10 Caribbean-owned Makeup Brands You Should Know
July 29 is National Lipstick Day in the U.S. and we couldn’t think of a better time to spotlight some of the best brands for make-up owned by Caribbean Americans across the diaspora.
From small indie brands to larger Sephora finds, now stylish Caribbean folks can wave their island pride high with an exciting new generation of makeup brands for us, by us. Each of these companies are boldly challenging the mainstream makeup industry by offering providing a wider variety of colors that reflect the true spirit of the region. Check out these 10 of our favorite Caribbean makeup brands:
1. CaribBEAUTY Cosmetics (Barbados)
CaribBEAUTY’s owner is Bajan beauty/model Zoe Allamby who discovered her love for beauty while creating Youtube tutorials as a hobby in her college dorm in 2010. Her 5 years working in the fashion industry as both a model and marketer in Miami further extended her interest into the beauty world. She consequently used these experiences and her love for all things beauty to develop CaribBeauty Cosmetics which was founded in 2017. Zoë believes make up should be empowering, inspiring and inclusive. Her mission for CaribBeauty Cosmetics is to enhance natural beauty by delivering quality, captivating and universal products.
2. Stay Golden Cosmetics (Jamaica)
Stay Golden Cosmetics is proudly owned and operated by Island Girls from the Caribbean. They most recently released a campaign in tribute to the region called the Island Girl Collection. This release features 22 Matte Lip Shades and 14 Glosses with names such as Jamrock, Sak Pase, Bacchanal, Boricua and Summa Body. All the shades of the collection tell a unique story fully inspired completely by Caribbean culture and embodies the music, the style, and the attitude.
3. Gaelle Cosmetics (Jamaica)
Jamaican-based brand Gaëlle Cosmetics boasts a line of products with all of your bold lipstick needs. After years in the hospitality industry, native yardie Safyie Reid founded the company from a longing for beauty products representative of Jamaica’s diverse culture and rich heritage.
4. Luna Magic Beauty (Dominican Republic)
Luna Magic is an indie beauty & lifestyle brand founded by Afro-Latina & Dominican-American sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías. By combining their passions for beauty and lifestyle, they created a vibrant brand that celebrates their mutual love for their multicultural heritage, Latin culture and music—in living color. Founded in Los Angeles , the brand’s mission is to introduce high-performance cosmetics, bold flavor, diversity, inclusivity and vibrancy to the beauty industry. Overall, the products are fully inspired by the rich cultures and music of the Caribbean & Latin America, the hustle and bustle of NYC and glamour of Los Angeles.
5. FENTY Beauty (Barbados)
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Fenty Beauty has been dominating since its launch in 2017. Rihanna was inspired to create Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin after years of experimenting with the best-of-the-best in beauty—and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones. She launched a makeup line “so that people everywhere would be included,” focusing on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones, creating formulas that work for all skin types, and pinpointing universal shades. The original foundation launch included 40 shades and has since expanded to more than 50!
6. KAMI Cosmetics (Jamaica)
Founded by Kameka Barrett, Kami Cosmetics is a luxury cruelty-free beauty brand. Their collections boast a wide array of vibrant pigments including gorgeous metallic lipsticks and RICH glosses.
7. Necromancy Cosmetica (Puerto Rico)
Gloomy and striking, brooding and seething, Necromancy Cosmetica is the gothic line of matte lipsticks that will take your makeup styling into the right dark alley. If you couldn’t tell from the name, necromancy is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead. Based in Puerto Rico, this 100% vegan cruelty-free and handcrafted brand is a two-person show and a labor of love. Creator Des—along with her other half Zal—brings forth inspired color choices like Deadly Nightshade, Bonfire Dance & Segunda Plaga with an eye towards the occult and the creative. If you’re feeling witchy, this is the brand for you.
8. Sacha Cosmetics (Trinidad)
Sacha Cosmetics began operations in 1979, in Trinidad and Tobago. Their vision was to develop a line of makeup that all Caribbean women could wear and genuinely look better versions of themselves. Today, it remains the oldest Caribbean makeup brand ever developed for multicultural women. The line consists of a wide range of high-performance products that look equally exquisite on light, medium and dark complexions. Their most popular product is their Buttercup Powder, which solves the decades-old problem of darker women, looking ashy in bright lighting and photos. On Amazon, it is the “Top Rated” Face Powder with 5,000 five star reviews a 4.6 star rating. The brand is sold in SACHA stores in Latin America (Colombia), and the Caribbean and is currently headquartered in Florida, USA.
9. Alamar Cosmetics (Cuba)
Founded by Gabriela Trujillo, Alamar Cosmetics is a 2-year-old brand that is already making waves in the beauty industry. The company is named after the place in Cuba where Gabriela was born and lived for the first 3 years of her life. Alamar wants to be more than just a makeup company with a strong pride and focus on beauty and self expression for people of the diaspora. This spirit is ever-present in all of Alamar’s products, apparent in the lively, fresh colors of her lipsticks, eye palette and sun-kissed blushes.
10. KA’OIR Cosmetics (Jamaica)
KA’OIR is one of the latest businesses launched by Jamaican beauty & fitness entrepreneur Keyshia Ka’oir. Her brands have been featured in fashion, beauty, music media outlets worldwide… including MTV, BET, VH1, BRAVO, Billboard, The FADER, Essense, New York Fashion Week, GLAMOUR, CBS, IN STYLE and more.
Each one of these brands are doing their part to showcase both the talent and rich culture of the Caribbean. Make sure you support one of these brands today!