18 Black-Owned Makeup Brands To Shop & Support Right Now & Always

Though protests and donations are important avenues through which you can help further the Black Lives Matter movement and give power to Black voices, there are many other ways you can and should continuously show your support for the Black community — today and every day after. Carefully choosing where you spend your money can help give a voice to Black creatives and entrepreneurs who have been historically marginalized, and for beauty lovers, there are numerous Black-owned makeup brands that haven’t received nearly as much recognition as they deserve that you can start shopping now.

Read more: Brands Like Glossier With Cool, Simple, & Affordable Products

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Black-owned brands are steeply underrepresented in major retailers. In response to this, Aurora James, the founder of Brother Vellies, started the 15 Percent Pledge, which has called on large retailers like Sephora, Net-a-Porter, and Target to ensure 15 percent of their stock comes from Black-owned brands. To help support this as a consumer, you can not only put pressure on those retailers yourself, but also give your own dollars to Black-owned brands by shopping their products. And if you typically spend a lot of your money trying to recreate beauty tutorials, shopping the many Black-owned makeup brands is a good place to start

Ahead, 18 you can support now — and always.

We only include products that have been independently selected by The Zoe Report's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Black Opal

Black Opal Beauty was acquired by Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack in 2019 after being founded in 1994 to celebrate and cater to Black skin. Nearly all of its products are under $20 and you’ll find everything from powders for baking and contouring to sheer and shimmery glosses for any part of your face.

Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath's eponymous brand, Pat McGrath Labs, has most likely already made you drool from its mesmerizing, glitter-dripping Instagram videos. The finishes and color payoff from the eyeshadows and lipsticks are almost otherworldly, and it claims a range of cult-favorite products like its FetishEyes Mascara or Mattetrance Lipstick.

Juvia's Place

Founded and owned by Chichi Eburu, Juvia's Place was created to celebrate "the rebels, rulers and queens of the African kingdoms of long ago, who emulated and honored beauty through their soulful and innovative techniques." While you can find a wide range of items, its many pigment-rich eyeshadow palettes truly stand out, often alternating between vivid colors and beautiful neutrals.

Camara Aunique Beauty

Camara Aunique is a successful makeup artist in New York City (she's worked with stars like Ava DuVernay, Yvonne Orji, and Angela Bassett) who also runs her own lash brand. While it can be tough to find false lashes that can pass for your own and amp up your look, these hit the marks and come in a variety of lengths and volumes.

SACHA Cosmetics

Kama Maharaj founded SACHA Cosmetics, a Trinidad and Tobago-born brand, which caters to a wide range of skin tones and features products in all makeup categories. Its Buttercup Powder and Fix-It Spray are fan favorites, but the brand offers nearly everything you need for your makeup bag, from gel liners to brushes.

Beauty Bakerie

Beauty Bakerie, dreamed up by founder Cashmere Nicole, has products that look good enough to eat with names like Neapolitan Bar (a face palette), Cake Pop Lippies, and Flour Setting Powder. But the company behind these treats only gets sweeter; it also runs a 501(c)(3) charity called Sugar Homes, which donates things like money, clothes, and toys to orphanages worldwide.

Laws of Nature Cosmetics

Jasmine Rose, the founder of Laws of Nature Cosmetics wanted to create a brand of healthier mineral cosmetics for Black women after her mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and, through research, she found that Black women have a higher risk of being exposed to toxic chemicals from makeup. The products found in this line are natural and usable for people with nearly any skin type.

Prime Beauty Cosmetics

Pushing women of color's beauty needs to the forefront, Shemika Harmitt founded Prime Beauty Cosmetics, which makes cruelty-free products that cater to many skin tones. Fan favorites include its five-star Brownzers, bronzers made for women of color, and its vitamin E and coconut oil-infused matte liquid lipsticks.

Fenty Beauty

Rihanna, multi-hyphenate queen of music, beauty, fashion, and lingerie, started a wave of change with Fenty Beauty and its 50 shades of foundation by providing proof that there's no excuse for brands to not be more inclusive in their color ranges and undertones.

Propa Beauty

Despite the all-encompassing name, the range of nude lipsticks available on the market are pretty limited. Propa Beauty's founder Victoria Fazio is changing this and has created a line of 12 lipsticks that work for deeper and darker skin tones. Right now, the brand is donating 50 percent of its restock preorder sales to Campaign Zero and Black to the Future Action Fund when you use the codes provided on its site.

September Rose Cosmetics

U.K.-based September Rose Cosmetics, founded by Michelle Michael, features colorful eyeshadow palettes reminiscent of Skittles and fruity candy. The brand also sells beauty tools like makeup sponges and strip lash applicators.

Maréna Beauté

Swedish makeup artist Diarry Maréna started this company in 2015 to cater to women of color and provide them with products that match their skin tones. A silky matte lipstick that doesn't dry out your lips and a creamy compact foundation are two of the several sleek products available through the line.

OMGLO Cosmetics

OMGLO Cosmetics, founded by makeup artist Joelle Phillips, is renowned for its moisturizing highlighter spray. It was inspired by a recipe for a DIY version that Phillips learned from a fellow artist. She took this idea and ran with it, making a line of glow-boosting products for all skin tones and types.

Danessa Myricks Beauty

Makeup artist and photographer Danessa Myricks built this brand to address the lack of diverse skin tone representation in beauty products. With her background, she went on to create a line with a broad range of products and shades that span from an all-in-one foundation and concealer to bright palettes and highlighters.

UOMA Beauty

Melding the world of makeup and skincare, UOMA Beauty makes products that won't stifle your skin. Founder Sharon Chuter, who's worked with brands like L'Oréal, Revlon, and Benefit Cosmetics, also wanted the brand to be extremely inclusive, which led to 51 shades of its Say What?! Foundation. You can also shop everything from concealer and contour to lipstick on its site.

Mented Cosmetics

Perplexed by the lack of nude lipstick color options, co-founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson created Mented Cosmetics so everyone could find a shade. The company has further expanded into nail polishes, brow pencils, face powders, and more.

Range Beauty

Lovers of clean makeup who have struggled to find the perfect match will find a shade from Range Beauty. Founded by Alicia Scott, the brand focuses on keeping harmful ingredients out of its products and making formulas that people who have things like acne and eczema can use without worry.

2•4•1 Cosmetics

Twin sisters Feven and Helena Yohannes started 2•4•1 Cosmetics with the goal of creating products that enhanced women's beauty, instead of covering it up. You can buy items like lipsticks, glosses, mascaras, and eyeshadows, all of which are cruelty free, paraben free, hypoallergenic, and fragrance free.