America has the largest cosmetics market in the world. Last January, Market Research estimated that the industry would generate at least $62 billion in revenue in 2016, with $7 billion being spent on makeup alone.
Yet, the beauty industry still manages to fail Black women, even as it strives to be more inclusive: The Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization, examined the ingredients in 1,177 beauty products marketed to Black women and found that one in 12 products is "highly hazardous."
Still, there's a crop of Black-owned beauty brands that have risen to meet the challenge of satisfying Black women on the beauty and skincare front. In 2017, many of them are still flying under the radar.
We've compiled 15 beauty products created by Black folks for Black women that definitely need more support:
IMAN Cosmetics
Iman, an ageless supermodel, launched IMAN Cosmetics in 1994 after growing tired of mixing her own foundation at professional photoshoots. In 1975, a photographer used a foundation that made her skin appear gray in the photos.
"I learned then that I had to really control my images," Iman said in an i-D documentary. "So I went out … to every store I could find, and I would mix it and … put it on my face, and finally I found something a little suitable and I made a batch. This is 1976, and I carried it with me to every shoot I did."
Now, more than 20 years later, IMAN Cosmetics can be found in Target, Walgreens, and other drugstore aisles.
Gold Label Cosmetics
Makeup artist Kristen Elise Brown launched Gold Label Cosmetics in 2012 for "the beauty enthusiast who seeks opulence and convenience." Now, the cosmetics line, which primarily exists online, is beloved for its striking lipsticks and matte lip pens. The lipstick ranges between $14 and $20.
KA'OIR Cosmetics
Model Keyshia Ka'oir created the vibrant KA'OIR Cosmetics in 2012. The bold lipstick, in shades ranging from blue to sparkly gold, is the selling point of the popular Instagram brand.
Ginger + Liz Colour Collection
Ginger Johnson and Liz Pickett, friends who bonded over makeup and vegan meals, created the Ginger + Liz Colour Collection in 2010. Not only are their products hypoallergenic, but they're also vegan-friendly and toxic free. They expanded in 2015 to include lip scrub and hand toning creme, but built the business around nail care.
The trendy nail polishes are $12.
Fashion Fair
Fashion Fair is an iconic makeup brand owned by Johnson Publishing Company, the same brand that owned EBONY Magazine until 2016. Fashion Fair came to life in 1973, and has been a go-to cosmetics brand for Black women since then. It's a brand that features everything a makeup enthusiast would need, including foundation, eyeshadow, and lipstick.
Fashion Fair can primarily be found in department stores, including Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Dillard's, and Belk.
Shea Moisture
Shea Moisture began as an organic haircare line in 1991. Richelieu Dieu, the company's CEO and founder, created the line in honor of her grandmother, Sofi Tucker, who used to sell shea butter products in a village market in Sierra Leone. When a civil war broke out in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dieu's family emigrated to New York and began selling Tucker's creations on the streets to support themselves.
Shea Moisture has expanded to include lotions, shampoos, and now, makeup and skincare. It can all be found in Target, but the ingredients are still primarily bought in different African villages.
Magnolia Makeup
Magnolia Makeup is an inclusive cosmetics brand based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Its pigmented eyeliners, nude lipsticks, and matte highlighters definitely keep the brand going. Magnolia Makeup is primarily sold out of a store in New Orleans, but can also be purchased online.
Laws of Nature Cosmetics
Law of Nature Cosmetics' tagline is "beauty begins with a healthy foundation." It's created that and then some. The Houston-based company's foundation is organic, chemical-free, and vegan. It can be bought online.
Colour U Cosmetics
Colour U Cosmetics encourages women of color to add a pop of color to their makeup routine. Its bright lipsticks and glitter blush allows women to experiment with different looks they wouldn't ordinarily wear. It's sold online.
AJ Crimson Beauty
AJ Crimson Beauty is the brainchild of AJ Crimson, a celebrated makeup artist and entrepreneur whose worked with everyone from Fergie to Missy Elliott. He launched AJ Crimson Beauty to encourage women of color to use makeup that enhances what they already have:
I felt like there was an absolute need to bring products to women that actually worked and didn't oxidize or change. I wanted to create a product inclusive of women of all ethnicities, a product all women could find ownership and believe in. So often, makeup has been designed with a one size fits all mentality… my cosmetics line contains shades for women of every ethnic background and skin tone.
AJ Crimson Beauty can purchased online and in select stores throughout the world, including a singular store in London and California.
The Lip Bar
Melissa Butler created The Lip Bar, a gluten-free, vegan, and paraben-free lipstick company, in 2012 after becoming frustrated with the way Black women are treated by mainstream cosmetics companies.
She and Rosco Spears, the creative director, launched The Lip Bar to prove every woman deserves to be represented in the beauty industry. They appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2015 to pitch The Lip Bar to investors. They were met with hostility and even called "colorful cockroaches." However, that didn't stop the two entrepreneurial Black women from pushing forward with their business.
Their matte and liquid matte lipsticks are now sold on Target's website.
Juvia's Place
Juvia's Place is all about giving Black beauty enthusiasts highly-pigmented and vibrant eyeshadows that will make their eyelids shine. Best of all, each eyeshadow palette features an image of ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti.
Chichi Eburu, a Nigerian-born mother of two, launched the cosmetics line in 2014. Back then, she only planned to sell makeup brushes. She told Black Girl Long Hair that she created Juvia's Place because she thought the beauty industry had failed to listen to Black women:
I took a look at the beauty industry and there was nothing that truly represents black culture. I feel like the market is here, we're here [black women] and we’re beautiful and nobody is listening. To me the idea of the a Nubian queen is representative of a beautiful black woman and that’s what I wanted my company to show.
Now, the gorgeous eyeshadow palettes cost between $25.99 and $35.75 — and are usually sold out.
SHEEQ Cosmetics
Melissa R. Hibbert, a self-proclaimed beauty expert, created SHEEQ Cosmetics to honor and celebrate women of all shades. All of her products, ranging from cleansers to lipstick, are paraben-free, fragrance-free, and hypoallergenic. They're available online.
Oyin Handmade
Oyin is the Yoruba word for honey, and the inspiration for this line of natural products for the hair and body. The 20-product line has been on the market since 2005, but some of the products became available in Target and Whole Foods in 2014. Oyin Handmade sells everything from body butter to head-to-toe cleanser.
Beauty Bakerie
Cashmere Nicole is a breast cancer survivor who decided that she wouldn't let the disease strip her of her beauty. So, the makeup artist created Beauty Bakerie, a cosmetics line that teaches girls "there's nothing wrong with upholding a sweet and friendly nature."
All of Beauty Bakerie's products are sold in cute packages that resemble sweets. Nicole has also expanded to include a cookbook, where the models are rocking her makeup.
