Location

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Founded

1973

Price range

$18 – $40

Shipping

USA

Catalogue

14 products

Fashion Fair Beauty Brand Logo

Fashion Fair

Independent brand — verified
About

Fashion Fair is a landmark in American beauty and one of the most historically significant Black-owned cosmetics brands ever created. Founded in 1973 by Eunice Johnson of Johnson Publishing, the company behind Ebony, it was the first international prestige cosmetics brand developed for deeper skin tones, sold in stores from Neiman Marcus to Printemps at a time when no major house served those customers at all. That history is the brand's foundation, not its whole story. After acquisition and relaunch, Fashion Fair is once again Black-owned and led by Black women executives, both formerly of Johnson Publishing, continuing a lineage rather than borrowing one. Its return has been widely covered in the American press as a rare example of a heritage Black-owned brand returning to Black ownership. The brand describes itself as celebrating diversity, pioneering beauty and elevating deeper skin tones since 1973, and marks fifty years of Black beauty. The modern range focuses on complexion, built around the unique undertones of deeper hues, with iconic formulas reworked using natural ingredients hand-picked by a product development team working alongside renowned dermatologist Dr Caroline Robinson and celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine. All products are cruelty-free and vegan. Priced in the mid-range tier, Fashion Fair sits where it always has: prestige quality at a price its community can actually access. For shoppers searching for vegan, cruelty-free, women-owned and Black-owned American beauty with genuine heritage behind the claim, Fashion Fair remains without equivalent.

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Brand Details

Not disclosed
Last reviewed
Oct 2026
Independent brand
Verified
J
John H. Johnson
E
Eunice W. Johnson

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Frequently asked questions

Is Fashion Fair Cosmetics good quality?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics is regarded as one of the best makeup brands for darker skin tones, historically stocked in over 1,500 department stores worldwide.
Who founded Fashion Fair Cosmetics?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics was founded by Eunice Johnson, who noticed models in her Ebony Fashion Fair show had to mix their own foundation shades.
When and where was Fashion Fair Cosmetics founded?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics was founded in 1973 in Chicago, as an offshoot of Johnson Publishing Company, named after its Ebony Fashion Fair traveling show.
What makes Fashion Fair Cosmetics different?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics differentiates itself as the first international prestige cosmetics brand built specifically for darker skin tones, relaunched exclusively through Sephora in 2021.
Is Fashion Fair Cosmetics cruelty free and vegan?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics states all its current products are cruelty free and vegan, part of the reformulation that came with its 2021 relaunch.
What's the bigger story behind Fashion Fair Cosmetics?
Fashion Fair Cosmetics inspired an HBO Max documentary on its legacy, and its Ebony Fashion Fair show raised over 55 million dollars for Black communities.

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