Natural clean vegan brands for women of color
How many times have you been to the beauty counter, browse a brand website, or gone to the pharmacy aisle to realize the new foundation you heard so many great waves about doesn’t have a shade suitable for your complexion?
That is the a common occurrence for women of color including those of african americans descents.
What are our expectations when it comes to clean beauty?
I personally would like to see more clean brands acknowledge the existence of darker complexions. Wouldn’t it be nice to have clean vegan brands available to us as the norm not just an option or after thought?
As a matter of fact, clean beauty, non toxic, and vegan brands catered to women of color is a corner of beauty market that is yet to be cornered! Besides, there is still so much potential.
“Black women are one of the most powerful consumers because they are three times as likely to be the head of household than any other minority culture,” Tarra Jackson
It just happens that some of us love makeup and beauty!
What’s actually is in your makeup and beauty products?
There are quite a long list of animal byproducts that should never be part of anyone daily beauty routine! Let’s take a look at the most commonly used ones:
Ambergris:whale intestines. Used as a fixative in making perfumes and as a flavoring in foods and beverages.
Amino Acids: The building blocks of protein in all animals and plants. In cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, shampoos.
Bee Products: Bees are selectively bred. Culled bees are killed. A cheap sugar is substituted for their stolen honey. Millions die as a result.
Carmine: Red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect. Reportedly, 70,000 beetles must be killed to produce one pound of this red dye. Used in cosmetics, shampoos, red apple sauce, and other foods (including red lollipops and food coloring).
Cetyl Alcohol: Wax originally found in spermaceti from sperm whales or dolphins but now most often derived from petroleum.
Emu Oil: From flightless ratite birds native to Australia and now factory-farmed.
Fish Scales:Used in shimmery makeup.
Keratin: Protein from the ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills, and hair of various animals.
Lecithin: A waxy substance in the nervous tissue of all living organisms. But frequently obtained for commercial purposes from eggs and soybeans. Also from nerve tissue, blood, milk, corn. Choline bitartrate, the basic constituent of lecithin, is in many animal and plant tissues and prepared synthetically. Lecithin can be in eye creams, lipsticks, liquid powders, hand creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, other cosmetics, and some medicines.
Linoleic Acid: An essential fatty acid. Used in cosmetics, vitamins.
Besides all the environmental consequences, how bad are the ingredients in your beauty?
Where to look for information?
Subsequently, Parabens, triclosan, and petroleum are endocrine disruptors, yet they are used in almost 90 percent of beauty products on the market.
Furthermore, a good place to check out how toxic the products you are using is EWG. It’s a very useful database with information on very popular beauty products.Albeit you have the option to create your own based on ingredients list for a more accurate rating if you don’t find what you are looking for.
To clarify, I am not saying you should throw out all of your beauty supply! Even though some non-toxic clean vegan brands charge an arm and leg for their products. Not to mention that some of us have abide to very tight budget. Above all, starting small is very important. Small steps,indeed!
Eventually when you are out of your favorite lipstick, how about you look for something from some affordable clean vegan brands. They are so many options out there.
10 clean vegan brands for people of color
Alima Pure
Diversity| This beauty brands has foundation for all skin tones and undertones. They have a great sample program in place. It’s hard not to find a match. Alima pure also has product for normal,oily, and dry skin. ( 45 foundation shades)
Ethos|“We make makeup that doesn’t compromise.”
Vegan options|Yes
Price Range|$1.75 -$47
Au Naturale Cosmetics
Diversity|Only natural, ethically sourced ingredients made it to Au naturale products. Great shade range, well performed products. (15 foundations shades)
Ethos|“The clean Beauty Revolution.”
Vegan Options| Yes
Price range| $20- $40
Diversity|Made for women of color. Made by people who understand that women come in all sort of shades. The owner understands that two dark shades just won’t cut it! They made a pretty great job at representing how we really look like! ( 15 shades)
Ethos|”Beauty should be simple.”
Vegan options| Yes
Price range|$ 2- $25
Diversity|
Gabriel cosmetics has a nice shade selection. Their eyeshadows and lipsticks are so luxurious and pigmented! (14 shades). Their lip liners and lipsticks are among the best out there!
Ethos|“All products are made from 100% natural ingredients with no synthetic chemicals or animal by-products. “
Vegan Options|Yes
Price range|$1.79- $100
Diversity| Now, that’s diversity! Plain Jane beauty doesn’t disappoint! (17 shades)
Ethos|“The place where we celebrate all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. We celebrate who YOU are! We embrace who YOU are. Only YOU define who YOU are… Take charge of your beauty… “
Vegan Options|Yes
Price Range|$3- $47
Diversity|Why is this brand not more popular? They have great foundation shades selection, great eye shadows, and blushes! (41 shades)
Ethos|“I believe 110% that the makeup you wear to achieve professional results does not have to be full of harmful chemicals & cost you a fortune. Why sacrifice your health for beauty when you don’t have to?”
Vegan Options|Yes
Price Range|$5- $52
Diversity|Again, beauty doesn’t only mean foundation. Silk natural has this eyeshadows and lipsticks selection with no rivals!
Not all of them are vegan, some have dyes. They have wonderful and convincing dupes for the most popular mainstream cult products at ridiculously affordable prices!
Ethos| “makeup should be fun. Good makeup, made with great ingredients, sold with integrity and kindness is fun.”
Vegan options|Yes
Price range|$0.99- $15
Diversity| Zuzuluxe is the luxurious side of Gabriel Cosmetics, although I love them both! Gabriel is more diversified but zuzu luxe has those interesting colors ( Blushes, eye shadows) are to die for!
Ethos|“It’s about correcting, not covering up,”
Vegan options| Yes
Price Range|$1.79- $100
Range Beauty
Diversity: The range beauty foundation is clay based, transfer proof, and sweat proof. The range contains no sulfate, talc, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances.
21 shades.
Ethos: “Real shades for real skin”
Vegan options: Yes
Price: $21.00
Uoma Beauty
Diversity: The shades range from neutral, deep, and warm. Imagine a skin tone and you will find a match for it. It has a beautiful coverage with a satin finish.
52 shades
Ethos: At UOMA we are an empowered tribe. Our race is human, our people are free, our language is color. All are welcome to our beautiful tribe.
Vegan Options: Yes
Price Range: $39.00
I didn’t include those other green beauty brands because they only have two “dark” or “cacao” shades. Those product developers need to know dark skin comes in all shades, not one color will match us all!
What is your go to clean vegan brands for people of color that really work?
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