8 Badass Latinos Who Broke Down Walls Within The Beauty Industry

No matter what any politician tells you, here is the truth: Hispanic women and men are a force to be reckoned with — especially within the beauty industry. Just think back 20 years; you'd never see the face of a Latina actress splashed across a billboard or on the pages of a makeup ad. But today, one of MAC's fastest-selling collections to date was centered around Mexican-American Selena Quintanilla. The multicultural shift is real.

In fact, the demand for product lines and advertisements that tailor to this relatively untapped market is at an all-time high. More and more consumers are searching for items that serve this multi-textured world of different backgrounds, skin tones, and hair types. Which is where we come in.

In the slides ahead, we're taking a closer look at the changemakers within the beauty biz — many of whom are rooted in countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba, among others — who have shaped the way we do (and think about) hair and makeup. Some are actors; others, tattooists, hairstylists, activists. But each one of them share this commonality: They are Latin entrepreneurs living the American dream — and breaking down the walls within the beauty industry while they're at it.