The definition of beauty has been shaped and twisted throughout centuries, with no single description of what beauty looks like across cultures. For decades, groups like women of color, gender minorities, and plus-size people were often absent from beauty narratives, with their identities creating barriers to access simple practices and products that make one feel satisfied, confident, and happy.
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Within the past decade, although many brands have yet to realize that beauty is diverse, some have recognized the power in celebrating diversity in beauty. The beauty world should be a place where everyone can go and find their face represented, but unfortunately, it takes some digging for this to become a reality. Fenty Beauty is credited with making the statement that if makeup lines created shades for all skin tones, people would show up for them. Before Fenty, though, many brands were there for everyone; you just have to know where to look!
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For those of us who often don’t see ourselves in beauty brands, fear not — NaturallyCurly has put together a list of brands that promote and celebrate inclusivity through their products.
Makeup
Anastasia Beverly Hills
The first line that I personally saw have a full range was Anastasia Beverly Hills.
ABH’s stick foundation is reasonably priced at $25 and comes in a range of 30 shades, split into six subcategories with four undertones each, along with four more shades that are specifically for highlighting and contouring. ABH has also shown campaigns inclusive not only in skin tone but gender as well. Their moonchild campaign featured a black man for some of their swatches, which never happens! The campaign is thanks to Anastasia Beverly Hills President and Creative Director Norvina Claudia.
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Beauty Bakerie Cosmetics
Beauty Bakerie Cosmetics is a brand that numbers its foundation shades 1-59, with the deepest shade leading this line. The range will not disappoint you, and the packaging is beyond adorable with everything baking themed. Their setting powder literally comes in a flour bag!
NYX
If you’re looking for drugstore brands that have a foundation for you, look no farther than NYX cosmetics. NYX’s line of Total Drop Control Foundation similarly has 30 shades and works well for drier skin types. They’ve also collaborated with Alissa Ashley for their new Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation, which comes in 45 shades. It got the seal of approval from Jackie Aina who reviewed it on her YouTube channel while also spilling some tea on the history of drugstore foundation ranges.
Makeup for Melanin Girls
Founded by Tomi Gbeleyi, the black-owned Makeup For Melanin Girls is pretty much self-explanatory. Gbeleyi experienced being the only dark-skinned model cast in a runway show where the makeup artist didn’t have her foundation color. It was then that Gbeleyi decided to create an Instagram page to feature beauty vloggers of color. Now, the social media account has blossomed into a beauty brand that celebrates diversity via its products like their nude lipstick collection, specially made for women of color.
Image by Autumn Goodman
Highlighters That Won’t Make You Look Ashy
Melt Cosmetics
Lora Arellano, who was previously Rihanna’s makeup artist, launched Melt Cosmetics with Dana Bomar via a simple lipstick line that has developed over the years into a beauty brand carrying shadows, blushes, and my favorite highlighters.
The three highlighters are made with a unique gel formula allowing the particles to show up as a glow from within instead of chunky glitter, which can potentially bring unwanted focus to textured skin. The deepest shade, Nova, has a warm copper light, perfect for the deepest skin tone, and doubles as a bronzer for lighter tones.
Danessa Myricks
I would wager to say that Danessa Myricks has the most diverse page of all time. She works on models of every skin tone, ethnicity, face shape… you name it, she’s got it. Myricks, an incomparable makeup artist, gained recognition for her ability to capture skin focus via her own cosmetics line, creating a signature other-worldly glow with her enlight powders. Her more recently launched liquid highlighters — called Illuminating Veils — come in eight shades.
High- Impact Color for the Eyes
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Suva Beauty
Suva Beauty, named after the capital of Fiji, is the brain-child of Shaina Azad. Suva tends toward bright colors with built-in primers. After their #SuvaSwatch hashtag on Instagram went viral, they received rightful credit for the most- pigmented metallic shadows of all time. Their hydraliners are water-activated eyeliners that apply brightly on any skin tone. The recent launch of their Block Party campaign featured a variety of skin tones, ethnicities, and genders without using any professional models.
