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If you’ve got skin care and makeup products on your friend’s gift list, you may be thinking about where to turn as the holiday season approaches.

When it comes to melanated skin and curly hair, it’s worth doing a little extra research for brands that offer quality products that will benefit and complement natural hues and textures.

Good news! We did the work for you. Below are 15 beauty products from Black-owned brands that you can peruse online for your friend (or maybe even yourself, *wink wink*).

To get started on your gifting, you can always head directly to the brand’s site. You can also find most of these products at Amazon, Target, Sephora, or Ulta.

Outside of selecting beauty products from Black-owned brands, we chose these items based on:

  • price point
  • customer reviews
  • formulas tailored for melanated skin and ethnic hair

We also kept in mind products that:

  • are mindful of being sustainable, natural, and climate-conscious
  • are vegan and don’t conduct animal testing
  • were awarded by well-known magazines

These products also went through our vetting process to make sure they’re of the absolute best quality for you.

Pricing guide

  • $ = under $30
  • $$ = $30–$75
  • $$$ = over $75

Are you looking for quality products that won’t wash out melanated skin or leave your lids lackluster? Check out a few options below.

LYS Beauty

Aim High Multi-Use Highlighter

Price: $

Looking for a multipurpose highlighter that’s also great for skin dullness? Check out this product from LYS Beauty.

It’s a vitamin A–rich highlighter that can be mixed with foundation to pump up a naturally glowy look, or used on its own on high points of the face.

Aim High isn’t just pretty with a satin finish. It also uses camu camu fruit and mango extract to help brighten dark spots and soothe dry skin.

Earning a Clean at Sephora label, this product is free of harmful ingredients like:

  • phthalates
  • formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers
  • oxybenzone and octinoxate
  • hydroquinone
  • triclosan
  • coal tar
  • methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone

Plus: This product is vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free, and comes in recyclable packaging.

Uoma Beauty

Say What? Foundation

Price: $$

After years of slim pickings when it came to foundations for melanated skin, we were floored when Fenty Beauty released its 40 shades.

Uoma Beauty slid on the scene and quickly became a favorite with 51 shades of foundation infused with ingredients to care for your skin. In 2020 it won an Allure Best of Beauty Award.

These shades fit within six categories (ranging from very light to dark brown) to ensure you’re choosing the option best for your undertone and skin hue’s needs, all with a matte finish.

This buildable foundation has berry extracts to keep skin hydrated but doesn’t have:

  • added fragrance
  • parabens
  • talc

Plus: It’s vegan and cruelty-free.

Pat McGrath Labs

Mothership IX Eyeshadow Palette in Huetopian Dream

Price: $$$

Ranging from shimmery to matte and metallic finishes, this palette is a win for your friends with a flair for the futuristic.

Using your fingertips or a brush, these 10 shades can accentuate eyes — including the lids and inner corners, or as a liner — or be used to highlight high points of the face.

Plus: These shadows are free of parabens, phthalates, and the sulfates sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth ether sulfate.

We can’t forget about the kinks, curls, and coils. Whether your loved one is looking to refresh their braids, keep their scalp cleansed, or soak up some extra hydration, there are plenty of options.

Adwoa Beauty

baomint leave in conditioning styler

Price: $

A leave-in conditioner that’s great for both curl prep, moisturizing, and styling. Say less, right?

The formula has omega fatty acids to promote hydration, hair growth, and retention. You can use it on a daily basis.

After a deep condition, rake the product through on wet hair. You can also use it on its own for a wash-and-go. It’s great for folks with texture but also works well on straight or wavy hair as a styler.

This conditioner has no pesky:

  • sulfates
  • parabens
  • mineral oils
  • petroleum
  • phthalates
  • silicones
  • synthetic colors
  • DEA

Another plus: It’s cruelty-free and uses organic ingredients.

Sunday II Sunday

Root Refresh Micellar Rinse

Price: $$

We love a micellar water–based product!

Similar to when you use it on your face, micellar water attaches to sweat and grime on your scalp, acting as a great alternative to shampoo between your wash days when you need a cleanse (and every day in between).

The Root Refresh formula includes apple cider vinegar and green tea to lower scalp pH, minimize bacteria growth, and soothe inflammation.

What it doesn’t have:

  • sulfates
  • silicones
  • mineral oil
  • parabens
  • petrolatum
  • phthalates
  • formaldehyde-releasing ingredients

Plus: It’s color safe.

Your loc’ed and braided-up besties will love you for snagging this product for them.

Bread Beauty

Hair Detox Kit

Price: $$$

Best for folks with textured, dense, curly, or long hair, this detox kit by Bread Beauty is the entryway to chemical exfoliants for the hair.

This product is a new favorite. It won an Essence Best in Black Hair Everyday Essential Award, Glamour Best in Curly Hair Award, and ELLE Beauty Stars award — all in 2022.

Chock-full of feel-good ingredients like broccoli extract, matcha, clay, and quartz, the kit comes with scalp serum, a mud mask, and a cute little bag to carry it all in.

What doesn’t it come with, you ask? This product is sans silicone and sulfates.

Plus: It’s vegan and cruelty-free.

As we enter the colder months, you’re likely to have besties who want to ensure their skin stays hydrated and clear. We’ve got you covered.

