Happy Earth Day, y’all! It is on this sunny (well, sunny in Brooklyn, at least) day that we honor our mother—by going to plant a tree, frolic in a park, that sort of thing. However, if you’re not trying to do those things, there are still ways to support the environment—and a few Black-owned businesses to boot.
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Sustainable beauty is on the rise, and every new company offering vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free products is a step in the right direction. Early on, it was hard for Black and other women of color to find sustainable beauty products that fit their needs—and it still is. However, there are small brands and businesses that are working to create green products geared towards Black women that actually work and won’t break the bank.
Some brands focus on skincare, finding formulas that will give you an ever-present glow while treating the planet responsibly. These products are usually made in small batches, handcrafted and cruelty-free—which is a major undertaking in the beauty industry. Then, there are beauty and makeup brands that are changing their formulas to incorporate all vegan ingredients so your skin can get the plant-based treatment, too.
But in my mind, the best type of green beauty out there is the haircare! More and more brands are creating haircare products specifically for curly, kinky and wavy textures that are sustainable and cruelty-free—meaning less and less toxins are going into your precious hair but it’s still holding in all that good moisture.
So grab your wallet, reusable bag and (safely) head out to support these green businesses this Earth Day.
Shimrose Skincare
Shea butter baby, that’s what Shimrose Skincare prides itself on. The London-based skincare brand sources all of their shea products through family connections in Ghana, meaning they’re involved in the process from start to finish. Their mission is to not only create sustainable beauty products but create sustainable lifestyles for those who work for them by ensuring their farmers and workers are paid a liveable wage.
Their ridiculously smooth shea butter products are packaged in glass jars with aluminum lids and shipped in fabric and paper packaging. The products are also vegan and cruelty-free, handmade and free from parabens and toxins.
Lalin et La Sirèn
Powered by the moon and moved by the sea, Lalin et La Sirèn was founded to satisfy the need for natural and sustainable skincare products. Inspired by Afro-Caribbean roots, each product is created with all-natural and organic ingredients free of petroleum and parabens. From bath soaps to body butters to tinctures and sugar scrubs, each product is crafted in small batches and tested by the founder’s friends and family and hand-made in small batches in Brooklyn, NY.
Pholk Beauty
Close your eyes and imagine a world where you can find green and sustainable skincare products that perfectly match your skincare needs—and don’t break your bank. Got that? Well Niambi Cacchioli wanted to live in that same world, so the native Southerner, vegan skincare expert and former historian of the African Diaspora created it. Pholk Beauty is inspired by her time spent traveling, and was founded as a way to cultivate the all-natural plants and minerals that have healed skin for centuries, beautifully packaged for the general public. Pholk offers regimens and products for a wide variety of skincare concerns—including ”maskne”! The price point makes each item incredibly affordable and appealing, helping people feel empowered in their skin while also knowing they’re helping the environment.
Dehiya Beauty
Mia Chae Reddy developed Dehiya Beauty (de-hee-yuh) after time spent abroad studying under a Moroccan herbalist. Inspired to create a skincare line honoring the traditions she learned, she founded Dehiya, a plant-based and all-natural vegan skincare line. Dehiya features a wide range of skincare products such as mists, masks, moisturizers and more. Additionally, the brand offers “The Ritual,” inspired by Reddy’s own grandmother’s skincare ritual. The argan oil used in the products is sustainably sourced from Morocco’s Argan Forest and hand-extracted by a local women’s co-op near Marrakech.
Bread Beauty Supply
Whatever your texture, you have good hair; Bread Beauty Supply has good hair products. Not only is the year-old brand empowering people to wear their curls as they are—kinky, coily, curly, frizzy, poofy, in braids, bangs, you name it—their stylish and eco-friendly packaging makes these products a guilt-free indulgence and running out of them easier on the environment. Drawing from ingredients from its founder’s native Australia, Bread focuses on wash day packages for 3a-4c hair, inspiring and uplifting women to embrace their curls and wear them as they are.
Mented Cosmetics
If you, like me, are a big fan of makeup but prefer a more subtle approach, then you already know of Mented Cosmetics. KJ Miller and Amanda Johnson, founders of Mented, struggled for years to find the perfect shade of nude lipstick that made them feel like the boss-ass women that they are. Their original line of lipsticks has grown to include eyeshadow pallets, blushes and foundation with over fifteen different shades to choose from. But aside from wanting to create a line of makeup that made you look your best, Miller and Johnson wanted these products to help you feel your best too. Each product is vegan, cruelty free, non-toxic and paraben-free, making it good for the environment and good for your skin.
Dimension Nails
From a 3D nail sticker concept formed alongside her father, Stephanie Warren founded Dimension Nails. There are 10 main ingredients in nail polishes that make them toxic to the environment, and Warren manages to stay away from all of them with her vegan, 10-free & cruelty-free nail shades. Dimension Nails carries four main products: lacquers, gel polishes, nail powders and nail art, with a rotating array of other products. The brand is very collaborative and works with other influencers and designers on color choices and names of new products.
Additionally, the vibrant colors are inspired by different collections based on different important ecological landscapes such as the African Savanna, the Woodlands and the Tundra. In addition, a percentage of all proceeds goes towards animal charities, shelters and sanctuaries.
Soultanicals
Ayo Ogun is doing the hair-lord’s work. A mom of six, Ogun suffered through many tear-inducing detangling sessions (for both mother and child alike) that made her realize she needed to find a solution. On top of wanting to create products safe for her children, she wanted to create them for the world—all while being respectful of it. Soultanicals is made with a unique blend of organic-plant-based and herbal African botanical ingredients.
“Our high-quality botanical line combines our passion for self-love with the holistic culture and traditions of Mama Earth and is 100% toxin-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and free from all artificial preservatives, fragrances and dyes…Our products are made the old-fashioned way…by hand and with soul,” says Ogun.
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