Written by: Oluwakemi Adedoyin
What if beauty wasn’t just about glowing skin but about fairness, culture, and sustainability? What if every drop of oil and every dollop of butter had a special origin story; one that empowers communities, sustains traditions, and celebrates Black beauty all over the world? Beauty is not only what is in the jar, but where it is from, whom it benefits, and the story it tells.
For decades, African beauty routines have used impressive traditions and nature’s best, including Ghana’s golden shea butter and Southern Africa’s fertile marula oil. But, as beauty becomes global, ethical beauty has to be the new standard. After all, what’s the use of beautiful skin if it harms people and the planet?
The True Cost of Beauty
It’s an uncomfortable truth: Some of the most popular skincare items like shea butter, baobab oil, and black soap are from Africa, yet the profits frequently don’t accrue to the women who manually harvest them. Major beauty companies slap “organic” or “natural” on their labels, but are they uplifting the very women who harvest these ingredients by hand? Are they compensating the laborers adequately? Are they supporting traditional methods, or just making a profit from them?
Clean beauty is about shifting the way you think. It’s about knowing where your skincare is from, who made it, and whether they were treated fairly. It’s about celebrating African beauty, not just as an aesthetic, but as a movement.
A Blueprint for Ethical Beauty
- Support Ethical Sourcing: Know Your Ingredients, Know Your People
Your skincare should be as rich in story as the earth it comes from. Get behind brands who directly source their products from African cooperatives, where farmers and artisans receive fair compensation.
Be curious. Read labels. Be a conscious consumer.
- Honor Ancestral Knowledge: Our Grandmothers Knew First
The West did not discover shea butter, our grandmothers did. Before there were beauty aisles, there were family recipes. Traditional African skincare relies on knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Rather than searching for the next lab-created miracle cream, utilize what has been proven effective for centuries.
2. Dismantle Eurocentric Beauty Standards
Ethical beauty is not only product-related; it is also about representation. Dark skin, curly hair, and African features must be celebrated, not hidden. Patronize brands that celebrate and affirm diverse beauty.
3. Invest in Black-Owned Beauty
From Lagos to London, Nairobi to New York, African and diaspora entrepreneurs are redefining beauty standards and ethical production. Invest in what you believe in.
Beauty in Action
The discussion of ethical beauty is not just theoretical; it is currently being realized by innovative brands that invest in fair trade, sustainable practice, and cultural integrity. Not only are they reworking industry expectations, but they are also demonstrating to the world that luxury and responsibility can exist together as beauty.
Hanahana Beauty, for example, is pioneering sustainable skincare, promoting fair trade practices, and empowering women shea producers in Ghana. Their focus on honesty and quality is creating a new gold standard for the beauty industry. Other innovative brands like 54 Thrones, LIHA Beauty, and Nolaskinsentials are showing that beauty can be ethical, luxurious, and strongly connected to African heritage.
This isn’t just a trend, it’s a revolution. The next time you reach for that face mask or body butter, consider this: Is this beauty, or is this exploitation? For beauty isn’t only skin deep. It’s cultural. It’s ours.
