It’s more important than ever to support the Black community in every possible way in the wake of the nationwide George Floyd protests. First of all, if you’re able to donate, try to contribute anything possible to organizations and initiatives like the George Floyd Memorial Fund, Brooklyn Bail Fund, Equal Justice Initiative and the ActBlue Bail Fund Relief, to name just a few.
The coronavirus pandemic has also affected the Black population in America at a disproportionately high rate, and left many Black-owned businesses in a difficult position. Another way to help support many of these companies is by purchasing beauty and wellness products from Black-owned brands. The beauty, fashion, wellness and travel industries all must continue to strive for diversity and inclusivity, and this is just one small way to start.
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This is by no means a complete list, but see below for the incredible, Black-owned beauty and wellness brands to support now and always.
Oyin Handmade
Jamyla Bennu founded Oyin Handmade in 2001, after noticing that there weren’t a ton of naturally sourced products for her highly textured hair. She started making them in our own kitchen, which is how this hair and skin line came to be. The product line includes cocoa butter lotions, moisture masks and more, and they are all completely handmade. Oyinhandmade.com.
KNC Beauty
Kristen Noel Crawley was inspired to launch her all-natural lip mask line while on a trip to Tokyo, when she spotted a wall filled with lip masks. Crawley’s brand now includes lip scrubs, collagen-infused masks, balms and eye masks. Kncbeauty.com.
Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Hair Care
Hair stylist Charlotte Mensah, whose Notting Hill salon, Hair Lounge, has welcomed clients like Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu, launched her own product line with textured, curly hair in mind. She also happens to be the first Black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame. Charlottemensah.com.
Ooli
This haircare brand is composed entirely of products created specifically for natural dreadlocks. Jessica Pritchett founded the brand after attempting to find the right products for people with natural locs, and finding that there was nothing on the market that suited her needs. The six-piece line includes products to cleanse, condition and style, with natural fragrances. Oolibeauty.com.
BrioGeo Hair Care
Founder and CEO Nancy Twine left her job as a Goldman Sachs exec to launch this clean beauty line five years ago. Twine brought her childhood experiences of creating beauty essentials like masks, scrubs and more with her mother into the brand, and has now expanded beyond haircare and into wellness with the B. Well collection. Briogeohair.com.
Yubi
Adiya Dixon Wiggins’ search for a more hygienic way to apply her makeup led her to create Yubi in 2018. The cosmetics applicator comes with both brush and sponge options, which you can easily switch out. Loveyubi.com.
Eben Naturals
The Miami-based brand was originally launched via a Kickstarter campaign. The skincare line, founded by Milain David, is specifically formulated for the skin of men and women of color, with products including facial cream, cleanser and moisturizer. Ebennaturals.com.
OrganiGrow
Kay Cola’s vegan and organic brand includes haircare products as well as skincare, vitamins and supplements. Organigrowhairco.com.
Gilded
Blair Armstrong brought her knowledge as a dermatology physician’s assistant into the creation of this body care line. The patented marble dry brush is a must-buy. Gilded-glamour.com.
Fenty Beauty
Rihanna shook up the beauty industry when she launched Fenty in 2017, with her highly lauded line that now includes 50 foundation shades. Fentybeauty.com.
Honey Pot
Bea Dixon founded this 100 percent natural feminine hygiene care line 2012, with products to cleanse, protect and balance the vagina. Thehoneypot.co.
Mented
KJ Miller and Amanda Johnson created this clean beauty brand after coming to the conclusion that one shade of nude does not fit all. The beauty line has since expanded from lipsticks to include eyeshadow, blush and more, and all the products continue to be equally pigmented, for all skin tones. Mentedcosmetics.com.
SheaMoisture
Inspired by his grandmother Sofi Tucker’s beauty and grooming recipes, Richelieu Dennis launched SheaMoisture in 1991, with shea butter as one of the brand’s core ingredients. The company ethically sources its shea butter from women’s co-ops in Northern Ghana. The brand also just announced a new social justice coalition, with a $100,000 investment for activists. Sheamoisture.com.
Ceylon by Anim Labs
Men love their beauty products, too! Patrick Boateng II decided to build his own company, Ceylon, after finding that there weren’t any skincare products specifically geared towards men with melanin in their skin, and that many of the skincare essentials out there were composed of harmful substances. Ceylonskincare.com.
The Lip Bar
Melissa Butler launched The Lip Bar in 2012, after leaving her Wall Street job to make her own lipsticks right in her kitchen. The cruelty-free, vegan line may not have gotten a deal on Shark Tank, but that hasn’t stopped its massive success. The brand also expanded beyond lips with its Fast Face makeup system last year. Thelipbar.com.
Pat McGrath
The iconic British makeup queen is a true cosmetics artist. She worked as a makeup artist for years before launching her eponymous line in 2015, and the incredibly luxurious products quickly developed a serious fan base—and for good reason. Patmcgrath.com.
Naturalicious
Founder and CEO Gwen Jimmere launched this organic, all-natural hair company to create a brand with products for women with curly hair, and specifically women of color. The brand aims for Black women to embrace their natural hair, and enhance what’s already there. Jimmere also happens to be the first African American woman to own a patent for natural hair products. Naturalicious.net.
Beauty Bakerie
Cashmere Nicole founded this brand in 2011, and it really took off after a viral lipstick video three years later. The baked goods-themed company, which counts Cardi B as a fan, is best known for its beloved Lip Whip, but all the products are worth a try. Beautybakerie.com.
Pear Nova
This nail polish line from Rachel James is vegan and free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, and dibutyl Phthalate DBP. The chic range includes gel and lacquer options, too. Pearnova.com.
Brown Girl Jane
Malaika Jones, Nia Jones and Tai Beauchamp created this plant-based CBD wellness line with the intention of launching a brand for approachable and realistic wellness, and focusing on women of color. Browngirljane.com.
Frederick Benjamin Grooming
Founder Michael James wanted to find better hair grooming products for Black men, and created this line that uses active natural oils and clinical ingredients. Frederickbenjamin.com.
