17 Female-Owned Beauty Brands to Support
When Kylie Jenner was named Forbes's "youngest self-made billionaire" last week, it sparked a conversation about what, exactly, it means to be self-made.
The dictionary defines the phrase as "having become successful or rich by one's own efforts," but some people on the Internet feel that this characterization should include a clause about not being born into wealth — or, in Kylie's case, the most famous family in America. As one Teen Vogue writer put it, "If ending up a billionaire is a home run, Kylie was born on third base."
Regardless of whether or not you agree with Kylie's latest accolade, it's worth noting that she's fortunately, not alone when it comes to other self-made women who too, are running successful beauty brands. Beyond climbing the ladder on their own to become successful entrepreneurs, and watching their brands grow from dreams into full-blown realities, these women are using their platforms to bring some type of good into the world. Whether it's introducing their customers to safe, ethically sourced ingredients, creating products and shade ranges that are truly inclusive, or giving back to various communities, we've rounded up 17 beauty brands founded by self-made women that are worth your dollar.
Courtesy of brand1/17Beauty Bakerie
Beauty Bakerie's founder, Cashmere Nicole, was inspired to start the cruelty-free line after a battle with breast cancer. A single mom and nurse, Nicole founded the brand with the same motto that had come to define her own life: "Be Better, not Bitter.” The line's products are both adorable (See: The Cake Mix Foundation, above) and inclusive, offering 30 shades and then some.
Courtesy of brand2/17Côte
Côte's founders, Mary Lennon and Leah Yari, set out to create a nail polish brand that was totally non-toxic, and have since been committed to a mission of cleaner, safer beauty for her customers both in and outside of the salon. Their entire product line is vegan and cruelty free, and come in every single shade of the rainbow.
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3/17Fenty Beauty
Years after establishing a bonafide career in the music industry, singer Rihanna skyrocketed to makeup moguldum with the 2017 launch of Fenty Beauty. Her range of soft matte Pro Filt'r foundations were quickly celebrated as one of the most inclusive on the market, and her penchant for 24k gold highlighter has made Trophy Wife a modern-day HG product.
Courtesy of brand4/17Abhati Suisse
The mission behind Abhati Suisse — an organic skin, hair, and body care brand out of Switzerland — is a tall, but achievable, order: To protect the planet and empower women. Founder Anju Rupal couldn't imagine starting a company that took more resources away from the world than what it was putting back into it. She began as a social worker, and when she realized she wanted to break into the beauty industry she funded the project on Indiegogo. The rest, as they say, is beauty history.
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Courtesy of brand5/17Skylar
Skylar founder Cat Chen was frustrated at how difficult it was to find fragrances that didn't contain allergens and chemicals, but still smelled good, so she decided to create them herself. She developed a line of safely scented perfumes and candles made with all-natural ingredients, and Skylar was born. The packaging is also eco-friendly, and a portion of every purchase goes to Step Up, a mentorship program for underprivileged high school girls, so you can feel really, really good every time you give yourself a spritz of the stuff.
Courtesy of brand6/17The Lip Bar
If you're a Shark Tank fan, you know just how far The Lip Bar has come since founder Melissa Butler pitched the product on the show in 2015 (you may remember the food truck-inspired lipstick van she used to deliver her lippies to customers). Now, the brand boasts a full range of lip products in a spectrum of shades, each of which is vegan and gluten- and paraben-free. Plus, their site is packed with diverse imagery, which is a brand mission we can always get behind.
Courtesy of brand7/17Hi Wildflower
Tanwi Nandini Islam began her career as a writer, and decided to turn her written work into literal "scent stories" inspired by Brooklyn and Bangladesh. Then, in 2017, she expanded her line to include makeup that was specifically made for women of color. "There's a lot of high pigment color inspired by skin tones that are often not represented in any sort of campaign," she told Elle of her decision to launch nine matte lipstick shades and 12 nail lacquers in her first round of cosmetics.
