After the unjust death of 46-year-old African-American George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests are flooding cities across the world right now. Citizens are shining the spotlight on the injustice that has continued to damage the black community and prohibit their human rights for far too long. We can’t make any more excuses – this is 2020. Industries must use their platforms to combat systemic racism by supporting black owned businesses; we’ve listed some beauty brands founded by creative and super talented black people which we had to shout loud about in order to help educate readers of all walks of life on how to put an end to making POC a minority in this day and age.
DIZZIAK
Dizziak’s Deep Conditioner is the new hair treatment taking the beauty industry by storm. The brainchild of founder Loretta De Feo, formally a beauty editor for Stylist, created the brand after years of frustration caused by the lack of rich, deep conditioners on the market. ‘An aphrodisiac for afro hair’, Dizziak’s rich and creamy formula thoroughly hydrates and enhances shine for all hair types and textures. The non-cruelty, free from parabens, sulphates and silicones brand truly works wonders for the hair!
Black Girl Sunscreen
Sunscreen made by women of colour for people of colour. Business is still booming for Shontay Lundy despite the Covid19 pandemic, the Black Girl Sunscreen CEO has recently secured a $1million investment to help further scale her business whose products boast natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, carrot juice and cacao that nourish and protect skin from sun damage. Lundy created a pioneering product for an underserved market – Black Girl Sunscreen has ultimately highlighted awareness and shifted a mindset around people of colour wearing sunscreen. This paraben free SPF 30 doubles up as a moisturising lotion whilst soothing the skin, leaving a flawless finish whilst preventing acne.
My Little Coco by Rochelle Humes
The popular singer and TV presenter has entered the world of beauty with the launch of her new moisture focussed skin and hair care brand for kids. Sold exclusively at Boots, Rochelle created My Little Coco with seven products which contain no nasties that are suitable for all ages, skin and hair types.
Uoma Beauty
Founded by Nigerian born former beauty executive Sharon Chuter, pronounced uh-mah which means beautiful, this statement makeup brand offers a wide range of products that cater to POC as well as lighter skin tones. Chuter has created an inclusive foundation range that waves goodbye to the one-size-fits-all within the beauty industry, and with their inclusive power tribe messaging, every woman is welcomed. AFRO.DIS.IAC Liquid Eyeliner and lipsticks labelled ‘Black Magic Carnival’ sound like the perfect addition to our makeup bags!
Beauty Bakerie
Cashmere Nicole built her boundary-breaking beauty brand through sheer skill and determination. It was throughout her breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 where Cashmere caught the attention of Beyonce through her IndieGoGo page titled Broken Boobs asking for $25,000. Beyonce featured Nicole on her website for Breast Cancer Awareness month however the brand skyrocketed to further success through her social media savviness to build a cult following. Beauty Bakerie garnered viral status through the launch of its Cake Mix Foundation which boasts 58 shades from darkest to lightest, rivalling the shade selection of Fenty Beauty.
ROSEN Skincare
Offering pre-built skincare routines through an online quiz via their website, Jamika Martin created ROSEN after becoming tired of questionable ingredients, medications and repetitive formulas in products she used to help fight her acne prone skin. Products are designed with their community in mind and the quizzes take the guesswork out of skincare and find the best routine for you. The Tingling Mud Mask and Paloma serum are just a couple of spot fighting products that help regain control of texture and scarring – a definite go to brand if you regularly suffer from acne breakouts.
Nolaskinsentials
After years of struggling with acne and being limited in product choice for skin with melanin, founder Jane Ormon set out to create her own skincare products which are not only good for the skin but also good for the environment. Clean, handcrafted and cruelty free, Nolaskinsentials offer a vast array of products to suit all of your skin concerns, including products for men. The team of seven who run the brand are highly focussed on plant-based ingredients that benefit not only melanin based skin tones but all skin tones and skin types, our favourite being the OG Bundle where four products can be mixed and matched for under £55.
