Black women have been setting trends for ages. That whole “Instagram Baddie” look everyone’s been emulating? Gelled-down baby (and in some cases full adult) hairs? Neon-colored wigs blended to perfection? Mile-long acrylic nails? Heavily lined lips? All of these are rooted in Black aesthetics, and makeup is just one area in which Black people are certified trailblazers.
Pat McGrath and Danessa Myricks have created a new standard of artistry, while brands like Fashion Fair and Blk/Opl have provided a wide range of makeup shades to enhance the beauty of all brown skin tones. To help you find some of the best of the best, we’ve compiled a (by no means exhaustive) list of Black-owned and -founded cosmetic brands that deserve a spot in your makeup bag.
Ami Colé
Ami Colé’s debut product, the Skin-Enhancing Tint, was immediately a crowd favorite, probably because the shades have neutral, golden, and yellow undertones to suit melanin-rich skin tones (rather than skewing red, which is a common issue for Black beauty lovers). The brand kept the momentum going with its following launches, including the Skin-Enhancing Concealer, the Skin Melt Loose Powder, and the Lash-Amplifying Mascara, which won a 2022 Best of Beauty Award for best dramatic mascara.
Star Product: The Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Stick launched in January, quickly becoming one of our favorites. Based on feedback from the brand’s community, Ami Colé updated its original skin-tint formula to better suit oily skin types. The complexion stick comes in 16 shades and, as Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein puts it, “has a buttery, melt-on-my-skin texture that immediately dries down to a light, powdery finish.”
Danessa Myricks Beauty
Danessa Myricks Beauty, the namesake brand of iconic makeup artist Danessa Myricks, is no stranger to the Allure Best of Beauty Awards, largely thanks to its impressive use of highly pigmented and uniquely textured products: Colorfix, Twin Flame Liquid Eyeshadow, and Yummy Blurring Balm Powder are all groundbreaking formulas that will take your makeup game to a new level of artistry.
Star Product: Following in the footsteps of the Best of Beauty-winning Yummy Blurring Balm Powder, the blush version of the formula, Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed, is another hit. This flexible, soft matte cream (which won an Allure 2023 Best of Beauty award) can be as intense or sheer as you want it to be since it is formulated with sebum-absorbing upsalite (an ultra-porous form of magnesium carbonate), and olive-derived squalane and hyaluronic acid for added hydration. All six shades look gorgeous on the cheeks and lips.
WYN Beauty
The tennis community’s loss was the beauty industry’s gain when Serena William launched WYN Beauty in April. After being an athlete for most of her life, Williams wanted to create makeup that looks good even while you’re breaking a sweat, so the brand is anchored in the idea of active beauty. Despite celebrity beauty-brand fatigue, the Allure team tested all 10 products in the WYN Beauty line, which includes lipstick, mascara, concealer, and the product that won over Allure editors, the Hydrating Skin Enhancing Tint SPF 30.
Star Product: The WYN Hydrating Skin Enhancing Tint is a lightweight formula that dries down with a semi-matte finish. “I was shocked at the level of coverage this skin tint provides,” says Allure editor in chief Jessica Cruel. “I was expecting tinted-sunscreen vibes, but it’s more along the lines of a light-coverage foundation. I’m really impressed that there is SPF 30 and even the darkest shades don’t look ashy.”
LYS Beauty
LYS Beauty founder and CEO Tisha Thompson, who trained as a makeup artist, dedicated her business to creating and formulating high-performing “clean” beauty products that take a skin-care-first approach and cater to deep shade ranges—and all at affordable prices (everything is under $30). LYS Beauty, which stands for Love Yourself, made headlines in 2021 when it became the first Black-owned clean makeup brand at Sephora, and LYS has been pumping out editor-loved launches ever since.
Star Product: LYS Beauty’s latest product, the Higher Standard Cream Glow Blush Stick, is a crowd favorite at the Allure office. The shimmering blushes come in seven shades, vibrant enough for all skin tones. Says social media manager Bianca Richards, “The shade Bubbly gives me a pretty pop of pink on my cheeks, seamlessly blending with the rest of my makeup for the natural, radiant finish that I love.”
Juvia’s Place
Before founder Chichi Eburu started Juvia’s Place in 2016, she (rightfully) felt that the makeup options for her deep skin tone were limited and didn’t fully enhance her natural complexion. Inspired by Eburu’s African roots, Juvia’s Place offers show-stopping eye shadow palettes, liquid eye shadows, lashes, and lip glosses that are as colorful and innovative as the kingdoms that inspired them.
Star Product: It’s notoriously hard to find bronzers for deep skin tones—most shades skew too cool and end up being more of a contour shade, if you can see them at all. Juvia’s Place Bronzed Duos are the perfect remedy for this issue. Available in five shades, the three dark palettes include shades that are deep enough and warm enough to add a visible bronzy glow to dark complexions.
