10+ Female-Owned Beauty Brands You Need To Know About!

#2) Colleen Rothschild

If you’ve been following for a while, you probably already know how much I love Colleen Rothschild products! I think I’ve tried every single product she’s put out and I’m never disappointed. Colleen is also just an incredible woman and truly inspirational! Some of my must-haves are the cleansing balm, face oil, and mandelic acid serum.

If you’re going to try one thing, go with the Discovery Collection so you can try SIX of her products!

 

#3) Merit

Katherine Power founded Merit Beauty in January of 2021 and the brand already has a cult following. Katherine Power might sound familiar because she also founded the natural skincare brand Versed, co-founded a clean wine startup called Avaline with Cameron Diaz, and co-founded Who What Wear with Hillary Kerr 15 years ago. All of this to say that Katherine Power is…a Powerhouse! The way she can build a brand is equally as impressive as the beauty products she’s created at Merit. All of the products are focused on minimalist beauty, they’re clean, and their packaging is recyclable, biodegradable, and reusable.

If you’re going to try one product, go with Denise’s favorite, the Shade Stick Tinted Lip Oil (in Taupe).

 

 #4) Ilia

Ilia, founded by Sasha Plavsic, was started over 10 years ago but has really ridden the clean beauty wave. It’s become increasingly popular over the past few years. The clean makeup brand combines makeup and skincare for skin-centric, multifunctional products. Their hero product, the Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation, has amazing skincare ingredients that improve your skin like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and niacinamide. AND it has SPF! They also have amazing multifunctional products like their Multi-Stick for cheeks and lips.

If you’re going to try one thing, definitely go with the skin tint foundation! It’s lightweight, has light coverage, and feels more like skincare…perfect for the summer “no makeup” makeup days!

 

 #5) Kosas

Another clean beauty brand focused on skincare is Kosas, founded by Sheena Yaitanes in 2015. They’re self-proclaimed “makeup for skincare freaks” that focuses on makeup that actually improves your skin! Some of their most popular products include the concealer, brow products, setting powder, and mascara.

If you’re going to try one thing, go with the Brow Team Set or the Clean Start Set so you can try multiple products at once!

 

 #6) Glossier

Glossier, founded by CEO Emily Weiss, is another brand that seems to just keep growing in popularity. The brand has a large, loyal community and has had many hero products since its launch in 2014. Some popular favorites are the Milky Jelly Cleanser, Boy Brow, and Balm Dotcom.

If you’re going to try one thing, grab the Essentials Edit set so you can try 5 of their most popular products!

 

 #7) Chantecaille

Chantecaille is a luxury clean beauty favorite of Denise’s. Founded by Sylvie Chantecaille, the brand is known for its makeup and skincare made with botanicals, flowers, essential oils, and vitamins!

If you’re going to try one thing, go for the gel foundation or the tinted moisturizer (with SPF!) depending on your coverage preferences.

 

 #8) Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath is one of the biggest makeup artists in the world, not to mention a self-made billionaire! Yes, that’s billion, with a B! Their eyeshadow palettes are GORGEOUS. And I’ve heard great things about the lipsticks & glosses, concealer, and foundation. They also have a Bridgerton themed line…so fun! The products are not “clean” but I couldn’t resist sharing a female-owned beauty brand…that’s owned by a billionaire!

If I was going to buy one thing, I’d splurge on one of the eyeshadow palettes!

 

 #9) Fenty Beauty

Rihanna saw a gap in the market for a wider range of foundation shades and she filled it. Her launch of Fenty Beauty in 2017 changed the way beauty brands look at makeup and many have started moving toward offering shades for more skin tones. The brand is known for the foundation (a great product to try first!), but the highlighter is also really good! And…they have refillable products, which cuts down on packaging!

If you’re going to try one product and already have a great foundation, try the highlighter!

 

 #10) Briogeo

If you’re looking for a new haircare line to try, this is it! Briogeo was started by Nancy Twine in her kitchen and now has a cult following! Our Digital Strategy Manager, Kaitlyn loves the deep conditioning mask, scalp detox scrub, and farewell frizz leave-in conditioner.

If you’re going to try one product, go with the Scalp Revival scrub!

 

More Female Owned Beauty Favorites

I could keep going and going and going with this list. There are SO many female-owned beauty brands out there that are incredible. But these are some of the brands Team Busbee uses and loves.

One Love – I love the Botanical B Enzyme Cleansing Oil for my dry skin
Drunk Elephant – try the T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial mask…it’s pricey but really works!
Glow Recipe – Joy says the Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum is great!
Naturium – Susan loves the Vitamin C Complex Serum
Saie – They have a really good tinted moisturizer for summer!
Ouai – Haircare by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin…so you know it’s good!
Elemis – Susan recommends the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream with SPF 30 and the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm!
True Botanicals – Alissa, our Social Media Manager, loves the True Radiance Body Oil and the Moisture Lock Overnight Mask

If you have any female-owned beauty brands you love, please share in the comments below!

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