20 Black Women-Owned Beauty Brands to Invest In

Our favorite skincare, makeup, hair, and beauty tools to add to your beauty routine.

By Nikki Coats

Jessica Felicio

With the current protests spreading across America, a long over-due spotlight is being shone on the injustices many of us have previously been privileged enough to ignore. Now is the time to step up and support the Black community, and while there is a multitude of ways to do so, one efficient way is to buy from Black women-owned companies. To that end, we’ve listed our favorite Black women-owned beauty brands that offer products designed for all your hair, skin, and makeup needs. For additional ideas for how to fund, invest in, and learn about dismantling systemic racism, see our How to Fund Black Women guide.


Skincare

Beneath Your Mask

Faced with the reality of living with Lupus, founder and CEO Dana Jackson used her personal journey of self-acceptance to redefine beauty that transcends society’s approval. Created specifically for people with health challenges—those who are sensitive to the most minor synthetic chemicals—her products are non-toxic with certified organic or wild-harvested ingredients.

beneathyourmask.com; $28

Klur

Taking a holistic approach to skincare since 2010, Klur is an eco-inclusive brand that provides personalized treatments for a variety of diverse skin conditions and ethnicities. Founded by Lesley Thornton – an esthetician with 21 years of experience – Klur has accumulated over 2,500 clients. By incorporating functional aromatics into her skincare practices, such as Klur’s Elements of Comfort Body Oil, Lesley treats this use of botanical aromatherapy as emotional management.

klur.co; $70

Matrescence Skincare

Dreamed up by a fellow mother, this pregnancy-safe beauty line will help you navigate all stages of motherhood with beautiful, radiant skin. Founded by prenatal wellness specialist Raquel Roxanne Nowak, the brand is driven by the belief that “a woman should never have to choose between what’s good for her and what makes her feel good.” Featuring a collection of organic, botanical, and plant-based products, Matrescence Skincare is self-care simplified.

thehelm.co; $82

KNC Beauty

Founder and CEO Kristen Noel Crawley became infatuated with the idea of perfect, kissable lips while in Tokyo and made it her mission to fill the void of non-toxic lip masks in the market. Two years later, she has expanded her line with star-adorned eye masks, bubbly lip balms, and lip scrubbers.

kncbeauty.com; $22

Dehiya Beauty

Founded by Dr. Mia Chae Reddy, Dehiya Beauty was named after one of the most powerful female warriors in Northern Africa. Blending timeless beauty remedies with modern ingredients and skincare routines, Dehiya offers a straightforward, inclusive, skincare regimen for all women, created from ethically-sourced botanicals from all over the globe.

thehelm.co; $28

Karité

Three sisters from Ghana⁠—Naana Boayke, Abena Slowe, and Akua Okunseinde⁠—with diverse backgrounds that include dermatology, marketing, sales, law, and economics have recreated the traditional formulated shea butter they grew up on. Unlike many other shea butter moisturizers, Karité’s natural, antioxidant-rich products feature high concentrations of raw, unrefined shea butter and palm oil sustainably sourced directly from Ghana.

mykarite.com; $36

Hyper Skin

Driven from first-hand experiences, founder Desiree Verdejo is on a mission to cure hyperpigmentation. One common issue that many women of color experience is discoloration from treating acne marks, dark spots, and oily skin. Verdejo set out to create a clean vitamin C serum she calls Hyper Clear, formulated with vitamin E, kojic acid, turmeric, and bearberry to reduce breakouts, smooth texture, and brighten skin.

gethyperskin.com; $46

Anne's Apothecary

Founded by nurse-turned-natural beauty philosopher and educator Anne Suinner-Lawoyin, Anne’s Apothecary features benefit-oriented face and body products for all skin types made using all-natural, sustainable, and dermatologist-approved ingredients in Raleigh, North Carolina.

thehelm.co; $25

Klur

Klur is here to prove that clean products and minimal maintenance can create perfect skin wellness. Through years of working as an esthetician, founder Lesley Thornton used her expert training and hands-on experiences to formulate strengthening serums, oils, and cleansers with ingredients like vitamins C, B5, and E for a wide range of skin conditions and ethnicities.

