Yahoo Finance From clean hair care to inclusive makeup shades, these Black-owned beauty brands are pushing the industry forward
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Hello nourished skin! Hello healthy hair! If your routine doesn’t include products from Black-owned beauty brands, you’re not doing it right.
When it comes to creating inclusive beauty products that address the needs of different skin tones and a range of hair textures, Black-owned beauty brands are leading the way. From 4C Only’s collection of hair care products designed specifically for people with kinky, coily hair to Bevel’s grooming products created with men of color in mind, these brands continue to push the industry forward.
Shopping Black-owned brands shouldn’t be something you do during a single month of the year. These Black-owned beauty brands are making dope, highly effective products that you’ll want to use all year long. So when you run out of your current cleanser or conditioner, switch things up and shop from one of the Black-owned beauty brands below. Trust and believe, you’ll be glad you did.
Black-Owned Beauty Brands
4C Only
Founder: Kim and Tim Lewis
About the Brand: 4C Only creates products with the kinkiest and coiliest of textured hair in mind. The Black-owned beauty brand carries four individual products: The Too Clean Shampoo, the Too Thicke Deep Conditioner, the Too Soft Leave-In Conditioner and the Too Slick Styling Cream. The line also lets you snag all of the 12-ounce jars in a bundle for just $70.
Read more about 4C Only here.
Adwoa Beauty
Founder: Julian Addo
About the Brand: Founded by Julian Addo, Adwoa Beauty is a gender-neutral Black-owned beauty brand that creates clean products for multicultural hair textures. Adwoa Beauty meets the “Clean at Sephora” standards, and additionally, all of the brand’s products consistently receive positive reviews.
Bephies Beauty Supply
Founder: Beth Birkett Gibbs
About the Brand: If you’re on the search for a new Black-owned brand to add to your roster, Bephies Beauty Supply is a brand you need to know. The was founded in 2020 out of a “desire to involve [the] community in the tangible elements of [Black] culture by highlighting unique brands founded by WOC artists and entrepreneurs who are redefining beauty and fashion as vivid, powerful and individual,” according to the site. Today, you’ll find everything from hair products and hand sanitizer to T-shirts and face masks on Bephies’ website.
Read more about Bephies Beauty Supply here.
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Bevel
Founder: Tristan Walker
About the Brand: Bevel, a brand under African-American entrepreneur Tristan Walker’s health and beauty company Walker & Company Brands, stemmed from Walker’s frustration of not finding a razor that worked well with his unique skin and hair texture as a man with textured hair. “Shaving irritation and razor bumps [are] issues some 80% of Black men and women have globally,” he said in an interview with CNN. “If you have curly hair, this is an issue that you’re likely to face.”
Walker founded Walker & Company Brands in 2013, focusing on selling personal care products for Black and brown people. “[My] company really started out of my frustrations of not having products that I could use,” he said. From then, the brand only continued to grow, with the company releasing more products that are mainstays in many people of color’s routines.
Read more about Bevel here.
Black Girl Sunscreen
Founder: Shontay Lundy
About the Brand: If you’re of a deeper complexion, then you know caste-free sunscreens are a fairly recent advancement. Black Girl Sunscreen is just one of the pioneering Black-owned beauty brands working to deliver sun protection — without a white or purple caste — one bottle at a time. The brand carries a three-fluid ounce bottle that features a broad spectrum SPF 30 packed with moisturizing ingredients like jojoba and avocado.
Read more about Black Girl Sunscreen here.
BLK/OPL
Founders: Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry-McKissack
About the Brand: BLK/OPL remains a veteran in the beauty game. Having been around for 25 years, the brand has amassed a loyal following of consumers that swear by its products. Currently available in more than 30 countries worldwide, BLK/OPL was founded by Jamaica native Carol Mouyiaris and her Greek husband, but officially became entirely Black-owned in 2019 when bought by businesswomen Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry-McKissack.
The skincare and beauty brand’s first product, the Advanced Dual Complex Fade Gel, first launched in 1994. Currently, its finishing powder remains one of the staples in many Black women’s makeup routines for its soft color payoff that complements the pigments in deeper skin tones.
