Indie Beauty is Everywhere!

Nearly every week here on Cosmetics Design, since the start of 2017, the Indie Beauty Profile tells the story of a brand that’s changing the configuration of this industry. The brands here, operating from headquarters around the globe are but a small sample of the indie brands featured on that column and, of course, an even smaller fraction of the indie brands operating today. But if we’ve learned one thing from the indie beauty movement; it’s to never underestimate the significance of something small.  

New York, New York​

Cynthia Besteman’s skin care brand Violets are Blue​, based in New York city was the first brand to be featured on the Indie Beauty Profile column back in early 2017. At that time, hers was already a global brand thanks to ecommerce—not only the brand’s own, but also partnerships with online retailers lik Anthropologie, SourceOrganics in Canada, and Inuf Skin Care in Hong Kong. Read the profile of Violets are Blue here on Cosmetics Design.​

Pinch of Colour​ is another brand based in NYC that was featured in the column’s first year. Her brand took a more multi-channel approach to retail early on with ecommerce, direct TV / video commerce, and conventional retail. And the brand Linda Treska founded has continued to make news here on Cosmetics Design. At the start of this year the brand launched its own non-profit called Blue Angel​ to “combat the global water crisis.” ​Read the profile of Pinch of Colour here on Cosmetics Design.​​

London, England​

Catkin Wemyss Bodmer launched BRYT Skincare​ in 2014. The London-based brand is vegan, cruelty-free, and prides itself on a System of Advanced Phytoscience, which Bodmer described in her Indie Beauty Profile as “a unique blend of plant nutrients.” ​She expanded on her approach to formulation noting that “natural plant power comes first but we also want every product to be effective and kind on the skin.”​ Read the profile of BRYT Skincare here on Cosmetics Design to learn more.​

The first job Laura Rudoe had in beauty was as the founding employee of a brand called NUDE, which was later sold to LVMH (and more recently to Beautycounter​). The Evolve Beauty​ brand she leads now is based in London and is a small-batch artisan personal care brand, handmaking skin care, hair care, and body care sold worldwide—thanks to ecommerce. Read the Evolve Beauty Indie Beauty Profile here on Cosmetics Design.​

Australasia ​

Earlier this year, Melanie Gleeson and her endota​ brand were featured on the Indie Beauty Profile. Hers is a spa brand that she developed out of her successful spa services business, which is based in Victoria, Australia. That spa business now has more than 100 locations around Australia and her endota brand (launched in 2000) has 3 distinct product lines. Read the endota Indie Beauty Profile here on Cosmetics Design.​

Ethique​ has made headlines as a plastic free brand. And founder Brianne West shared the story of her New Zealand-based company on the Indie Beauty Profile, saying, “Ethique…came about as a combination of my passion for the environment, knowledge of cosmetics chemistry (and the waste the industry creates) and the desire to create a business that had far more at its core that just making profit.” ​Read the Indie Beauty Profile of Ethique here on Cosmetics Design.​

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.