Six years after 2020’s racial reckoning, the state of Black beauty brands is still in flux. Brands like the cult favorite Ami Colé have closed citing challenges with investors as one of the reasons. Pat McGrath Labs has also recently bounced back after filing for bankruptcy. Despite loyal customers, Black-owned brands still face a number of challenges in a changing industry.
Yes, skin care is highly personal, but a founder’s race is not a determinant in whether a line will work for them. To show that it’s perfectly possible and easy to shop Black-owned beauty, even with specific skin types and needs, The Cut asked four beauty insiders about their own skin-care routines.
Updated on March 12, 2026: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Blake Newby, beauty-industry expert
Newby is a longtime beauty-industry expert, digital creator, and host. For The Cut, she chronicled her lengthy journey of fixing her adult acne. Newby tried TikTok hacks, microdermabrasion, Fraxel laser, and other treatments before working with Dr. Ingleton and finding a solution.
With red-carpet appearances and hosting her podcast, she keeps a consistent skin-care routine that keeps her acne at bay.
Cleanser
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“The only cleanser I’ve used for the past two years. Morning and night, I use this magical formula for clean yet nourished skin.”
Serum
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“I could go on and on about the entire Glo by Glen range. Recently, I’ve been absolutely loving this niacinamide formula. My skin is visibly brighter, my pores appear smaller, and the overall health of my skin seems much better since incorporating it into my routine.”
Bodywash
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“While I don’t struggle with tremendous amounts of body acne, I’ve recently had the occasional breakout, and this body wash has been perfect for completely keeping them at bay.”
Body Oil
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“This body oil is one of my favorites because it’s nourishing and it leaves a scent trail that lasts for hours. I love to layer it with my fragrances for a sweet yet sophisticated scent.”
Acne Patches
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“As a Black woman, I immediately go into panic mode after a breakout, trying to target the dark spots it leaves behind. With these, which are supercute, I can treat on the go and expedite the brightening process.”
Lip Balm
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“Don’t forget, our lips are skin too! This pillowy lip balm offers both color and hydration for your most supple lips ever.”
Nyakio Grieco, founder of Nyakio Beauty and Thirteen Lune
In addition to Nyakio Beauty, Grieco is also the mind behind Thirteen Lune, an online retailer where she curates some of the best brands owned by Black and brown founders. The impetus for its creation was simple: “When shopping last year, I was thinking, ‘Why not have a retailer where 90 percent of the brands carried are owned by people of color?’” Today, Thirteen Lune carries brands from Ranavat to UnSun Cosmetics. The other 10 percent is made up of “allyship because beauty is universal, and so we have to come together to help to increase generational wealth.”
For her own vanity, Grieco looks for hydrating products to treat her “extremely” dry skin. She’s also concerned with hyperpigmentation, redness, and eczema. Products are a great aid, but she also advises looking for a dermatologist that’s specifically attuned to your skin’s needs.
The Exfoliant
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“I only like to exfoliate once or twice a week depending on what’s been happening with my skin or if I’ve been traveling. Remember: Exfoliators aren’t meant to hurt; if you use an exfoliator and your face looks like you’ve just beaten it, it’s not doing its job. They’re just meant to help remove dead, dry skin cells. Skot’s Enzyme Exfoliant smooths, refines, and brightens all in one. It helps to clean your clogged pores — I live in L.A., so even though we aren’t venturing out as much in these times, it’s still a heavily polluted area. Plus, the exfoliator also has aloe vera, which helps to soothe and calm.”
The Mist
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“Hydrating mists became my favorite thing during COVID. When I was sitting on Zoom after Zoom, I would keep a mist right next to my desk for a refreshing feeling. This one is really, really good. It helps to repair the skin’s natural barrier, it combats dryness, and it helps to correct hyperpigmentation. My hyperpigmentation actually shows up as white spots. Wearing sunscreen every single day prevents them from getting bigger, but I’ve noticed that when I use my Epara mist consistently, my spots start to turn to brown and look more like my natural skin color and eventually fade.”
Chloe Hall, former digital beauty director at Elle magazine
Chloe Hall, Elle magazine’s former digital beauty director, was dealing with some “annoying but not terrible” hormonal jaw breakouts during her pregnancy.
