

15 Black-Owned Skincare Brands To Shop Now & Forever
As the human body’s largest organ, the skin is one of our most precious features. Caring for such a delicate attribute should be nothing less than a thoughtful process full of deeply rich, nourishing ingredients that enhance our melanin, not take away from it. Being conscious of what we put on our bodies is only one step to healthy skin. With the range of products on the market, it’s beneficial to know about Black-owned skincare companies that create products specifically for people of color, addressing issues that were previously overlooked by traditional brands in the past.
Making up about half of the beauty industry, the range of skincare brands on the market can be overwhelming. With such an oversaturated market, it’s hard to believe that not too many years ago, Black individuals were left out of the equation when searching for products such as white-cast free sunscreen or simple ingredients like shea butter that deeply moisturize deeper skin tones. Within the last 10 years, there's been an explosion of Black-owned beauty brands founded by entrepreneurs that birthed companies out of frustration, lack, and the necessity for what was missing in their everyday lives. Choosing the proper products can be an expensive and time-consuming process but supporting smaller brands that prioritize naturally clean ingredients as well as uplifting their community is a great start in the right direction.
In honor of Black History Month, keep scrolling for a comprehensive guide to Black-owned skin brands, their stories, and how they aim to benefit people of color.
1.Topicals
Growing up, founder Olamide Olowe always wanted flawless skin. She knew her skin was different from what she saw on her favorite television shows, commercials, and fashion magazines but with time she learned the key to achieving great skin was making it look good, not the other way around. Developing Topicals with board-certified dermatologist and stem cell scientist, Olamide created a line of skincare products along with experts using ingredients, developing formulas that are efficient and gentle, free from harmful dyes, and scientifically proven to ensure effectiveness for all skin types.
Best Seller:Topicals' Faded, $38
2.Hanahana Beauty
In 2017, Hanahana Beauty began out of Chicago-based entrepreneur Abena Boamah-Acheampong’s longing to feel beautiful and confident in her own skin. Frustrated with the lack of transparency within the skincare industry, Abena decided to take it back to her family’s tried and true method of achieving moisturized, radiant skin with shea butter. Hanahana sources its shea butter-based products from the Katariga Women's Shea Cooperative in Tamale, Ghana while producing clean, homemade products with natural ingredients to uplift women of color.
Best Seller:Hanahana Beauty's The Best Sellers Set, $75
3.Buttah.
It’s all in the name. Founded in 2018 by Dorion Renaud, Buttah’s products were created for melanin-rich skin to feel as smooth and soft as butter. Discovering the transformational properties of raw, organic, natural shea, this single ingredient inspired Dorion to create Buttah.
Best Seller: Buttah's Customizable Skin Kit, $60
4.KNC Beauty
The first all-natural, collagen-infused lip mask was inspired by KNC Beauty founder Kristen Noel Crawley after a trip through Don Quijote in Tokyo. After stumbling upon a whole world of lip masks overseas and realizing there were no options available here in the U.S., she decided to create her own. KNC Beauty was created for women to achieve injection-free, perfectly plump kissable lips in 5-10 minutes.
Best Seller: KNC Beauty's All-Natural Collagen Infused Lip Mask 5-Pack, $25
5.Flora and Noor
The first Halal brand to launch at Ulta Beauty, Flora and Noor provides inclusive luxury skincare with organic and natural ingredients for those who appreciate clean beauty and the benefits of superfoods being “food for the skin.” Being Halal means products are permissible for Muslims which include benefits and advantages for skin's health and for the environment. In such a diverse world, all products are vegan, Halal, and cruelty-free, created for everyone to shop all-natural luxury skincare.
Best Seller:Flora and Noor's Boost & Brighten Vitamin C Cleanser, $28
6.Black Girl Sunscreen
Black girls need sunscreen too and thus Black Girl Sunscreen was born. As women of color we were often overlooked when it came to protective products from UV rays, years of blotchy white residue was enough for founder Shontay Lundy. Founded in 2016, BGS launched with an SPF 30 made with melanated skin in mind, drying completely clear. Since then the company has expanded into a range of sunscreen options as well as SPF lip gloss.
