27 Black-owned beauty brands you should try ASAP

We don’t know about you, but our beauty routine could definitely use a refresh. And while we’re looking to spend our hard-earned money on new products, there are a whole lot of Black-owned beauty brands that have award-winning, top-rated products we’re dying to try (and beauty staples we already use and love).

Ahead, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Black-owned makeup, hair and skin care brands that dedicate themselves to inclusivity for all skin tones, skin types and hair types. Be sure to check out our Black-owned brands for everyday essentials too.

Uoma Beauty

“Uoma” means “beautiful” in Igbo (a common language spoken in Nigeria), a name well-suited for a brand committed to rewriting the rules of inclusivity and diversity in beauty. Founded by beauty industry veteran Sharon Chuter, Uoma is inspired by self-expression, colorful living and Chuter’s own African pride. The brand’s Say What?! Foundation is available in 51 different shades, and each of its Badass Icon Matte Lipsticks (which we named the best moisturizing matte lipstick of 2021) are named in honor of an influential Black woman.

KNC Beauty

Beauty connoisseur and entrepreneur Kristen Noel Crawley knew she wanted to create her own natural lip mask when she spotted some on a trip to Tokyo, and thus KNC Beauty was born. Now the brand not only has its own Collagen-Infused Lip Mask but also a Retinol-Infused Eye Mask and lip balm. You probably can find your favorite influencer lounging around in them daily.

Fenty Beauty

We still can’t get over how we felt when we were first introduced to Fenty Beauty — especially when it came to the extensive shade range of the brand’s complexion products. It quickly became clear that Queen Rihanna had outdone herself yet again. Even if we aren’t sure when her next album will arrive, we’ll gladly keep shopping the brand’s glittering highlighters and pigmented lipsticks.

Bevel

Tristan Walker created Bevel to enhance the grooming experience for people of color by developing products that meet the needs of coarse and curly hair. The brand offers everything you can think of, from face wash to shaving cream to aftershave, so that you can curate your grooming routine exactly how you like.

Ami Colé

Born in Harlem, New York, and inspired by founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye’s Senegalese heritage, Ami Colé offers makeup essentials for melanin-rich skin. Keeping it clean and simple, the brand offers eight products with a you-but-better approach, including tinted moisturizer, concealer and lip oil.

Beauty Bakerie

Beauty Bakerie stands out from other makeup brands partly because its packaging and products resemble those that you’d find in an actual bakery. With options like Blending Egg Beauty Sponges housed in an egg carton, founder Cashmere Nicole’s brand is super sweet. Not only is the brand cruelty-free, but it’s also shade-range inclusive, even numbering its complexion products from darkest to lightest as an acknowledgment and prioritization of deeper skin tones.

Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath is one of the world’s most legendary makeup artists, so it comes as no surprise that her makeup brand is truly exceptional as well. From lipsticks and eye shadow palettes to concealers, the brand’s products are known industry-wide for stunning pigment and coverage, with opulent packaging to match.

Oui the People

Founded by Karen Young, Oui the People is on a mission to deliver products that work and help you feel confident in the skin you’re in, not what society wants you to be. From a rose gold razor that we named the best luxury razor to an exfoliating Resurfacing Body Serum, this brand offers all the body care products you’ll need for your next self-care day.

Briogeo

Briogeo is the hair care brand that should be on the top of your wish list. Founded by Nancy Twine after she was unimpressed by other solutions on the market, Briogeo was created to treat hair the way we treat our skin. Better yet, each product is cruelty-free and formulated with mostly naturally derived ingredients, inspired by Twine’s grandma’s homemade recipes.

The Lip Bar

If we’re on the hunt for a new lip product, The Lip Bar is always one of our first stops. Melissa Butler started making clean lip products in her kitchen to address the lack of diversity in the beauty industry — and to avoid the chemicals found in other beauty products. Now her vegan and cruelty-free brand has expanded to include makeup from eye shadow palettes to tinted moisturizers suitable for all skin tones.

Golde

Superfoods are at the center of beauty and wellness brand Golde. Founded in Brooklyn by Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Golde wants to make wellness accessible and fun through its selection of products that are natural and vegan-friendly.

Bread Beauty Supply

Founded by Maeva Heim, Bread Beauty Supply just wants to simplify your wash day — and we love that for us. The collection includes a trio of hair wash, a hair mask and an oil that’s sure to have your tresses looking great.

