It’s no secret that women of color have been seriously underrepresented in the clean beauty space for a long time. But the truth is, black women have been creating gorgeous products with clean, sustainably sourced natural ingredients far before clean was even a thing. So today, we’re spotlighting and spreading the word on some innovative, black-owned beauty brands to support today and everyday.
A quality that so many of these brands have in common: ethical and sustainable sourcing & giving back to the community. These are brands you can feel good about purchasing from, because you’re supporting not just the brand, but the local community and growers around the globe!
MAKEUP BRANDS
Doubledown Cosmetics
Led by husband and wife duo, Kristen and Marvin Speller, Doubledown Cosmetics donates both time and proceeds to the domestic violence and homeless community in LA. They’re directly involved and extremely impactful in helping individuals and the community at large.
As for their products, the ingredients are squeaky clean and most impressively, almost exclusively organic! Check out their super pigmented (and gloriously bright) loose shadows and cheek products formulated especially for melanated skin tones.
Luv + Co
A conscious cosmetics line created for everyone, but specifically for black women. They focus on deeply nourishing natural ingredients and formulate with inclusivity front-of-mind. Cruelty-free and mostly vegan.
What we have our eye on: Their mascara has an ultra-nourishing ingredient list and is listed as one of MindBodyGreen’s fave mascaras!
Rooted Woman
The most lustworthy lineup of non-toxic, vegan nail polishes in beautiful buttery pastels and deeply saturated reds.
What we'd pick: It’s not easy to find clean pink and red nail polishes made sans carmine, so that's what we'd add to cart!
Range Beauty
A full range of clean cosmetics, with a focus on healing and alleviating acne and eczema.
What we have our eye on: Their foundation looks promising, with an impressive shade selection and formulated for acne-prone, sensitive, and irritated skin.
True Moringa
A clean, vegan cosmetics and skincare brand that showcases one of our favorite plant-based oils: Moringa Seed Oil - theirs is sourced directly from Ghana.
Our pick: Their vegan Lip Whip looks especially luxurious, with nourishing ingredients and gorgeous golden, fuschia, and burgundy hues.
SKINCARE BRANDS
Kaike:
A minimalistic skincare line with the shortest ingredient lists you’ve maybe ever seen – just nourishing, healing plant extracts your skin will love.
What we have our eye on: Chocolate Clay Mask + Scrub – dessert for the skin! Made with only three ingredients, their clay-based mask touts skin brightening and detoxification – a dessert that’s actually good for you!
Pholk Beauty
A plant-based skincare line full of nourishing African oils and extracts and formulated for every skin concern under the sun.
What we have our eye on: The H2oil Night Treatment Hemp X Hibiscus Night Oil – it sounds deliciously indulgent and truly transformative for an elevated beauty sleep reset for your skin.
Hana Hana Beauty
A 100% natural, plant-based skincare brand with shea butter sourced from the Katariga Women's Shea Cooperative in Ghana. And the best part: they pay their producers double the fair-trade price – we're so onboard for their ethos.
Our pick: Amber Vanilla Shea Body Butter – the amber/vanilla essential oil scent combo sounds magical, and with an ingredient list including frankincense, hemp, avocado, and jojoba oil, this is a next-level, spa-worthy body butter.
Black Girl Sunscreen
A natural sunscreen brand created specifically for the melanin blessed women of the world. Most sunscreens leave a white cast on deeper skin tones and this brand solves that problem, and is made with vegan, reef-safe ingredients that double as skincare.
Eu’genia
Founded by a mother-daughter team, Eu’genia is the go-to source for 100% natural, shea-butter-centered skincare formulations. Their source their shea directly from female workers in Ghana, paying fair wages and donate 15% of their profits back to an education fund for the workers.
Our pick: Shea Butter Bundle – 4 different varieties of their indulgent shea butters in reusable metal tins. Give us all the lavender, grapefruit, and straight-up shea butter realness.
HAIRCARE BRANDS
Frigg
A clean & vegan hair and skincare collection created to celebrate the nourishing, transformative effects of CBD. They combine hair-loving botanicals and essential oils with adaptogens and cannabinoids for a serious love letter to your hair and scalp.
Our pick: Their Attuning Hair Potion promises thicker hair, healthier scalp, and nourished ends – and with one look at their ingredient list, we’re sold.
Abhati Suisse
As a certified B-Corp, this brand truly walks the talk – they give back a significant portion of profits to farms, woodlands, and education programs in India, package their products with sustainability front of mind, and eliminate water from their formulas whenever possible. Plus, they’re vegan – a win all around.
Our pick: their gorgeous shampoo bars – each bar equals two shampoo bottles worth of product, and the small box it comes in is recyclable. There’s a bar for every hair type and concern, and the ingredients speak for themselves.
Oyin Handmade
A handmade haircare line made specifically for highly textured hair, and made with only food-grade ingredients.
Our pick: What The Hemp~Deep Moisture Mask – a super nourishing mask that also promises extra strength for your strands. We’re a sucker for a hemp infusion and our hair feels the same.
WELLNESS BRANDS
Golde
Superfood lattes, gummies, and supplements for gorgeous skin from within and vegan, ultra-clean superfood face masks.
Our Pick: Cacao Turmeric Latte – a delicious sounding treat, and formulated for hair, skin, and nail health. We’re there!
GROOMING BRANDS
Oui The People
Gorgeous, sustainable rose gold razors to zhuzh up your grooming routine and save the planet while we’re at it!
We’re lusting after one of their sets with an ultra-aesthetic golden razor + sensitive skin shaving milk.
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We'd love to hear about any black-owned clean beauty brands you've been loving lately! Leave us a comment on our IG and let us know <3
- ĀTHR Beauty xo
