Mainstream beauty companies just only recently began to place an emphasis on the beauty needs of the Black community. However, there have been black-owned skincare brands who have been catering for the skin shades of black people, and thanks to Rihanna’s fenty beauty, the skin shades of the black community have been brought into the spotlight.
The Black community has been underrepresented and ignored in the beauty industry for decades. It wasn’t until very recently that shade ranges have expanded to cover the various skin shades of black people.
Black beauty should be honored and celebrated 24/7, and with the leading Black-owned companies bridging the gap in the industry, there are so many ways to show support right now and forever. An easy but incredibly valuable way of supporting black-owned brands is to buy from Black-owned skincare brands.
There are so many great products from black-owned skin care brands for you to spend your money on. These great products range from all-natural body care to celeb-loved retinol serums—that the options are truly endless.
To help you stock up on your beauty needs, we are listing 10 of some of the most popular black-owned skincare brands. Although this list is by no means an exhaustive list, it is however a really good place to start.
10 Black-Owned Skincare Brands You Need to Know
In an overly saturated world of skincare—in which some popular mainstream brands are releasing advertisements that malign Black beauty, it is time for you as a black person/person of color to dig deeper and discover the Black-owned skincare brands that cater absolutely to you skin shade. And these black-owned brands need to be pushed to the forefront. The list below, is of brands that promote the magic of Black skin in all of its glory.
1. 54 Thrones
One of the black-owned skincare brands you should know is the 54 Thrones brand, which was founded by Christina Funke Tegbe, a creative visionary in 2016. This black owned brand is an African luxury beauty brand inspired by the richness, diversity, and culture of the continent and its people. The Founder created 54 Thrones to celebrate Africa’s rich and cultural beauty, as she uses pure and organic plant botanicals that are African-grown to formulate clean and sustainable products, which are inspired by the beauty rituals of Africa’s 54 countries.
Christina was empowered by her Nigerian aunties who would indulge her with tubs of shea butter sent from Nigeria. And moved by the ingenuity and innovation across the motherland, she answered the call to share the heart and soul of Africa with the world.
With 54 Thrones, Christina aspires to spread the message that “Made in Africa is Luxury”. She is also determined to share the beauty and authenticity of an Africa often not seen, she partners with passionate artisans who handcraft the luxuriously skincare rich products that make up her brand.
2. Black girl sunscreen
Dispelling the rumors that black people don’t need sunscreen, this is one of the black-owned skincare brands that have made sure to make it popular for black people to use sunscreen. The days of sunscreen neglecting melanated skin are long gone, as Shontay Lundy, founder of Black Girl Sunscreen, has created a much-needed product in the beauty industry: A completely sheer sunscreen that protects melanin without any white-cast.
Beauty influencers, celebs, and dermatologists alike rave about this black owned brand because black people can get sunburned too.
According to the Black Girl Sunscreen brand, “Black Girl Sunscreen was designed to start the conversation around sun protection and education. BGS took the #1 reason Black women weren’t wearing sunscreen and solved it in a way that connected with them specifically.
Our community matters and when it comes to melanoma, Black people have a lower survival rate due to late diagnosis compared to other races. Decreasing the risk of melanoma is just as important as decreasing the number of people that die from it, wearing sunscreen is essential”
3. Humanrace
Pharrell William’s Humanrace skincare brand, is one of the black-owned skincare brands that caters for people of all races and gender.
According to the brand; “Humanrace is a growing universe of products and people created with the belief that, now more than ever, nothing is more important to humanity than our unified health and wellbeing.”
Although it is a celebrity brand as it is owned by a celebrity, the Humanrace brand is everything skincare should be. According to reviews, it effective, inclusive, straightforward, and sustainable (each product comes with a recyclable unit inside that can be easily replaced once empty).
4. SkinBUTTR
This beauty brand is handmade by State Management model Tatiana Price, skin BUTTR and carefully crafted to keep your glow at an all-time high with natural, moisturizing products like whipped shea body butter and exfoliating scrubs. It’s also important for you to know that the ingredients you’re putting on your body are of the highest caliber. Be rest assured that these handmade batches are also safe. The Products come in scents like strawberry coconut and rose that work to fade scars, cellulite, and stretch marks.
This is one of the black-owned skincare brands you should know and patronize. According to the brand, these products are made with you in mind.
