45 best female-owned beauty brands to champion this International Women's Day and every day
Of all the beauty, skincare and hair products, how many do you think are produced by female-owned beauty brands or beauty companies led by women?
The beauty industry has an average of just 29% female leadership across boards and executive teams, meaning that we are miles from equal influence over the big decisions made at the top of beauty brands that we shop at every day. It's all the more astonishing given the UK ranks 4th in the world for annual beauty spend, with Brits spending an average of £184.06 each year on products.
As we continue the fight to level up the gender pay gap, gender health gap, and gender pain gap – we want to see better representation in the beauty industry.
So, this International Women's Day, it's time we turn our attention (and hard-earned cash) towards supporting women-owned skin, hair and makeup brands. March 8 is a day that not only celebrates the achievements of women but also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality. And while there are many ways to support this important cause, one of the easiest (and most effective) is by choosing wisely where your spending power goes.
With an endless list of both established and up-and-coming beauty brands with women at their forefront, you can now use your economic clout to support other women – without sacrificing quality.
Our round-up of the best beauty brands to support on International Women's Day and beyond also includes some of the best black female-led brands in this space, from Charlotte Mensah's Manketti Oil haircare range to Topicals' targeted skincare offerings.
Although there still aren't anywhere near enough women-founded or led brands in the beauty space – or women in the board rooms of major brands, it seems – rounding up our favourites is essential to the cause.
Scroll down for the best female-owned beauty brands to shop this International Women's Day and beyond.
“My hope with Rare Beauty is that we have open conversations around beauty and mental health and can change the industry by breaking down unrealistic standards of beauty together," Selena Gomez told GLAMOUR when the brand launched. “That’s why launching Rare Impact alongside the brand was so important to me. We created the Rare Impact Fund to help supply more people with more resources that support their mental health." Not only is 1% of all Rare Beauty sales dedicated to the Rare Impact Fund but you have consistently voted its makeup winners in the Beauty Power List Awards.
Founded in 2014 by Christine Chang and Sarah Lee this K-beauty brand made its name with glow-cajoling skincare formulas and by pairing antioxidant-rich fruits with effective actives.
Founded in 2019 by Amy Liu, Tower 28 caters towards sensitive skin types with its vegan, cruelty-free and nontoxic tinted balms, which are a handbag must-have.
If you've not already tried the beauty and wellbeing products from this organic, UK-based brand, you're missing out. They're good. Really good. Laced with 100% essential oils including lavender and jasmine, the sole aim of this brand is to give you an emotional boost, whether you want to feel seriously soothed or get a much-needed rush of energy.
When Fiona Stewart was prescribed acne medication that resulted in extremely sensitive skin and thinning hair, her dermatologist recommended trying a silk pillowcase. After finding the best quality silk to wrap around her pillow, Fiona saw an almost immediate improvement. The following year, in 2004, she launched Slip - the first silk pillowcase to be branded as a beauty product. And with good reason. According to one study, over 95% of users agreed sleep -induced creases, lines and wrinkles were fewer and less noticeable after using the brand's pillowcase.
Influencer Jessica Hunt and entrepreneur Jenna Meek joined forces in 2020 to create Refy, a beauty brand that packages Instagram's viral glowing skin, glossy lips and fluffy statement brow aesthetic. According to Forbes, the pair have sold more than 2.5 million products to date, including their viral Brow Sculpt.
Vida Glow was a passion project for founder Anna Lahey who had become intrigued by the transformative effects that ingestible beauty had on her strands after experiencing hair loss. Launched in 2014, the products specialise in scientifically formulated marine collagen and have become a firm beauty editor favourite.
A judge for the GLAMOUR Beauty Power List 2023 and a three-time winner of ‘Afro Hairdresser of The Year’ accolade at the British Hairdressing Awards, Charlotte Mensah founded her award-winning Manketti Oil range in 2016. As the name implies, the hero ingredient is an organic, sustainably sourced Manketti oil to nourish strands for a lustrous finish and protect against chemical damage.
In 2014, bloggers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland bonded over a shared love of beauty products and eventually launched Summer Fridays in 2018. The Jet Lag Mask was the inaugural product, designed to breathe fresh life into post-flight skin. It has since been joined by a lip tint that has also gone viral.
Before founding Glossier in 2014, Emily Weiss had launched Into The Gloss, a beauty website with an incredibly engaged beauty community. That same communication with its consumers informs Glossier's products to this day - including Boy Brow and Balm Dotcom, a do-it-all salve in a variety of flavours.
As an award-winning beauty director and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there's little that Joanna Ellner doesn't know about skin, actives and transforming a basic beauty routine into a grounding ritual. She launched Reome in 2023 with a ground-breaking ‘broth’ formula, brimming with bio-fermented ingredients; elevated editorial-style campaign shots and a mission to encourage a more self-connected, 'slow' approach to beauty.
