The beauty industry has a history of Eurocentric standards. For a long time, the brands that monopolized the market lacked inclusivity and didn’t have products that catered to darker complexions and different hair textures. As inclusivity and diversity (at long last) become more important in the industry, we’ve seen the rise of more Black-owned brands created specifically for melanated skin and textured hair. Here are some of our favorite Black beauty brands and products moms will love, including this mom’s can’t-live-without picks!
Best Black-Owned Skincare Brands
Topicals
Topicals is a skincare brand for all skin types, but their products work especially well for those with skin issues such as uneven tone, eczema, and hyperpigmentation. They’re quickly becoming a cult-favorite skincare brand for their exclusive use of ingredients scientifically proven to work based on peer-reviewed clinical trials.
Eadem
Eadem is a clean, science-backed skincare line, 2022 Cosmopolitan Beauty Award winner, and currently one of the biggest brands in the skincare space. They carry powerhouse essentials for melanated skin, including their cleanser, dark spot serum, and moisturizer. Their products, which are formulated by chemists of color, studied by dermatologists of color, and tested on models of color, are quickly becoming a favorite of tastemakers.
Hanahana Beauty
Hanahana Beauty is a personal favorite because of their dedication to sustainability. The brand is clean, transparent, contains ethically-sourced ingredients, and is committed to uplifting women of color by sourcing shea butter from a women’s collective in Ghana. Best known for their shea body butter, they have equally amazing products for your face.
Best Black-Owned Haircare Brands
Bread Beauty Supply
Maeva Haim founded Bread Beauty Supply with the intent of creating haircare products that can be used every day. As their website states, “Our kit 1-wash is the full bread basket, with all the essentials you need for a routine clean. Then we have other things to layer (and layover) between showers, like hair-oil (lip gloss for your strands) and hair-cream (leave-in conditioning and styling for all-over).” This brand has become a favorite for curly-, kinky-, coily-haired queens.
Melanin Haircare
Sisters Whitney and Tafetta White created Melanin Haircare to nourish natural hair, rooting their products in scalp health with natural, safe, and high-quality ingredients. It’s no surprise their products are constantly sold out; they really are that good.
Urban Hydration
Founded in 2010 by married couple Psyche and Vontoba Terry, Urban Hydration is a skincare and haircare brand that offers clean beauty at affordable prices. What’s so great about their products is that they’re gentle enough for your little ones as well and work wonders on curls, keeping them hydrated, healthy, and frizz-free.
Best Black-Owned Makeup Brands
The Lip Bar
This vegan and cruelty-free makeup brand has been around since 2012, starting as a lipstick line with vibrant highly-pigmented shades that eventually expanded to eye and face products and became a household name. They even won a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award for their 2-in-1 Powder Bronzer + Blush Duo. From personal experience, their tinted skin conditioner is my can’t-live-without product—it feels like skin while providing full coverage!
Ami Colé
This clean beauty brand formulated for melanin-rich skin has taken the beauty world by storm since launching in 2021. Ami Colé offers products such as a highlighter, lip oil, and breathable skin tint priced between $19 and $32. “Beauty created for us. By us. Because before, there was nothing out there that really saw us.”
Pat McGrath Labs
Pat McGrath Labs is a brand that continues to receive rave reviews across social media, and for good reason. Pat McGrath has been glamming up the faces of fashion models for more than 25 years, so it’s no surprise her products are next-level. While the brand is on the pricier side in comparison to others, the quality is unmatched.
Best Black Beauty Subscription Boxes
CURLBOX
CURLBOX, just as it sounds, is a subscription box for those with textured hair who are looking for products that work to keep their kinks healthy. Each month they send full-size products from one specific brand, so you get to try an entire line together as intended. Be sure to sign up for the waitlist so you can snag the latest box, and don’t miss finding your new favorite haircare line.
COCOTIQUE
COCOTIQUE will have you eagerly waiting by the door each month. Created in 2013 by Dana Hill, Cocotique is a monthly subscription box that sends carefully-curated products, specifically those from Black and Brown women-owned brands, to your doorstep. The great thing about this box is that it always includes some full-size products, and there’s always something that’s sure to become one of your new staples.
My Personal Hero Products
Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Shampoo + Conditioner
This shampoo and conditioner duo changed my hair completely. It’s infused with liquid protein to actively repair damaged hair and reduce breakage. My hair is healthier and softer since using this, and I highly recommend it to anyone with textured hair.
Bio-Oil Skincare Oil
While Bio-Oil is not Black-owned, I would be doing a huge disservice if I didn’t mention this product, because if I could only take one skincare product to a deserted island, it would be this. With more than 42,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, this product is the holy grail for many. It not only moisturizes is lightweight, but its borderline magic formula is the most effective product I’ve ever used for scars and dark spots. “This product has been amazing for my C-section scar. It has significantly reduced not only the coloring of the scar but the texture as well,” one user said.
Juvia’s Place I Am Magic Concealer
Inspired by the richness of African beauty, Juvia’s Place products contain pigmented colors that pop on deep skin tones and a wide range of shades that are inclusive for all people. This concealer provides full coverage and doesn’t irritate my sensitive acne-prone skin, definitely a 10/10.
MUAVES Quick Dry Hair Wrap
Minority-owned MUAVES carries my absolute favorite satin hair wrap. Many people forget that the way you dry your hair matters and impacts its health. Using a regular towel can damage your hair cuticles. MUAVES’ Quick Dry Hair Wrap is lined with premium microfiber, it’s lightweight, and it’s so gorgeous that I can even wear it out on days when I don’t have time to dry my hair completely.