Best Seller:Black Girl Sunscreen's Make it Glow, $19
7.Unsun
Due to the lack of clean sunscreen options for women of color, Katonya Breaux founded Unsun Cosmetics in 2016. Banning over 1,700 ingredients she created clean, inclusive, no-residue options that are mindful of those using Unsun products as well as the environment they are being used in. A favorite among many, the mineral-tinted sunscreen has been a game changer for protecting darker skin tones from harmful UV rays while enhancing flawless skin.
Best Seller:Unsun Cosmetics' Hand Cream SPF15, $27
8.Eve Milan
Eden Gilliam’s 11 years of experience in the skincare industry became the driving force behind Eve Milan New York 5-free skincare line. After years of hearing her clients complain about skin issues and masking insecurities with makeup, she was motivated to get clients to be comfortable in their own skin. Studying skin from within, Eden traveled abroad to learn about nutrition and how internal issues and diet affect skin health.
Understanding the importance of what goes into our bodies led her to pay attention to harmful ingredients within products she used which became the catalyst behind the birth of the products made free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, artificial color, and fragrance to limit exposure to toxins.
Best Seller: Eve Milan's Brightening Vitamin C + CoQ10 Sheet Mask, $10
9.Pholk
Created out of both necessity and frustration, Pholk was founded by Georgia-born skincare expert Niambi Cacchioli who found it challenging to match these countless skincare options available with her personal skin challenges. In a world full of inclusivity, Niambi still couldn't find the right products that directly treated her needs for combination skin so she created them. Pholk Beauty is a vegan-based, melanin-safe, cruelty-free range of products created for women of color targeting the root of dark marks and hyperpigmentation with holistic care.
Best Seller:Pholk's Aloe Lemon Balm Face Mist, $20
10.'JENTL
Kiana Baldon is the founder of ‘JENTL, a vegan body butter brand that puts quality ingredients and self-care above all else. Created to nurture vulnerability and transparency through compassion, community, and self-discovery ‘Jentl was put forth with the intention to produce ethically sourced ingredients to soothe, energize and provide joy. Pronounced “gentle,” the base of all the products includes shea, cocoa, and mango butter.
Best Seller: 'JENTL's Original Body Butter, $16
11.Shea Radiance
Shea Radiance started in the kitchen to solve co-founders Funlayo and Shola Alabi family’s overly dry skin and eczema problems. Using unrefined shea butter as a form of healing, they created beauty products to help women achieve a healthy-looking natural glow at any age. Known as “women’s gold,” shea butter sourced from West Africa used in their products creates a pathway of economic progress for women and their community.
Best Seller:Shea Radiance's Sensitive Skin Moisture Bundle, $50
12.Siyah Organics
Established in 2019, women-owned Siyah Organics is both an American and Senegalese company. All products are tested and are 100% organically pure to ensure the highest quality of plants keeping everything fresh to maintain their healing properties.
Best Seller: Siyah Organics' Moringa x Ginger Facial Cleanser, $24
13.Natural Radiant Life
Empowering their community to take better care of themselves in every area of their lives, Natural Radiant Life was created out of love for nature-based products that breathe life into the skin. Long-time friends and co-founders Rhonda Daniels, LaKesha Gage-Woodard, and Sherry D. Fields set out on a mission to bring clean, organic, and effective skincare products to the market that proudly show outer and inner radiance. Encouraged to use products daily, these co-founders are promoting positive and healthy practices through natural products for a radiant life.
Best Seller: Natural Radiant Life's AM Moisturizer, $35
14.OAM by Ciara
Who knew leveling up our skincare would take us to a new product line by one of our favorite entertainers? OAM, or On a Mission Skin, was founded by singer Ciara in collaboration with clinical professionals, skincare experts, scientists, and dermatologists to create a simple day and night routine for all skin types. Concentrating on its main ingredient vitamin C to hydrate and brighten, the simple step solutions to clinical skincare are even more accessible for all.