The brainchild of YouTube beauty sensation Whitney White—a.k.a. Naptural— and her sister Taffeta, Melanin Haircare embraces the natural hair movement with products designed to lock in serious moisture and sheen.
Kosas was born in 2015 by Sheena Zadah-Daly whose vision it was to create a lust-worthy makeup brand for skincare obsessives. Cue formulas that combine skin-improving ingredients that suit a wide array of skin tones (the cult Revealer Concealer is available in 28 shades).
Founder Helen Reavey is both a trichologist and an established hairstylist, making her the ideal expert for launching the world's first cold-processed scalp care line that is also user friendly and science backed. The beloved Scalp Detox Oil was developed with only five ingredients to lift away pollutants and create a healthy canvas for hair growth.
Dreamt up by beauty entrepreneur, Nyakio Grieco, Relevant is an ultra-inclusive skincare line that prides itself on being “melanin-seen” but made for everyone. Each product is brimming with superfruits and chemist-formulated actives at results-driven percentages.
When Michelle Ranavat founded her eponymous brand in 2017, her mission was to marry traditional Ayurvedic practices and botanicals with modern chemistry and clinically tested formulations. It worked and her Lotus Cleansing Balm, Flawless Veil Resurfacing Saffron Masque and Imperial Glow Facial Polish are best-sellers.
A portmanteau of its founder Hind Sebti's name and the wind in the dunes, Whind has brought ancestral Moroccan beauty rituals and ingredients to the fore since its launch in 2021. With an emphasis on holistic practices and natural ingredients, it merges modern, science-backed formulas to create a Golden Hour glow.
Founded by Michele Scott-Lynch following her own natural hair journey, Boucleme is a brand loved by black and white women with curly hair. They’re an ethical brand sourcing and manufacturing their products in the UK, and will genuinely give you the best curls of your life.
Rhode arrived in the UK in 2023 and quickly became a wish fulfilment for Hailey Bieber's 51 million loyal followers. The cult Glazing Milk, Peptide Glazing Fluid and Peptide Lip Treatments include an impressive roster of skincare actives – niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid and squalane – and is born of Hailey's hands-on approach to skincare formulation.
Beauty entrepreneur Marcia Kilgore founded Beauty Pie in 2016 in response to the staggering markups by beauty brands. The premise was simple: Beauty Pie would be a luxury beauty buyers club, which would sell its own-brand skincare and makeup at factor cost prices to its members.
Founded in 2020, Topicals is a Black-owned skincare company led by entrepreneur and mental health advocate, Olamide Olowe. After growing up with chronic skin conditions, Olowe made it her mission to ensure effective, science-backed products were more accessible and approachable. Topicals – in all its bright, Instagrammable glory – has just arrived in the UK after a successful launch in the US and we predict great things.
Sarah's product story began in 2008, when the sought-after facialist bottled her 20 years of expertise in stem cell collagen therapy, enzymes, high-performing botanicals, peptides and vitamins into a skincare range based on cosmetic science. Named after her famous Skinesis facial, she's known as London's skin whisperer.
All Sweed products are designed and developed by makeup artist Gabriella Elio, who founded the brand in 2015. Vegan and cruelty-free it's a one-stop-shop for creating a no-makeup makeup look, whether it's with a swipe of nude lipstick or subtly enhanced false lashes. Need another reason to invest in this brand? The brand saves one sea turtle for every sold mascara.
Former beauty writer Loretta De Feo founded Dizziak after noticing there was a gap in the Afro hair market for deep conditioners. Her creation is a cult favourite, working on all hair types (and particularly well on Afro hair) without relying on harsh chemicals. It's enriched with quinoa protein and babassu, coconut and argan oils; the results are worth the hype.
When founder Chichi Eburu struggled to find makeup that suited her deep skin tone, she decided to make her own. Juvia’s Place – with its highly-pigmented eyeshadow palettes, foundations, and lip products – is the fruit of that resourcefulness.
Founded in 2019 by Laney Crowell, Saie makeup is packed with pure, skin-loving ingredients for your-complexion-but-better results. Think glow-beaming highlighters and nourishing lip oils you'll find in every cool girl's makeup bag.
This hormonal skincare brand made its debut on Dragon's Den. Founded by beauty expert Jasmine Wicks-Stephens in 2020, with the input of leading journalists, makeup artists and chemists, this is skincare that you can adapt to your cycle (a cult product is the Period Face Mask for use during your period) or skin that is out of whack due to lack of sleep or stress.
2024's major beauty moment came courtesy of Beyoncé who, together with Tina Knowles, launched Cécred, an inclusive hair care line grounded in science and delectable scents. The Reconstructing Treatment Mask is powered by a keratin ferment to reduce breakage and a cuticle-sealing oil blend to fill in any microscopic tears in the strand. Adding to the appeal is the sensual burst of oud, sandalwood, musk and jasmine with every swish.
