The beauty industry, as it turns out, is a multibillion dollar industry that American consumers are pouring into at a rapid rate. According to FranchiseHelp.com, in 2015 the beauty industry (hair care, skin care, cosmetics, etc..) garnered an impressive 56.2 billion dollar revenue and is expected to increase by 11 billion dollars in 2018. So, obviously the beauty world is a very lucrative business to be in.

You would expect an industry that's so large and bringing in that much amount of money from so many different people to be really diverse in it's products, right? Well, unfortunately that's not the case at all and people of color have been left with the short end of the stick when it comes to having quality beauty products. Black women in particular are spending up to 7.5 billion dollars per year on cosmetics and we spend 80% more on those products and twice as more on skin care products than our non-Black counterparts, according to research done by Essence Magazine.

Many name brand cosmetic companies have finally started to incorporate some products that do specifically tailor to black women, but, is that because they genuinely care about having us as costumers or is it that they know we have a lot to offer as consumers and they want as much money from us that they can get? Personally, in the last few years I have gone out of my way to make sure I buy products from brands that are made by and for women of color.

If you are interested in broadening your makeup collection with brands that best suit your needs, here's a list of some of the best makeup companies that are made for women of color.

1. IMAN Cosmetics

The founder and CEO of IMAN Cosmetics is none other than supermodel Iman. IMAN Cosmetics was launched in 1994 and holds the philosophy that women with skin of color represent many races, cultures and ethnicities. IMAN Cosmetics is designed for African American, Asian, Latina and multi-cultural women with skin tones in a myriad of shades.

Located at Target and WalMart

2. The Lip Bar

You might have first heard of the Lip Bar from a little show called Shark Tank. Melissa Butler and Rosco Spears first appeared on Shark Tank to pitch their business idea, but the Sharks decided not to invest. HUGE mistake on their part. The Lip Bar is a vegan, gluten-free, and paraben-free lipstick company that has sky rocketed to makeup fame. The Lip Bar is worth over half a million dollars and their success is only going to grow.

Located on their website https://www.thelipbar.com

3. Beauty Bakerie

Beauty Bakerie was founded by Cashmere Nicole, a single mother and breast cancer survivor with a passion for beauty. Cashmere wanted to bless young girls with makeup products that are both beautiful and of amazing quality. Beauty Bakerie also has a YouTube Channel where they do tutorials on using their products and also keep customers up to date with the latest information! Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/user/beautybakerie

Located on their website https://www.beautybakerie.com

4. Juvia's Place

Juvia's Place bursted onto the scene with their very vibrant and colorful eyeshadow pallet. Their Nubian pallet is a best seller and its frequently sold out on their website. Founder and CEO, ChiChi Eburu, a Nigerian born makeup lover began her company just a little over two years ago. Each eyeshadow pallet has a depiction of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti to coincide with their African theme.

Located on their website https://www.juviasplace.com