Top 30+ Woman-Powered Clean Beauty Brands to Watch for in 2023
Some of the top visionaries and leaders behind the best clean beauty industryIt isn't Women's History Month. It isn't International Women's Day. Here, we believe in showing support to our fellow women by highlighting some incredible women-powered clean beauty brands any day and or every day.
Here is a round up of 30+ woman-powered clean beauty brands, all of which you can explore and support below. Learn about why they started their brand or what impacted or influenced their success or what makes their brand unique, By supporing these women-owned businesses, you're investing in gender parity, overal economic growth and women economic empowerment. And by supporting clean beauty businesses, you're not only investing in your health but you're also reducing your environmental impact and creating a healthier world for our friends and family. Lastly, these aren't just any clean beauty brands -- these are brands that participated in the 2022 Clean Beauty Awards -- this means, they stand behind the performance of their products. Win-win-win!
Here is the list of women-owned clean beauty companies to support this year:
Amazonian SkinFood, was founded by Rose Correa, a native Brazilian, and her husband Shane Lindner when they met in San Francisco, CA. From a young age, Rose had first-hand experience of the power of natural medicine in healing all sorts of ailments. In 2020, it occurred to them that they could co-create natural skincare products using ingredients from the Amazon Rainforest and follow a regenerative business model that would bring abundance back to the forest and its people.
Dr. Julia Bao Ph.D. is the Founder and Owner of the Canadian skincare brand BAO Laboratory. A female chemist turned entrepreneur; Julia is a disruptor in the beauty industry creating naturally sourced, scientifically formulated skin care products that can be personalized for all skin types. Dr. Bao is based in Toronto, Canada, where BAO Laboratory is headquartered. She is a proud Chinese-Canadian, female founder, entrepreneur, woman in STEM, and mother to her son.
KPS Essentials stands on two core pillars: reshape the organic skin care industry, and give abundantly to causes close to the founders’ hearts. With those pillars in mind, founders Natalie & Ron leaned on their backgrounds in Aeronautical Engineering + collaborations in biology (Ron) and Aesthetics + Master Gardening (Natalie) to begin solving the puzzle of effective organic skincare. Through research, creativity, and hard work, they were able to create performance-based, clinically validated, organic skincare.
Gentleman Farmer was developed and launched by Maude Burns. After a decade of working for some of the world's most prestigious beauty brands in New York City, she moved Upstate with her husband with the intention of switching gears to work in hospitality or agriculture. But she saw an opportunity to create a line of men's products that spoke to guys like her husband: clean, natural products that still felt elevated and sophisticated. Still, the brand is inspired by her love of agriculture and admiration of farmers; she works closely with her labs to ensure the ingredients used are grown with responsible methods by farmers who are treated fairly.
With the intent of enhancing Latina representation in the skin care industry, founder Jelitsa has developed and dedicated Uviña Skin to the women in her family. The inspiration for Uviña Skin is truly multi-generational. Originally inspired by Jelitsa's daughter Scarlett, the brand is built from the stories and personalities of Jelitsa's mother, grandmother, and great-aunts. Uviña was her mother’s name and each product is named after other women in her family. These were women who were fiercely independent, loved immensely, and believed beauty should be simple, clean, and effortless. Uviña Skin honors them and all people like them. Those who wear confidence as their favorite accessory and always seem to own the room.
The person behind the brand at Hereward Farms is Julie Thurgood-Burnett, President and CEO. Hereward Farms was a dream started on a whim just under two years ago and now they boast over 6,000 lavender plants and a full line of all-natural skincare and home products that they sell across North America.
Lovesong Beauty was created with the goal to make the kind of innovative, luxurious, natural beauty products you covet — with the kind of results you deserve. But the Lovesong story starts even before you open your first product. It began with founder Emily's career in the natural products industry, where she spent the last fifteen years as a sales executive for natural and organic food brands. With a personal passion and curiosity for luxurious beauty products, Emily kept up with offerings in the natural beauty space and was surprised that beauty brands were not following suit by amplifying offerings and taking significant share of the overall beauty space. This gap in the marketplace planted the seed of inspiration to build a brand of her own that was inspired by nature, but it also showed her that there were a lot of questions to answer. Like what kind of brand was missing from the world and how we could rethink the way we celebrate natural beauty.
MG Naturals is run by Women for Women. They have specifically created work opportunities for Mum's, that honour & respect their most important role in life - that of being mothers. Their office hours coincide with school hours & days off for sports carnivals & school concerts are a must. Kailah started MG Naturals to support her three daughters while being a stay-at-home mother & is passionate about providing women with work where they can still kiss their kids goodbye at the school gate each day. "Finding work that honours the very important role of being a Mum can be difficult so it's important that female owned businesses change the "work like you don't have kids culture" & create a work environment that honours & serves Mum's said Kailah.