Best Seller:OAM by Ciara's Vitamin C Brightening Pads, $28
15.Fenty Skin
From Fenty Beauty to Fenty Skin, Rihanna can do anything she puts her mind to and we will stan. Her latest project includes a line of products formulated for everyone to achieve beautiful skin. After years of experimenting with the best of the best products, Rihanna still felt there was something missing in the industry. In short, her aim was to create easy, hassle-free products for all to enjoy.
Best Seller: Fenty Skin's Instant Reset Brightening Overnight Recovery Gel Cream
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images
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Exclusive: Gabrielle Union On Radical Transparency, Being Diagnosed With Perimenopause And Embracing What’s Next
Whenever Gabrielle Union graces the movie screen, she immediately commands attention. From her unforgettable scenes in films like Bring It On and Two Can Play That Game to her most recent film, in which she stars and produces Netflix’s The Perfect Find, there’s no denying that she is that girl.
Off-screen, she uses that power for good by sharing her trials and tribulations with other women in hopes of helping those who may be going through the same things or preventing them from experiencing them altogether. Recently, the Flawless by Gabrielle Union founder partnered with Clearblue to speak at the launch of their Menopause Stage Indicator, where she also shared her experience with being perimenopausal.
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
How This Wealthy History-Making Couple Found Love By Breaking The First Date Rules
How We Met is a series where xoNecole talks love and relationships with real-life couples. We learn how they met, how like turned into love, and how they make their love work.
Have you ever heard the saying, “You can't have it all?” Do you think there’s any truth to it? The more I resonate with the thought, I realize it just depends on what one considers “all.” In this “How We Met” story, I chatted with two individuals who have reached an unusual level of success but, for years, celebrated it alone. Now, they have a beautiful marriage centered around faith, family, and legacy.
But the journey to getting there required them to be uniquely intentional, submit fully to God, and practice an amount of vulnerability that I think most people would find uncomfortable – especially on the first date.
Santia Barnes, known more commonly as @Trackbaby001 on Instagram, earned the highest-paid contract ever for a woman in American football. Also, she is the first female athlete to have her own shoe company. With a combined social audience of 3 million followers, she’s established herself as a mega-influencer in the health/fitness and lifestyle space. But surprisingly, in our 48-minute phone call, we only discussed this for roughly 60 seconds. Instead, I had a beautiful conversation with Santia and her husband Isaac, a successful tech entrepreneur, about their dream-like partnership.
His company was one of the fastest growing in his county for two years, and he is the only Black entrepreneur to win a federal aviation award for being a government contractor. Plus, he previously won a $13.4 billion contract with the Air Force and Space Force (cues, "he got money" in my best Quinta Brunson voice). But seriously, both of them have such an amazing story alone – yet they made it even better by finding each other. It almost sounds too good to be true, right? Well, Santia felt the same way. In fact, on their first date, they actually tried to disqualify each other. Here’s how it went.
Let’s start from the beginning. How did you two meet?
Isaac: Well, firstly, we connected through the divine grace of God. But we met on Bumble and talked there, and she gave me such a hard time (laughs). But we built a connection online and then took it offline to the phone and eventually in person. Since that meeting, we’ve been stuck like glue.
Santia: Yes, we met on Bumble. But I’ve gotta add to that. I was pretty much done with love, relationships, and especially online dating. But it was right around Valentine's Day, and I felt like God was telling me to try just one more time. So, I created my profile and made it very blunt; I was super clear about what I wanted. I started swiping for a few days and eventually came across his profile, and I noticed our profiles were very similar.
I felt like it was rare for a man to be that intentional. Also, I like that he was attractive and an entrepreneur. I felt like he could understand my life. It took him a couple of days to swipe back, though, and I was little in my feelings. I was literally going to delete the app when he DM’d me. So, it was really the grace of God.
Tell me about your first date. What was the chemistry like?
Isaac: She was late (laughs). But we went to Seasons 52, which made sense because I’m vegan, and she likes to eat healthy. So I made reservations, but again, she was late. Eventually, she got there, and when she did, I saw the entire room shift. It was the weirdest thing. I’ve never seen that in real life. It was like the whole restaurant was looking at us. So we got a table, and immediately, it felt like our energy flowed together so smoothly.
