27 Black-Owned Makeup Brands Everyone Can Use to Create Gorgeous Beauty Looks

CEO and founder Alicia Scott noticed the lack of shades available during photo shoots and runway shows throughout her fashion career and decided to create a solution. Not only did she develop cosmetics with a better shade range, but she also made formulas with skincare benefits. The brand’s hydrating foundation is the first of its kind that works for those who deal with skin conditions like eczema and acne.

The Lip Bar’s cruelty-free and vegan products offer bold shades of lipsticks, lip gloss, eyeshadows, and more. Founder Melissa Butler launched the brand from her own kitchen in 2012 to change the beauty industry’s lack of diversity, inclusion, and use of chemicals. Butler hopes to redefine traditional beauty standards so all women know they are beautiful. And we are obsessed with the Vegan Liquid Matte Lipsticks!

Sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías pitched their Luna Magic brand and shared their merchandising and retail beauty expertise during their Shark Tank appearance in 2021. After walking away with a deal from the show, their business is continuing to thrive with a range of affordable makeup offerings, like this powder blush, that reflects the vibrancy of their Caribbean and Latin American heritage.

After years of trying on lipsticks that didn’t show up on her skin as marketed by beauty brands, Pound Cake co-founder and CEO Camille Bell decided to create a lipstick brand that addressed lip tone and skin tone for a flattering finish on melanated people. The brand’s Cake Batter liquid lipstick comes in six shades of red and includes nourishing oils to heal chapped lips.

Founded by doctor Lola Rachel, Nubyén is rooted in celebrating women and enhancing the beauty they already possess with natural, hypoallergenic product ingredients. The UK-based brand’s plumping gloss is a fan-favorite, thanks to the likes of vegan collagen and hyaluronic acid that give lips a fuller look.

Iman Cosmetics was founded by legendary model Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid in 1994. The brand is praised for its wide range of affordable options catering to a variety of skin tones. You too can create a supermodel pout with the brand’s Lip Shimmer. It’s packed with moisturizing botanical ingredients.

“Beauty created for us. By us. Because before, there was nothing out there that really saw us,” this is the brand’s statement on the site, and owner, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, accomplished exactly what she set out to do, which was to create a clean makeup brand specifically for women of color. The best selling product is a skin-enhancing tint, that works to amp up your natural complexion with a satin finish and soft glow.

Beauty Bakerie founder Cashmere Nicole puts a fun spin on makeup with her line of products, all inspired by sweets. Her bright and colorful cosmetics offer a wide variety of fun: like lollipop liner, cake pop lippies, and a flour setting powder to help you “bake” your face.

We love beauty products that work double duty and Danessa Myricks created essentials that are all multi-functional—and are able to work on various skin tones. One of the most popular items? The Colorfix 24-hour Cream, a unique hybrid cream that can be used on the lips, eyes, or face. It also comes in 20+ colors and dries down rapidly.

Global brand Black Opal has been in the makeup business for 25 years. The brand was one of the originals on a quest to make beauty and makeup more diverse. As Black Opal has evolved over the years, the brand offers more shades and products that work for various skin needs such as hyperpigmentation. Amazon reviewers love their True Color Soft Velvet Finishing Powder, which has a silky finish and works on all skin types.

​​From sheer to bold colors, Black Radiance’s products were created with women of color in mind. The goal is to uplift and support the community by offering a diversity of products. The True Complexion Creme Contour Palette has even ranked in over 9,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. The brand also launched a My Shade Is Everything campaign to bring awareness to the gaps women of color experience in the makeup industry.

The brand Sacha cosmetics blew up when they released their iconic setting powder. It quickly became a top-rated translucent powder on the market for women of color thanks to its ability to prevent ashy tones and flashbacks. But don’t just take our word for it, check out the 3,800 rave reviews from happy customers on Amazon.

Rihanna’s cosmetic brand broke numerous records when it first launched. The brand’s first gift to the world was 40 different foundations, and today Fenty Beauty’s got everything including eyeshadows, cream blushes, lip glosses, and (our personal favorite), an array of shimmery highlighters—so you can shine bright like a diamond, anytime, anywhere!

Founded in 1973 by beauty and fashion entrepreneur, Eunice Johnson, Fashion Fair was the first international prestige cosmetics brand for darker skin tones sold globally in stores from Neiman Marcus to Printemps. Now available at Sephora, you can shop the brand’s iconic lipsticks, which are crafted with a rich satin formula that will never look too ashy or chalky. We love the bright red shade called Catfight!

Makeup artist turned beauty business maven Tisha Thompson launched LYS beauty to provide women of color with all clean cosmetics. And she created products that address common skin concerns like hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and sensitive skin. Even better? Thompson works to be an inclusive brand all around including in her marketing representation and undertone shades. Check out the satin-matte cream blushes, which give the skin a natural flush look.

The makeup from Juvia’s Place was inspired by the richness and vibrancy of African beauty. “Their palette selection is very much curated to flatter every skin tone, but particularly pops on medium to deep skin, which is what most of my client range consists of,” says Alli, owner of TUL Cosmetics. “I love how vibrant Juvia’s Place’s Zulu Palette is for bright color stories on the face and eyes.”

Pat McGrath is one of the world’s most influential makeup artists and she’s been painting the faces of high fashion models for over 25 years, so you can bet that her products are the real deal. The eyeshadow palettes are a must-have in any makeup routine and the Mothership V Eyeshadow Palette- Bronze Seduction even won a beauty award, thanks to its 10 rich and easy-to-use pigmented shades.

Founded by Kim Roxie, LAMIK Beauty is a vegan makeup line made with safe, non-toxic ingredients for women with diverse skin tones. Their motto: Beauty is revealed, not applied. Customers also can’t get enough of the Revelation Brow Duo product, which has the perfect brow powder combination to sculpt, define, and fill in your eyebrows.

Bronzy skin is possible for even the deepest of skin tones thanks to Mented Cosmetics and their Sunkissed Bronzer. Initially, the brand was created to provide nude products for Black women’s skin tones but founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson now want women to be able to find products that work from lipsticks and blushes to eyeshadows.

Founder Reynell Steward (Supa Cent) ’s viral company The Crayon Case has grown the brand into a creative and fun makeup experience. “Her products are easy to use and if you’re on her email list and there’s a sale, you’re in for a treat!” says Nyssa Green, Emmy award-winning makeup artist. The travel-friendly Note Pad Mini Eyeshadow Palette comes with purple hues and a mirror to make it easier to do makeup on the go.