The Best Gifts From Black-Owned Beauty Brands At Sephora

These days, we could pit-stop anywhere on the virtual beauty sphere to shop a seemingly endless array of eyeshadow palettes, decadent hair potions, and luminous skin-care products. But, for real gems that celebrate diversity and heart while occupying space on our top shelves, we head straight to Sephora's industry-leading assortment of Black-owned beauty brands.

Over a year ago, Sephora became the first major retailer to officially endorse the 15 Percent Pledge; committing 15% of its brand assortment to Black-owned companies. "We know we have more work to do, and we encourage other businesses to take the Pledge and help drive change for Black businesses and communities," the brand said via press release at the time of the announcement. Since then, the beauty retailer has grown to carry over 20 Black-owned prestige brands: cruelty-free cosmetics from makeup artist Danessa Myricks; Topicals, a science-backed skin-care brand; hot-off-the-runway palettes from fashion-favorite Pat McGrath; complexion transformers from celebrity aesthetician Shani Darden. Sephora's led the charge in representing — offering ample shelf space, both IRL and online — to the best Black-owned beauty businesses across makeup, hair, skin care, and beyond. Which puts it at the top of our holiday shopping lists. Ahead, discover a giftable collection of Sephora's Black-owned beauty brands.

Not only is the packaging of Bread's indulgent hair oil a solid 11/10, the liquid inside is worth its weight in gold; a few drops (aka one bottle will last you a long time) is all you need to instantly nourish dry strands. According to a Glossy interview, founder Maeva Heim caught the beauty bug at an early age, having spent time as a child at her mother’s braiding salon in Perth, Australia. Fast-forward to 2020, and she's launching Bread's array of hair-beautifying products including masks, washes, and the luxe oil seen above.

Shop Bread at Sephora

Another feat of packaging design that'll inspire shelfies galore is Topicals’ retro-inspired hydrating mask, which intensely soothes dry, irritated skin. And just think, this is only the beginning for the 25-year old Olamide Olowe.

Shop Topicals at Sephora

Short of getting a facial at hands of the highly sought-after, anti-aging expert aesthetician Shani Darden herself, this stuff makes for a splurge-worthy present for any skin-care savant. After using a single bottle, I noticed visible improvements in texture and tone — it's that good.

Shop Shani Darden Skin Care at Sephora

Does Rihanna's lauded brand need any introduction? The beauty, fashion, and entertainment mogul enables fans to shine bright for the holidays with this four-piece Fenty Beauty gloss set, which includes a full-size Color Drip Lip Cream alongside three Gloss Bomb minis.

Shop Fenty Beauty at Sephora

After Briogeo founder Nancy Twine couldn't find natural hair care that delivered on performance, she did what any enterprising human being would: She made her own. And sweetheart, we're all about this tress-taming set, which includes a full-size apple- and honey-infused hair mask, plus travel-friendly sizes of the fan-favorite Don't Despair, Repair! shampoo and conditioner.

Shop Briogeo at Sephora

Beauty content creator Jackie Aina's array of candles all boast instant-gift potential (just look at that votive!), but we have a special fondness for Cuffing Season, which has notes of violet, jasmine, and Douglas fir. 

Shop FORVR Mood at Sephora

Mother (as iconic British makeup artist Pat McGrath is affectionately known backstage at runway shows around the world) went all out with this celestial-themed palette, which features ten pans of intensely-pigmented metallics and mattes for the most brilliant holiday beauty look imaginable.

Shop Pat McGrath Labs at Sephora

Blue tansy is typically an ingredient seen in skin-care products, but Adwoa Beauty is harnessing the powerhouse botanical to strengthen and repair damaged or color-treated strands. The brand's founder Julian Addo — who is of Ghanaian and Liberian descent — got her roots in beauty as a teenager and was known for doing her friends' hair, and her first job was styling at a Staten Island-based hairdresser. In October 2017, Adwoa Beauty was born.

Shop adwoa beauty at Sephora

Fashion Fair was actually founded in 1973 by pioneering beauty founder Eunice Johnson, and was the first prestige cosmetics brand for darker skin tones. Today, owners Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack are committed to the same brand ethos — celebrating the beauty of melanin — but with formulas that are thoroughly modern; case in point, this innovative cream-to-powder foundation, which blends like a dream and has buildable coverage to achieve any look.

Shop Fashion Fair at Sephora

Self-taught makeup artist Danessa Myricks' eponymous beauty brand has long been a go-to for professionals, and it's high time she became a household name for makeup lovers everywhere. From contour balms to silky setting powders, there's a lot to love in the high-performance lineup — but we would argue there's no better stocking stuffer than her bestselling Colorfix cream pigments, which can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks for a creative color moment.

Shop Danessa Myricks Beauty at Sephora

When Tracee Ellis Ross unveiled her brand Pattern in 2019, she did so with a mission of demystifying lofty beauty ideals. "That expression 'I woke up like this' doesn't work for me. I did not wake up like this," she said in an interview with Refinery29. "In order for my hair to be like this, there's stuff I do." Enter: These value-sized bottles of Hydration Shampoo and Leave-In Conditioner, perfect for curly and coily textures.

Shop PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross at Sephora