These ethical Black-owned beauty brands cover all bases, from makeup to hair and skincare.
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Since the tragic death of George Floyd, people across the globe have been waking up to the realities of systemic racism, vowing to become actively anti-racist and support the Black community.
There are hundreds of ways to ally yourself with the movement, including writing to your MP, and educating yourself through books, podcasts and documentaries.
However, Black people are significantly less likely to have access to capital to support their businesses, and have historically received the least economic support.
Therefore, one important way you can support this underrepresented community is to purchase products from Black-owned businesses.
We’ve compiled a list of six vegan and cruelty-free Black-owned beauty brands to put your money in the right places and empower Black female entrepreneurs.
UOMA Beauty
Founded by Nigerian-born Sharon Chuter, UOMA is a beauty brand that rewrites the rules of inclusivity. Uoma means ‘beautiful’ in Igbo, one of the main languages spoken in Nigeria, and this encompasses their mission – to say buh-bye to beauty industry norms.
Sharon challenges the idea that inclusivity is about how many shades a foundation range consists of – it’s about catering to people’s unique needs and making them feel represented.
Unlike some beauty brands, UOMA does not assume that one-size-fits-all, and instead they split their foundation range into six “skin kin” categories, addressing the common skincare needs of each colour range with specific formulas.
For example, ‘Black Pearl’ skin kin shades include berry and tomato extracts to tackle dullness in darker skin, while white tea extract in ‘Brown Sugar’ shades help address hyperpigmentation common to brown skin.
Kitaka of London
Founder Patrice Monique wearing shade Onyx
Vegan and cruelty-free lip wear brand Kitaka of London encourages women to enhance their natural beauty with ethically sourced and natural lip products.
Founder Patrice Monique created a natural gloss that gives you the shine of a lip-gloss, the pigment of a lipstick, and the moisturising texture of a balm. With five vibrant shades, Kitaka have got you covered for any look.
Their star ingredients include organic jojoba which protects and moisturises the lips, and raw shea butter which hydrates and acts as a natural SPF – especially important in the coming months.
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Afrocenchix
Full set with African print gift bag, £90
Certified vegan haircare brand Afrocenchix is the first afro hair brand to be sold in Wholefoods UK, leading the way for commercially available truly natural afro hair products.
Founders Joycelyn and Rachael found that 78% of products marketed towards black women contained chemicals linked to cancer, fibroids, and respiratory problems.
Therefore, they created a blend of natural ingredients to change this, and offer a solution to the immense problem within the afro hair industry. They offer a huge range of products and even a free hair quiz so that you can receive tailored product recommendations.
Afrocenchix is not just about creating products, it’s about building health, wellbeing, and legacy within their community, with a global vision to ensure every woman of every skin tone is served within the beauty industry.
Nylah
The inspiration for Nylah came from founder Kam’s desire for her daughter to feel beautiful and included in a world that celebrates a standard of beauty not inclusive of textured hair.
Kam did not want her daughter to undergo the psychological and physical damage of trying to conform to limited standards of beauty, so she created a product that works with textured hair to showcase its natural beauty. She found that hair products marketed towards afro hair included harsh ingredients which would damage the fragile texture.
Therefore, in 2013 she created Nylah – natural haircare tailored to textured and delicate hair. Full of carefully selected ingredients such as shea butter, hibiscus, and burdock root, Nylah is an expression of love for all textured hair sisters.
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The Glowcery
Created by vegan skincare enthusiast Roshanne, The Glowcery formulates skincare products hand-blended from cold-pressed vegetables, fruits, and nut oils to feed your skin with all the essential nutrients it needs.
The products are jam-packed with green antioxidants and nourishing omega essential fatty acids to give your skincare routine a health kick.
The Glowcery currently has three products available: Clean Greens superfood facial oil, Coconut Crumble natural lib scrub, and Sweet Orange natural lip balm.
The passionate team has even created a free selection of planners to ‘Glow Together’ during isolation with morning and night-time ‘Glow Up’ routines and positivity planners to incite mindfulness and add structure to lockdown.
Kalabash
Kalabash creates natural, vegan, and organic tropical skincare products in small batches with the power to evoke Caribbean escapism from the stresses of daily life.
Founder Sharron Jenkins’ inspiration came from her vivid memories of Dominica, combining the warm tropical scents, exotic ingredients, and fragrant spices into natural soap and body care products. Kalabash believes in the natural healing power of plants, avoiding synthetic perfumes and colourants.
Maintaining a small carbon footprint is particularly important to Sharron, emphasised by her small-batch philosophy, and she sources her raw materials and packaging from local suppliers. Moreover, her handcrafted soaps are palm oil-free, so you can indulge yourself in body care with a clean conscience.
Follow Victoria on Instagram at @vicsveganeats
