattes are long-lasting, creamy, and come in gorgeous colours with fun names like "Money Maker," "Freestyle," and "Link in Bio."
7. Frederick Benjamin Grooming
@fredbgroomingMichael James, the founder of Frederick Benjamin Grooming, started his brand because he was determined to find a better way for Black men to feel powerful when it comes to hair care and grooming. He wanted to provide them with safe, high-quality products that are free from common chemicals and irritants, so he made products infused with natural oils to cleanse the scalp and hair without stripping it while fighting bacteria and calming aggravated skin. In addition to basic hair care and styling agents, the brand also offers a range of shaving products, including a soothing after-shave gel with aloe vera, a beard oil, and a post-shave bump treatment.
Check Out: The Easy Primer Skin & Beard Oil is a pre-shave elixir that soothes dry skin and prevents irritation. It's also lightweight and sinks into the skin quickly.
8. Shea'd Beauty
@sheadbeautyYoung beautician and founder of Shea'D Beauty, Shea Moss is the founder of this leading nail bar making influencers go false nail crazy! Based in East London, they were the first to start creating their own 'stick on' acrylic nails helping their regular clients get through COVID-19 with their nails still looking glamorous.
Check Out: https://sheadbeauty1.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/rainbow
9. Danessa Myricks Beauty
@danessa_myricksWho wouldn't want their skin to glow constantly as if Danessa Myricks did our makeup?! Whether she's creating a super high-impact, metallic eye look complete with gold foil, or she goes soft glam with a glossy lip, Myricks's work is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Danessa Myricks Beauty offers everything you need for a full face, start to finish. There is also a wide selection of pigments in both powder and liquid form that you can use on your lips, eyes, and even body.
Check Out: Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Colour. You can use these little tubes absolutely anywhere.
10. Bomba Curls
@bombacurlsLulu Cordero is using hair care to celebrate the roots of her Dominican culture — and its beauty secrets. Cordero's Bomba Curls brand uses high-quality natural and organic ingredients that help maintain strong, moisturized, poppin' curls. The brand launched with the Forbidden Hair Oil, and recently expanded to include the Forbidden Hair Mask, a deep conditioning treatment that promises to restore elasticity and promote healthy hair growth.
Check Out: Dominican Forbidden Oil, a lightweight and multipurpose oil with nourishing ingredients like coffee seed and black cumin seed oils. It's gained a ton of popularity online with natural hair enthusiasts on social media.
11. Range Beauty
@range_beautyAlicia Scott started her career working in the fashion industry, where she noticed a lack of deeper foundation shades at runway shows and photoshoots as well as many foundations also causing Scott's eczema to flare up, even if she could find her shade, the formulation might not agree with her sensitive skin. So, as any self-starter would do, Scott decided to create a foundation she could actually use that wouldn't irritate her skin. Her beauty brand, Range, offers 21 shades. As a bonus, the hydrating formula contains soothing chamomile extract and French clay to keep oil under control.
Check Out: The True Intentions Hydrating Foundation, which gives you sheer to medium coverage and has calendula and cornflower extracts that have natural anti-bacterial properties for acne and eczema-prone skin.
12. Beauty Bakerie
@beautybakeriemakeuWe love an Instagram baddie beat, but a makeup lover needs choices, and Cashmere Nicole, founder of Beauty Bakerie, is happy to offer some. When she created her brand, Nicole wanted it to promote an alternative to the bad-girl images that young people are often exposed to, especially on social media. Sweetness and innocence is what Nicole wanted to bring back to the game, and that mission is reflected in so many elements of the brand. The packaging keeps to a confectioner's theme. The brands ‘So Icy’ illuminator powder is housed in what looks like a mini tub of ice cream. The hero Lip Whip tubes have that signature swirl that make it look like the lipsticks were filled using a frosting pipe. Certain items, like the Neapolitan Eyescream Palette, look good enough to eat.
Check Out: The Lip Whip, a liquid matte lip color that’s a hit with the brand’s massive Instagram following.