Nuebiome

During his work as a nurse anesthetist, Nuebiome founder Ricardo Gray found that the hospital’s drying environment was causing his hands to suffer. He set out to create the perfect hand cream, and launched Nuebiome in 2022 with his ideal formula that absorbs quickly, isn’t greasy and, most importantly, keeps hands hydrated. The key to his hand cream, and the rest of Nuebiome’s skin care products, is the probiotic-infused formulas that nurture the skin’s microbiome and support its barrier function.

Mented Cosmetics

The search for the perfect nude lipstick for women of color inspired KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson to create their own makeup line: Mented Cosmetics. The collection of lip glosses, foundations and blushes is meant to complement every skin tone, from fair to deep.

Black Girl Sunscreen

Shontay Lundy founded Black Girl Sunscreen to combat the idea that Black people don’t need sunscreen, a product many shy away from because of the white cast some formulas leave behind, so of course Black Girl Sunscreen doesn’t do that at all. The formulas apply clear and are made without harmful chemicals for no-fuss sun protection. Known for its broad spectrum variant, the brand recently launched a kids’ sunscreen and matte formula too.

Pattern Beauty

We often look at actress Tracee Ellis Ross’s luscious locks and think, “How can we get our hair like that?” With her hair care line, Pattern Beauty, the celeb wants us to embrace and celebrate our unique textures and curl patterns by giving us a collection of products that supports our hair goals.

Black Opal

Black Opal only recently became Black-owned, but it has long been known to provide makeup essentials that really work for people of color at an affordable price. From matte lipsticks to setting powders, Black Opal is sure to carry a product you need to add to your collection.

Moodeaux

In an industry dominated by male, Euro-centric noses, Moodeaux sets itself apart as a female-founded, Black-owned fragrance brand. Led by Brianna Arps, Moodeaux’s clean fragrances take a fresh approach, focusing not only on how the scents smell, but how they make you feel.

Scotch Porter

When you look good, you feel good. It was this mindset that inspired Calvin Quallis to quit his corporate job and create grooming products that make people feel good. From treating ingrown hairs to getting that fresh cut, Scotch Porter is on a mission to be there for you at each step of your grooming journey.

Hyper Skin

Desiree Verdejo suffered from hormonal acne and hyperpigmentation but couldn’t find a product that worked for her — and on a mission to make one herself, Hyper Skin was born. The brand is known for its cult-favorite brightening serum that hundreds of reviewers can’t get enough of.

Juvia’s Place

Chichi Eburu founded Juvia’s Place after struggling for years to find makeup that enhanced the dark hues of her skin tone. The collection is filled with everything from eye shadow palettes with spectacular color payoff to foundations with rich shade ranges, all created to celebrate the vibrancy of Africa.

Base Butter

Founded by She’Neil Johnson-Spence and Nicolette Graves in an effort to learn how to treat their oily, combination and acne-prone skin, Base Butter seeks to make skin care simple and deliver products that really work. The brand is known for its Radiate Face Jelly, which can be purchased as a one-off or on a subscription basis once you fall in love.

TPH by Taraji

Taraji P. Henson is a beauty icon, so we couldn’t wait to get our hands on her hair care line. The line was created to embrace how versatile Black hair is, ensuring that scalp care is the No. 1 priority. From a Master Cleanse scalp wash to a Honey Fresh clarifying shampoo, TPH features products that will provide a deep clean and targeted treatment for any hair type.

Rosen Skincare

Jamika Martin founded Rosen Skincare to help those with acne-prone skin feel more confident, not only in themselves but in the products they’re using. The brand is committed to avoiding questionable ingredients to help consumers understand what exactly they’re putting on their face. Rosen is both a thoughtful and affordable brand, which is why purchasers are obsessed with its products.

Danessa Myricks Beauty

Each Danessa Myricks Beauty product is multi-purpose, which comes from the founder’s own background as a self-taught makeup artist and unique approach to her work. From sparkling chrome pigments to flexible base shades, the expert-approved brand has everything you need to create a show-stopping look.

Unsun Cosmetics

Katonya Breaux (who, we might add, is the mother of musician Frank Ocean!) was frustrated with the selection of clean sunscreen products for women of color, so naturally she decided to create her own. The brand carries multiple sunscreen products, from face and body highlighters to hand creams that won’t leave a white cast while being environmentally friendly too.

Buttah Skin

Since its launch in 2018, Dorión Renaud’s Buttah Skin has built a devoted fanbase that loves the brand’s accessible approach to skin care for melanin-rich complexions. Initially made to empower Black men in their skin care journeys, the line’s moisturizers, serums, masks and more have become favorites across any binaries.