Without the black community, the beauty industry as we know it would look very different from the industry we recognise today.

At KLMA, we really want to continue the discussion of support and celebration of beauty brands that have been created and owned by black women. Today, we are going to share 5 black-owned beauty businesses that should be on your radar as an MUA.

Danessa Myricks

Danessa Myricks, self-taught Makeup Artist and entrepreneur, founded her makeup brand with the underlying mission of contributing towards a beauty industry that was inclusive and celebrated every woman.

Danessa prides herself in creating products that are multifunctional – designed for the different faces of different people.

Sleek Makeup

With a similar motivation to Danessa, the founder of Sleek Makeup also set out with a mission to combat underrepresentation that was rampant within the beauty industry.

At the core of the brand, Sleek Makeup champions inclusivity and diversity and has since seen years of success on the High Street with budget-friendly and affordable prices.

Juvia’s Place

Juvia’s Place is a hugely popular beauty line who credits their inspiration to the vibrancy of Africa. With bright and pigmented eyeshadows and dazzling highlights, they pride themselves on products that are especially formulated to cater to darker skin tones.

Founded by Nigerian-born Chichi Eburu, the brand has continued to evolve to incredible heights and is a popular choice among beauty influencers.

MDMFlow

The story of MDMFlow began with the decision made by its founder, Florence, to study cosmetic science at London College of Fashion. With dreams of building her own beauty empire, she eventually began crafting her own handmade lipsticks.

As the brand has continued to grow, they have also gone on to launch their own mascara and design a foundation for all skin types & skin tones.

IMAN Cosmetics

Launched in 1994, IMAN Cosmetics were one of the first brands to create beauty and skincare ranges designed for all women of colour.

The story behind Iman’s reason for launching the brand, was down to the fact that she was unable to find a foundation that matched her skin tone. So, instead, she decided to make her own.

Beyond the beauty brand, Iman has also released a range of books – one of which is entitled The Beauty of Colour – something she wrote to try address skin tones across the spectrum and how they relate to beauty.

This is a non-exhaustive list of black-owned beauty brands, and there are so many more worthy of our celebration. It is definitely worth doing your research to ensure you have products that cater to all clients whilst supporting a range of brands from different backgrounds.

If you are interested in learning more about makeup for people of colour, as part of our Activate Your Artistry online course our Elevate module contains an entire section dedicated to Women of Colour. This involves a full video tutorial for a makeup look and a downloadable resource full of our top product recommendations!