Hall’s made sure that all of her products were pregnancy-safe, which means there was no room for retinol or harsh acids anywhere in her routine. Luckily, a lot of Black-owned products are rooted in natural and “clean” ingredients. “I was on a panel with Christina Funke Tegbe, the founder of 54 Thrones, recently, and we were talking about how when you think of wellness, you don’t picture communities of color. Wellness has been rebranded into this yoga-pants-wearing, green-juice-toting person, but it was people of color who really invented wellness — it’s grandmas with herbal, natural remedies,” she says.
The Double Cleanse
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“Their cleanser is really good. I am one of the weird people who doesn’t like foaming products. I don’t know what it is, but I almost feel dirtier with cleansers that foam so I love Gentle Matter because it’s a gel cleanser. It has dandelion extract and green tea, both of which are super moisturizing and great for sensitive skin.”
The Vitamin C
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“Hyper Skin is actually a recommendation from my co-worker. Vitamin C is pregnancy-safe — my dermatologist recommended I include it in my morning skin-care routine. It’s been super brightening and helped clear up some leftover dark spots on my skin. And not that the packaging matters, but the bottle is really cute and orange and summery, and I kind of fell in love with it.”
The Face Mask
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“The founders of the brand, Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng, are super young, and they got a huge investment for their brand — queens, icons, legends. Then talk about great packaging! The hydrating mask is super effective, and the main ingredient is colloidal oatmeal so it’s pregnancy-safe. It smells like oatmeal to me, actually, and that was my No. 1 pregnancy craving.”
The Sunscreen
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“I also love the Black Girl Sunscreen. It’s a clear, oil-based gel, and again, it goes on super, super light with no cast.”
The Body Bar
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“I would die for Hanahana Beauty. Abena Boamah-Acheampong, the founder sources all of the brand’s ingredients in Ghana, and they’re all-natural. I used to be obsessed with this scrubee from Lush, but then Hanahana sent me a two-in-one body bar, and it’s both exfoliating and moisturizing.”
The Body Butter
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“I love this body butter. It comes in a lot of scents, and I’ve been very freaky with fragrances — most of the products on this list are fragrance-free because smell has just been killing me — but this butter comes in a lavender that I find super relaxing. Cam, my partner, always jokes that I’m on this Mad Max quest to have the softest skin in America, and I am. [Laughs.] Ever since I was 6 years old, I get out of the shower, and I’m like, ‘Slather me in lotion!’ I take such a weird pride in always having hydrated skin. I remember in high school, I had a crush on this kid. During sophomore year, he was like, ‘Hey, soft skin,’ and I was like, ‘I’ve made it. My work here is done.’ I’ll never forget that.”
Desiree Verdejo, founder of Hyper Skin
In her past life, Desiree Verdejo owned Vivrant Beauty, a Harlem-based beauty boutique that catered to and featured products by people of color. “It’s always been in my DNA to hunt for well-made skin care,” she says. “At the time, there weren’t many POC-owned brands on the shelves of major retailers.” Through daily interactions with customers, she noticed there was a real need for a clinically minded brand that addressed conditions like hyperpigmentation, one of her own skin concerns.
“Everything was super ‘natural.’ You know, everything was in jars with white labels and black writing. Everything was very small batch, but women of color have real, clinical needs,” says Verdejo. “We have acne. We have hyperpigmentation. We have razor burns, and I wanted a line that speaks to that, a line that’s more active.” She resolved to make her own.
The result was Hyper Skin, whose hero — and currently only — product is the Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum that’s made with fruit enzymes, turmeric, kojic acid, and 3-0-ethyl ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to fight dark spots and brighten and even out skin. It’s packaged in a cheerful, orange bottle.
Verdejo explains, “My own philosophy is to keep it simple and then use effective treatments, like a special serum or a face mask, when necessary. My collection reflects that.”
The Double Cleanse
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“I go back and forth between active cleansers with gentle exfoliants and simple, easy cleansers. On the days when I use the Ode to Self Bask Cleansing Balm [above], I like to follow it up with the latter, and Klur’s Gentle Matter fits the bill. It’s so lightweight and doesn’t strip your skin.”
The Serum
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“The most important part of my skincare regimen is my Hyper Skin Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum. It clears up old acne scars, and I even notice that my newer scars aren’t as dark. The serum is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric and willowbark, which help to smooth any texture on the skin. I use it once a day, usually in the morning, but some people like to use it at night.”
