International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8, and what better way to celebrate than highlighting some women-owned and founded beauty brands getting plenty of buzz lately? While supporting female-led brands should always be a priority, March 8 is a perfect excuse to spotlight them even more.
According to the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, women own more than 13 million businesses and represent 45 percent of all entrepreneurs in the U.S. While that’s a lot of companies to support, we’ve narrowed it down to a small selection of some of our favorite women-led beauty brands to shop from. The list includes household-name, female-founded brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Huda Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs, more niche options like Danessa Myricks Beauty, Cocokind and Beautyblender, and several quickly growing brands everyone seems to be talking about.
Whether you’re looking for new skin care, hair, makeup or nail products, consider shopping these brands and supporting female entrepreneurs at the same time. Ahead, 12 women-led beauty brands to know (and love).
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Often referred to as the “Eyebrow Queen,” founder Anastasia Soare created the Golden Ratio Eyebrow Shaping Method and built it into a worldwide brow empire. The Romanian-born entrepreneur is a beauty pioneer whose line of makeup products includes cult-favorites like the Brow Wiz Brow Pencil ($26), Brow Freeze Gel ($26) and more.
Anfisa Skin
Anfisa Skin founder Aly Korchemniy comes from the medical aesthetics space, so the brand’s products focus on delivering high-performance results while still looking chic. Bestsellers include the An-Gloss Ceramide Lip Tint ($45), a ceramide- and peptide-packed nourishing lip balm with a cooling metal applicator, and the An-Dew 10% Azelaic Acid and PHA Serum ($125), designed to help brighten, clarify and gently exfoliate.
Banu Skin
Founder Roz Samimi’s own experience with acne-prone skin helped inspire the creation of Banu Skin. The acne-safe skin-care line focuses on both prevention and treatment, packaged in warm, welcoming designs that make blemish care feel less clinical. The brand’s hero product, Sulfur Spot Treatment ($30), contains 10 percent sulfur to help draw out blemishes without the typical sulfur scent.
The Beachwaver Co.
As a women- and family-owned business that’s also self-funded, The Beachwaver Co. has been an innovative hair-care company since 2010. The brand transformed the hot-tool category with its Rotating Curling Iron ($99), a self-rotating curler that makes it easy for even beginners to style their hair. Cofounded by CEO and celebrity stylist Sarah Potempa, the brand has since expanded into several additional tools and hair products.
Curie
Aluminum-free deodorants have been the talk of the town the last several years, and founder Sarah Moret leaned into that quickly. With a background in venture capital and investing in early-stage startups, Moret was inspired to create a clean, aluminum-free deodorant: the Deodorant Stick ($14). If you’ve seen Curie on TV before, it may be because Moret also landed a deal on Shark Tank with Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban.
JINsoon
Well-known in the nail editorial space, Jin Soon Choi—celebrity nail artist and founder of her eponymous JINsoon line of nail salons, polishes and nail-care products—is a mainstay at New York Fashion Week shows. You can bring the brand home with its Nail Polish ($18) and Cuticle Oil ($35).
Milk + Honey Spa
Beauty includes a trip to the spa, too. This spa and body-care brand founded by Alyssa Bayer offers a full range of wellness services across multiple states, including bath and body products, massages, facials, manicures and more.
OneSkin
OneSkin sets itself apart by its commitment to extensive scientific research. Cofounded by Brazilian female PhD scientists Carolina Reis Oliveira (CEO) and Alessandra Zonari (Chief Scientific Officer) studied peptides for years to eventually create the brand’s proprietary OS-01 peptide, which has been clinically shown to decrease the number of senescent (aging) cells and improve skin firmness, elasticity, radiance and more. The peptide is available in multiple products, including the OS-01 Face Moisturizer ($120).
S’Able Labs
Sabrina Elba sits at the helm of S’Able Labs, a genderless, melanin-inclusive skin-care line formulated with ethically sourced African botanicals. The brand’s Okra Face Serum ($75) is a fan favorite and contains retinol and peptides derived from the nutrient-rich vegetable to help stimulate collagen and decrease hyperpigmentation.
Sweed Beauty
Scandinavian beauty brands have been in focus lately, and one of the new power players is Sweed Beauty. Founded by makeup artist Gabriella Elio, the brand’s product line includes both makeup and skin care, including the bestselling Eyelash Growth Serum ($65).
Tower 28
This sensitive-skin-friendly brand founded by Amy Liu has a cult following thanks to its skin-care and makeup formulas. Many products have become customer favorites, including the SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($28), MakeWaves Mascara ($20) and Beach Please Cream Blush ($20).
Westman Atelier
Renowned makeup artist Gucci Westman’s namesake brand has been popular on TikTok lately, but the company has lasting power. Westman is known for creating dewy, “second-skin” makeup looks on celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow using the Baby Cheeks Blush Stick ($48) and the Vital Skincare Complexion Drops ($68).