You know how first dates can be awkward? This was exactly the opposite. She grilled me, and I grilled her. We asked some of the deepest questions ever. It was like we were trying to disqualify each other. After dinner, I walked her back to her car because she was recently injured. And in that moment, God talked to me. I knew that this is what it is.
Santia: We talked for like three hours on that date. I remember in the conversation, I said, “Not to be weird, but your energy makes me feel very calm.” That was a big green flag for me. I also remember him walking me back to my car and not trying anything but genuinely just caring for my leg. I was like, this is different. It was an A+ date.
"We asked some of the deepest questions ever. It was like we were trying to disqualify each other. After dinner, I walked her back to her car because she was recently injured. And in that moment, God talked to me. I knew that this is what it is."
Photo courtesy of Santia and Issac Barnes
So, what are some of these intense disqualifying questions y’all asked?
Isaac: We asked everything. We talked about our thoughts on kids, marriage, church, gender roles, family, past relationships, and trauma.
Santia: Yeah, we asked everything they tell you not to. But that’s how I knew he was the one; he didn’t get uncomfortable.
Okay, so if you were still dating, walk me through that next step. What was that conversation like when you two decided to take it to the next level?
Isaac: I had a business trip I had to go to in Orlando, and because of my connection with the Creator I knew she needed to go on this trip with me. She was overcoming tearing her ACL and just needed a break. So we took a road trip together. We drove from Atlanta to Orlando in the car for 8 hours, and we just did the work. We got into childhood trauma and aspirations. It got deep –
Santia: Like, I cried. I discovered stuff about myself I haven’t talked about with anyone else.
Isaac: In that moment, I developed a deeper sense of trust in her because of her vulnerability. And after that trip, I just knew. She still had some concerns, but I was good (laughs).
Santia: Yeah, because I felt like something had to be wrong. Like, I remember calling my mom and she tried to help me just embrace it. Eventually, I actually asked him, “What are we?” And he literally said, “You’re going to be my wife.” And I still was like, are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend though, and he did – and I said yeah. (laughs). But that was only like a month in. It was very quick.
It seems like communication has been a core part of your relationship. What are some important lessons you’ve learned about yourselves individually through loving each other?
Isaac: That’s hard to answer just for this week. A lot of our stuff is self-discovery. But I’ll say, I learned how skeptical I was that this is possible. Also, I learned that all of what I went through is crafting me to be who I am today. Through this relationship, I’ve learned to embrace my 100% authentic self. Her love matters more to me than anything else, and that’s my #1 priority.
So if she accepts me how I am, who is the world to tell me I can’t be this way? She has allowed me to see myself more than any other human, and because of that, I have to shower her with as much love as possible.
Santia: I don’t even know where to start. He’s taught me a lot since day one. He made me more confident in who I am. As an influencer, you don’t always know who is there for the right reasons. But he’s made me feel 100% more confident in standing on who I am. He’s also taught me so much about business. He taught me how to open up more, not feel shame in who I am, and how to set boundaries and stick to them.
And Issac has melted every fear, doubt, and insecurity I’ve had about relationships. I could keep going, but overall, he has a really amazing way of teaching me in a loving way. Having someone that sees and understands me – and not just the social media me – but Santia Barnes, the individual, has been beautiful, and I’ve never experienced it until now.
"Issac has melted every fear, doubt, and insecurity I’ve had about relationships. Having someone that sees and understands me – and not just the social media me – but Santia Barnes, the individual, has been beautiful, and I’ve never experienced it until now."
Photo courtesy of Santia and Issac Barnes
How do you guys navigate past struggles, baggage to work toward your relationships?
Issac: On our honeymoon, I vowed that I would come into this relationship with a clear understanding of what’s holding me back so I can be my best self going through our marriage. For example, on our first day over there, we both wrote down all of the negative anchor thoughts we had around money and finances, and we literally went through every thought.