The brand is heavily influenced by the Italian Roots of three women —Rina, her Mother, and her Grandmother. The cosmetic market didn’t seem to have much diversity when it came to skin care in the late eighties and certainly did not cater to people with sensitivities or concerns regarding harmful cosmetic ingredients. It was here that she looked to study and embarked on the journey of becoming a “Cosmetic Alchemist.” Made with 100% active ingredients and creating products with Italian traditional methods, combined with the latest technologies. The value she wants is for customers to achieve a wholesome and nourishing product that helps women (and all genders) feel instantly soothed, beautiful and glamorous.
Mother-Daughter Team, Rebecca and Amanda, founded My Alchemy Skin Care while Rebecca was in Cancer Treatment. Out of something terrible came something beautiful and the desire to share clean beauty with others. Rebecca and Amanda, use their backgrounds as experienced educators, and dedicated teachers to help you understand the science and trends toward natural beauty solutions to enhance the quality of life. The My Alchemy Skin Care team starts their business day with a prayer, mantras, and gratitude list, enabling them to frame the day in a positive headspace. Bringing two different generations together this duo leads their team with core values of transparency, education, and sustainability with health and wellness at the forefront. With their strong emphasis on personal wellness and self-care, they hope to inspire others toward whole-body wellness.
Nuez Acres is a skin, hair and body brand that harnesses the power of pecans. They offer products that work using natural ingredients free of chemicals or parabens. Pecan Oil is their main ingredient in all of their Serums, Health Tinctures and Scrubs. They have formulated their products around the power of Pecans and its benefits for Skin, Hair & Body to offer some of the best skin care products.
Born and raised in a rural, coastal forest in Alaska, Julie Williams has always had a special relationship with Mother Nature. Her extraordinary surroundings and innate curiosity was beautifully combined with a childhood focused on the outdoors. She learned everything she could about the botanical world that embraced her. Fast forward to post-graduate adulthood, studying under notable master herbalists in the Andes, formally studying botanical medicine in Colorado, and integrating Buddhist medicine-making processes into the production of skincare, Leaf People came into existence. Leaf People products marry botanical science with western medical herbalism, integrating the culmination of Julie’s global training in herbalism, to create plant-based products for modern life that provide the skin with exactly what it needs, naturally.
The main person behind all of Pure Creation’s formulations is their skin care expertise, Maria. She has over 40 years experience as a professional aesthetician, originally trained in Europe and her passion and dedication to the natural skin care niche is seen through her immense knowledge from wild foraging, to plants, formulations and what skin needs at all stages of life. Maria has many years of education behind her and she has been in the field of beauty working with many different skin types and needs and has seen it all!
Sustainability is at the centre of everything Sienna Byron Bay does. They are serious about bringing you the most sustainable nail polish – and their new exclusive plant-based formula keeps it sweet for the planet, your health and your mani. This is a new level of purity in nail polish. Innovating means continually striving for a higher performance and for Sienna, that means the cleanest formula, the best green science, the most sustainable production, renewable plant-based ingredients (we’re talking about raw ingredients including sugar cane, cassava, cotton and corn), and complete traceability at every stage of development and production. Building on their pioneering vegan, cruelty free, non-toxic, Benzo-free, breathable formula, they are now the world’s first micro-plastic free, aluminium free and nano-particle free nail polish. With 40+ organic colours and an array of conscious nail care products, you will always find something to brighten your day.
Upfront Cosmetics is a clean beauty start-up dedicated to bringing transparency and eco-friendly alternatives to the haircare space. Not only is Upfront a certified women owned business, but it's also powered by a group of amazing local women and mothers and is proud to be a living wage employer. Upfront's founder Alicia, as a new mother set out to find a safer alternative to shampoo for her son. During her search, she was left with little to no options for a shampoo that was free from harsh ingredients, as well as plastic free. It was then that she took matters into her own hands and in July of 2019, Upfront Cosmetics was born.
This Okanagan family farm, takes pride in the slow and thoughtful process of transforming herbs into exceptional botanical ingredients. A belief in the incredible power of plants and the value of doing things by hand: growing, harvesting, drying and distilling over 20 aromatic herbs to create award-winning products.Capturing the power of plants and honouring the value of doing things by hand in small batches. From the harvest and distillation of aromatic herbs to the crafting and packaging of botanical products, it is a commitment to quality that always comes first.Products made with exceptional ingredients grown on the farm or curated from local producers and ethical suppliers. No shortcuts, preservatives, artificial fragrances or fillers – just pure, natural plant-based goodness for the body, earth and soul.
