Our Favorite Women-Owned Indie Makeup Brands

March 03, 2023
Jazmine A. Ortiz
By: Jazmine A. Ortiz | Makeup.com by L'Oréal
Collage of Tower 28 BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm, Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil and Alleyoop Pen Pail 4-in-1 Touchup Pen on a purple background.
At Makeup.com, we celebrate incredible women year-round, but since March is Women’s History Month, it’s the perfect time to give some love to some of our favorite beauty game-changers. Women make history every day, but these women-founded makeup brands are making waves in the beauty industry worthy of some extra praise. Below, find nine indie brands created by women who have launched revolutionary products that we’re obsessed with.

Glisten Cosmetics

E-girls single-handedly put this U.K. brand founded by Natalie Chapple on the map. If you’re looking to create bold, colorful graphic liner looks, we suggest you stock up on this brand’s wet liners that come in dozens of shades. We like the Glisten Cosmetics Wet Liner Pastel Bundle for spring.

Tower 28

Tower 28 Beauty's founder, Amy Liu, set out to create a makeup brand specifically for sensitive skin — and she did just that. It's currently the only makeup brand that’s approved by the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines, plus it’s 100% clean and vegan. Tower 28’s formulas aren’t only gentle — they’ve gained critical acclaim thanks to products like the Tower 28 BeachPlease Tinted Lip + Cheek Balm that have landed them a place on Sephora shelves and in trending TikTok videos.

Alleyoop

Leila Kashani created Alleyoop to make women's beauty routines more efficient. Consider the Alleyoop Pen Pal 4-in-1 Touchup Pen: It holds an eyeliner, lip liner, highlighter and brow pencil, not to mention its design gives us all the elementary school nostalgia.

Juvia's Place

Juvia’s Place is known for its pigmented eyeshadow palettes adorned with images of beautiful African queens, true to founder Chichi Eburu’s vision to create a line that celebrates the beauty of African culture. The Juvia’s Place The Nubian 2 Eyeshadow Palette is a bestseller and definitely worth a try if you want to check out the brand. Since there’s currently a waitlist for the palette, check out the super fun Candy Shop Palette in the meantime. 

Cheekbone Beauty

Cheekbone is Indigenous-owned and founded in Canada. Jennifer Harper created the brand on the backbone of high-quality, cruelty-free beauty products that create a space for Indigenous youth to feel represented. Its Cheekbone Sustain Lipstick is a winner in our book.

Freck Beauty

Remi Brixton launched Freck Beauty in 2017 with the first freckle cosmetic, and faux freckles have never been the same — mostly because the Freck Beauty Freck OG makes them look so natural. Freck Beauty has since expanded its makeup offerings and each product continues to live up to the hype.

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT

If you spend any time on Instagram or TikTok, you have probably already heard of iNNBEAUTY PROJECT. Alisa Metzger and Jen Shane founded the brand to provide clean, high-quality skincare products at a more reasonable price point, but iNNBEAUTY PROJECT has since gone viral for its super shiny Glaze Lip Oils. 

NUDA

Founded by Mahay Tremblay and Genevieve Beaulieu, NUDA is a Canadian-based brand that specializes in luxe sunless tanning products, including tanning mousse, serums, and face tan water. If you haven’t hopped on the sunless tan bandwagon, now is your chance to get a gorgeous, spring-break-ready glow without exposing yourself to dangerous UV rays.

Ami Colé

Inspired by her Senegalese background and childhood in Harlem, New York, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye founded Ami Colé to offer basic, nourishing beauty products for melanin-rich skin. Check out the brand’s range of skin tints, concealers and more — made with the best, skincare-loving ingredients. Not sure what to try? We’re especially obsessed with the Lip Treatment Oil.

Additional Reporting: Jordan Julian, Design: Juliana Campisi

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