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10 best Black-owned beauty and haircare brands to support now

Most are independently run and place great emphasis on quality over quantity, as well as social awareness, prioritising sustainability and ethically sourced products (The Independent)
Most are independently run and place great emphasis on quality over quantity, as well as social awareness, prioritising sustainability and ethically sourced products (The Independent)

Its Black History Month in the UK, and in the spirit of celebrating trailblazing Black people who have contributed to the social and cultural enrichment of the country, we’ve compiled a list of Black British owned hair and beauty brands currently making an impact in the beauty industry.

In the wake of the killing of George Flloyd in the US, and subsequent protests across the globe, conversations around the importance of supporting black owned businesses have amplified on social media and media outlets. Black business growth is viewed as a way to counteract systemic racism by minimising the racial pay gap and levelling the playing field socially and economically.

Campaigns like Pull Up or Shut Up are holding brands accountable to go beyond symbolic gestures such as posting messages of solidarity on social media, and instead go about the business of implementing change by publicly declaring how many Black employees are in management or leadership roles, and being committed to increasing those numbers.

But we’d be remiss not to mention that dynamic change is happening at a grassroots level. With the recent success of movements like Black Pound Day, founded by Swiss of So Solid Crew, which encourages consumers to spend money on Black owned businesses, there’s a groundswell of support that has forged ahead with the same momentum even though the dialogue around racial inequality has subsided in the mainstream press.

Within our list of Black female beauty entrepreneurs, you’ll discover that most of the brands are independently run and place great emphasis on quality over quantity, as well as social awareness, prioritising sustainability and ethically sourced products.

You’ll find award-winning natural hair brands, family run beauty lines, and as is often the case, women who have created their business because their needs were unmet on the beauty shelves and aisles across the country.

We’ve put all products to the test to bring you a list of hair, make up and skincare products that will positively impact you, and should occupy space in your beauty cabinet this autumn/winter and beyond.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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