Affordable Skincare Products For Black Women That Won’t Break Your Skin (or the bank!)

Having clear skin is hard. A lifetime of chronic acne has made me a bit of a cynic regarding the skincare products I use in my daily routine. I’ve tried it all: from Proactive to Differin Gel, Neutrogena to PanOxyl. Nothing seemed to work, no matter how hard I tried. As a Black woman with diagnosed PCOS, I came to realize that my skin was different from other people and I would need different kinds of products to treat it. Many other Black women, such as myself, often struggle with finding products that are tailored to our skin. Whether it be sunscreen that doesn’t leave a white cast or moisturizers that don’t turn our faces into pie charts of acne — some products do not have the same results on Black skin, and their effects are not widely advertised.  Combined with my own experiences, I asked my other Black peers what products did or didn’t work for them and compiled a list of must haves. All of these products are under $20. From Black beauty brands to K-beauty, these products will have your skin poppin’ (and not your pimples!) 

Here are six affordable skincare products for Black women that won’t permanently injure your savings account and help get you right back to being you:

1. Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 ~ $18
2. Nubian Heritage’s African Black Soap Bar Soap ~ $4.99
3. Tula’s The Cult Classic Clarifying Facial Cleanser ~ $13
4. Good Molecule’s Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel ~ $6
5. The Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics ~ $18
6. Topical’s Brightening and Clearing Serum Mini ~ $18

Finding products that work on Black skin is a difficult task.. as a Black woman, I’m often feeling left aside by skincare brands that are ignoring an entire market. (A market that just happens to include me, because not all products work for everybody.) The products mentioned above acknowledge a whole market of women often left out by other companies. May these products brighten your skin and treat even the pickiest of pimples!