Black-Owned Beauty Brands To Support This Holiday Season
Written by Olivia Schaffer, Contributing Writer
2020 has shined an essential light on the Black Lives Matter movement, bringing a much needed wave of support for Black-owned businesses across the world. In the fashion and beauty industry, people tend to patronize the larger beauty lines because they are well known and more accessible in name brand stores. However, some of the smaller brands owned by people of color are typically more ethically sourced, maintaining a progressive and inclusive mission statement. Recently, there has been a lot of controversy regarding white-owned beauty brands not providing a vast shade range for concealer, foundation, etc. that work for people of color. Many Black-owned beauty businesses strive to be inclusive to all skin tones and hair types to best satisfy a wide variety of people. Here is a selection of five of the best Black-owned beauty brands for you to try this new year.
CEO and founder of Bread Beauty Supply, Maeva Heim, recognizes the lack of options for women of color within the beauty market, inspiring the creation of her own natural-hair brand, Bread and Beauty Supply. The company’s product line is made by and made specifically for Black women. Bread and Beauty Supply delivers simple products for women with curls, coils, and box braids. Additionally, the brand sells shampoo, hair masks, and hair oil that is purposely designed to benefit people of color’s unique locks. This brand is newly available at Sephora as well as their website (breadbeautysupply.com).
In 2012, The Lip Bar was launched by Melissa Butler. Butler went from creating lipstick in her kitchen, to turning her brand into a beauty empire, selling out in Targets across the country. According to Butler, she was tired of the media only acknowledging a specific beauty standard and took it upon herself to remind people that the beauty industry can, and should be inclusive for everyone. While the brand started out with lipstick and glosses, today The Lip Bar offers face and eye products. If you’re a person that struggles to find your perfect makeup shade, especially when shopping online, The Lip Bar’s website has a complexion quiz that helps you find your perfect shade of almost every makeup product. In addition to being committed to enforcing an inclusive environment for all genders and races, The Lip Bar’s products are vegan and cruelty free.
KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson created Mented Cosmetics after feeling like they couldn’t find the perfect nude lipstick. Fast forward to today, Mented boasts an impressive collection of beauty products. Eyeshadow palettes, skin products, and nail polish are just a few to name. Their mission statement includes, “we believe every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty, no matter her skin tone…because when it comes to beauty, no one deserves to be an afterthought.” With this promise, Miller and Johnson delivered an array of vegan and cruelty-free products that fit every need, while adding some fun to your beauty routine. Not only does Mented have overwhelmingly positive reviews, but the brand even landed on Oprah’s 2020 favorite things list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRHBEQfnppI&feature=emb_title
Dehiya Beauty was created by Dr. Mia Chae Reddy curated to represent “diverse and inclusive beauty; passionate about creating highly-effective, plant-based skin care.” The company is committed to using ethically sourced, wild botanical ingredients from across the world. Dehiya works to combine ancient rituals with modern skin care techniques to create the perfect skin care products. They specialize in their unique argan oil sourced from Morocco’s Argan Forest supporting the Amazigh women’s co-op workers. Dehiya donates “2% annually to causes such as, LGBTQ+, disability and human rights, reproductive freedom and racial justice.” Not only does Dehiya maintain a strong commitment to philanthropy, their products consistently receive great feedback.
Shaving brand, OUI The People, is built off the understanding that no one is perfect. Founder and CEO, Karen Young, started OUI The People with the intention of creating a razor made uniquely for women. Two billion plastic razors end up in landfill each year, while OUI The People’s long-lasting steel razors can last for decades. Make sure to also pick up an ingrown relief toner, bath soak and hydrating gloss. You can shop for products based on your shaving needs and issues such as, ingrown hairs, dry skin or razor burns because let’s be honest, the perfect shave takes work. Treat your skin like the queen you are!
Sources:
“The ReConstitution of Beauty,” OUI the People, 2020.
“Homepage,” The Lip Bar, 2020.
“Pigment Is Our Passion,” Mented Cosmetics, 2020.
“Mented Cosmetics Lipstick Product Reviews …- Influenster,” 2020.
“Dehiya.: Moroccan-Inspired Beauty,” Dehiya Beauty, 2020.
Samantha Sasso, “I Hadn’t Shaved My Legs For Months, but This Single-Blade Razor Cut Right to the Chase,” POPSUGAR Beauty, 2020.