15 Black-Owned Beauty Brands to Support this Year
Written by Beatrice Walker / November 14, 2022
It’s a great day to buy Black, and right now Black-owned beauty brands are popping off!
The beauty industry has always been oversaturated, and up until recently not very diverse or inclusive. But within the last two years there have been quite a number of Black beauty and skincare founders quite literally shaking things up and taking up space in this extremely competitive industry. Now we’re finally seeing big beauty retailers like Sephora creating specific sections in-store and online tagged, “Black-owned” and I have to say, I love to see it! But these smaller newer brands are competing with more established, and also trendy celebrity brands, so let’s put our money where our mouth is, and really uplift the brands that need our help the most! So instead of buying products that continue to make celebrities even more wealthy, why not invest in smaller beauty brands, specifically Black-owned ones that really need your support instead of JLO or Lady Gaga.
Below are some cool new Black-owned beauty brands to look into, uplift, and support!
*By sharing this blog post you are also helping to support and promote a small, Black, woman-owned and operated business, so please forward this link to anyone you think you might benefit from or appreciate it.
Peace & Love
Bao Essentials
BAO (Black Apothecary Office) was founded in 2020 by Jae Joseph and Briana Wise and was created with the purpose to invest in and uplift small Black and Latinx-owned beauty lines. They recently launched their own line of skincare products called BAO Essentials and refer to themselves as the “Bodega of Beauty keeping community, affordability, and accessibility at the forefront. Their product line includes a cleanser, toner, lotion, and night cream all containing the line’s hero ingredient papaya, and all of the product names are inspired by the founders Caribbean heritage.
2. Auda B. Nail Polish
Auda B. is a clean, non-toxic line of luxury nail polishes founded by Samara Walker. The rich vibrant colors are inspired by seasonal fashion trends and handpicked based on the latest runway collections that grace fashion week. Auda B. polishes are certified clean, cruelty-free, vegan, made in the U.S.A, and recyclable!
3. Briogeo Hair Care
Briogeo is an inclusive line of haircare products made for all different hair textures and types. The founder Nancy Twine, created these products specifically for when she wears her straight, AND for when she wants to wear it curly. There are several different product lines each made for a different hair texture. As a curly girl myself, these are my absolute favorite haircare products! I’m personally obsessed with the Superfoods Banana + Coconut shampoo and conditioner, but all of the products I’ve tried have been amazing, and not to mention they’re also certified clean, vegan, and cruelty-free!
4. Buttah
Buttah skincare was founded in 2018 by Dorion Renaud. Unsatisfied with skincare products that were on the market that didn’t address his skins particular needs, he decided to create his own. His unisex line includes facial and body products such as the Charcoal Detox Mask, Tea Tree Aloe Mask Scrub, Vitamin C serum, and CocoShea Body Wash. Each product is made with natural ingredients like shea butter and aloe to help specifically target issues such as dryness, discoloration, oiliness, and blemishes.
5. Eadem
Eadem is a science-backed line of vegan and cruelty-free skincare products specifically made for women of color, created by women of color chemists and dermatologists. Some of their best selling products are the Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum and Cloud Cushion Moisturizer. Their trademarked Smart Melanin formula combines heritage botanicals and clean, clinically-tested ingredients ensuring effective and safe products are created for melanin rich skin.
6. Golde
One of my favorite brands ever, Golde founded by Trinity Mouzon known for their delicious matcha and turmeric superfood elixers, now also has several equally amazing skincare products available. Both the Papaya Bright and Clean Greens face masks are vegan, fragrance-fee, and cruelty-free and made up of actual superfoods and have zero fillers. The products are so clean you can actually eat them, literally food for your face.
7. Bevel
Bevel is a skincare line specifically created for men founded by Tristan Walker the Founder and CEO of Walker and Company that specifically targets razor bumps, shave irritation, dry hair and skin. Bevel aims to help Black people find a skincare routine that works for them.
8. hanahana beauty
Hanahana beauty is a line of conscious skincare founded by Abena Boamah who’s mission is to disrupt the global beauty industry by increasing accessibility, transparency, and sustainability. All of the products are made with natural ingredients and shea butter sourced directly from the Katargia Women’s Shae Cooperative in Ghana.
9. Purpl & Prosper
Purpl & Prosper is a line of beauty and skincare products founded by Taiann Eiland who also happens to be a licensed esthetician, and has been working in the skincare industry since 2007! I’ve been following Tai for a while on IG now, and was initially drawn to her positive vibes and beautiful energy which she clearly pours into her products. She makes them handmade, and in small batches so try to get your hands on these products as soon as they drop (especially the Good Flora Soak) as quickly as you can because they always sell out as soon as she restocks!
10. Topicals
Founded in 2020 by Olamide Olowe, Topicals skincare is devoted to solving chronic skin issues such as hyperpigmentation, eczema, and psoriasis using science-backed ingredients. Topicals is cruelty-free, made in sustainable recyclable packing, and they donate a portion of their profits to nonprofits that provide mental health support for marginalized communities. Also cool to note—the founder was the youngest Black woman to ever raise more than two million dollars in venture capital (it’s giving BIG BOSS energy)!!
11. USTAWI
Natacha Paugam created her skincare line USTAWI by using heirloom recipes kept by her mother made with natural and local ingredients. Paugum decided to create her own products due to her own skin issues, after visiting home in Africa and decided to name it USTAWI which means wellbeing in Swahili. The product line has been developed and categorized specifically for skincare needs of skin types 4, 5, and 6 on the Fitzpatrick scale, aka for those of us who tan very easily!
12. 54 Thrones
54 Thrones is a certified clean beauty brand created by founder Christina Tegbe. With a focus on sustainability and handcrafted products, this skincare line celebrates her rich African heritage by using organic herbs and botanicals sourced directly from Africa, hence the name 54 thrones which represents the 54 countries that make up Africa.
13. Pholk Beauty
Founded by esthetician Niambi Cacchioli, Pholk Beauty grew out of her own love and appreciation for the folk beauty and herbalist wisdom of her culture.
14. Hyper Skin
Hyper Skin was created by founder Desiree Verdejo because of her need for particular products to help with her acne prone skin and hyperpigmentation. Being both African American and Puerto Rican, she realized that there was a need for beauty products specifically for melanated skin and developed her own line of award-winning clean and vegan skincare.
15. Base Butter
Nicolette Graves and She’Neil Spence are the founders of Base Butter, a skincare brand focusing on clean ingredients created and engineered by scientists, and dermatologically tested to ensure healthy nourished skin. This duo first met at Howard University as roommates and quickly became friends, and are now building their own beauty empire together.