The Franchine Young Ireland (FYI) journey began in response to severe menopausal symptoms that included hormonal rosacea on the lower face so bad, makeup wouldn’t cover it. Unhappy with chemical laden off-the-shelf products forced Franchine into researching and developing her own ethical skincare brand; supported by her training as a reflexologist, expertise, knowledge and love of essential oils and plants and their application in holistic therapy. This took her on a journey across the globe to source the very best organic essential oils and other ingredients known for their skin healing qualities. It has resulted in a small but high-quality range of ‘plant powered’ products that are healing, natural and good for us, harming no-one at any stage. In just four small bottles, FYI has created a range of organic skincare products that will cleanse, moisturise, rehydrate, balance and tone. She sees it as an opportunity to help others who have experienced similar issues in peri-menopause and menopause.
Pevonia believes the most powerful ingredients in skincare come from the safest source – Nature. For 30 years, Pevonia Natural Skincare has used purified water and sustainably sourced, top-quality, non-GMO, natural ingredients worldwide.
Tested to meet USFDA and European standards, Pevonia goes beyond these requirements with independent clinical testing at one of the world’s leading universities for drug and science research, and never tests on animals. Pevonia is 100% Cruelty-Free. Pevonia formulates its products with superlative ingredients of purest quality to infuse the skin with vital nutrients it requires for optimal health and radiance. Product formulations are comprised of premium, skin-friendly organic essential oils, plant extracts, vitamins, and other natural agents for maximal absorption and exceptional skin health.
Buck Naked was born out of necessity. When baby Elias, son of Buck Naked founder Rina, developed skin irritations from traditional baby products, they soon realized they needed a truly natural alternative. As necessity is the mother of all invention, the Chamomile & Calendula Soap was invented to help soothe the little guy’s skin. With this creation, Rina discovered her passion of formulating skin care products using the purest of ingredients. Since inception, we’ve introduced a full line of all-natural, vegan, handcrafted bath and body products. They are committed to being chemical-free, using only pure, natural ingredients. On this, they are unwavering: if you can't (or shouldn’t) eat it, they won't use it.
ACTIVATING A WINNING FORMULA: PAULINE PRESCOTT, FOUNDER & CEO Entrepreneur, international business executive, sustainability advocate, and skincare pioneer are just a few of the ways to describe Pauline Prescott, founder of the multi-award winning UK cosmetics brand Frances Prescott. Like so many business travelers she wanted to streamline her essentials but with skincare she couldn’t find any products that offered combined benefits and functionality. Years later she has filled this gap and much more with a multi-tasking natural skincare collection based on a 3-in-1 innovation applied to each formula. Launched in 2017 with the now globally acclaimed Tri-Balm, the Frances Prescott range has features 5 products with more being planned.
Founder and CEO of LaVigne Natural Skincare, Linda Zaurrini discovered the magic of tepezcohuite while living in Mexico in 2002. After speaking with local people, and researching the power of tepezcohuite, she was inspired to create natural skincare products that would help others solve their most difficult skin challenges. And that moment sparked the beginning of Linda's brand, Lavigne Natural Skincare. The first product, Mayan Magic, was an instant hit and fans couldn't get enough. The countless skin success stories inspired Linda to create a complete line of natural skincare that included the remarkable ingredient, tepezcohuite. Linda Zaurrini and her daughter Jennifer Geneve built natural beauty empire Lavigne Natural Skincare together, inspired by the power of nature with the highest of integrity and efficacy, free from harsh chemicals and parabens. The brand is proudly women-owned and operated in Coquitlam, BC, Canada.
MarieNatie Cosmetics has been empowering the clean beauty revolution with over a decade of crafting award-winning natural, non-toxic cosmetics that you can feel good about both inside and out. Their founder, Mary has been an avid, makeup lover for as long as she can remember. Drawn to high quality products with fun packaging, she quickly discovered the cosmetics she was shopping at popular retailers included harmful ingredients that had been found to cause long-term health risks. Quickly identifying a gap in the market, Mary started dreaming of a sustainable, green beauty brand that would not only be incredibly effective but, cute while keeping consumers health top of mind. Mary turned her focus to becoming an expert in cosmetics packaging, international trade and traveled extensively across several continents to research ingredients and formulas. In 2009, she successfully launched their CertClean Certified brand, MarieNatie Cosmetics.
tigoderm skin care day & night
Tanja Hohenester is the founder of the vegan skincare tigoderm. She has personally experienced, how her decision to take responsibility for her health has changed her life. Tanja believes in the healing power of nature, and it was a turning point in her life, to reconnect with nature and to explore the treasures that Mother Nature has in store for us. This is how she found green tea. This is how she developed the vegan and clean skincare tigoderm. Because nothing protects our skin better against environmental influences like 100% natural cosmetics. tigoderm skincare is 100% pure, sustainable producted „Made in Germany“. Because we care!
