The last few years have ushered in a whole new standard of diversity and inclusivity within the beauty industry. Although long overdue, with products suited for black women being noticeably absent from retail shelves, things are starting to change. In the light of recent global events supporting the black community and black-owned businesses feels especially important right now. While so many of our wider cultural and stylistic proclivities come straight from the black community, these same people are often not recognized in the same way as trendsetters, nor do they profit from them financially.
First and foremost we need to acknowledge that the black culture has informed and inspired the beauty space for decades. Black women not only know beauty, but they are more than happy to spend money on looking and feeling good. Across the Atlantic, African-Americans spend $1.2 trillion on beauty and grooming each year, and that number is projected to rise to $1.5 trillion by 2021.
In the UK, black women spend £5.35 billion pounds a year on beauty, with the average black woman spending £137.52 more on their beauty products per year than anyone else. – SimplyWoman.com
Despite being the ideal customer, for decades have black women had trouble finding products that suit their needs. So, instead of continuing shouting into the void, they’ve decided to take the matter into their own hands and created a whole new niche within the beauty industry based on their relatable experience. In today’s world where being diverse and inclusive is often just a good marketing tactic, we decided to give recognition to black-owned beauty brands that have so often not only catered to their black customers but have altered and are still changing the beauty industry as a whole.
Pat McGrath Labs
What can we say about Pat McGrath that hasn’t already been said before? This world-renown British makeup artist who became an industry icon for creating bold and colourful looks, launched her namesake brand Pat McGrath Labs in 2016 and changed the makeup industry for years to come, setting standards when it comes to quality, efficiency and design.
Base Butter
Founded in 2015, Base Butter strives to inspire women of color to discover, protect, and love the beauty they were born with. Their products are multipurpose allowing for usage on the lips face, hair, and body as a moisturizer. Did you know that Radiate Face Jelly is the number one rated aloe vera gel-based moisturizer for pH-balanced and hydrated skin?
Uoma Beauty
At Uoma beauty, they strongly believe and advocate that beauty comes in every color. CEO Sharon Chuter is a Nigerian beauty executive who spent over a decade working for world-renown companies, before launching her own brand in 2018. Her goal was to create a startling 51 shade foundation range that is far from the one size fits all approach so common in the industry. As she claims on the brand’s website: This is not multicultural beauty; this is simply beauty, and all are welcome to this beautiful tribe.
Juvia’s Place
Another Nigerian-born female entrepreneur stands behind some of the most inspiring vibrant gem-like looks that populate your Instagram feed. Chichi Eburu launched Juvia’s place with the intent to celebrate the beauty of rich, highly pigmented colours that define African tribes. While most known for their breathtaking eyeshadow palettes, Juvia’s place recently introduced the I Am Magic foundation that earned the brand even more praise.
Briogeo
Nancy Twine was fed up with all the big-name natural hair-care brands on the market and started Briogeo in her kitchen. After gaining a cult following online, today Twine is the youngest black woman to launch a hair care line at Sephora. All Briogeo products are made of antioxidants, oils, and vitamins to ensure stronger, healthier hair, regardless of your hair type.
Beauty Bakerie
Launched in 2011, this baked-goods-inspired brand changed the industry when they launched their Lip Whip liquid lipsticks. Through viral videos on Instagram that showcased the bold colors and the lipsticks’ ability to stand up to smudging of any kind. The brand made headlines again in 2018 for numbering its foundations and powder from the darkest to the lightest shade challenging industry standards once again.
Afrocenchix
Afrocenchix founders Rachael Corson and Jocelyn Mate met at university, and after struggling to find natural hair care products that addressed their concerns, including alopecia and sensitive skin, decided to launch their own hair care brand focusing on high-performing, non-toxic alternatives.
Epara Skincare
Epara founder Ozohu Adoh created this UK-based premium skincare line in 2017 after not being able to find any top-tier products that would work for her. Epara is focused on delivering effective product formulas with organic ingredients from Africa to treat issues women of color face — including dryness, discoloration caused by the sun, free radicals, and air pollution.
Black Girl Sunscreen
Believe it or not, the sun doesn’t discriminate and yet it’s no secret that the majority of suncreens out there are not made with black women in mind. Black Girl Sunscreen is a Black-owned sunscreen brand founded by Shontay Lundy. Made with natural ingredients, this weightless, melanin-protecting SPF 30 sunscreen dries clear so you can finally say goodbye to that annoying off-white residue!
79 Lux
Born from Karen Cummings-Palmer’s quest to find the best treatment for her thirsty, grown-up skin that still shows signs of childhood eczema, 79 Lux cult body balm uses superfood ingredients to nourish, repair and protect the skin. Launched just over a year ago, their lltra nourishing body balm made using organic and wild crafted ingredients quickly became a cult favorite.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zowwyAM28/
Alongside educating ourselves, attending protests, signing petitions, making donations, and calling our government officials to demand justice, there is a need and an opportunity to supply this kind of support, love, and commitment every single day, and supporting Black-owned businesses is one of the most genuine ways to support the Black community as a whole.