Rose Ingleton

SuperFruit Brightening Cleanser

Price: $$

With her experience with many skin tones and textures, dermatologist Rose Ingleton developed a gentle, gel-to-foam cleanser that received an Allure 2022 Best of Beauty Award for gel cleanser. It also is a winner of Byrdie’s Best Eco Beauty Award in 2022.

Also an InStyle Editors’ Pick of 2022, the SuperFruit Brightening Cleanser is pH-balanced and free of added fragrance and sulfates.

Gentle enough to be used every day to remove makeup, dirt, and oil, this daily cleanser is infused with:

  • a blend of Jamaican superfruit
  • sugarcane extract
  • pro-vitamin B
  • aloe

Plus: It’s vegan and the container is made from 100% recyclable, carbon-negative bioplastic. You and your eco-conscious loved one can thank us later.

Hyper Skin

Hyper Even Brightening Dark Spot Vitamin C Serum

Price: $$

With more than 1,000 positive reviews on its website, the Hyper Skin Hyper Even Brightening Dark Spot Vitamin C Serum has become a household name for many.

This product treats dark spots, acne scars, and sun damage with super ingredients like bearberry and kojic acid.

It also aids in hydration, healing, and controlling future breakouts with turmeric, apple extract, aloe, and salicylic acid.

Include in your holiday card, “Be sure to use in the morning before your moisturizer, and wear SPF before sun exposure!”

Plus: It’s cruelty-free and vegan.

Lip Esteem

No Scrubs Lip Scrub

Price: $

Many of us know the pain of chapped lips in the winter.

Lip Esteem has created what they call a “lip pumice” to help you get rid of dead skin.

With ingredients like beeswax and jojoba oil, this cute lipstick-shaped exfoliant is a great first step to saving your lips from harsh winter air.

Plus: Lip Esteem has a vitamin E stick you can follow up with.

Of course, body breakouts and dry skin take no prisoners or vacations (even during the holiday season). Here are some options to make sure your bestie is set up for success.

Kilali Cosmetics

Kilali Skin Body Exfoliator

Price: $

If you thought dry lips were bad, you get the popularity of Kilali Cosmetics’ exfoliator for the body.

For supple and smooth skin, get an ample amount of your soap onto the product and lather up.

Using the exfoliator removes dead skin cells and aids your body in soaking in all the hydration from your shower gel and after-shower moisturizer.

Buttah

Supreme Customizable Skin Set

Price: $$$

Created by Dorion Renaud, this skin care set was created with melanated skin in mind.

Centering around the powerhouse ingredient shea butter, Buttah products aim to address issues like dryness and discoloration for Black folks all of genders.

The skin care set is meant to provide daily cleansing, protection, and hydration. It includes a cleanser, rosewater toner, and vitamin C serum.

Plus: This kit can be altered to suit anyone with normal to combination skin by giving you a choice of moisturizer: CocoShea Revitalizing Cream, Facial Shea Butter, or Oil-Free Gel Cream.

Free & True

Body Worker Hydrating Serum

Price: $$

Former esthetician and spa owner Tami Blake created this serum with the body’s daily stress in focus.

A blend of rose, calendula, lemon balm, comfrey, lavender, and chamomile alongside palmarosa, pumpkin, and avocado seed oils is used to hydrate and protect the skin barrier.

You can find notes of ginger extract, bergamot, and ylang-ylang, and jasmine in this product, all working together to heal and protect the skin from free radical damage.

Plus: According to its website, Free + True products aim to avoid unethical harvesting practices and pesticides.

These are a few of our other faves that could be great add-ons or stocking stuffers.

Pear Nova

BRWNGRLMGC Classic Collection Nail Polish Set

Price: $$

This set includes four classic nail polish shades.

Whether your giftee is taking a break from the nail salon or ran out of their usual neutral shades, this set could be a great gift.

It’s free from:

  • toluene
  • formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin
  • camphor
  • DBP
  • xylene
  • parabens
  • phthalates

Plus: These polishes are all vegan and cruelty-free, and have no added fragrance.

Always Covered

Large Unisex Satin-Lined Beanie Shower Cap

Price: $$

I’m not sure about you, but I’m over thin, flimsy shower caps. There’s a good chance your friends are, too, especially if they have braids, locks, or hair that takes up plenty of space in a regular cap.

The solution? One of these large (and stylish) satin-lined shower caps from Always Covered.

Plus: They’re gender-neutral, so no need to take up time searching for one that isn’t covered in pink petunias.

Neero & Ana

Satin Pillowcase

Price: $

One foolproof tip for healthy, frizz-free hair is a satin pillowcase. The curly girls know: A bonnet is No. 1 if we want our styles to last, but it’s always nice to have a backup plan.

Satin cases are also great for keeping your face hydrated and reducing the appearance of fine lines.

Neero & Ana gave us two style and size options with plenty of colors to choose from. All are made with natural plant cellulose and constructed to be used for years.

Plus: You can toss them in the washing machine and dryer.

Whether your pal is looking for a new eyeshadow palette or moisturizer to try, there are plenty of options for Black-owned brands that are made with the needs of melanated hair and skin in mind.

While you’re at it, maybe throw something in the online cart for yourself — you deserve it.

Ready for a calm and stress-free holiday? Check out Healthline’s Season of Self-Care, your go-to destination for the latest must-have health and wellness gifts for your loved ones — and you!