Style April 24, 2020
Black, beautiful, and badass.
Image via Unsplash/@oladimegMakeup can be a very empowering and freeing outlet for many, but how can everyone feel that way when not all skin tones are being considered?
Well, instead of waiting to be included, these four women decided to take matters into their own hands. They have disrupted the standards of beauty to create cosmetics for all to feel beautiful. Here are four black-owned beauty brands that shook up the industry.
From being rejected on national television to being featured in some of the world’s most elite beauty magazines, The Lip Bar is a brand that is the true definition of the American Dream.
Unimpressed with the lack of diversity and the number of chemicals found in most lipsticks, founder Melissa Butler wanted to make cosmetics that were natural and looked great on every woman, no matter their shade.
Butler’s idea came to fruition in her kitchen and eventually got far enough to be featured on the show “Shark Tank.” But, the investors on the show brutally rejected their proposal. However, Butler didn’t let that kill her dreams and continued to focus on making her vision a reality.
Now sold in Target nationwide, constantly sold out on their website, and with the launch of its new flagship store in Detroit, The Lip Bar is a brand that isn’t going anywhere but up. Oh, did I mention all her products are vegan? What’s not to love?
The founder of this brand needs no introduction…at all. Rihanna took the world by storm with the launch of her cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty in 2017.
People of color have complained for years about exclusion in the beauty industry and it seemed to fall on deaf ears. There simply were not foundations that matched dark skin tones. But Ms. Fenty herself decided she would be the one to change that.
What set Fenty apart from the thousands of brands out there was her extensive range of foundations. The Pro Filt’r foundation has 50 shades which are far more shades than most brands. She also came out with matching concealers to fit the needs of every shade and every undertone.
Rihanna didn’t stop with cosmetics – she added an inclusively-sized lingerie and clothing line to the Fenty empire. Everything she touches is a success.
Pat McGrath was bound to dominate the beauty game. She was an established icon in the fashion and beauty world prior to the launch of her brand, Pat McGrath Labs. You can see her products in every Youtube beauty guru’s essentials. It’s incredibly hard to find a channel that doesn’t feature her products.
From her bold palettes and intricate packaging, McGrath sets an industry standard that many only inspire to reach. I mean, The Queen of England made her a Member of the Order of the Britsh Empire. Are you going to tell us she’s not worth the hype? Yeah, I thought so.
Bright and eye-catching, the products of Coloured Raine are sure to spark your creative side. With a goal of being completely cruelty-free and make-up that fits the needs of every person of every demographic, founder Loraine R. Dowdy turned her passion into a booming business.
The fun, colorful, and highly pigmented brand is formulated to look amazing on from skin tones ranging from Gwen Stefani to Lupita Nyong’o. The brand just recently launched a collaboration with the hit Starz Original drama Power. Dowdy is literally making power moves and we’re here for it.
Beauty should always be out of the box and brands should make it a priority to include everyone. These brands continue to prove why they’re slaying the game and can only get better. We tip our hats to Melissa, Rihanna, Pat, and Loraine for their boldness and being #WomenThatDo. We can’t wait to see what they come up with in the future.
