6 South Asian-Owned

SOUTH ASIAN-OWNED MAKEUP BRANDS FOR SUMMER 6

Hot brands you could support this summer - and benefit with a perfect look

LAYA NEELAKANDAN

For South Asians, reliable makeup brands that understand our skin and our heritage are often hard to come by. With non-inclusive shades and formulas made for white skin, South Asians who wear makeup are often left trying to improvise or settle for a non-ideal product. This summer, as you look through your makeup bag and realize you need some replacements, add some brands created by and for our people to your go-to routine. Here are six of the best South Asian-owned makeup brands.

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CTZN COSMETICS

Founded by Pakistani sisters Aleena, Aleezeh and Naseeha Khan, CTZN Cosmetics was born out of frustration with the dearth of inclusive shade ranges and brown makeup models. The brand is vegan/ vegetarian, cruelty-free and genderless, and it also guarantees a perfect match for every skin tone. They have also created a content segment on their website called CULTUTORIAL, where viewers can learn about new cultures while watching someone’s makeup routine.

“All of our NUDIVERSAL shades are named after cities around the world that we have had the privilege to visit, and our LIPSTROKE shades are the numbers one to five in different languages,” co-founder Aleena Khan said. “We always try to find fun, approachable ways to integrate culture into the brand. Rather than canceling someone for not being culturally aware enough, let’s provide solutions for them to learn more!”

CTZN Cosmetics founders Aleena, Aleezeh and Naseeha Khan

PHOTOS CREDIT: CTZN COSMETICS

STELLAR BEAUTY

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Stellar Beauty was founded by Indian-Canadian Monika Deol, a well-known TV personality. The brand focuses on products for Indian skin tones, prioritizing inclusivity, natural ingredients and high pigmentation. It is 100% cruelty-free, fragrancefree and mineral oil-free.

RANI COSMETICS

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Rani Cosmetics is a makeup brand founded by Indian-American Eshani Patel, also known on YouTube as TotalMakeupJunkie101. The brand, whose name derives from the word for “queen,” focuses on vegan and cruelty-free lip products specially formulated to complement Indian skin tones. Patel writes that Rani Cosmetics is “a line to make every person, no matter what age, gender, or skin tone, feel like royalty.”

VASANTI COSMETICS

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Founded by Pinki Gosal along with Monal, Priti and Gargi Patel, Canadabased Vasanti Cosmetics aims to validate and help with the dark under eye circles many South Asians experience. The South Asian-owned makeup brand offers both makeup and skin care products, and it focuses on creating clean and high-performance products specifically designed for people of color.

JOURN

Frustrated with her struggles with acne scarring and the lack of beauty products available for South Asians with acne, founder Sara Shah created Journ, a brand creating products to both conceal flaws and help them improve over time.

“Growing up, South Asian women were hardly represented in the media, especially beauty,” Shah said. “I decided to change that by being an active part of creating a world where women like me are represented. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where she sees herself, knows that she’s beautiful just the way she is and does not have to aspire to fit certain beauty standards.”

PHOTO CREDIT: JOURN

BILI BEAUTY

Bili Beauty was founded by Sarah Sophy Thomas with the mission of empowering and celebrating the beauty of South Asians. After rarely seeing people like her represented in the beauty industry, Thomas created Bili Beauty, which has products with clean ingredients and high pigmentation for all skin tones and types.

“Growing up in America, I saw very little Indian representation in the beauty industry, and when I started Bili Beauty, I knew how important it was for me to be as inclusive as possible so that the South Asian community can finally see themselves properly represented in a beauty brand,” Thomas said. “In addition to creating products that suit all skin tones, it makes me so happy to hear from our Bili Beauty community that using our products everyday helps them feel a bit more connected to their culture, and proud of where they came from.”

So as you experiment with new makeup looks this summer, try out a product from a South Asianowned makeup brand. You might just find your new go-to product while also supporting people from our own community.