Whether you’re a person of color looking for makeup products that match your beautiful skin or a white ally looking to break out of your old bubble and find some new, quality products, these fabulous, cruelty-free beauty brands owned by Black women have your back!
Range Beauty is dedicated to finding you diverse shades of makeup made with non-toxic ingredients. Not only do they have their own line of products, but they’re also a supplier for other makeup brands known for skin diversity, including Fenty, MAC, NARS, and Maybelline Fit Me. If you’re looking for affordable makeup made with high quality ingredients that enhance your natural beauty, Range Beauty’s vegan, cruelty-free products are for you.
Tired of being unable to find nude lipsticks in their shades, Mented Cosmetics founders K.J. Miller and Amanda E. Johnson decided to take matters into their own hands. In the three years since its creation, Mented Cosmetics has grown and expanded to offer products for the face, brow, cheek, eye, and nails in addition to their lipsticks, glosses, and liners, all of which are vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic, and cruelty-free. Find your perfect nude at Mented Cosmetics today!
Uoma Beauty sees radically inclusive beauty as a rebellion of authenticity in a world of prescriptive rather than descriptive ideas of beauty. Their award-winning Say What?! Foundation is available in over 51 shades, which are subdivided into six “Skin Kin” groups based on the Fitzpatrick Scale, which classifies skin types across ethnic groups based on how they respond to UV light. Rather than simply provide one formula in different shades, Say What?! is formulated specially to target the most common problems specific to each Skin Kin group for a foundation tailor-made to benefit your skin’s health.
True to their belief in self-expression and “colorful living” Uoma also offers lipsticks that range from nudes to sparkly gold, a variety of brow products, and delightfully bold eyeshadow palettes. No matter what your color or style, Uoma’s got something to empower your “beauty uprising.”
Sick of the beauty industry’s lack of diversity, Melissa Butler started a beauty revolution from the ground up, making lip stick products in her own kitchen while she was still working on Wall Street. When Shark Tank rejected her high-quality, vegan, cruelty-free products, she resolved “to not give someone else power over [her] dreams.” Now the entrepreneur is worth $7 million, and just opened her first Lip Bar store in Detroit!
Butler says her passion is not for makeup, but for empowering people. The Lip Bar’s specialty is “serving the underserved beauty community” with products that are healthy, ethical, easy-to-use, and fabulous. In addition to their best-selling lip products, The Lip Bar also has a wide array of products for the face and eye.
Lip Bar is the perfect beginner’s brand, too! Not only does their website offer dozens of free tutorial videos, but their their Fast Face system is designed to streamline the makeup shopping process by offering you recommendations based on your complexion.
Brooklyn native of Carribean descent Loraine R. Dowdy feels so strongly about her mission of encouraging self-expression and diversity through makeup that she left a high-powered job in finance to pursue her dream. Her company, Coloured Raine, is dedicated to empowering its employees (100% of whom are Black, 75% of whom are women!) and giving back to the Black community.
Coloured Raine’s products are influenced by Dowdy’s “deep and intense love for color.” From blue lip veils to orange highlighters, Coloured Raine’s vibrant colors will not disappoint. Gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free, Coloured Raine’s wide array of products for lip, face, and eye are meant for people of every color, gender, and age.
Built by single mom and breast cancer survivor Cashmere Nicole, Beauty Bakerie specializes in long-lasting, smudge-free makeup to help you live your life to the fullest without stopping to touch up. Beauty Bakerie made headlines in 2018 when they launched their 30-shade Cake Mix line of foundations, breaking an unspoken and unfortunate rule in the makeup industry by numbering their shades from dark to light instead of from light to dark.
Beauty Bakerie gives back, too! Their foundation, Sugar Homes, provides food, clothing, housing, and school fees for 24 orphaned children in Uganda. Between their charitable work and their cruelty-free, paraben-free, smudge-free, vegan products, Beauty Bakerie couldn’t be sweeter.
Launched in 1994 by Somali-born model, author, and philanthropist Iman, IMAN Cosmetics is the first makeup brand “for all women of skin of color.” Whether you’re Latina, Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, or or Native American, this cruelty-free beauty brand has got your back.
*If you, like me, are white and notice that you can’t find your shade with this brand, use it as an opportunity to examine your privilege and practice empathy. If you’re upset by not being able to find yourself represented in one brand, think how you would feel if you usually didn’t find yourself represented in beauty brands, or in media, or in the government?
The fact that this was my first time not being able to find a shade that matched my skin is an example of the white privilege which pervades all aspects of my existence in this country. Use your buying power to promote brands that break down racial inequity now!
Lipmatic is the place for all things lip! If you’re looking for lipsticks, glosses, shines or liners, Lipmatic has got you covered. Young entrepreneur Destiny Jones has created a line of vegan, cruelty-free products designed to pop on deep and light skin tones alike. Their products are infused with ingredients like Vitamins E & A, Shea butter, and grapeseed oil to revitalize and moisturize your lips all day. With bright, vibrant colors and long-lasting shine, Lipmatic’s products are as bold and expressive as you are.
Formerly known as Bahi Cosmetics, Ayele & Co. was founded when young entrepreneur Danielle Bahi started making cruelty-free, organic makeup products in her college dorm room. Their makeup products are designed especially for skin health and safety, making Ayele & Co. a favorite for people with acne-prone skin. Don’t just take my word for it: check out their unbelievable before & afters to see Ayele & Co.’s plant-based skincare magic for yourself!
Artist, philanthropist, and businesswoman Rihanna shook the beauty world when she launched her ulta-inclusive makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, in 2017. With over 50 shades of hydrating, long-lasting foundation, this brand boasts is one of the most nuanced and inclusive on the market. With products and makeup accessories for face, eye, lip, cheek, brow, and body, there’s no way you can go wrong with Fenty Beauty!
What are your favorite Black-owned fashion & beauty brands? Share your favorites in the comments!
Featured Image: Loraine R. Dowdy, CEO and Founder of Coloured Raine, via colouredraine.com.
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