Bolden Skincare
Founders: Chinelo Chidozie and Ndidi Obidoa
About the Brand: Marketed as “skincare for Black and brown girls,” Bolden Skincare was founded by two Black women, Chinelo Chidozie and Ndidi Obidoa. In the Bolden mission statement, the women say it exists “to embolden women like us to confidently embrace their natural beauty.” Each product is “expertly-crafted, responsibly-sourced and tailor-made” to fit the experiences of women of color. Bolden currently has a full range of skincare products including a cleanser, toner, mask, SPF-included moisturizer and treatment to fully cover any skincare routine in its entirety.
BREAD
Founder: Maeva Heim
About the Brand: Born out of Australia, there’s no question that BREAD founder Maeva Heim is changing the game. The Black-owned beauty brand creates products that specifically for textured and curly hair. The brand recognizes that all curls don’t look the same and therefore stays away from phrases like “anti-frizz.” Best-sellers from the brand include their Everyday Hair Gloss, which won an Allure Best of Beauty Award, and their new Macadamia Oil.
Read more about BREAD here.
Briogeo
Founder: Nancy Twine
About the Brand: Nancy Twine started Briogeo in her New York City apartment in 2013. Inspired by her grandmother’s beauty recipes, Twine partnered with a team of natural chemists to bring her “clean” creations to the masses. Today, Briogeo has grown into a comprehensive haircare brand that includes eight different product lines and legions of loyal fans. Briogeo’s products are available at both Sephora and Ulta; shoppers can also purchase the products at the brand’s website, briogeohair.com.
Read more about Briogeo here.
Buttah
Founder: Dorion Renaud
About the Brand: Buttah was founded in 2018 by former “College Hill” reality star, actor, TV host and model Dorion Renaud. As outlined on the brand’s website, Renaud created the line after tirelessly searching for skincare products that addressed the specific needs of highly melanated skin. The lightbulb moment came when he discovered the “transformational properties” of Buttah’s star ingredient: raw, organic, natural shea butter. Renaud explains he created Buttah Skincare for “everyone who is searching for products that work.”
Read more about Buttah Skincare here.
Ceylon
Founder: Patrick Boateng II
About the Brand: Started in 2017, Ceylon was developed and founded by Patrick Boateng II to fill this void in the market. The flagship collection of Ceylon products includes a three-piece skincare set that seeks to make skincare both accessible and simple for everyday use. The set includes products covering three of the main steps in any skincare routine (cleanser, toner and moisturizer), they are also sold separately.
Read more about Ceylon here.
Chloe & Chad
Founder: Aisha Besson
About the Brand: According to their site, “Chloe and Chad is an organic and natural lifestyle company creating safe and uncommon artisanal handmade goods for the whole family.” There are all-natural and organic ingredients in the brand’s skincare line. Another plus is the brand uses only premium essential oils in their skincare, never fragrance oils.
Read more about Chloe & Chad here.
Hey Humans
Founder: Jada Pinkett-Smith
About the Brand: Co-founded by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Hey Humans is a line of sustainably-made bath and both care products designed to change how we use — and reuse — our day-to-day products. Every product is made from aluminum and paper, so they’re all endlessly recyclable. Not to mention, the formulas are gender-free and made clean in the United States without the use of sulfates, parabens, phthalates or silicones. Plus, the products are available exclusively at Target and nothing costs more than $6.
Read more about Hey Humans here.
Klur
Founder: Lesley Thornton
About the Brand: Trained esthetician Lesley Thornton launched Klur with a commitment to beauty products that were clean, ethical and inclusive. All of Klur’s products have multiple benefits, so you can achieve your best skin ever while also keeping your skincare routine simple and minimal.
Lys Beauty
Founder: Tisha Thompson
About the Brand: Committed to creating universally-flattering clean beauty products, former makeup artist and marketer Tisha Thompson launched Lys Beauty. The line includes high-performance foundation and cream blushes that regularly sell out because they’re so popular. In 2021, Sephora announced that Lys would be the first Black-owned clean beauty brand to be sold in their stores and on their website.
Read more Lys Beauty here.
Melanin Haircare
Founders: Whitney and Taffeta White
About the Brand: Longtime natural hair YouTuber Whitney White (adoringly known as Naptural85 on YouTube) answered her subscribers’ prayers in 2015 when she partnered with her sister Taffeta White to launch their own brand Melanin Haircare. Boasting the tagline “simple natural hair care,” Melanin strives to make products that are high in nutrients and accessible for all.
“I wanted to share my love for natural, homemade and safe hair care products on a larger scale, so that everyone, regardless of time or budget, could benefit from real, nutrient-rich products for healthy, thriving hair and scalp,” Whitney shared on the brand’s website.
