Black Women In Beauty Tech: Innovating In Skincare, Hair And Cosmetic Tools In 2025

Black women are changing the game and creating their own space in the beauty tech industry. Using innovative AI tools, women from Candace Mitchell Harris to Riean Knight have made inclusive and cutting edge contributions for women of color. Their products have begun to eliminate trial and error processes and fill a gap that was lacking for Black women in the beauty industry.

From hair to makeup to skincare these women are leading the pack and using their expertise to make a difference. If you aren’t tapped into these women you need to be. Here are three women who are carving their own lanes in beauty tech.

Candace Mitchell is the co-founder and CEO of Myavana, an innovative beauty technology company that uses AI and lab analysis to give users personalized hair product recommendations for diverse hair textures such as natural, curly, relaxed, and coily.

The patent-pending proprietary software streamlines the process of going through multiple hair products that may or may not work on your hair. Myavana allows users to either take a picture of their hair for an immediate analysis and recommended products or choose to use a Hair Strand Analysis Kit for a thorough analysis. The entrepreneur graduated from Georgia Tech in 2011 where she studied computer science with an emphasis in media and people. A year later, Myavana was formed along with the brand’s sister company Techturized Inc.

Since launching her business, the Georgia native has amassed significant success from landing on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016, to being recognized on Georgia Tech’s 40 Under 40 Alumni List in 2020. She has also been featured in Vogue Business’ 2025 100 Innovators: Beauty Disruptors list. The Myavana CEO is breaking industry barriers, creating one of the few AI startups with a Black woman at the helm. Since founding the inventive company more than a decade ago, Harris is at the forefront of a venture-backed company worth over $50 million dollars. Mitchell is not only leading the conversation, she is redefining how inclusive tech and AI ethics can be a game changer in the haircare industry.

Chicago entrepreneur Riean Knight’s company Honey to Cocoa was launched in 2017 due to Riean’s frustration by the lack of accurate foundation shade matching technology for people of color. What started as a beauty blog, soon transitioned to an AI-driven app that recommends authentic and personalized makeup options for people in the Black and brown community.

The app serves as a solution to bridging the inclusivity gap in the beauty industry as companies are working to include more makeup shades, consumers still need guidance on how to make the best choice for themselves. An expert in the retail and beauty industry, Riean has over 10 years of experience as a makeup artist and a background in fintech. According to Riean, clients would often pay her to go to the store with them and find their perfect match, which would often leave her upset. She created the app to encourage people of color to be less intimidated and more empowered to make confident makeup choices.

Dija Ayodele is an acclaimed skincare expert with over two decades in the beauty industry. Dija decided to put her years of vast experience to the test, co-founding CLICKED, a confidence boosting AI powered skin health tool built to make skincare less confusing.

The forthcoming AI driven tool aims to provide clarity in skincare routines, expanding on her work with the Black Skin Directory a tool to improve access to professional skincare for people of color. CLICKED doesn’t have an official launch date as of yet, but the brand will no doubt prove to eliminate the trial and error consumers face when looking for the right products to keep their skin in top shape.

Dija has worked with various respected brands including L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, and Shiseido Group among others. Her 2021 book Black Skin- The Definitive Skincare Guide was referred to as the beauty bible according to British Vogue writer Tracy Anchowa.