Black-Owned Beauty Brands To Support Right Now, And Forever
A go-to guide to the best beauty brands to learn from and support.
The beauty industry hasn't been the most inclusive in the past, with brands offering abysmal shade options when it comes to make-up and hair products that don't cater to different textures but, we're starting to see a big shift when it comes to brands designing products that are suited to all people.
This shift is down to the founders and creators of Black-owned beauty brands that have changed the conversation and highlighted the lack of representation and diversity that's been present within the beauty industry for too long. Take Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, it first launched with 40 foundation shades which not only earned praise from consumers but caused the big brands out there to look at their shade range and challenge them to step up.
The beauty industry still has a long way to go, with plenty of brands and founders needing to listen and learn more about how they can improve but we can hope that this is just the starting point.
Read on for ELLE's round up of the Black-owned game-changing beauty brands that we should learn from and support now, and always.
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Danessa Myricks Beauty
MUA Danessa Myricks has become a beacon of experimental and colour-block editorial make-up looks, with her namesake brand gaining cult status over in the US and a loyal international fanbase including Katie Jane Hughes, Delina Medhin and Lisa Eldridge.
This is a brand where everyone can find something that works for them, with multi-functional products ranging from brightly coloured cream palettes to dew-inducing balms. What's more, the brand just launched with Cult Beauty in the UK, making it easier than ever to get our hands on the products this side of the pond.
The Wig Bar London
Launched in 2019 to provide wig revamp services, The Wig Bar London recently dropped their own product range as well, so you can give your girls the full at-home wig treatment. The aim? To create a more sustainable hair industry by prolonging the life of our wigs and encouraging a ‘buy-less-wear-more’ approach.
Shedid & Parrish
Founded by Jessica Parish, the inspiration for this brand was born from Parish's own experience as a mixed race child whose adoption into a caucasian family meant she was left in the dark about how to style and care for her curls.
Being kind and nurturing to curly hair is front and centre for this brand as is being cruelty free, meaning that the whole range is 100% vegan and never tested on animals.
ROSEN Skincare
On a mission to disrupt the way we've been taught to deal with acne, ROSEN skincare cuts through the jargon and promotes transparent and kind-to-skin treatments.
Having had acne most of her life, founder Jamika Martin says she reached 'a point when I knew I needed a better way to treat my skin' and took it upon herself to create a clean range that inspires confidence in the way we view ourselves.
Kanti
Kanti is here to show us that skincare doesn't have to be complicated to get great results. Founded in 2019 by sisters Keamone F. and Alisha Ricki, the brand encompasses the shared passion the sisters have to empower Black women and create skincare that puts melanin-rich skin first. The Likuid Gold Oil has since become an iconic glow-giving product, and the brand launched its female internship programme kanti university in 2020.
516 polish
This brand has nailed it (we couldn't resist) when it comes to swatch diversity. Offering over 50 shades, 516 polish takes a conscious approach to ingredients and promises 100% vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic formulas. The brand includes traditional polishes, one-step gels, nail care and accessories across its range.
Beauty Bakerie
Cashmere Nicole, President, Founder, CEO & CBO of Beauty Bakerie was a nurse and single mum before creating the brand in 2011 after battling breast cancer. Fans of the vegan brand include Cardi B and Beyoncé, to just name a few.
The brand famously re-jigged the shade number of their foundation line, switching the darkest shade to number one, and the lightest shade to number 59. 'We arranged them dark to light. It means we’ve been conditioned to think that dark to light is out of order,' explained Nicole.
The Afro Hair & Skin Co.
Founded by Wellness Beauty Expert, Ibi Meier-Oruitemeka, The Afro Hair & Skin Co. focuses on the power of natural beauty by using locally-sources and British-grown ingredients, designed specifically for Black women.
Jim + Henry
Famous for their deep conditioning formulas, Jim + Henry use only the purest and most necessary ingredients. Each product tells you on the front how many ingredients there are in the formula.
The brand sustainability initiatives included going zero-waste, by offering a refill system for products and uses recycled products for their packaging, from their jars to their cardboard.
Fenty Beauty
There's no denying that when Rihanna branched out into beauty she smashed it out of the park. Not only did she break the internet by launching 40 shades of foundation (which has since been extended to 50) but it also caused the beauty industry as a whole to step up and produce a wider range of shades, with brands following in suit.
Dizziak
Dizziak was founded by Londoner, Loretta De Feo, who struggled to find a conditioner to suit her hair and decided to create her own instead.The game-changing range features ultra-hydrating formulas, mixed with natural minerals and plant oils, designed for every single hair type.
Nails & Brows Mayfair
Founded by beauty expert Sherrille Riley, Nails & Brows Mayfair is THE go-to place to have everything from a luxe mani to microblading done. Meghan Markle is just one of their happy customers known to get her brows done there. Due to the high demand, the brand have also launched their own brow products, so you can achieve the royal look at home.
Equi Botanics Haircare
Born out of her own hair struggles and inspired by her daughters, founder of Equi Botanics Haircare, Ekwy Chukwuji-Nnene, created a range of products designed to help all hair shine and thrive.
Pat McGrath Labs
The genius behind some of the most iconic catwalk beauty looks of all time and appropriately dubbed the Mother Of Make-Up, MUA Pat McGrath finally blessed us with her own beauty line in 2016, which started with her gold eyeshadow selling out in seconds. Since then, the brand has had major success, being estimated at a net worth of over $1 billion in 2020.
Bouclème
The Instagram-worthy pastel packaged hair brand not only uses fair trade ingredients to provide weight-free curls but it's also free from chemical nasties, cruelty-free and the ingredients themselves are biodegradable.
Charlotte Mensah
Multi-award winning afro hairstylist, Charlotte Mensah, launched her own natural haircare line in 2016 and the world could not get enough, with her Manketti Hair Oil becoming instantly iconic. In 2018 she became the first Black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressing Hall of Fame and the ELLE beauty team are as obsessed with her scented candles as her conditioner.
Lash Magnifique London
Founded by Stacey Nathaniel, celebrity-favourite brand, Lash Magnifique produces luxe eyelashes that are vegan, cruelty-free and can be worn up to 25 times.
Twisted Sista
Created by Stephen Durham with his stylists at Urban Therapy, Twisted Sista's hair products are designed to fight against the stress and effects of modern city living with protective and nourishing formulas.
Liha Beauty
Created by life long friends, Liha and Abi, the natural and organic skincare brand focuses on the blend of West Africa botanical ingredients with traditional English aromatherapy remedies. Our stretch marks would like to personally thank Liha Beauty's Gold Shea Butter.
RadSwan
The brand launched by influencer and fashion blogger, Frédérique Harrel, originally called Big Hair No Care, focuses on 100% consciously-sourced clip-in hair extensions in a whole host of curls, kinks and textures.
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