Mented Cosmetics
Founders: KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson
About the Brand: Mented Cosmetics is another brand formulated to meet the unmet beauty needs of Black and brown women. Founded by Black women KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, Mented — a play on the word pigmented — was born when both women, while relaxing “over a glass of pinot,” asked themselves why it was so difficult for them to find the perfect nude lipstick that complemented their complexions.
“We believe every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty, no matter her skin tone,” the women explained in the brand’s mission statement. “We know you’ll love being put first — because when it comes to beauty, no one deserves to be an afterthought.” All of Mented Cosmetics’ lipsticks are vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic and cruelty-free. The brand also offers a wide range of eyeshadow palettes, lip glosses and lip pencils.
Nancy’s Kitchen
Founder: Donna Jenay
About the Brand: If you’ve ever been told that your naturally kinky, coily or curly hair was “hard to manage,” you’re not alone. Tired of hearing the same myth about textured hair repeated over and over again, Donna Jenay decided to create Nancy’s Kitchen, a Black-owned beauty brand committed to serving the “natural hair community with high quality hair care solutions.” The brand immediately took off, with features in top publications like Allure, Elle and The Oprah Magazine. The brand’s Miracle Leave-In Conditioner even received an In The Know Beauty Impact Award in 2021! Most of the brand’s products frequently sell out within minutes of being restocked, so be sure to sign up for email alerts if you want to try these incredible hair care products.
Nyakio
Founder: Nyakio Grieco
About the Brand: Inspired by her childhood trips to Africa, Nyakio Grieco founded Nyakio to pay homage to the beauty secrets and traditions passed down from generation to generation. Each Nyakio beauty product is made with Fair Trade Shea Butter and other globally sourced ingredients that are both clean and effective.
Pattern
Founder: Tracee Ellis Ross
About the Brand: Tracee Ellis Ross has an iconic mane, so it made sense when the actress launched her own line of hair products. In 2019, the “Black-ish” star launched Pattern. While speaking of the business venture, the Golden Globe award winner said Pattern was 10 years in the making, explaining she created the line to solve “unmet beauty needs that have not been addressed.”
“Moving my attention to an area that people don’t know of me and that was new for me, as a CEO and founder — everything from packaging and the creative vision and all that kind of stuff to the formulas — I feel a little weepy about that part,” she said. Pattern is currently sold in Ulta Beauty stores.
Read more about Pattern here.
Shani Darden
Founder: Shani Darden
About the Brand: When it came time to create her skin care line, esthetician Shani Darden was focused on one thing: results. Given that, it should come as no surprise that Darden’s products are frequent sell-outs. Her Retinol Reform® serum has a cult following, and her highly-anticipated Eye Renewal Cream already has a waitlist.
Sienna Naturals
Founders: Hannah Diop and Issa Rae
About the Brand: Inspired to create high-quality, natural products that hydrate and nourish textured hair, Hannah Diop started Sienna Naturals with actress, director and all-around creative Issa Rae. The brand’s line includes everything from scalp treatments to shampoos and conditioners, all made with clean ingredients.
Read more about Sienna Naturals here.
Uoma Beauty
Founder: Sharon Chuter
About the Brand: Uoma Beauty was founded by Nigeria-born, Los Angeles and London-based former beauty executive Sharon Chuter. The unique brand name (pronounced “uh-mah”), means “beautiful” in the founder’s native language. Its line of products is “rebellious, innovative and created for all.”
The line, which ranges from complexion products including foundations and concealers to lip and eye products, has received raving reviews from respected and trusted beauty gurus and YouTubers including Jackie Aina, Nyma Tang and NikkieTutorials. Its hero product, the Say What?! Foundation, is available in a whopping 51 shades and continues to be a favorite within the beauty community.
Read more about Uoma Beauty here.
Wrap Life
Founder: Nnenna Stella
About the Brand: Black-owned hair accessories brand Wrap Life makes the most beautiful hair wraps and headbands. The Brooklyn-made head wraps and headbands feature high-quality fabric, with both firm and stretchy options. With a variety of colors and patterns, there is a style for anyone who wants to adorn their crown in style.
Read more about Wrap Life here.
Contributors: Ari Bines, Ellie Conley, Moriba Cummings, Katie Dupere, Jeanine Edwards, Laura Galvan, Jamé Jackson, Julia Webb
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