Most beauty journalism still assumes readers are white. Cosmetic brands are making an effort in their marketing, but most skincare brands are not – by only featuring white women in their campaigns, they also assume their audience and consumer is white. At the majority of the big beauty companies, all the key decision-makers are white, which invariably informs what ends up on advertising material. I have to ignore that homogeneity in order to discover gems. Black women not in my position don’t have that advantage and assume “it’s not for us”.
– Beauty Columnist Fubmi Fetto, The Guardian
I’ve been scared a long time, but after enduring the past few weeks of mass media exposure of police brutality towards black folks, (a long history that many are only now acknowledging due to the brutal murders of George Flyod, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmed Aubrey), the surge of racism, corruption, and violence against protestors has put me in a particular state of unrest. Though an avid reader, I’ve found myself unable to focus on reading anything for the past week or so, and even after donating to organizations, signing petitions, and talking to those close to me, I still feel so upset with my own limitations (as well as with the fear burgeoning in my heart, for while I am much lighter skinned than most black women, and therefore, a beneficiary of colorism, I am still a potential target. I am still not safe). For the future I will continue to do my best to negotiate activism with self-care, black joy and black grief, and how I will endure. For you, the reader, I wanted to focus this blog post on spotlighting some skincare products from black-owned businesses, inspired by Hyram‘s recent video on the same topic. Some products are the same, but I’ve replaced and added a few others, acknowledging my own sensitive skin and adjusting suggestions accordingly.
Otherwise, please sign petitions, donate, and read!
- Community Bail Fund Collective: https://bit.ly/2UxRjQP
- Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://bit.ly/2XBkyE6
- NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/
- Lithub: Black-Owned Bookstores
- Anti-racist Reading List
- Petition Twitter Thread
Black Skincare Recommendations
Vitality Face Cream
Brand: Marla Rene
Why You Should Try It: A soothing face cream for sensitive skin – applicable for all skin types. With an impressive ingredient list, containing notable elements such as Sunflower Seed Extract, Oat Beta Glucon, Ceramides, and variety of nourishing oils, my only caution would be to those who are susepecbtible to fungal acne to evaluate their own needs before picking this up.
Hyper Clear Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum
Brand: Get Hyper Skin
Why You Should Try It: A powerhouse serum full of incredible acne and hyper pigmentation fighting ingredients such as: Vitamin C, Tumeric, and Licorice Root Extract, mixed with soothing elements such as Camellia leaf extract and aloe. This serum’s brilliant reviews make it a must try, and I’m so excited to try this out for myself.
Miracle Moringa Elixir
Brand: INUA
Why You Should Try It: A collection of moisturizing oils that has beneficial effects of all skin-types. As someone with acne-prone skin, I may save trying this product for the winter, but overall, this product’s simple ingredient list is heartening.
Unscented Organic Face Serum
Brand: CHLOE & CHAD
Why You Should Try It: Another blend of moisturizing, skin-polishing ingredients such as as Rice bran (a personal fave), Carrot Seed Oil, Camellia and Jojoba and Argan oil. Non-greasy facial serum that I see meshing well with a variety of skin-types, I see myself trying this out in the near future.
MATCHA-HONEY CLEANSER
Brand: Ayele
Why You Should Try It: Affordable and environmentally-friendly, this cleanser spotlights soothing, acne-fighting ingredients for oily and dry skin alike. With aloe, vitamin b& D , and oatmeal in the mix, I see this being a great cleanser throughout the seasons. Though the cleanser does contain lavender extract, since a cleanser is a wash-off product, I wouldn’t be intimidated by its inclusion.
True Calm // Rosehip Gel Cleanser
Brand: Epi.logic
Why You Should Try It: A gel cleanser containing rosehip oil, Vitamin A,C, E, this product boasts of a simple but effective ingredient list, great for those with dry skin, and wonderful for others looking for a moisturizing 2nd step cleanser. Though the price is a bit daunting for me at the moment ($40), if you’re looking to splurge, this product seems like a promising investment.
Green Tea Toner
Brand: Naked Flamingo
Why You Should Try It: Green Tea is the first ingredient and the others, Aloe Vera and Glycerin augment its soothing, acne-fighting effect. With a stellar review and an adorable price point, I’ll definitely give this product a try once I use up my current toner (also their Dragon Fruit Hydrating Serum??? Looks heavenly)
TURMERIC HONEY MASK
Brand: Arabel’s Naturals
Why You Should Try It: Some of my favorite hyper-pigmentation and acne-fighting ingredients are turmeric and honey – and that’s what this mask is all about. With rave reviews and a simple ingredient list with a variety of other soothing ingredients, this is a great mask for all skin types suffering from dark spots.
Skincare for Introverts 