BEAUTY
5 British, Black-Owned Beauty Brands Changing the Game
BY ANNA PRESTON
16 FEBRUARY 2021
Image Credit: © Flo
Following the Black Lives Matter movement, it is imperative that we acknowledge and support Black-owned businesses to help sustain the Black economy. It’s important to note that without the Black community, the beauty industry would cease to exist as many beauty trends like hair extensions, acrylic nails and nail art are rooted in Black culture and have been for decades.
Black Pound Day, celebrated every first Saturday of the month, founded by UK music artist Swiss, to bring attention to the economic inequalities affecting Black businesses and entrepreneur, is the perfect way to alter your shopping habits and help grow the Black economy.
Image Credit: © Pat McGrath Labs
1) Pat McGrath Labs
“The most influential makeup artist in the world” according to Anna Wintour, DBE Pat McGrath, the ‘mother’ of makeup began her career in the mid- ‘90s and launched her eponymous brand in 2015. Recently, she announced supermodel Naomi Campbell as the first ever global face of Pat McGrath Labs.
Image Credit: © Liha Beauty
2) Liha Beauty
Inspired by the rich botanical life of West Africa and British aromatherapy, Olympic athlete Abi Oyepitan and publisher Liha Okunniwa founded Liha Beauty with the aim of creating a vegan brand of ‘natural products with African roots and a quintessentially British attitude’.
Image Credit: © MamaSia Beauty
3) MamaSia Beauty
With the mantra ‘SIA’, an acronym for ‘Share, Inspire, Assist’, the award-winning natural beauty and wellbeing brand MamaSia Beauty, was founded in 2012 with the sole purpose of educating people on the use of natural ingredients. Using natural resources from their family lands in Ghana, MamaSia also provide educational workshops and wellness coaching.
Image Credit: © plsLONDON
4) plsLONDON
With a ‘combined 25 years of experience within the hair, fashion and beauty’, UK based plsLONDON was founded by a mother and daughter trio in 2020 to create an affordable and inclusive wig and hair extension brand; providing a range of textures to reflect the diversity seen within the UK.
Image Credit: © Flo
5) Flo
Founded by friends Tara and Susan with the purpose of empowering women, Flo provides easily accessible, organic, hypoallergenic and biodegradable period products; with 5% of all profits going to charities fighting FGM and period poverty.