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There continues to be so much to understand when it comes to the BIPOC knowledge about beauty. Purchasing from brands having a wide foundation range or supporting Black creators is essential, but same with learning more about the experience of non-white people who have largely been left out of the conversation when it comes to many industries including beauty and wellness. Whether you're looking for podcasts more closely reflect your personal experience, or you’re looking to find out about the beauty industry via a new, often underrepresented lens, these podcasts, all with hosts of color, are a good starting place.
BeautyMe With Charisse Kenion
Freelance beauty writer and photographer Charisse Kenion's podcast, BeautyMe, covers different facets of beauty such as the industry itself, interviews with makeup artists along with other professionals, plus product recommendations and beauty tips (shout to Charisse for turning me onto the game-changing Surratt Autographique Eyeliner). You will get plenty of practical beauty advice, however the podcast also dives deeper into issues like microaggressions at work, why “having it all” like a mother along with a business owner is basically a myth and more industry-related topics like whether celebrity skincare may be worth the hype.
Episodes vary from about 15-45 minutes each.
By Name Beauty
Creator and host of By Name Beauty, Jocoby Junious, is by day a way buyer for the TJX Companies which include TJ Maxx, Homegoods, and Marshall's, by night a podcast host. She was raised surrounded by beauty (her aunt managed a hair salon in Houston, TX), and she or he found herself frustrated by deficiencies in understanding and credit given to Black creators and consumers who popularized most of the “trends” covered in mainstream media (box braids, lettuce hems, and sneaker culture, for instance, all were only available in Black communities).
By Name Beauty grew from this seed of frustration; the podcast covers everything from hair, to why Black women are responsible for a lot of the profit generated in the beauty industry but they are so lacking in ownership (in beauty specifically, the spending power of black women in the United States is $7.5 billion, per Forbes) to the way the pandemic changed her beauty routine, and a whole lot.
Episodes range from about 30 to 1 hour 30 minutes each.
The Beauty Authority
Cosmetic dermatologist and plastic surgeon, Vicki Belo, who, with almost three million Instagram followers, is really a household name in the Philippines where she owns her very own practice, Belo Medical Group – joins forces with yoga instructor and holistic health, Katrina Razon in The Beauty Authority podcast. Episodes cover tops of skincare topics including maskne, botox vs. fillers, and hyperpigmentation. This podcast is definitely an interesting blend between beauty and wellness, with certain episodes touching on mental health topics like the tendency to check oneself to strangers on the internet and how damaging that can be.
Each episode is under 40 minutes.
Naked Beauty
Created and hosted by Brooke DeVard (who during the day does product marketing for Instagram) the Naked Beauty podcast challenges listeners to confront their own preconceived notions about beauty and dive deeper into products and wellness tips that actually resonate with their own unique lives. The podcast is often in conversation with people within the fashion and beauty industries (like Sheena Yaitanes, founder and CEO of fresh cosmetics brand, Kosas, or Erica Chidi, author and co-founder of LOOM, a platform that educates women and nonbinary people on sexual and reproductive health). Along with a genuine look at all things beauty and wellness with amazing product recommendations to boot, the show covers important cultural issues like stopping Asian hate or overcoming codependency.
Episodes vary from 20 to 90 minutes.
Hello Beauty
Los Angeles based makeup artist, Joyce Platon, hosts Hello Beauty, a podcast that features Platon in conversation with beauty, wellness, and lifestyle experts like Grace Harry, the “Joy Strategist” who helps adults embrace joy and play in their stressful lives, or Krupa Koestline, a clear cosmetic chemist and ayurvedic practitioner. It's the perfect podcast when you want tangible beauty advice like how to heal damage from crown extensions, the very best sunscreens for Black skin, or how to prevent blue light damage, blended with health and wellness-based conversations like when's the best time to freeze your eggs or why adaptogens may be the secret to some calmer you.
Episodes are between 35 and Forty-five minutes each.
Black Proper hair care, No Chaser
Black Proper hair care, No Chaser is, as the name suggests, a podcast devoted to all things Black hair. Host Kanisha Ti is a trainer cosmetology instructor and founder of Tutus and Tennis Shoes, a haircare education website and course with classes on teaching white adoptive parents to care for their Black children's hair. The podcast concentrates on both science and the socio-political implications of having Black hair.
It covers both beauty advice like what oils are perfect for hair (hint: not coconut, based on Kanisha) or perhaps a deep dive into deep conditioners, as well as societal topics like becoming an adult with Black hair or how Black women need to be given space to be leaders in the haircare industry.
Episodes range from just one minute to around 40 minutes each.
The Hue Report
Created by Olivia Hancock (who is also an affiliate editor with Byrdie) The Hue Report celebrates all things Black beauty. In addition to interviews with people within the beauty industry like curly hair expert, Candace Witherspoon or writer, editor, and beauty insider, Briana Arps, the podcast features engaging discussions around beauty topics like scalp care or clean nail polish.
Episodes range from Twenty minutes to just over an hour each.
Friends In Beauty
If you like Guy Raz of NPR's, How I Built This podcast, you'll love Friends In Beauty, a podcast that features beauty industry creatives talking about how they grew their businesses. Host and creator Akua Robinson is really a makeup artist and beauty educator and also the podcast features her in conversation along with other industry professionals including celebrity stylist, Brian Robinson, or professional makeup artist and creator of OMGLO cosmetics, Joelle Phillips. It's equal parts beauty and business and it will motivate you to act on that big idea you have swirling around in your head.
Episodes range from 11 to 90 minutes.
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