TLB (The Lip Bar)
Melissa Butler didn’t let the rejection she received on Shark Tank get in the way of her dream of building a beauty brand that represents all women. Butler, a former Wall Street stockbroker, founded TLB in 2012 for those seeking edgy lipstick shades with nourishing ingredients. The formulas include organic shea butter, organic avocado oil, and coconut oil. In 2020 the brand expanded beyond lip products, launching the Fast Face System, a bundle that includes a skin tint, concealer, and blush/highlighter palette.
Star product: The Lip Bar’s answer to heavy foundations that clog your pores is the Just a Tint 3-in-1 Tinted Skin Conditioner. It provides buildable, light-to-medium coverage that hydrates the skin, thanks to the addition of rosewater and glycerin.
Pat McGrath Labs
Beauty lovers everywhere adore and pay homage to “Mother,” a.k.a. Pat McGrath, a self-made billionaire and veteran beauty visionary. McGrath — who, when she was just seven years old, developed a love for makeup from her mom — has worked with Giorgio Armani, CoverGirl, and Max Factor, regularly leading more than 60 shows each fashion month season. McGrath is now known for her namesake, show-stopping brand, Pat McGrath Labs. Her line has some of the most stunning packaging ever created and every swipe of lipstick, eye shadow, and highlighter is a guarantee for a gorgeous look. In addition to winning for the star product below, McGrath has also picked up Allure Best of Beauty awards for her Skin Fetish Highlighter and Balm Duo and Lust MatteTrance Lipstick in Elson, a perfect blue-based red.
Star product: The Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil is an editor favorite for good reason: “It’s the only product I’ve used that really lasts on my lips,” says assistant fashion editor Tascha Berkowitz. The pencil comes in seven shades from a cool pink neutral to a warm dark brown.
Fashion Fair
With Cheryl Mayberry McKissack and Desirée Rogers at the helm, Fashion Fair first launched in 1973, with foundations specifically formulated for dark skin tones, long before brands like Fenty Beauty were doing it. Fashion Fair made a comeback in 2022, lining shelves at Sephora with complexion products that lean into golden and olive shades, as opposed to red and orange, and lipsticks that achieve the perfect nude for darker skin tones.
Star Product: Available in 20 shades (so far), FF Iconic Lipstick is unapologetically bold. Shades like Olé Orange, Chocolate Raspberry, and Coy, a warm rose brown, have beautiful color payoff while sunflower seed oil and rosemary leaf extract keep your lips hydrated and plump.
Blk/Opl
In September 2019, Blk/Opl officially became Black-owned after being acquired by Desirée Rogers (CEO) and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack (president), who also own Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Though not initially Black-owned, the company has dedicated more than 20 years to providing makeup and skin-care products specifically for people of color, especially Black women. The brand currently offers an array of complexion products, cosmetics in vibrant colors, and a few skin-care goodies to supplement your existing routine.
Star product: The creamy True Color Skin Perfecting Stick Foundation SPF 15 glides like butter onto skin to cover up dark spots and provide a flawless base for the rest of your makeup. These foundation sticks come in 23 shades that can also be used as concealer and contour to sculpt your face.
Mented Cosmetics
In 2017, KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson launched Mented Cosmetics with a mission to create neutral lipstick shades for dark skin tones—a mission they accomplished with the brand’s first product: the Semi-Matte Lipsticks. Since then, the line has expanded to include foundation sticks, eye shadows, blushes, and even nail polish. Mented was recently acquired by private equity firm West Lane Capital, though Miller will continue to be involved with the brand.
Star product: The Semi-Matte Lipsticks (a 2021 Allure Best of Beauty winner) come in nine shades and are deeply nourishing. Spiked with castor seed oil and vitamin E, the formulas add a satin-like finish to the lips that will last throughout the day.
Bossy Cosmetics
Aishetu Fatima Dozie started her career in finance, but she always dreamed of veering into the beauty space. After taking a sabbatical from her nine-to-five, Dozie took a leap and, in 2018, started Bossy Cosmetics. The brand is known for its highly pigmented, long-lasting lipsticks, of which there are 10 shades of the signature bullet lipstick and liquid lipstick. Bossy recently dropped a blush (a first for the brand) in three brown-skin-friendly shades: Perseverance, a deep pink with red undertones; Grit, a bright fuchsia, and Dynamic, a purplish brown.
Star Product: The Bullet Lipstick in the shade Fierce, a deep burgundy, looks stunning on darker skin tones. It’s infused with watermelon seed oil and vitamin E, which make the creamy formula feel buttery on the lips the whole time you’re wearing it.
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