Rachel is a journalist, writer, and editor who specializes in the beauty and wellness industry.
She is a beauty expert at Dotdash Meredith, covering the best, safest products the industry has to offer for InStyle, Byrdie, Real Simple, Shape, Health, Travel + Leisure, and more. She is one of the beauty industry's most highly regarded voices on the long-term impact of ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics. She has consulted with leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists, endocrinologists, and dermatologists to form opinions on the chemicals commonly used in beauty products, in order to only recommend products that shoppers can trust.
Rachel is currently working on a book about the people and ecosystems affected by the loosely regulated ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics, and her interest in epidemiological research and environmental health informs her beauty writing.
She is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications.
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Most people probably know that February is National Black History Month, but August's status as National Black Business Month tends to get a little less press. To celebrate the occasion, Amazon compiled a handy storefront of products from Black-owned small businesses — and from a customer-adored hyaluronic acid serum to the lipstick Michelle Obama uses, the line-up is impressive.
Ahead, we've highlighted the 10 best products from Black-owned beauty brands on Amazon, with thousands of positive reviews and acclaim to their name. From popular companies like LilyAna Naturals to Voice of Hair's under-the-radar offerings, there's something for everyone.
Over 26,000 people have left Cosmedica Skincare's Hyaluronic Acid Serum a five-star rating, because, as one 53-year-old put it, it "quite simply works." Hyaluronic acid is a moisturizing hero, and pulls water into your skin so effectively that shoppers note a visible glow. Wrinkles and sagging skin look tighter, one fan added, so much so that their skin looked 18 years younger.
Trinity Mouzon Wofford is a name to know: Golde's founder launched her company in 2017, and two years later, became the youngest woman of color to have a brand at Sephora. It's a huge achievement, and now the brand's collagen supplements are even more accessible; as one Amazon buyer wrote, the "staple" is a boon for their coffee, hair, and skin.
If you've browsed beauty products on Amazon, chances are, you've come across LilyAna Naturals. The brand has exploded with shoppers — over 23,000 of whom have left the brand's Retinol Cream a five-star rating. Retinol meets aloe, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, green tea, shea butter, and jojoba oil for a result that makes shoppers' wrinkles "disappear."
Shop now: $18 (Originally $25); amazon.com
It takes some patience, but according to users of Voice of Hair's solution, incorporating the 25-oil blend into their routine results in less shedding and more hair growth. More immediately, customers commented on how shiny and tangle-free it left their strands, and how it left their crowns thick and full.
Michelle Obama is as famous for her excellent style choices as she is for her intelligence, and both came through when she created a custom shade of lipstick with The Lip Bar in 2020 for her non-profit. Only 500 of the shade Bawse Voter were created, but it's a close match to the brand's Bawse Lady shade — and if red isn't your favorite, the line has 14 other colors to choose from.
Shine and hydration, hold the oiliness: So it goes with Curls Dynasty's leave-in conditioner, which draws on aloe, coconut oil, shea butter, fatty alcohol, kalahari seed oil, and extracts from kakadu plum, passion fruit, blueberry, and banana. Fans with kinky hair dubbed it a "staple" and fast favorite, especially for securing an ″amazing″ twist-out.
With 10 percent glycolic acid, users said Bolden's glycolic acid serum delivers results that rival those from products twice as expensive — their skin was left "so smooth," and dark marks lightened within a week of use. Witch hazel and niacinamide aid the glycolic acid in brightening, while glycerin moisturizes and peptides firm the skin.
Mented Cosmetics was originally founded to help people of all shades find their perfect nude lipstick, but the brand hasn't stopped there. The company has since branched into eye and complexion products with its latest release, a foundation stick, that's an incredibly hot seller (shades are frequently on the edge of selling out). Used as a foundation, concealer, or contour stick, shoppers said it blends easily and looks natural.
Few things feel better than an in-salon head massage, and according to fans of this scalp brush, it replicates the experience to a T as it cleans their scalp and stretches a few drops of shampoo into serious lather. For $8, reviewers said the quality is excellent — and the interchangeable heads are a major upgrade from similar purchases.
If you want authentic, Haitian black castor oil, reviewers said there's no contest: Rasin's boasts the "deep honey color," thickness, and smell that they were searching for, along with thickening benefits. With use, one person said it helped fill in their hairline and left thin spots "undetectable;" another said it makes their hair grow like a Chia pet.