However minimalist or complex your skincare and makeup routine may be, it wouldn’t be the same without the influence of AAPI-owned beauty brands. Think about it: a dewy glow is practically synonymous with Tatcha’s celeb-loved skin-care line, a sleep mask infused with watermelon and hyaluronic acid (hi, Glow Recipe) is a nonnegotiable to self-care Sunday, and we can bet you’ve flirted with Korean sunscreens to amp up your SPF game. The impact Asian- and Asian American-owned brands have had on the beauty landscape is far-reaching, and it’s made room for products and ingredients that are downright game-changing. (Looking at you, “bee glue”.)
Many of these brands sit at the forefront of the industry, thanks to founders both stateside and abroad who have captured longstanding skin-care and wellness rituals and distilled them into products that meet—and most certainly redefine—contemporary beauty standards. Without their contributions, we may have never known how to achieve glass skin, experience the no-smudge glory of South Asian kohl eyeliners, or even think to double cleanse before slugging. From mainstays like Peach & Lily to newcomers like Eadem, it would be an understatement to say that routines everywhere would be a lot more sparse if weren’t for the many Asian- and AAPI-owned beauty brands serving up powerhouse formulas. Check out some of our favorites below and shop their stand-out items—including a must-have dark spot corrector, the ultimate bronzer for sensitive skin, and so many more products worthy of a prime spot on your counter.
When Rooshy Roy realized her skin was missing its natural glow, she founded Aavrani, which pays homage to her Indian heritage by combining ingredients and practices from ancient rituals with modern-day skin science. Don’t skip the much-loved Balance Restoring Serum—it makes your skincare work harder for you by allowing ingredients to penetrate the skin. We also love the Glow Activating Exfoliator, which uses turmeric as an anti-inflammatory to calm sensitized skin.
Priscilla Tsai’s experience with cystic acne (both as a teenager and an adult) prompted her to quit her job as an equity researcher at J.P. Morgan and launch Cocokind, a skin-care brand that specializes in gentle yet effective formulas at affordable price points. You can find Tsai’s many products—including the Glamour Beauty Award-winning Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum—at major retailers like Ulta, Target, and Whole Foods.
Eadem is a relative newcomer in the beauty space—the brand was built during the pandemic—but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the buzziest brands on the market. (The brand won a Glossier Grant for Black-Owned Businesses and is part of Sephora’s Accelerate Incubator Program.) Founders Alice Lin Glover and Marie Kouadio Amouzame first set out on a mission to challenge existing notions of skincare with Milk Marvel, a dark spot serum formulated to safely treat hyperpigmentation in melanin-rich skin. Most recently, the brand launched Cloud Cushion, a niacinamide-infused moisturizer that’s the perfect follow-up to Milk Marvel.
Ellis Brooklyn began as the brainchild of New York Times columnist Bee Shapiro in 2015, when she was pregnant with her first daughter Ellis (hint, hint) and couldn’t find any luxury nontoxic fragrances to use. Inspired to fill that white space gap, Shapiro launched her own brand of clean, high-quality fragrances, including perfumes, candles, and body-care essentials.
Everyday Humans was founded by Charlotte Chen Pienaar, who set out to make a sunscreen brand that’s as easy on the planet as it is on your skin. Take the newly-launched Rose From Above for instance. According to the brand, the sunscreen base (intended to be used as you would a primer) is infused with rosehip oil from industrial by-products that would otherwise be thrown out. You also don’t want to miss Big Mood, the lip balm with SPF30 that tastes like an oat milk latte.
Watermelon sleeping masks? Avocado-infused serums? Banana soufflé creams? All of these juicy, fruit-infused best sellers perched on your vanity are likely from Glow Recipe, the fruit-first K-beauty brand that’s brought multiple-step skin-care routines to the masses.
It can be hard to find over-the-counter acne treatments that actually work, but Hero Cosmetics is proof of concept that they can. After learning Koreans were using hydrocolloid patches to treat pimples, cofounder Ju Rhyu brought the idea stateside. She launched the brand on Amazon with one hero product: the Mighty Patch, which is a vegan sticker spot treatment that works overnight miracles on pimples. Hero Cosmetics has since expanded to cleansers, toners, and serums—all available at mega-retailers like Target and Ulta (and Amazon, of course).
