Want to hear something annoying? In an industry dominated by female purchasing power, it’s nearly impossible to find brands where women wear the pants. Even brands with women figureheads tend to fall under a wider umbrella of companies, owned by, you guessed it, a bloke. And while I try not to let who owns what deter me from finding the best, most innovative and coolest products to try, sometimes it’s nice to try to help a sister out. If you’re looking for something along those lines, I’ve tracked down some of my favourite women-owned beauty brands.
Women-owned Beauty: Juice Beauty
Owner: Karen Behnke
Juice Beauty is a more natural line based around, as the name suggests, fruit and vegetable extracts. They have a few standout skincare products. I love their Blemish Clearing Cleanser for super oily days and their Green Apple Peel for a super effective exfoliating mask. Their super dewy Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream is also well worth checking out.
Women-owned Beauty: Nudestix
Owners: Ally and Taylor Frankel
Founded by a mum and two sisters, the origin story is almost as cute as the products themselves. Nudestix creates products primarily in the form of, well, sticks, making them very quick and essentially foolproof to apply. Standouts for me are the All Over Face Color in Illuminaughty (a stunning glossy highlight), Naughty ‘n’ Spice, a suits-all dusty rose blush, and Bondi Bae, one of the best bronzers for fairer skins.
Women-owned Beauty: RMS Beauty
Owners: Rose-Marie Smith
RMS is the brainchild of Rose Marie Swift, a makeup artist who got fed up with all the potentially harmful chemicals she was smearing on her face. All the RMS products are food-grade, meaning they’re good enough to eat, although far prettier when used as makeup. Their un Cover-Up is a truly excellent, lightweight, natural-looking concealer, while their Living Luminizer is perhaps the original and certainly one of the best dew-effect highlighters.
Women-owned Beauty: Glossier
Owner: Emily Weiss
Hey, guys, have you heard of Glossier? The phenomenally successful millennial-focused brands just hit a valuation of over $1 billion, and there are good reasons as to why. Their marketing is second to none, and the products stand up, too. Their Brow and Generation G in Fuzz are workhorses in my makeup bag.
Women-owned Beauty: SW Basics
Owner: Adina Grigore
If you’re into more natural skincare, but don’t want to totally blow your budget, SW Basics absolutely has your back. The products have minimal ingredients but deliver maximum efficacy. My favourites from the line are their Toner (a wonderfully simple, gentle formula), their Oil Serum, and their Hydrosols, which make sure truly special dewy finishing sprays.
Women-owned Beauty: Make Beauty
Owner: Carrie Barber
I strongly feel that Make Beauty does not get enough attention. Their products are always fun and innovative but also super high quality. One super-smart item is their Matte and Dew, which features a blurring, mattifying gel. You can apply the gel over makeup, plus a stunning face gloss. I’m also a big fan of their Face Gloss and Dew Pot for maximum sheen.
