Black History Month is a time to celebrate the beauty and culture of the Black community, but it's also a time for non-Black allies to reflect on how they can do better. After the massive protests of racial injustice in 2020, we now face a nation not only rocked by racially-motivated violence both individual and institutional, but attempts to erode our ability to teach and recognize the racist sins of our past. As a result, being a bystander to the injustice is no longer an option. As fellow Americans, now is the time to band together as allies and demand change for the sake of the Black community.
We may be a product recommendation site, but we refuse to sit back and be silent. We’re asking you to spark change in any way that you can: sign petitions, protesting, donate to helpful organizations, and use your wallet to promote equality and support the Black community. While these are small steps, we’re willing to do anything we can to show up for our Black community, and we’re asking you to do the same.
Here at Best Products, we invite you to use your hard-earned dollars for good by supporting Black-owned businesses. These are just a few of the many Black-owned brands we'd like to highlight, and you can check out Support Black Owned for a more detailed list of businesses within your state. From fashion to home, stationery, and so much more, here are several online indie and large-scale Black-owned businesses to support all Black History Month-long and beyond.
COSMETICS
UOMA Beauty
Recently celebrating their first full year in business, UOMA Beauty is founded by Nigerian-born, LA- and London-based former beauty executive Sharon Chuter. The brand is at the forefront of reshaping the dated standards of the beauty industry by crafting products that are forward-thinking, radical, and challenges society's beauty stigmas.
➥ Best Pick: Say What?! Foundation ($39.00)
Beauty Bakerie
Now a multimillion-dollar business that features creative baking-inspired makeup product names and packaging, Beauty Bakerie began as a labor of love born out of serious circumstances. Founder Cashmere Nicole became a single mother at 16, lived on food stamps, and overcame breast cancer. Her story of turning immense hardship into success is undoubtedly inspiring.
➥ Best Pick: Almond (Chestnut) Flour Setting Powder ($14.40)
Ace Beaute
Built upon the memories of her grandmother's passed down beauty routines, Niye Aniekan-Attang founded Ace Beaute in 2015 with an eye towards the future and a more inclusive cosmetics market. The wide variety of styles and shades are intended to be explored by anyone, "regardless of age, gender, skin-color, religion or socio-economic status."
➥ Best Pick: Flair Palette ($38.99)
BLK/OPL
BLK/OPL, or Black Opal, actually began in 1994, founded by chemist Niko Mouyiaris in response to the frustrations his wife Carol Jackson Mouyiaris had over the state of the cosmetics market for Black women. In 2020, this popular brand was acquired by entrepreneurs Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, making this cometics company that has served the Black community for over a quarter of a century into a true Black-Owned Business.
➥ Best Pick: BLK/OPL True Color Skin Perfecting Stick Foundation ($11.95)
TLB (The Lip Bar)
Melissa Butler began The Lip Bar in her kitchen, but had big dreams for the cruelty-free cosmetics brand. A disappointing detour to The Shark Tank did not deter her ("I decided that I would not give someone else power over my dreams." she said of the experience), and now these beauty products dreamed up at a kitchen counter can even be found in your local Target!
➥ Best Pick: Arch-Nemesis Brow Gel and Pencil ($14.00)
Grooming
Briogeo
Briogeo, founded by beauty mogul Nancy Twine, is one of the most successful clean haircare brands on the market now. Their strong ethos of using only Mother Nature's best ingredients has propelled them to be one of the most celebrated haircare brands of the moment.
➥ Best Pick: Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-exfoliating Shampoo ($42.00)
OUI the People
Promoting itself as "body care for good people," this shaving and body care brand was founded to make beauty available for all. Instead of feeding into the unattainable beauty standards lingering within the industry, OUI the People celebrates everyone's uniqueness and natural beauty.
➥ Best Pick: Oui the People The Big Reveal PHA Ingrown Relief Toner ($25.00)
The Honey Pot Company
The Honey Pot’s line of feminine care products features pH-balancing wipes and cleansers, menstrual essentials, like cups, pads, and tampons, and items for more holistic maternity hygiene. Founder Bea Dixon created the brand after suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months with no relief. When an ancestor visited her in a dream with a vision that helped her heal, Dixon developed The Honey Pot to create hygiene products that are powered by herbs and other natural ingredients.