Is there anything more fun than colorful eyeliner? (Answer: No.) Founded by Priyanka Ganjoo, Kulfi is all about celebrating the South Asian community through self-expression and beauty—and the brand carries a range of rainbow kajal liners that’ll get even the most minimalist beauty lovers to play around with makeup.
Jin Soon Choi’s nontoxic nail polishes are a beauty editor staple: The 10-free formulas are as long-lasting as they are beautiful, whether you’re looking for dark, moody shades or summer-ready brights.
It wasn’t long ago that at-home gel manicures were a far-flung idea. But many of us became mani aficionados thanks to brands like Le Mini Macaron, which make the daunting process of DIY mani-pedis much more accessible. Founded by Christina Kao (originally from Alabama, but now located in Barcelona), Le Mini Macaron’s suite of nail tools and polishes exploded in popularity during the pandemic and are now ubiquitous across beauty shelves. You can pick one of the LED macaron babies everywhere from Urban Outfitters to Ulta.
Patrick Starrr, Filipinx-American Youtube vlogger-turned-beauty-entrepreneur, founded One/Size as a nod to the fact that makeup is a one-size-fits-all situation, unlike fashion. If you want to give your face a proper beat, this is the brand for you—but don’t let its highly-pigmented blushes and bronzers fool you—they’re all totally buildable.
Vietnamese celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta (a.k.a. the master behind some of Gigi Hadid and Shay Mitchell’s glowiest looks) launched his eponymous beauty line in 2019. You’ll find everything here from romantic cream blushes to lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes with serious color payoff.
Your road map to glass skin begins (and ends) here. Founder Alicia Yoon trained as an esthetician in South Korea before launching Peach & Lily, the K-beauty brand known for its potent, fast-absorbing formulas (featuring ingredients like hyaluronic acid, fatty acids, peptides, and minerals) to give your skin instant bounce.
Soft Services
Brought to you by Glossier alums Annie Kreighbaum and Rebecca Zhou, Soft Services’ targeted body treatments are meant to be as desirable as any other hyped-up beauty product on your want list. Case in point: The brand’s Carea cream—which is housed in a sleek, photogenic bottle—is packed with the active ingredient urea to moisturize and exfoliate keratosis pilaris–prone skin.
With A-list wearers from the likes of Kate Bosworth to Amandla Stenberg and a collaboration with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Rose Inc. in the books, Sunnies Face may be the buzziest brand on this list. The Philippines-founded and based cosmetics company first launched in 2018 with the now-iconic Fluffmatte lipstick. Years (and many customer requests) later, the brand is ready to shop ship cult-loved products direct to US consumers. Start your engines—you can begin US checkout on May 16.
Japanese skin-care brand Tatcha counts everyone from Selena Gomez to Meghan Markle as fans—and for good reason. With formulas and ingredients rooted in Japanese beauty practices, Tatcha’s products are both undeniably luxurious and effective—and while we’re loyal to the Glamour Beauty Award-winning Essence and the cult favorite Dewy Skin Cream, we also love two new 2022 Glamour Beauty Award winners: Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair, for best night cream, and Tatcha The Texture Tonic, for best exfoliator.
When K-Beauty brand Then I Met You launched its Living Cleansing Balm, if you weren’t already on the double-cleanse bandwagon, you immediately hopped aboard. And why not? It’s practically impossible to say no to one scoop of the sea buckthorn-infused balm. You can get it at Soko Glam, a trusted online retailer that carries must-have Korean beauty products. PS: Charlotte Cho, founder of Then I Met You also co-founded the aforementioned skincare mecca.
Since its 2019 launch, Tower 28 has gained a loyal following of celebs and makeup artists, thanks to its easy-to-apply vegan formulas. (One of the brand’s hero products is the Glamour Beauty Award-winning Bronzino, a bronzer for people who hate bronzer.) Everything is formulated to be sensitive skin-friendly due to the fact that founder Amy Liu has had eczema her entire adult life. The brand is certified by the National Eczema Association, and all of its products are hypo-allergenic, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist-tested.
It should come as no surprise that U Beauty became an internet success practically overnight considering it was founded by Tina Craig, one of the earliest fashion bloggers (does BagSnob sound familiar?). The brand is known for its supercharged formulas, like the Glamour editor-loved Barrier Bioactive Treatment that are meant to simplify your beauty routine and deliver real results.
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