“For our Block Party campaign shoot, I really wanted our customers to be able to look at our models and see themselves in the images. We did this by using a diverse group of real people,” says Azad. “We didn’t use any professional models — just faces that represented the coolness you see at a great party. To add to that, we waited ‘till there was an official community block party in the streets of Vancouver (Canada”> that included the essential dance-offs, food trucks, beer gardens and street art.”
Suva was the key eye makeup used on set for Toni Braxton’s lifetime special, where her makeup artist Leah Ehman, raved about the color payoff Suva’s shadows had even on the deepest skin tones. Shaina also landed a spotlight on ABC’s 20/20 where she “exposed the beauty industry for its falsehood and discrimination.”
iwi fresh
Nicknamed the “skin care chef”, founder Yolanda Owens of the the iwi fresh Garden Day Spa in Atlanta, Georgia has a “farm-to-skin” skincare product line with straight-from-the-garden ingredients ranging from lettuce and mint to carrots and cucumbers. Owens was inspired by her grandmother’s natural home remedies and it wasn’t before long that she started to claim the title of skincare chef. Using fresh ingredients from her garden, she made each product from scratch. From eye creams to face mists, celebrities like Kelly Rowland and Eva Marcille Pigford are big fans of this black-owned beauty brand.
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Natural Mystic
Based in Austin, Texas, Natural Mystic is an “all natural, toxin-free” skincare line that’s handcrafted in small batches by founder Nyesha Lashay. Not only are the products amazing (I’m talking to you, Lotus Balm“>, the message behind the products is even better. Lashay says her products contain properties that are meant to “promote self-love and bring forth your inner natural mystic” and that beauty is more than just a “pretty face.”
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Glossier
The signature millennial pink brand is almost everywhere you scroll on social media. Glossier has used their “Skin first. Makeup second.” message to create cult favorites like the Milk Jelly cleanser and the Invisible Shield daily sunscreen that leaves skin feeling incredibly refreshed. Not only is there praise over Glossier’s skincare products, but there’s also praise with their messaging as well. Glossier’s Body Hero campaign showcased a wide range of skin colors and bodies, from model Paloma Elsesser to then-pregnant Olympian Swin Cash Canal.
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Hair
FORM
This brand might be the new kid on the block, but the way FORM Beauty approaches curly hair through their products and their messaging makes them one of the leads in inclusive hair care. The collection is specifically catered towards the hair needs of women of color across all hair textures and customizes a routine based off online consultation. Launched in 2017, the brand has taken the guesswork out of handling curly and coily hair while promoting a racially inclusive message through their campaigns.
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Camille Rose Naturals
It’s a no brainer that curly hair is on a spectrum. From loose waves to tight coils, it’s hard finding a brand that fits all curly hair types, but Camille Rose Naturals has proven that they can take on the challenge. The brand does a great job of promoting its products to a wide range of curlistas, especially to those with Type 4 hair that are often overlooked in the curly hair world. The inclusivity of the brand combined with great products like the Natural Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse makes this a beauty brand we recommend everyone checking out.
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Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture
Named after one of the most successful, self-made millionaires of the 20th century, this brand has taken the power and legacy of Madam C.J. Walker and transformed it into a hair care brand. Not only does this brand have a solid range of products to tame frizz and increase moisture and everything in between, Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture features a wide range of hair types and skin colors to promote their message of “greatness begins with confidence.”
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Did we miss any of your favorite inclusive brands? Share them in the comments below so we can support them!
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NOTE: David Cortinas and Sydney Greene collaborated on this informative piece. Sydney is a journalist based in Austin, Texas, who covers politics and policy by day, and all things natural hair and beauty by night. David is a writer with expertise in curls and healthy lifestyle choices. Both are passionate about the NaturallyCurly community!
