In June this year, cult beauty brand Glossier put out a call for Black founders to participate in its first-ever Grant Initiative. Glossier pledged $1 million dollars to address racial inequity, with $500,000 donated to organisations fighting racial injustice and the other half saved for the initiative.
Black beauty entrepreneurs based in the United States were invited to apply for grants of $10,000, $30,000 and $50,000 depending on what stage their business was at. Those chosen would also be offered the opportunity to connect with relevant team members at Glossier for one-on-one advisory support as well as monthly calls with domain experts in the fields of packaging, content strategy and supply chain.
After receiving over 10,000 applications, the team at Glossier and its publication, Into the Gloss, have picked 16 Black-owned beauty brands to receive the Grant Initiative. According to Glossier, these were the founders changing the game and pushing boundaries in the world of beauty products. If you’re not already across these businesses, these are the 16 Black-owned beauty brands that you need to know about.
AbsoluteJOI
This inclusive clean beauty brand offers effective skincare for people with all skin types and tones. All of the AbsoluteJOI products are created without parabens, synthetic dyes or perfumes and for those on the hunt for a tinted mineral moisturiser that doesn’t leave a grey cast, this is where to find it. The brand’s hero product is a retinol oil formulated with vitamin C and E, which helps to fight the dryness brought about by retinol use. How good!
Golde Wellness
Straddling both beauty and wellness, Golde Wellness is the place to shop edible matcha and turmeric latte powders to create delicious drinks as well as a range of face masks that honestly look good enough to eat.
Epi.logic
After years of working as a plastic surgeon dedicated to holistic facial refinement, Epi.logic founder Dr Chaneve Jeanniton created a skincare range that is simple and effective but also maximises treatment results and in turn, encourages people to stick with a routine. The Take Daily Dose serum is a great example of a small-but-mighty product that contains vitamin C, ferulic acid, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
Brown Girl Jane
Brown Girl Jane creates CBD products that are non-intoxicating and formulated without binders, fillers, dyes or unknown substances. These premium grade products include serums, body butter and oils that are created with the highest standards in farming, harvesting and manufacturing.
Shopping CBD products from Black-owned businesses is extremely important according to Into the Gloss, as Black folks are roughly four times more likely to be arrested on cannabis charges yet only own four per cent of legal cannabis businesses.
Kanti
Created for the needs of melanated millennials, Kanti aims to uncomplicate skincare with its hero product Likuid Gold Luxury Glo Oil. Dubbed “the world’s best facial oil”, this is Kanti’s one and only product and it’s a showstopper. Formulated with antioxidants and rich in omega-3, 6 and 9, this fast-absorbing facial oil helps to moisturise, brighten and smooth skin.
Eadem
Created for women of colour by women of colour, Eadem is a beauty and wellness brand that started as a blog and has a yet-to-launch skincare line in the works. According to Into the Gloss, the first task on the Eadem’s team list is to create a dermatologist-approved solution to hyperpigmentation that won’t bleach melanated skin.
Luna Magic
Created by Afro-Latina & Dominican-American sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías, Luna Magic celebrates their mutual love for their multicultural heritage. Founded with a mission to produce high-performance cosmetics that are inspired by “the rich cultures and music of the Caribbean & Latin America, the hustle and bustle of NYC and glamour of Los Angeles”, Luna Magic’s range of eyeshadow palettes are perfect for those who want to play with colour.
Pound Cake
Pound Cake aims to find you the perfect red lip by taking into account how different shades show up on different skin tones. This yet-to-be-launched brand will tell you which of their lipsticks will suit your skin based on your natural lip shade and undertones. Keep on eye out for Pound Cake early next year.
Alodia Hair Care
Founded by Dr Isfahan Chambers-Harris, a doctor who is committed to educating women on holistic health approaches to natural hair care, Alodia Hair Care was created to educate and empower women, especially those with textured hair. This range of shampoos, conditioners, oils and creams helps to nourish hair follicles as well as provide heat protection and hydration.
Melanj Hair
For those who enjoy experimenting with their hair, Melanj Hair offers hair quality hair extensions that are created to blend seamlessly with textured hair. The range includes six custom textures, including various curl styles as well as straighter locks.
The Most
Created to cater to those with kinks and curls, The Most aims to make your hair care journey easier with the help of its tools which includes a Detangler and Mini Scalp Moisturiser. This device allows you to pop your favourite scalp oil or serum inside and as you massage your scalp, it easily disturbed the product with little to no mess.
Wavy Blue
Designed specifically for men, Wavy Blue caters for curly hair dudes. Wavy Blue’s Curl & Coil Balm is formulated to hydrate, condition and style thanks to the addition of ingredients like coconut oil, bamboo and ginseng.
Hanahana Beauty
This consciously clean skincare brand aims to disrupt the global beauty industry by increasing accessibility, transparency and sustainability in all areas of its own business. With products made with shea butter directly from the Katariga Women’s Shea Cooperative in Ghana, Hanahana Beauty supports the uplifting of women of colour. Shop the luxurious range of body products including scrubs, butters and bars.
Flaunt Body
Ingrown hairs are an annoying part of life but thanks to the genius of Flaunt Body, there is a way to prevent them. Flaunt Body has created a unisex mask that can be used before shaving or waxing to prevent irritation, razor bumps or ingrown hairs thanks to the formulation which includes glycolic acid to exfoliate, Centella Asiatic extract to repair skin and chamomile, cucumber and aloe vera to calm and soothe. The shape of the masks means you can use it on armpits, bikini lines or on your neck.
Redoux
Described as a skincare line “for the modern nostalgic”, Redoux creates vegan body balms and bars that aim to bottle memories through the scent of each product. With ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, safflower oil, olive oil, geranium and bergamot, the Turmeric Botanical Bar is a must-have for your bathroom.
Deon Libra
Deon Libra is a topical and digestible adaptogenic brand that is due to launch early next year. Unfortunately there isn’t much more known about this one, but according to Into the Gloss, we’re in for “a quite literal treat”. Watch this space.
While not all of these brands ship directly to Australia, you can still get your hands on them via Australia Post ShopMate. Basically, you sign up to ShopMate and you’re given a ShopMate U.S address, which you pop in as the delivery address on your order. Then, your order will be delivered to the U.S warehouse and processed before being sent on to you in Australia.
While it is undoubtedly a handy service, it comes with a pretty spenny price tag. ShopMate charges a $25.25 shipping base rate per parcel plus $5.45 weight rate per 500g. A book, for example, could cost you around $35 just in shipping, so keep this in mind when placing your order.