Black-Owned Beauty And Wellness Brands To Know And Support – Forbes


Beauty and wellness products on your shelf are now more than just acquisitions that you slap on your face. They’ve become part of a ritual or daily regimen that help set the tone for your day. As sustainability and mindfulness become even more relevant especially within the beauty industry, the labels we support have also become an extension of our beliefs, principles and ideology.

Vogue Italia’s late and great Franca Sozanni was truly ahead of her time in more ways than one. She was a front liner in provoking beauty and fashion step out of the escapism. For her the industry had the ability and intrinsic function as a venue to for speaking up. In an era when most pages and ads were dominated by white models, she dared to publish the first ever “Black Issue” in July 2008. The cover, shot by long time collaborator Steven Miesel, featured black beauty icons like Naomi Campbell, Iman, Tyra Banks and Alek Wek, to name a few. From cover to cover, the issue showcased beauties of color. That very issue could just as well be the hallmark and very foundation of inclusivity today. Despite it being a controversial move, the issue sold out within 72 hours from hitting the magazine stands. The All Black Issue was reprinted several times.

You have to wonder what Sozanni would have to say (and do) about the recent injustices, protests and riots against racism. Her vision and work has certainly served the purpose of inspiring independent brands and , among them these brilliant black owned labels to know and support.

A Complexion Company was founded as a clean beauty wellness brand that addresses the needs and concerns of women of color. The eco-luxury company works only with ingredients that are pure yet effective. The team details, “We are minimalist in our formulations and formats, designing products with ingredients that leave zero toxicity to the body, to the supply chain, and the environment.” Raw materials are organically certified and sourced indigenously.

Products from A Complexion Company are crafted following “African-native holistic practices passed down the generations to enhance physical, mental and spiritual wellness.” The team works closely with healers from African communities around the world. The company’s signature ORGANIC MORINGA OLEIFERA BEAUTY SUPERPOWDER may be used topically as a mask or taken orally as food supplement. There are various recipes available on the site that will walk you through time-tested African-native formulas for wellness. Moringa, as the key ingredient functions as an antioxidant. It also helps boost cellular function and regeneration. As a widely known superfood, Moringa used in holistic wellness as an antiviral, anti depressant and anti-inflammatory agent.

Holy Curls proves that curly haired ladies actually have the most fun. Coming from an Asian background where pin straight hair was the ideal, I’ve witnessed how close family and friends spend hard earned bucks on salon treatments like re-bonding, hair relaxing and thermal reconditioning. Hours of soaking locks in nasty chemicals and putting them under extreme heat always made me feel like my wavy or curly haired besties were perpetually in a torture chamber on salon day. I once asked my dearest friend why she wouldn’t just let her curls shine to which her sad response was: “My curls are dry, damaged and frizzy.”

Holy Curls could just as well be the holy grail for women who suffer the same fate. The brand is also reminder that our crowning glory—whether wavy, curly or straight—is beautiful just as it is. With a range of hair products formulated using only natural, cruelty-free ingredients, Holy Curls offers cleaner and happier hair care for women whose locks are wavy, spiral, tight and even frizzy. What excited me about this company is that it encourages women to embrace their natural beauty, even on a bad hair day. The team declares, “We keep it real and tell it like it is because, really, what else is there? We believe that beauty is achieved inside out and that bad hair days is a part of life.” Holy Curl’s DISCOVERY KIT, comprised of plant derived products, will reveal just that.

Skin Gourmet uses natural ingredients to create “raw, edible skincare.” Everything from Skin Gourmet is unprocessed, never diluted and uses zero preservatives. They are yummy, too. Experts from the beauty brand describes their products as “raw handmade skincare sourced from the Wilds of Ghana—so pure you can eat it.” Take their EDIBLE BUTTERS for instance, which is a skin moisturizer that belongs as much on your boudoir as it would in well curated pantry. They are, quite literally, edible but does a spectacular job in soothing, healing, nourishing. There are several variants to choose from depending on your skin concerns but it is most likely that you’ll want to try out every single “flavor” on offer. The brand works with ingredients like raw cocoa, Shea butter, baobab, wild honey, coconut and hemp.

Just a delectable are the edible scrubs, masks as well as oils. Company CEO Violet Awo Amoabeng shares, “What we put in our body will end up on our skin. What we put on our skin will end up in our body.”  And if your skincare routine has worked up an appetite for you, Skin Gourmet’s superfood snacks are treasures to keep handy in your kitchen throughout the year.

The Honey Pot Company offers a complete range of feminine care products that are formulated using natural herbs. Brand founder, Bea Dixon begins, I created Honey Pot Co. to solve for what other brands wouldn’t, using the power of herbs.” There are no chemicals, toxins and other synthetic compounds used in products by Honey Pot. Everything they produce is also biodegradable and cruelty-free. The team behind its communications cleverly writes: “We take care of the most important woman of all: Mother Earth.”

A brand made by women for women, Honey Pot offers a wide and possibly the most comprehensive range of feminine care essentials. From feminine washes and wipes, menstrual cups and tampons and even maternity pads, the brand has every woman (and her honey pot) covered. They even have panty sprays, vulva creams and body balms to ease monthly discomforts from menstruation periods. True to its commitment for empowering and supporting women, Happy Pot has also partnered with Happy Period which aims to provide menstrual hygiene kits to the homeless, low income and marginalized women living below poverty line. Bea emphasizes, “Feminine care is not a luxury, it’s a human right. We’re proud to partner with Happy Period to help give women in need the dignity they deserve.”