About

I founded Melanin Match because the beauty industry still struggles to be inclusive in 2026. I've seen the way most matching tools default to lighter skin, pink undertones, and a definition of “inclusive” that ends at adding three dark shades to a launch.

So I built a database for the women those tools weren't made for.

Melanin Match is for any Black woman who wants to start buying makeup without going into a store and trying to navigate a counter where the staff often weren't trained on Type V or Type VI skin. It's for women who already know their products and want better tools. It's for the girls just starting out who don't know what an undertone is yet.

The database is curated, not exhaustive. I will only populate it with brands that are actuallyinclusive — not the ones who launch a marketing campaign and ship a shade range that ends at NW40. You'll see a lot of Fenty in your recommendations because Fenty currently has the largest, most thoughtfully built shade range for melanin-rich skin on the market. As more brands earn it, they'll be added. Some won't.

Melanated skin has a wider undertone range than the industry has historically acknowledged. In a digital age, it should be easy for a Black girl new to makeup to start without stress. The skin should never be the problem.