➥ Best Pick: Normal Foaming Wash ($10.00)
ReBourné
Based in NYC, ReBourné’s soy candles and natural haircare and skincare products are all handmade and affordable. We love their rugged packaging, heavenly blended scents, and incredibly moving origin story.
➥ Best Pick: Black Sea Natural Body Lotion ($22.00)
Mantl
Men can sometimes feel unwelcome in the grooming/self-care conversation, and hair loss can be seen as something shameful in a world full of ads for "volumizing" and "restoring" luscious locks. But Mantl, cofounded by Queer Eye's Karamo Brown, takes the stance that "we don’t believe that baldness is a problem to be fixed." Encouraging men to be proud of, and take care of, their scalps, Mantl offers a line of cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreens for proper skincare.
➥ Best Pick: The Complete Routine ($79.00)
Fashion
The Carter Brand
This brand creates apparel with a message. From iron-on patches to jackets, The Carter Brand is a Black-owned business that specializes in clothing that celebrates Black icons and promotes justice and racial equality.
➥ Best Pick: Rooting For Everybody Black Bomber Jacket ($95.00)
Melanie Marie
This independent, New York-based jewelry brand creates timeless pieces that look beautiful on everyone. Plus, many of the brand's pieces cost under $100, making them affordable, gorgeous investments.
➥ Best Pick: Pave Alphabet Pendant ($42.00)
Pyer Moss
Founded by Kirby Jean-Raymond, this beloved luxury fashion label was born to disrupt the fashion industry at its core. Founded in 2013, Pyer Moss has bloomed into much more than just another high-end fashion brand. Behind each piece you purchase, there is a message of activism, social dialogue, and demand for reform behind it. If you are a luxury fashion shopper, then Pyer Moss is definitely one of the labels you need to follow.
➥ Best Pick: A Small Business Sweatshirt 001 ($325)
Nubian Skin
Nude-colored bras and hosiery are essentials in every woman's wardrobe, but they shouldn't be one shade fits all. Frustrated by finding few skin tone options that suited her own complexion, company founder Ade Hassan created Nubian Skin to fit the underwear needs of women of color. Today, the brand sells everything from strapless bras, to stockings, and swimsuits, with extended sizes and color offerings that cater to every body.
➥ Best Pick: The Classic Cinnamon Lace Wired Push Up Bra ($29.85)
Bricks & Wood
Born in, and inspired by, South Central, Los Angeles, Bricks & Wood offers high-end streetwear that reflects the style of South Central's past and present. Since their founding in 2014, the company has collaborated with a number of brands, from Akila to New Balance.
➥ Best Pick: Snow Paisley Bucket Hat ($75.00)
Gifting
Love, Cortnie
This up-and-coming independent fashion brand should be on your gifting list for its unique and eclectic handbag collection. Originally started on Etsy, founder and designer Cortnie Elizabeth has extended her brand to create over 200 different styles and designs of purses and accessories. From cool and playful clutches to trendy bucket bags, Love, Cortnie is perfect if you're shopping for a lover of fashion-forward accessories, all while supporting an independent black female designer.
➥ Best Pick: Elizabeth Bucket Bag - Mixed Calf Hair II ($328.00)
UNWRP
If you're into giving gifts that feel authentic, unique and elevated, then UNWRP should be on your radar by now. This shop promotes one-of-a-kind gifting essentials (think wine boxes, gift bags, cards) that feature art by independent artists. Shoppers also have the opportunity to donate to the site's Artist Relief Fund to help artists financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
➥ Best Pick: Handful of Joy Fabric Wrap ($38.00)
Yowie
If you know someone who's home, wardrobe, or any other aspect of your life needs a little more curation and style, then Yowie is the answer. This Philadelphia-based, Black-owned shop has everything from aesthetically pleasing planters and towels to incense burners and independent zines to give their life a little more color, edge, and sophistication. But their unique pieces sell out quickly, so keep an eye out for their latest drops and products by following them on Instagram.
➥ Best Pick: Rainbow Birthday Print ($48.00)
Cloth & Paper
Cloth & Paper's plethora of minimalist stationery offerings include luxe leather planners, pretty paper planner inserts, foiled dividers, and more. If you take your scribbling seriously, opt in for their stationary subscription service to receive a sweet surprise every month.