I found 50 financial aspirations, and every time I read something that I didn’t agree with, I wrote it down. And we talked about where these negative thoughts came from, going back to childhood.
Santia: We do that all the time. If anything comes up, we talk about it, try to get to the core of it, dissect it, and we solve it.
Okay, seriously do ya’ll argue at all (laughs)?
Santia: I mean, if we feel something, we say it.
Isaac: The way we got there is that we established early on that if we’re going to do this we have to be on the same team. We have a championship we’re trying to win, and that’s a family legacy. If something is going on, I’m gonna treat it like my teammate is going through it, and we’ll work through it. But it’s impossible not to have any challenges.
Santia: We don’t have to yell, scream, or be disrespectful though. We can talk in a calm voice and disagree. As long as we know that we’re on the same team, we’re good. I always know we’re not purposely trying to hurt each other, and I know that he's my partner. Looking at it from that lens changes things. We’ve only had two real arguments. It was early on, and when we dissected those too, we realized that back then, we didn’t know each other the way we do now. We weren’t sure we were on the same team (laughs).
Do you guys have any rituals or daily practices that help keep your relationship strong?
Isaac: To cement our process, we listen to our spiritual practice. We practice Sabbath every Friday evening until Saturday evening. So that means no work, no outside communication, we’re just in each other’s skin for 24 hours and experience the world together. Then we recap our week, things we’re grateful for from each other and from God, things that bother us, and then we process it right there. We do that every week.
Santia: We also go over a Bible verse and dissect it together. We have a lot of processes because when you have a plan, you can’t really fail.
Isaac: And the Bible verse always relates. It’s crazy. (laughs)
Photo courtesy of Santia and Issac Barnes
What are your love languages?
Santia: Mine is acts of service, gifts, and words of affirmation
Isaac: Mine is physical touch, acts of service, and words of affirmation.
Are there any challenges you guys had to work through?
Santia: This is my first time living with a man. So things that guys do – like not flushing the toilet, putting dishes in the sink when I’m washing the dishes, and stuff. Honestly. I was really scared about that because I love my space. But surprisingly, I adjusted very quickly. We both work from home and have our own offices, too. So it just kinda works out.
Isaac: For me, it was going from being a single man to adjusting to her needs. For example, she likes flowers. To me, that meant I occasionally bought her flowers. But to her, that means, nah, I want them multiple times a month. Date nights meant occasionally to me; she wants them weekly. It’s just about making sure our needs and expectations are articulated correctly. We come from different worlds, so it’s important to do that.
Finally, I’ll close with how did you know it was love?
Santia: We took a trip to NOLA – another road trip. I cried again and just remembered thinking there’s no one like him. I was like, God, if he’s not my person, this is a cruel joke. But more blatantly, like three months into us dating, I was so conflicted because I was like, I’m falling, and I don’t want to be hurt again.
I remember I had a dream where I was in this dark room and there was this figure there, and I knew it was God, and in that dream, I feel like he told me clear as day that Isaac was my person. Plus, my Mom hates everyone I’ve ever dated, but she was like he’s gonna be my son-in-law. I had so many confirmations that I eventually just let go.
Isaac: It was multiple moments. I really got confirmation on the first date, but I became sure in one moment. I was sitting in my office, and she came in, and we were talking about her making history. So I started showing her some of my awards, too, and at that point, she still didn’t know what I did. And she was like, why don’t people know about this, and I showed her my Facebook page – where I had made a small post with a few likes (laughs). And she was like, do you know how many young Black children don’t know this is possible? It was different.
I felt like a hypocrite because I do everything for the next generation. So, she allowed me to see myself in that totality and still hold me accountable. The only person who had done that for me was my Dad and [he] passed away a few days before my 18th birthday. So after that, that did it for me. Then we went to the DR for my brother's anniversary, and she met my family and I saw how well she blended with my family, and I just knew.
Santia and Isaac are continuing to grow their individual businesses and love journey. Through that process, they have created an intentional dating platform on Instagram called @dateintentional1.
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Featured image courtesy of Santia and Issac Barnes