Best Black-owned skincare brands to support today and always

Best Black-owned skincare brands to support today and always

Credit: Courtesy of brands

Stylist Loves


Best Black-owned skincare brands to support today and always

6 min read

Looking for your next skincare purchase? These Black-owned brands will enrich your skincare routine.


From foundation ranges that fail to cater to all skin tones to ‘nude’ lipsticks suited only to fairer complexions, the beauty industry has a poor reputation when it comes to racial diversity. This crosses over into skincare, too – the bright white cast left behind by many SPFs is proof enough.

In response to the lack of products that cater to dark skin tones, an array of skincare brands have launched over the last few years – and with them, come rich formulas, delicious ingredients and inspiring stories.

Of course, it goes without saying that we should always support Black-owned beauty brands. To honour the clever innovations and the Black entrepreneurs behind them, we’ve rounded up some of the best Black-owned skincare brands available so that you can support them today, tomorrow and forever.


Liha Beauty

Founded by two best friends, Gloucestershire-born Liha Okunniwa and Londoner Abi Oyepitan, Liha Beauty merges English aromatherapeutic techniques with ingredients from Yoruba tradition.

Aside from its high-quality formulas and beautiful brand aesthetics, all of Liha Beauty’s packaging is recyclable and reusable.

Shop the products on lihabeauty.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Plant Apothecary

Founded in 2012 by Holly McWhorter, Plant Apothecary is a natural-based beauty brand that relies on the power of plant peptides and botanical extracts to create gentle, effective products. It’s simplistic skincare at its very finest. 

Shop the products on plantapothecary.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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The Afro Hair & Skin Co

The Afro Hair & Skin Co was founded on the idea that it’s not only important to take time for self-care, but also to take that moment to feed positivity back into your consciousness and rebalance your energy.

Created by Ibi Meier-Oruitemeka, the brand harnesses the healing benefits of locally sourced British ingredients, like bitter orange blossom and organic ylang ylang flower and its clever formulas focus on helping you achieve healthy skin.

Shop the products on theafrohairandskincompany.co.uk and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Soapsmith

Founded by soapmaker Samantha Jameson, Soapsmith is a London-based luxury soap and bodycare brand. 

The brand sells handmade soaps, bath soaks, body washes, hand & body lotions and rinse-free handwashes – all available in seven different fragrance options.

Each scent is inspired by and named after different areas in London, in homage to the city in which Jameson was born and raised. There’s Hackney (think bergamot and sandalwood to summon up the River Lea), Camden (coconut, bergamot and white musk), Whitechapel (violets and lilacs), Marble Arch (vanilla, orange, patchouli and saffron), Bloomsbury (rose), Lavender Hill (jasmine and lavender) and Brick Lane (roses, honeysuckle, amber, pepper and sandalwood).

Shop the products on soapsmith.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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The Glowcery

We all know the effects a good diet can have on our complexion, but what if you took some of those ingredients and applied them directly to our skin? 

The Glowcery, founded by Roshanne Dorsett in 2020, believes that 100% natural, fresh and superfood ingredients are the key to healthy, glowing skin. Plus, the packaging is colour-coded to represent the fruit, plants and superfoods used in each formula. So clever. 

Shop the products on theglowceryshop.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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4.5.6 Skin

4.5.6 Skin features one-of-a-kind formulas specifically designed with melanin-rich skin in mind. Focusing on addressing common concerns for those with darker skin tones, such as hyperpigmentation, inflammation, dehydration and lack of luminosity. 

Shop the products on 456skin.com and follow the brand on Instagram

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Essentials by Temi

While volunteering her services as a beauty advisor to women in a local women’s shelter, Temi Shobowale discovered a way to combine her two passions.

Throughout her years working in the beauty retail industry, she educated herself on all things skincare, which led her to creating Essentials by Temi, a range of body, face and soul products formulated with organic plant-based ingredients.

Shop the products on essentialsbytemi.com (customs fees may apply) and follow the brand on Instagram.

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S’able Labs

Founded by Sabrina and Idris Elba, S’able Labs products are formulated to inhibit melanin overproduction, which leads to inflammation and hyperpigmentation. The range is cruelty-free and jam-packed with African botanicals. The brand also donates to Farm Africa, which works to help local Kenyan farmers grow their businesses sustainably.

 Shop the products on sablelabs.co and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Okiki Skincare

Made in Britain and inspired by West Africa, Okiki Skincare is a gorgeous skincare and home care brand founded by Ade Ogunsola and Antonia Ogunsola, a mother-daughter duo based in Kent.

Taking inspiration from their Nigerian and Ghanaian roots, Okiki products are the result of recipes passed down through generations. In the line-up, you’ll find everything from indulgent, nourishing soap bars to bath salts that will leave you feeling relaxed after every soak.

Shop the products on okikiskincare.co.uk and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Fenty Skin

Expanding upon her success with Fenty Beauty, Rihanna branched into skincare and with it came the iconic toner-serum hybrid, Fat Water Pore Refining Toner, and the white-cast-free Hydra Vizor Invisible SPF Moisturizer. Don’t skip on the body range either, the Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream is a pro at leaving limbs glossy. 

Shop the products on fentybeauty.co.uk and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Epara Skincare

Despite a life-long passion for skincare, Ozohu Adoh struggled to find skincare products that could treat her dry, uneven skin – so she made her own. 

Epara is a luxury skincare range created for women with deeper skin tones. Its products are rooted in scientifically proven ingredients derived from Africa.

Shop the products on eparaskincare.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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R&R Skincare

Plant-based, natural and affordable, R&R Skincare was founded on utilising the nourishing properties of shea butter (the main ingredient in over 90% of its products). The brand launched in 2010 by entrepreneur Valerie Obaze and has since launched numerous a long list of gorgeous products. This includes face and body oils, scrubs, body butters, soaps and even hand sanitiser, which, yes, includes shea butter to keep hands moisturised. But that’s not all.

R&R works closely with women in the rural north of Ghana to source raw materials and ensures they are paid fairly. It also re-invests back into the community through its own charity, Women of the Savannah Development Project.

Shop the products on randrskincare.co and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Kalabash Bodycare

Handmade in the UK and inspired by the Caribbean, Kalabash is a collection of pampering and energising body products.

When founder Sharron Jenkins went on a family holiday to Dominica (where her parents lived before they settled in London in the 50s) aged nine, it left a lasting impression on her. After falling in love with the sights, smells and sounds, she wanted to recreate the warm tropical scents and fragrant spices into soothing body products.

Jenkins started the brand, a tribute to her Caribbean heritage, from her kitchen in Finchley, north London, in 2006. Fast forward to today and the freshness, quality and stress-relieving products remain the same.

Shop the products on kalabashbodycare.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Keys Soulcare

Off the back of Alicia Keys ditching make-up in 2016, the singer then launched her own range, Keys Soulcare. As the name suggests, the range focuses on taking care of your skin, as well as your soul, through uplifting scents and sensorial textures. 

Shop the products on keyssoulcare.com and follow the brand on Instagram

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Buttah Skin

Buttah Skin was founded by model, actor and recording artist Dorion Renaud when he struggled to find products that catered to his skin need. Then, he stumbled upon the benefits of raw, organic shea and the idea for Buttah Skin was born.

From dryness and excessive oil production to hyperpigmentation and dull skin, the brand aims to solve everyday skin issues we all experience.

Shop the products on buttahskin.com and follow the brand on Instagram.

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Images: courtesy of brands


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