8/17Pat McGrath Labs
The British makeup artist made a name for herself as an industry one-to-watch after collaborating with fashion editor Edward Enninful in the early '90s, and from there, became one of the most sought-after talents thanks to her conceptual approach to makeup artistry. In 2015, she launched her first product for Pat McGrath Labs, and revealed to New York magazine that she had self-funded the business for nearly a year. Today, she's bringing her editorial approach to beauty to the masses, with each of her buzzy new launches more hotly anticipated than the one before.
Courtesy of brand9/17Pai
Sarah Brown was inspired to start Pai Skincare after harsh ingredients in her usual routine began to irritate her skin. She wanted to create something that was simple, effective, and organic, and has since provided customers with full line of products that are equal parts good for their skin and easy to use.
Courtesy of brand10/17Danessa Myricks Beauty
Long before 40 shade ranges were dominating headlines, Danessa Myricks set out on a mission to "touch all faces equally" — from fair to deep complexions and everything in between. She began her career as a professional makeup artist, then worked consulting with major beauty brands to help alleviate some of the challenges that women of color face when it comes to finding their shade. Now, her namesake line offers products for every skin tone, no mixing and matching required.
Courtesy of brand11/17Senteurs d'Orient
Senteurs d'Orient is not just a female founded and female run brand — it's a family business. The soap company was founded by Hana Debs Akkari, who set out to fuse some of the traditions of her ancestors of the Far and Middle East and bring them into Western bathrooms. Now, it's run by her daughter, Sarah, and exclusively employs a female workforce. In addition to empowering women internally, the sales of Senteurs d'Orient products also supports women's education in partnership with the UN.
Courtesy of brand12/17Mented Cosmetics
Mented Cosmetics' products have made countless "beauty favorites" lists all over the Internet touting them as the best foundation/nude lipstick/red lipgloss for women of color, so it's no wonder the brand was able to raise a jaw-dropping $3 Million in funding last year (considering the immense challenges women of color face when it comes to raising capital, this is particularly impressive FYI). Founders KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson started the brand with the idea that no woman should be an afterthought in the beauty industry, and with Mented, they're doing their part to ensure that that's the case.
Courtesy of brand13/17Bahi Cosmetics
Bahi beauty was started by 21-year-old Danielle Bahi, who's originally from the Cote d'Azur, who set out to create skincare and cosmetics for women of every color. She started the brand in her bedroom, first making glitter and pigment products, and now has a full line of makeup and skincare that she says "has no target market," because it's truly meant for everyone.
14/17Juvia's Place
With ultra-pigmented eyeshadow palettes clocking in at an under-$25 price point, it's easy to see why Juvia's Place has amassed one of the most loyal followings in beauty. However, anyone who's familiar with Juvia's Place knows that founder Chichi Eburu's dream for her business was to create a brand that truly celebrated — and took inspiration from — African culture.
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15/17Huda Beauty
The Dubai-born beauty blogger-turned-entrepreneur won fans over with her range of liquid lipsticks, which quickly became a Sephora bestseller. Many coveted eyeshadow palettes and foundation drops later, Huda Beauty has evolved into a bonafide global brand, and reaches 26.1 million followers on Instagram alone.
Courtesy of brand16/17Stowaway Cosmetics
We all know how annoying it is to lug around full-sized palettes all day long, which is why Stowaway Cosmetics' entire philosophy is to give you smaller-sized products that won't overwhelm you or weigh you down. Founder Julie Fredrickson wants to help the brand's customers build up their own beauty arsenals, and make their lives all around easier in the process. Plus, smaller-sized products means less to be wasted if you don't finish it up by the expiration date, and that's a win/win for all.
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17/17Ouidad
Ouidad, who grew up in Lebanon, was inspired to launch her eponymous hair care range after discovering a talent for styling curly hair types as a young woman.“My husband was in restaurants, and we were both ambitious. We wanted to open a business, so we flipped a coin: heads would be a salon, tails would be a restaurant. It was heads, and we opened Ouidad on April 23, 1983," co-founder Ouidad told Allure. "We were the first salon in the country catering only to curly hair." The rest, as they say, is history.
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