klur.co; $68

Unsun

Founder Katonya Breaux made it her mission to create a clean sunscreen for women of color in an industry where options are heavily lacking. In 2016, Unsun Cosmetics was born. Now catering to a wide range of skin tones, these tinted mineral sunscreens instantly blend into the skin with zero residue—a true staple for the summer season.

unsuncosmetics.com; $29


Makeup

Mented Cosmetics

Knowing one nude shade does not fit all, founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson created Mented cosmetics to fill the gap. Sparked from personal experience of not being able to find the perfect nude shade for their complexion, the two friends are now helping all women of color find their perfect skin match with nude lipsticks, eyeshadows, brow pencils, and foundation sticks.

mentedcosmetics.com; $16

Beauty Bakerie

Founder Cashmere Nicole is the true definition of perseverance, having completed her dreams of creating a makeup company despite battling breast cancer as a single mom. After her infamous Lip Whip went viral on Instagram, this long-lasting, smudge-free, dessert-themed line of palettes, foundation, concealer, lipsticks, setting sprays, and more took off.

beautybakerie.com; $18

UOMA Beauty

As a former LVMH executive, founder Sharon Chuter saw first-hand the lack of diversity within the beauty industry. She set out to be the change she wanted to see, and as a result, UOMA Beauty—pronounced uh-mah and meaning beautiful—was born. Built off the belief that beauty starts the moment you decide to be yourself, their Dual-sided contour sticks, Stay Woke concealer, and Boss Gloss lip glosses all celebrate the diversity in uniqueness.

uomabeauty.com; $25

Range Beauty

After working in the fashion industry, founder Alicia Scott was determined to create a cosmetics collection that consisted of a wide range of skin tones and shades, yet was made with clean ingredients that wouldn’t inflame her eczema and acne. She founded Range Beauty to offer affordable makeup products for all shades and skin types—whether sensitive, oily, dry, acne-prone or all of the above—made from high-quality ingredients.

rangebeauty.com; $21


Hair

BrioGeo

At a young age, founder Nancy Twine was introduced to the world of natural formulation through her grandmother, a local beauty guru in West Virginia. Twine became the youngest black woman to launch a hair care line at Sephora with her grandmother’s homemade recipes rebirthed as BrioGeo. Formulated for all hair types with antioxidants and vitamins, these clean products are proven to promote healthier, stronger hair.

briogeohair.com; $30

The Mane Choice

Founder Courtney Adeleye’s spark to create her own line of hair products originally came from documenting her personal healthy hair journey on YouTube. After an outpour from viewers yearning to know the registered nurse’s hair secrets, The Mane Choice was born. Specifically formulated to target any curly hair needs, each product is built from a health and science-based approach.

themanechoice.com; $14

CURLS

Founder and CEO Mahisha Dellinger is inspiring women to rock their curls with her natural hair products that are both healthy for hair and good for the environment. Formulated using a mix of vitamins and extracts like blueberry, aloe leaf juice, and chamomile, CURLS will repair, protect, restore, and grow your curls—introducing a new narrative for natural curlistas everywhere.

curls.biz; $10


Tools

OUI The People

Founder Karen Young wants to change the language of how brands market to women. Rather than selling “flawless, anti-aging, and perfecting” products, OUI the People’s “reConstitution of beauty” mission promotes beauty products like sustainable razors that prevent ingrown hairs and irritation, featherweight body glosses, and bikini line sheet masks.

ouithepeople.com; $75

The Cristalline

A lifestyle brand committed to helping you even out the energy in your life, The Crsitalline’s healing crystals hold properties that balance both the body and mind. Whether you need to calm your nerves or gain inspiration for your next venture, co-Founders Rashia Bell and Elizabeth Kohn created the brand after merging their two extensive backgrounds in wellness and design.

thehelm.co; $80

LuvScrub

A beauty secret that has been in West Africa for generations, passed down by her mother, led founder Caroline Owusu-Ansah to create this magical mesh. LuvScrub’s unique texture will clean and exfoliate your skin like no other, leaving it soft and smooth for days—and it gets better with every use. The variety of colors symbolizes everything from calm and clarity to modesty, wisdom, and happiness.

theluvscrub.com; $18

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