➥ Best Pick: Accessory Case ($14.99)
Raycon
If we had one wish, it would be that all Americans unite in the fight against racism. Singer Ray J's sleek earbuds and headphones are a step up from costly competitors with water-resistant designs, extended battery life, and superior sound quality.
➥ Best Pick: The Everyday Earbuds ($79.99)
Food & Beverage
McBride Sisters Collection
This family-owned wine collection started out as a passion for sisters Robin and Andréa and is now a successful and tasty business. They have everything from canned rosé (perfect to enjoy during the summer months) to full-bodied reds and everything in between. Plus, they have a wine club that you should definitely take note of.
➥ Best Pick: Black Girl Magic Trio ($61.72)
Plant-Based Mary Jane CBD
Developed by a cannabis nurse, Plant-Based Mary Jane is a Black- and female-owned wellness business that offers full- and broad-spectrum CBD products for natural healing. Shop their Cooling CBD Peppermint Rub or their Full Spectrum Strawberry CBD Oil.
➥ Best Pick: Cooling CBD Peppermint Rub ($49.95)
Me & the Bees
You may remember young beverage entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer when she first appeared on Shark Tank, pitching her honey-infused lemonade company BeeSweet at the age of 13. Now under a new name, what started as a simple lemonade stand is now a multimillion-dollar business.
➥ Best Pick: Ten Bottle Variety Pack ($29.00)
Partake Foods
Food allergies can be a challenge for some families, but it doesn't mean you can't have tasty options available to you. That's what Denise Woodward believes, which is why she founded Partake Foods, to deliver "delicious peace of mind to those with dietary restrictions... and 'How is this so good?' enjoyment to everyone else." They offer cookies, breakfast-, and baking mixes, all free of any major allergens.
➥ Best Pick: Confetti Pancake & Waffle Mix ($23.99)
Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm
The founders of Zach & Zoe actually began cultivating honey as a means to help treat their son's seasonal allergies, but soon found their flavorful, infused raw honeys had even more to offer. Within five years, their "straight from the bees" honey business was generating so much buzz that is was named one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2020.
➥ Best Pick: Wildflower Honey with Matcha ($20.00)
Home
Linoto
Jason Evege is a University of Cincinnati graduate, where he learned the importance of carefully crafted linens. Frustrated that the current state of US-made linens, Evege founded Linoto to offer high-quality towels, sheets and even boxer shorts, all made with precision and care, "marked on the cloth with chalk, cut with tailor shears, expertly measured, expertly sewn", and all made in his workshop in Westchester County, New York.
➥ Best Pick: Linen Spa Towel ($139.00)
54Kibo
"Contemporary African design is inspiring the global design landscape. So why isn't it accessible worldwide?" This was the question Ghana-born 54kibo founder Nana Quagraine had, which inspired her to create a marketplace for people around the world to discover home decor made by artists from across the African diaspora. Shop for lighting, decor, rugs and furniture, or even browse by country of origin.
➥ Best Pick: Kilim Cyprus Mustard Rug ($225.00)
Chic Geeks
SoCal native Candice Adams had a passion for fashion and for technology, and didn't see any reason for the two to be diametrically opposed. Hence, she created Chic Geeks, which offers cases and covers to outfit your MacBooks, iPhones and iPads in a range of styles and textures.
➥ Best Pick: Emerald Faux Crocodile MacBook Case ($95.00)
Caribbean Craft
Inspired by her own Haitian heritage, Magalie Noel Dresse created Caribbean Craft to provide a home decor marketplace for the work of Haitian artisans. They offer a collection of visually striking papier mache decor in an array of beautiful colors, shapes and designs.
➥ Best Pick: Silvester the Rainbow Schnauzer Papier Mache Dog ($89.50)
Candlessentials
Candlessentials, created by Tashah Johnson, endeavors to offer an array of relaxing scents through their line of coconut wax candles, made without animal products or additives. Combinations like Coconut & Almond, Oakmoss & Bergamont, and Brown Sugar & Fig can turn any room into a soothing spa trip.
➥ Best Pick: Coco + Nut Coconut & Almond Candle ($32.00)
