KOIN.com

Best Black-owned beauty brands

Best Black-owned beauty brands

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.

Which Black-owned or -founded beauty brands are best?

For a long, long time, the majority of beauty brands made products either solely for or mainly for people with fair, light complexions. Even once the big-name brands recognized the needs of those with darker complexions, their offerings were minimal at best or persistently unsuited to their customers at worst. Then, in 1973, Fashion Fair cosmetics, the first national makeup brand founded by and catering to women of color, was launched. More Black-founded and Black-owned beauty businesses would follow, though there’s plenty of room for improvement; only about 5% of retail-carried beauty brands fall under the category.

In this article: Bevel Skin Care Set, Carol’s Daughter Born to Repair Nourishing Conditioner and Flora and Noor Body Butter.

Black-owned or -founded makeup and skin care brands

Black-owned or -founded makeup and skin care brands typically have at least one thing in common: They’re tailor-made for those with deeper, darker skin tones. That doesn’t mean they only offer such products; most also have options for those with lighter tones. A small sampling of some unique brands includes:

Black-owned or -founded hair care brands

Like makeup and skin care, Black-owned or -founded hair care brands also tend to have at least one common denominator: They’re fantastic for dry hair. The reason is that African hair, despite producing more oils, curls too tightly for those oils to spread efficiently. So, Black-owned hair care products target that factor. This makes these products a true boon for anyone with dry hair, no matter their ancestry. Another sampling of more unique brands includes:

Best Black-owned or -founded makeup and skin care products

BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner

This product was clinically tested and proven to result in improved skin firmness, hyperpigmentation and crow’s feet, deep lines and wrinkles.

Sold by Amazon and Ulta Beauty

Black Opal True Color Foundation 

This foundation comes in 24 shades, making it easy for people of color to find one that’s just right. It also has a sun protection factor of 15.

Sold by Amazon and Ulta Beauty

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer

This lip luminizer uses an XXL wand so you can apply a coating in one swipe. It also has a moderate peach-vanilla scent.

Sold by Amazon, Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Flora and Noor Body Butter

This body butter can be used for a variety of reasons, such as preventing stretch marks and transepidermal water loss, or TEWL. It’s also halal, vegan and cruelty-free.

Sold by Amazon

Juvia’s Place Eyeshadow Palette

This eyeshadow palette contains six shades and comes in multiple packages, such as “Rosy Pinks,” “Orange and Golds” and “Blush and Sand.”  

Sold by Amazon

Best Black-owned or -founded hair care products

Bevel Skin Care Set

This three-piece kit contains a hydrating face gel with vitamin C, a revitalizing face wash with aloe vera and two-in-one exfoliating pads. 

Sold by Amazon

Bread Beauty Supply Hair-Oil Everyday Gloss

Bread Beauty Supply describes this product as “like a lip gloss, but for your hair.” It can be used on all hair types.

Sold by Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Carol’s Daughter Born to Repair Nourishing Conditioner

This conditioner not only treats general dryness, it also repairs and improves the smoothness of your natural curls.

Sold by Amazon

Donna’s Recipe Sweet Potato Pie Extra-Creamy Moisturizing Shampoo

This shampoo is ultra-nourishing, making it a perfect way to revitalize dried-out hair. Cinnamon is used to remove various build-ups on your scalp, plus it smells nice

Sold by Ulta Beauty

Melanin Haircare Twist-Elongating Style Cream

This cream contains a concoction of hair butters, such as shea, mango, cocoa, kokum and cupuacu, plus hydrators, such as aloe vera, avocado and sweet almond oil.

Sold by Amazon, Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.

Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.

Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.

Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.