Celebrating the culture that seems to influence others but is often left behind. Knowing there are more than nine black-owned beauty brands, these are just some that are being highlighted.

All of their stories are similar, being created because of the lack of representation in the beauty industry. Each of their journeys created their empires to make them household names.

The Lip Bar -The self-made CEO, Melissa Butler, rejected on Shark Tank, reclaimed her power, used her frustration, and took a leap into her Brooklyn kitchen to whip up vibrant vegan lipstick.

She grew The Lip Bar beyond lipstick to TLB an award-winning minimal-effort beauty must-haves for all.

Found in Target Stores, Walmart Stores, CVS Stores, Meijer stores, Amazon and their Flagship Store in Downtown Detroit.

Danessa Myricks Beauty – Danessa Myricks is a significant figure in the beauty industry, known for her innovative approach to makeup and her entrepreneurial spirit. Her journey into makeup artistry began out of necessity and evolved into a passion. Originally working in the medical field, Danessa found herself as a single mother of two needing a more flexible job. She transitioned into a career in publishing, focusing on the beauty industry. This exposed her to the world of makeup, where she rapidly developed a passion for the creative possibilities’ makeup offered.

Found in Sephora and on Amazon

Juvia’s Place – Founder Chichi Eburu struggled to find makeup suited for her deep skin tone. What was available were muted colors and products that didn’t enhance the true richness of her skin tone.

Eburu started by selling makeup tools, the easiest way to enter the beauty industry and raise capital for her broader goal– a desire to make makeup that looked gorgeous on dark, deep skin tones. As she continued to grow her beauty tools business, she fortified the vision board for Juvia’s Place.

Found in Ulta

Ami Colé – (Ah-me Co-lay) Created out of beauty because before, there was nothing out there that really saw us. With years of industry experience behind us, we knew that something was missing for melanin-rich skin. So we put pen to paper, made mood boards, and assembled a team to create skincare to surpass the superficial.

Found in Sephora

Pound Cake Cosmetics – Camille Bell created Pound Cake because she saw the need for a revolution in how cosmetic companies produce and market color cosmetics. There was a tweet that went viral a few years ago calling on the beauty industry to make lipsticks that show up as advertised on all skin tones. This tweet spoke to her because she battled with lipsticks looking different on than expected (if they show up at all). Cosmetic companies don’t understand that it is not only skin tone but also lip tone that affects the way products show up on people. After realizing this, she fought hard to build this offering to us.

Found in ULTA

Fashion Fair – Founded in 1973 by the incomparable Eunice Johnson, Fashion Fair was the first international prestige cosmetics brand for darker skin tones sold globally in stores from Neiman Marcus to Printemps. The brand broke racial barriers in business, and boldly established a new affirmation of Black beauty.

Found in Macy’s

Fenty Beauty – Rihanna was inspired to create the world of Fenty Beauty brands after years of partnering with the best of the best in the beauty industry—and still seeing a void for products that performed across all skin tones + type and hair textures.

Found in Sephora

Bossy Cosmetics – Aisha has always described herself as a “lipstick junkie” and never imagined that she’d start a global beauty brand when she started her career in finance over 20 years ago. She worked for several years as an investment banker and finance executive in the US, UK, Central and South America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She’s also founded a children’s play and activity center called Paloo’s Place and a media project which showcased successful African women called African HERstory.

Found in Nordstrom

Blk/Opl – Created in 1994 as a love letter from a brilliant chemist to his Jamaican wife, who struggled to find cosmetics that matched her skin tone and supported her skin health. They developed a brand designed for melanin-rich skin with a renowned dermatologist.

With the introduction of Shade ID™ Technology, paired with formulations addressing concerns like oiliness, hyperpigmentation, and blemishes, BLK/OPL quickly became a global favorite among makeup artists.

Found in Ulta, Walmart, & CVS Pharmarcy