5. Anita Grant
The Anita Grant brand is one of the Black-owned skincare brands that focuses on afro hair. This company was founded on the belief that what you put into your body, you can also put on your body, Anita Grant uses all-natural ingredients for its skincare and haircare line. Their star ingredient is pure, unrefined cocoa butter, and all their products are cruelty-free, handmade, and fresh to order.
Anita Grant LTD is a UK based company with signature products, like the Rhassoul Deep Condishes and Babassu Shampoos, which are specifically created to do wonders for dry naturally curly hair and have a worldwide cult following. What began in Anita’s kitchen is now one of the phenomenal black-owned skincare brands, with label-savvy customers from Australia to Lithuania. Providing hair and skin care that is made with quality natural ingredients.
6. 4.5.6 Skin
The 4.5.6 Skin company is one of the black-owned skincare brands that was founded by a team of inclusive skincare experts, scientists, and dermatologists. The 4.5.6 Skin is committed to creating products with a special emphasis on melanin-rich skin. One of the best parts of their skincare regimen is that, it is specifically customized to YOU.
If you share your skin characteristics, skin struggles, and fragrance preferences, with them, you get the skincare products recommended for your specific needs. This brand is fondly called the first Bespoke regime for darker skin.
7. Rose Ingleton MD
This skincare brand was created by NYC-dermatologist Dr. Rose Ingleton, who started her namesake brand to deliver simple, uncomplicated products to all skin types. Dr. Ingleton’s infuses everything in the line with a blend of antioxidant-rich fruit extracts native to her home island of Jamaica.
As a board-certified dermatologist with over two decades of expertise in customizing regimens for her patients, Dr. Ingleton made it her mission to create a clean, effortless, effective skincare line to address the most common skin concerns: anti-aging, blemishes, dullness, redness, and hydration. This is one of the black-owned skincare brand you should know and patronize.
The interesting thing about this skincare brand is that, each product in the ROSE Ingleton MD Skincare line is infused with a blend of natural fruit extracts native to her home island of Jamaica.
8. Eleven by Venus Williams
Eleven by Venus Williams is also one of the black-owned skincare brands by a celebrity. According to the founder Venus Williams, “As an athlete and professional tennis player I’ve spent most of my life outdoors, so I was compelled to create a suncare collection I could count on to protect me daily. EleVen by Venus is all about the relentless pursuit of your best self. Safe for our planet and perfect for people of all skin shades and types, I hope to inspire others to get outside, be active and stay healthy.”
This skincare brand also has a wide range of sun protection products that don’t disappoint.
The green, clean mineral sunscreens (there is a serum version and a cream version) are made with non-nano zinc oxide that’s super sheer, so they look non-whitening on all skin tones.
9. Unsun Cosmetics
Unsun Cosmetics is also one of the black-owned skincare brands that highlight the importance of sunscreen for the black skin.
According to the brand, Unsun Cosmetics is Voted “hands-down” the favorite mineral tinted sunscreen for dark skin tones among Allure editors.
Frustrated by the lack of clean sunscreen options for women of color, Katonya Breaux launched the line with two highly-blendable tinted mineral sunscreens (there’s a light/medium shade and a medium/dark shade) that look imperceptible on all skin tones. According to Katonya, “I created Unsun so that women (and men) of every ethnicity and skin tone would have skin-safe sunscreen products that look good on your skin, and are good for your skin. Sun protection is a necessity for everybody, 365 days a year, so I made it my mission to develop a chemical and residue-free formula that would encourage daily sunscreen use.”
10. Talula Skincare
Talula skincare is one of the black-owned skincare brands that caters for sensitive skin. If you have got a dry skin, a sensitive skin, or eczema, this is the Black-owned skincare brand for you. The founder of this brand, Alexis Richardson created Talula Skincare products with all-natural ingredients (like coconut oil and shea butter) to help soothe, moisturize, and nourish irritated skin.
According to the brand, “After struggling for years to find a product that would soothe her dry skin and eczema, Alexis decided it was time to develop her own products to finally get the relief that she had been looking for. Through extensive research and experimentation, Alexis was able to create the perfect scrub and body butter that has helped to both calm and moisturize her skin, leaving it with a natural glow. From there, Talula Skincare was born.”
The Skin is the human body’s largest organ, and it’s important to care for yours with rich and thoughtful ingredients that are deeply nourishing. But being conscious of ingredients is only part of the equation. By supporting special brands that work tirelessly and usually from their own kitchens to create products with melanin-rich skin in mind, you can help spur change, and that is why the list above is all about black-owned skin care brands for you to know and patronize.