13. Unsun Cosmetics
@unsuncosmeticsIt's time to pick up products like this that look after and protect the skin with anti-aging properties for the summer! Unsun Cosmetics was created by Katonya Breaux in 2016 after years of searching for a sunscreen that works for women of colour. The brand's three-piece sun-care collection consists of 100 percent mineral-based SPFs that don't leave behind any weird residue or chalkiness. They're also made with skin-boosting ingredients like hydrating glycerin, coconut oil, and olive fruit oil for added moisture. Star product: The Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen provides broad-spectrum SPF 30 and has a subtle tint that evens out the skin and gives it a glowing finish.
14. Pear Nova
@pearnovaMany have been waiting for this! The new phenomena - vegan nail products that involve understanding the tones and formulations required for polishes to shine on darker complexions — founder Rachel James birthed Pear Nova. Inspired by the colours and fabrics she sees on fashion runways, the polishes are 5-free (so no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate DBP).
15. Beautystat Cosmetics
@beautystatSkincare beauty experts this is for you! After researching and reviewing thousands of products, and developing products for Clinique, L'Oréal, Revlon, and Avon, cosmetics chemist Ron Robinson launched Beautystat Universal C Skin Refiner. His brand mission is to "help consumers cut through the clutter and understand what types of beauty products are working and what's not".
Check Out: Beautystat Universal C Skin Refiner. It's packed with 20 percent pure vitamin C (L- ascorbic acid), which we know has amazing benefits for evening skin tone and texture, boosting radiance, and diminishing the appearance of dark spots. It also contains squalane for lightweight moisture and tartaric acid, an ingredient known to optimise skin's pH levels for better absorption.
16. Mented Cosmetics
@mentedcosmeticsMented Cosmetics came to life with one question founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson couldn't find the answer to: Why was it so hard to find a nude lipstick for their rich skin tones? Thus began their quest to perfect nude lipsticks and lip liners for deeper brown skin. They created quite a zealous following of others looking for the perfect nude also. Since then, the brand has expanded to include foundation sticks, eyeshadows, blushes, and even nail polish.
Check Out: Skin by Mented is one of their most versatile products. It's a multi-stick that functions as a foundation, concealer, and contour all-in-one.
17. Juvia's Place
@juviasplaceFounded by Chichi Eburu, Inspired and sparked by the beauty of Africa, Juvia's Place is a celebration of the richness, glory, and history of the African kings and queens, which is translated through the product packaging, pigment, and visuals. Each palette and individual hue is hand selected with a reason and cause behind it. For full coverage and maximum pigment, get lost in The Nubian Eyeshadow Palette or the Nefertiti Loose Highlighter, and radiate the beauty of the African plains.
Check Out: The Nubian eyeshadow palette.
18. Baby Tress
@shopbabytressEver struggled to lay your edges in the morning? Elevating the curl function, Baby Tress is a hair tool company that caters to the taming, styling, and defining our baby hairs. Understanding the demand when it comes to our baby hairs that is often dressed in the varying hairstyles, the brand has redefined the edge styler with their product, which combs to separate and smooth the hairline, swoops and shapes the edges, and features a pointed tip at the end to sharpen the finishing details.
19. Skin Gourmet
@skingourmetus"Pure raw wild" is Skin Gourmet's motto, a beauty brand started by Ghanian-born Violet Awo Amoabeng. Everything about the brand is done by hand: the ingredients hand-picked, the formulas hand-mixed and hand-packaged, in jars and bottles that you can return to the brand to be reused. As for the "pure" part, the brand uses absolutely no preservatives, stabilisers, parabens, artificial colours, or fragrances these creams and scrubs are truly good enough to eat.
Check out: Skin Gourmet Baobab Sugar Scrub (£37)
20. Okiki Skincare
@okikiskincareFounded in 2016 by mother and daughter, Ade Ogunsola and Antonia Ogunsola, Okiki Skincare is made in Britain and inspired by their Nigerian and Ghanaian roots. The products range from soaps, scrubs, skincare, candles, and much more, which are reminiscent of recipes that have been used by their ancestors for generations. And for every large candle sold, Okiki donates £1 to help re-plant trees in Ghana.
Shemiah Heckman - Make-up Artist