BIPOC-Owned Skincare Brands I Wish I Had Known About
photo: Oui the People
by Azucena Melchor
As early as I can remember thinking anything of skincare, I was marketed a one-size-fits-all beauty routine as the only solution to whatever was going on with my very sensitive skin at the moment. It took years of diligently following a list of universally recognized skincare tips that were not meant for my skin, and then a course of Accutane, for me to realize that skincare was much more personal. I wish that my Baby-Lips-tinted-chapstick-wearing middle school self had found out sooner.
I’m guessing a lot of us have spent time wondering why our beauty routine isn’t making us feel beautiful. Luckily, these POC-owned beauty brands get that we all have different skin that requires different kinds of care to stay at its absolute best. Find something below that feels great to use:
OUI THE PEOPLE
“We believe beauty shouldn’t come at the expense of our psyche” says Karen Young on the site of her shave brand Oui the People. Oui aims to change the experience of shaving for women and non-binary people with luxurious shave-care sets and a drive to make people feel comfortable in their bodies. Not to mention their sustainable packaging practices and helpful videos on common body care questions.
BRUJITA SKINCARE
Founded by Latina woman Leah Guerrero in 2017, Brujita skincare draws inspiration for its holistic and sustainable skincare products from Mexico City’s markets. “Including and celebrating the misfits that the natural beauty market left behind,” Brujita carries (beautifully packaged) products for a wide range of skin types. First, take the skin quiz to find the products for you.
AH-SHI BEAUTY
With the motto “This is my beauty,” Indigenous-Black-owned Ah-Shí Beauty carries cruelty free and hypoallergenic skincare and cosmetics with the goal of celebrating the uniqueness of each person’s beauty. Founder Ahsaki Baa LaFrance-Chachere says “It is my responsibility that when my customers look in the mirror, they see themselves, feel empowered and continue to love the skin they are in”.
TATCHA
Tatcha founder Victoria Tsai was inspired by ancient Japanese beauty traditions to create a line of ingredient-focused, gentle skincare from “Hadasei-3™, a trinity of anti-aging superfoods born from the Japanese diet, and the basis for the original geisha beauty rituals: green tea, rice and algae.” Purchases also go towards a variety of initiatives focusing on educating girls around the world.
BLUME
The most popular product from Bunny and Taran Ghatrora’s Blume is an acne oil, but that’s not all that they do. Blume approaches skincare and period care from a quality standpoint, creating products that are “good for your body and the environment” and making healthier skin the standard rather than “p*rfect skin.” Part of Blume’s proceeds go towards Days For Girls, an organization for menstrual health education.