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Daisy Kalnina's passion for nails started when she managed her mother's salon aged 15. In 2015 she founded The GelBottle, a professional range of gel polishes, and has gone on to paint the nails of celebrities including the Kardashians, Katy Perry and J-Lo.
Flora & Curl is an all-natural, pure and cruelty free haircare brand founded by Rose Ovensehi for anyone with curly locks. They describe their products as being plant-powered food for your curls, combining nature's most hydrating botanical ingredients such as Aloe, Honey, Rose water, Pro Vitamin B, Lavender, Calendula, Jasmine and Siberian Ginseng to create high quality recipes for textured hair.
Hero product: Flora & Curl Rose Water & Honey Leave-in Detangler
“It got to the point people would ask me for recommendations and I just thought, why don’t I just mash up all my favourite ingredients, best packaging styles etc. and make one of my own?” Maya Jama told GLAMOUR when her beauty brand, MIJ Masks launched.
“From all the market research I'd been doing throughout the years, plus the expertise of the team working with me on the brand, we created what I think is the ultimate face mask and eye patches at a very user friendly price, all in under two years.”
Hero product: HYDROGEL EYE PATCH 003 - SOOTHING AND BALANCING
Flo's products are natural, plant-based (they're made using materials like organic cotton and bamboo!) and biodegradable. And not only are they kind to the planet, but they're kind to others! Five per cent of their profits go to charities like Orchid Project and Red Box Project, who respectively work to end female genital mutilation and period poverty throughout the UK.
Hero product: FLO Eco-Applicator Tampon Pack
In 2018, actress Tracee Ellis Ross founded Pattern Beauty, a line specifically tailored to lavish kinky, curly, coily and textured hair with nourishing ingredients such as coconut, sweet almond, tea tree, avocado and honey. The Leave-In Conditioner is our favourite for detangling and a light hold.
Best woman-owned organic bodycare brand
An authority on health and nutrition, Karen Cummings-Parker founded Lux 79 as she struggled to find the best body treatments for herself, after previously suffering from childhood eczema. Formulated using organic, wild ingredients the brand's body products nurture, protect and nourish the skin – and are all housed in seriously chic, minimal packaging.
Hero product: Ultra Nourishing Body Balm
It’s hard to remember a time when this edgeless sponge wasn't a firm fixture in our daily makeup routine. Thanks to founder Rea Ann Silva, blending our foundation has never been so easy or delivered such air-brushed results.
Founder Emily Hamilton has built Coco & Eve around mostly raw virgin coconuts from Bali, making it an instant hit on social media.
Rodial, a luxury London beauty brand, was founded by former Beauty Editor, Maria Hatzistefanis, in 1999. Every Rodial product has been formulated using high-performance, innovative ingredients that might sound a little scary at first. Think: a Dragon’s Blood collection and the brand's bestselling Snake range, which contains a muscle freezing peptide that mimics the effects of a snake’s venom.
An industry veteran, Jenny Frankel developed some of M.A.C Cosmetics‘ most beloved products before starting Cover FX in 2000, and now Nudetstix. Nudestix is a streamlined makeup collection with products like their hard working cream concealer and Nudies blusher perfect for your makeup bag as they can be applied in all places, on the go.
As a wellness devotee, Miranda Kerr created Kora Organics in 2009 as she wasn’t able to find a natural and organic beauty brand that delivered the skincare results she wanted. Since launching in Australia, Kora Organics has attracted international acclaim and is now available in over 25 countries worldwide - and, finally, the UK via Space NK. Hallelujah.
The Noni Glow Face Balm is the star of the show. The addictive bouncy texture of this cream is only matched by the glow-boosting antioxidants and essential fatty acids in the brand’s signature noni fruit extract.
Founded by Janell Stephens, Camille Rose was first started from a small kitchen back in 2011, and uses only pure, natural and organic ingredients to meet its audience's hair and body needs. Janell believes everything you put on your body should be good enough to put in your body, and every product is vegan as a result.
A job in publishing exposed Danessa Myricks to the world of makeup and a creative passion that led her to launch her own eponymous brand. Combining artistry with high-performance pigments, her brand is renowned for its multi-functional palettes and virtually invisible textures.
Epara is a luxury skincare brand founded by Nigerian Ozohu Adoh, that harnesses nature to create beauty products for women of colour. Each product, like the Brightening Night Balm, has been handcrafted using organic African ingredients and botanical actives to rejuvenate face and body.
Started and run by Liha Okunniwa and Abi Oyepitan, Liha creates natural beauty products inspired by the friends' African roots. All of their products are handmade in small batches from vegan and ethically sourced ingredients, making this Black female-led beauty brand also sustainable. With products enriched with ingredients like plantain, cocoa pods and palm tree leaves, they’ll leave your skin healthy and glowing.
Hero product: Beauty Idan Oil