Nicky Jagger founded Raw Nature with a mission to change the way we see everyday body care. Having various health issues spurred Nicky to reassess the body care products she and her husband were using and in particular, what was going on the skin of their two young teenage daughters. She was unable to find brands that were truly natural and safe, yet powerful enough to give her girls the confidence of smelling great throughout the day. This convinced Nicky that there must be many other people that wanted to make more natural product choices, so she decided to create her own. Like a classic small business story, it all started in the home kitchen, which looked like a science lab most days. A range of body care products were carefully designed to deliver the performance of conventional brands using only plant-based ingredients, whilst offering an unmatched scent experience. Raw Nature was born. The power of natural ingredients, married with science, ensures each product works as well as or better that the mainstream alternative. The formulas are clean, conscious and considered with special attention on high performance.
Lynn Kirkland, The Herb Farm's founder, was a young mum when she started studying and working with herbs. In 1993 she was a visionary in sustainability and natural therapy. Her fascination with herbal remedies and their ability to positively impact health and wellbeing led her to create The Herb Farm - a company that celebrates the natural therapeutic qualities of herbs and shares the potentialities of their beauty-enhancing features. Her daughter Sarah Cowan, who shares her mother's passion for natural products and holistic wellbeing, became Managing Director of The Herb Farm in 2006 and was the driving force behind making The Herb Farm an international brand. The Herb Farm is now a leading natural, herbal brand led by strong women with a shared passion and a goal to share the powerful benefits of fresh herbal skincare to as many women (and men) as possible.
Mandi founded Blyssen in 2020 to help women and mamas reconnect to themselves. After going all in as a mom, Mandi lost sight of herself. Along the way, she started to prioritize herself, gained a renewed sense of self and rediscovered her glow. Mandi built a brand that empowers women to get their glow through clean ingredients and blissful moments, all without the crazy time commitment.
Fyve is founded by Mindy Cheng, a former engineer, who couldn't find a solution to her daughter's eczema. She struggled with adult acne as well, and found that formulations do not need to be complicated, but that each ingredient should serve a functional purpose with maximum benefits. If she can leave this world better than she found it, her life would be complete.
CEO & Founder, Regan Schneider, launched ARÊMÊS FERMENTIS in 2018 while studying for her degree in Food Science at California Polytechnic State University. The idea sparked from a summer spent studying in Paris at the Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l’Aromatique alimentaire (ISIPCA), a premier school in the field of fragrances, cosmetics and flavors. Growing up on a vineyard, lavender farm, and in a family of microbiologists and formulary chemists, Regan was well versed in the relationship between nature and science, and later incorporated the aspects of beauty and skincare.
bareLUXE Skincare founder is Dr. Heather Smith. She works as a physician in the intensive care unit. Her search for simplicity and natural skincare solutions started when she became a mom, but grew once COVID became a part of our lives. She is now working to position bareLUXE as a disruptive innovator in the anti-plastic packaging world and challenges big brands to step up.
Penny Lane Organics is very proud to be female-founded and female owned. Alexa Higginson is the face behind Penny Lane Organics, she is a tree-hugger and is skin care obsessed. She handcrafts natural products based on her personal philosophy, “if we won't put something IN our body, then we won’t put it ON our boy either”. Alexa started this journey at the young age of 21 it took her lots of passion, and perseverance to make people around her believe in her young women owned business, but she did it and believes you can too.
There are so many other woman-owned and run Clean beauty brands doing amazing things! You should know about them, too. It's time to give them a shout-out:
It's safe to say that the future for the clean beauty industry is bright. Progress is key!
You know how else we're progressing? The industry is embracing pro-aging versus anti-aging approaches. It is time to encourage people of all ages to feel confident and secure and to love themselves regardless of the inevitable aging process. Pro-aging isn't about embracing signs of aging - it is about the freedom to choose whatever maintenance methods makes sense for each person and not be subject to societal standards and it is about accepting and loving yourself as you gain more and more wisdom over the years. More on aging? See this post: 22 Clean Beauty Products That Promote Aging Gracefully.
