Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
SBU | Style > Beauty

Black Representation in the Beauty Industry

Amanda Ippolito Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Black history month occurs during the month of February and is a time dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of Black people throughout American history. This month is importantly to celebrating becuase it can help educate and spread awareness to those who may not know much about what this month truly means. One way you can celebrate this month is by becoming more knowledgeable about inclusiveness and representation.

For many years, makeup and other parts of beauty have been a way for people to feel confident and express themselves. Some may love to do their hair and makeup for fun, while others it is a part of their daily routine.

When it comes to makeup specifically, representation is so so important! Today there have been many brands and companies that are expanding their representation for consumers. This can be seen in foundation, concealer, blush, skin care products and even hair care products. Representation is a range of variety that should not be limited.

Why is Representation Important?

Representation is more than important. It is important to know that you can go shopping and find something that will suit you. Shade representation in makeup is probably one of the biggest concerns when it comes to makeup brands. For example, foundation shades area huge thing that may lack representation. Some brands may only have 20 shades but skin tone shades can vary way more than that. Many brands today have been working on creating more shades to allow each and every consumer feel like they can purchase a shade that fits them the way it should.

Makeup Brands Who Promote Diverse Representation:

Fenty Beauty- Rihanna who is the founder and CEO which launched the brand in 2017 to include all skin tones and hair textures.

Juvia’s Palace– Chichi Eburu is the founder and CEO who launched the company in 2016. She launched the brand after spending years on her own struggling to find makeup that matched for her own skin tone.

Undefined Beauty– Dorian Morris is the founder and CEO of Undefined Beauty promoting a clean and inclusive lifestyle. The brand itself stands for beauty and wellness and includes products such as hair and skin products for all.

Overall, inclusiveness and diversity within the beauty industry is so important to make sure that there are products available for everyone. Since it is 2025 most brands out there and becoming better about including this representation within their own companies.

Amanda is a senior at St. Bonaventure University majoring in early & childhood education. After graduation she plans to pursue a masters degree and then eventually secure a job as an elementary school teacher.

Amanda is a current member and brand deal coordinator of the SBU Her Campus chapter. She is responsible for writing 1 article per week and communicating with professionals to help secure brand deals. Amanda tends to enjoy writing about topics such as lifestyles, personal experiences, and popular culture. Along with Her Campus Amanda is also the Co-Captain of the SBU Dance team, and member of the Bonaventure Education association.

Outside of school Amanda enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Some hobbies she likes to take on include dancing, thrifting, creating playlists, hiking, and cooking. One of her goals after school is to start traveling more including throughout and outside of the United States. A fun fact about Amanda is that she used to be ambidextrous.