The issue of diversity in the beauty industry has been a long-standing debate, especially when Black women are excluded from the conversation. Beauty standards according to the media have contributed to the stigma of racial bias that still exists today, which is what motivated entrepreneur Melissa Butler to create an inclusive brand where women of all shades are represented. Frustrated with the unrealistic standards of beauty defined by the industry, Butler created The Lip Bar — a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand helping to remind the beauty world and its consumers that everyone is beautiful.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Lip Bar (@thelipbar) “I’m determined to change the way people think about beauty and their experiences with beauty,” she said. “More than anything, I’m just determined to increase the self-esteem of women everywhere.” Butler originally started out as a licensed stock broker on Wall Street before quitting her job and committing to her brand...

Earlier this week, Gabrielle Union announced the launch of Flawless by Gabrielle Union , an affordable, moisture-rich haircare line for Black hair. However, this was not her first journey into the world of African American hair care. In fact, Union’s first attempt at launching the line came in 2017 but she quickly halted the project when she began to lose her own hair as a result of IVF treatments. “When we first launched in 2017, the brand coincided with a lot of hair loss due to my fertility journey and having multiple rounds of IVF. From ear to ear, where a headband would sit, I was bald,” Union tells Harper’s Bazaar . “When you’re launching a line called Flawless and you feel anything but flawless, you actually feel like a fraud. I didn’t feel confident or transparent, and the investors and ownership group we had at the time didn’t want to wait for my hair to grow back in. They only cared about deadlines, and I wasn’t being listened to.” It was then that Gabrielle Union had to...

Current world events have called for many to begin investing in Black-owned businesses, seeking ways to be an asset to the Black community. In light of this sudden realization, a trend on social media ensued this week that inspired users to reveal the owners behind some of our most beloved beauty-based brands. The owner The brand pic.twitter.com/xF3cxEAWNH — jamika (@jmaack) June 9, 2020 While some were shocked to find out that many brands were not fully Black-owned as previously assumed, the viral trend was adopted by Black owners as a way to uplift their business and applaud others as well. If you’re looking for wholesome Black-owned brands to invest your dollars in, reference the list below: Richelieu Dennis , CEO of Shea Moisture Photo Credit: The Network Journal Meet Richelieu Dennis, the brains behind Shea Moisture – one of the most popular hair care lines on the market. According to Fast Company , Dennis’ company, Sundial Brands, is the umbrella company that...

Social distancing has put a damper on our basic beauty needs, but there are many Black businesses still operating to give people the products they need during quarantine. Whether by way of online orders or in-person delivery — these Black-owned beauty businesses are here to save the day. Check out this list of Black-owned beauty brands and businesses below that you can support from home. Mented Cosmetics View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mented Cosmetics (@mentedcosmetics) Mented Cosmetics, a vegan and cruelty-free makeup brand for people of color, features an array of products ranging from lipsticks and foundations to eyeshadows and more, which can all be ordered through their online store . They’re currently supporting COVID-19 efforts by donating 100 percent of their Blot Party profits to providing one million masks to New York City. skinBUTTR View this post on Instagram A post shared by skinBUTTR✨ (@skinbuttr) Beauty brand skinBUTTR sells a line of natural body and...

It’s no secret that there’s a lack of diversity in the beauty industry. Black and brown women have struggled to find representation in the products they’re using. Some brands are working fill this gap by creating products that cater to a more diverse customer base and finding ways to help them find resources and products that match their needs. Pinterest wants to be part of the shift that’s happening in the beauty industry. Today, the tech giant announced that it’s revamped it’s search feature for mobile to include skin tones. “You hear people talk about bringing together humans and machine learning to create balanced technology, but it’s so important that those people are diverse and can represent a range of people,” a spokeswoman for Pinterest said. The company began offering customizable beauty searches on the web in April using artificial intelligence from ModiFace, a company that specializes in AI and machine learning for the beauty industry. The company developed an algorithm...