Google "small-batch, handmade beauty" and you'll discover a seemingly endless amount of indie beauty brands catering to every woman's skin care, makeup and fragrance needs. But also growing in the beauty space is the amount of cosmetics brands owned by African-American women and the offerings are pretty spectacular.
According to Forbes, there were 2.4 million African-American women-owned businesses in 2018, most of them run by women ages 35 to 54. From lipsticks and toners to moisturizers and conditioners, here are 10 black-owned beauty brands to shop during Black History Month.
When Melissa Butler and her business partner Rosco Spears of New York City launched The Lip Bar in 2012, they were incredibly frustrated with the beauty industry. They asked themselves, "Why did lipsticks only come in a limited range of colors?" Fast forward to now and the beauty brand is sold in Target and offers 16 different nude lippies in an inclusive variety of tones, formulas and finishes.
Epara Skincare is one of the first premium, multicultural skin care brands to be carried by Barneys. Created by Nigerian-born Ozohu Adoh, the line caters to skin care issues affecting women of color with high-quality products derived from the rich soils of Africa.
KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson created Mented Cosmetics because they believe every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty. Their collection is filled with nude and red lip colors that fit every darker shade and tone. These days the makeup brand has a pop-up at Macy's holiday marketplace in New York in November and has big plans to extend the line into every major color cosmetics category by the end of 2019.
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Blazon
Typically not much thought goes into purchasing a brush, but the founders of Blazon are here to change the hair care game. The brand's boar bristle brush promotes scalp health by efficiently spreading natural hair oils, and it's ideal for wavy, curly and straight hair. Best of all, the brush is included in this year's Grammy gift bag that will grace the hands of Pink, Ariana Grande and Cardi B., so you can be sure your hair care arsenal is top-notch.
