The word BIPOC is defined in the industry as a group of people that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and that’s code for people with deep skin tones including Latinx, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and any mix that provides that luscious color.
Now finding makeup that correctly suits our skin tones is like searching for unicorns. Sometimes it feels like you have to take a magic map to find the right foundation with olive or neutral undertones, or to locate a face palette dark enough to sculpt your cheeks, or eyeshadow or lipstick pigmented enough to show on your lips or skin.
Makeup is mostly made by White creators for White skin and most of these makeup brands haven’t risen to meet our needs. They want our money, don’t you doubt that for a second, but they don’t want to do the work. So, what should the BIPOC community do about this? I say, cancel them all one by one. This is business and our money rings — ding/ding/ding — your cash register will not ring if you don’t make some changes.
So, I can’t stop thanking those brands that are making money in their sleep like Fenty, but here are a few brands that you may not know that you should know.
So many of us are mixed with the Indigenous/First Nations peoples in North America. As my grandmother explained, a member of the Miccosukee tribe of first people located in Flordia, the “Africans ran away from the white devils” and found us. Our people are poorly funded and supported by the United States which should never be a surprise since they genocided the people who lived on this land. To learn more check out this interactive time lap map that shows how the U.S. took/stole more than 1.5 billion acres from Native people. Click here.
Hopefully, these brands’ public relations teams with do the right thing and reach out so I can explore all of the products but in the interim and with the need to always spread the love here’s my list, part one, for fall BIPOC beauty brands you should explore, fall 2022.
PART ONE - INDIGENOUS and AFRICAN AMERICAN OWNED BEAUTY BRANDS –
Mother Earth Essentials founder Carrie Armstrong has the DNA of Cree Medicine Women who respect our Mother Earth. The brand offers haircare, skincare, and soap. Loving and respecting Mother Earth is a lifestyle and this brand also offers candles, tea, and essential oils.
https://motherearthessentials.ca/
Niawen blends science and ancient Native traditions, the creation of esthetician Tara-Tekahentakhwa. The brand literally means “thank you” or “to give thanks” and was inspired by Tekahentakhwa’s own skincare journey dealing with acne.
Blended Girl Cosmetics founder Shí-Fawn didn’t see much diversity growing up in LeChee, Arizona so forget about Indigenous representation in the beauty industry. So she started Blended Girl which carries lipstick, eyeliner, accessories, beauty tools, and liquid lipstick that they can’t keep in stock.
Prados is a queer and Xicana/Indigenous-owned brand that gives back because the founder, Cece Meadows, strives to create products that are inclusive of all people. The brand also gives back, donating clothes, shoes, and PPE to reservations around the U.S.
Cheekbone Beauty is owned by beauty veteran Jenn Harper and stays true to her Anishinaabe roots through its foundational beliefs in sustainability and giving back to the Indigenous community.
https://www.cheekbonebeauty.com/
Ace Beauté , founded by Niye Aniekan-Attang has a product range from nails to lashes to eyeshadows and offers a variety of eyeshadow primers perfect for our skin tones.
Bossy Cosmetics founded by Aisha Fatima Dozie was founded because she realized that companies didn’t focus on how their clients felt. These are ethically made products she hopes makes the user feel ignited. Her products include lipsticks, eyeshadow, eyeliners, and more, and a portion of their proceeds go to a number of their nonprofit partners.
Undefined is a plant-based, clean skincare and wellness brand with an emphasis on inclusivity that’s affordable.
https://undefinedco.com/?sscid=81k6_nsl6j&
4.5.6. Skin was created by Noelly Michoux and inspired by her mother’s knack for finding rare beauty products. The company prioritizes empowering
people with deeper skin tones.
Katini Skin was founded by Katini Yamaoka and mixes her Japanese, African and Australian heritage. Raised plant-based from birth, and educated at a neo-humanistic school, Katini was gifted with an understanding of natural healing from a very young age.
Pound Cake co-founder/CEO saw a need for a revolution in how cosmetic companies produce and market color cosmetics. In a tweet that went viral a few years ago calling on the beauty industry to make lipsticks, the tweet spoke to her because she battled with lipsticks, and Pound Cake was born.https://poundcakecosmetics.com/
Hyper Skin founded by Desiree Verdejo focuses on the clean skin look for folks of color creating a clean, vegan beauty brand. https://hyperskin.com/
