26 AAPI-Owned Beauty Brands That Deserve A Spot In Your Routine

In the past couple of years, Sunnies Face has made its presence known. The Filipino beauty brand’s hero product — the Fluffmatte — is a lightweight matte lipstick with minimal chic packaging (you know, for the ‘gram) that delivers highly pigmented color in one swipe. It goes on smoothly and it won’t dry out lips; that’s probably why one is sold every 30 seconds. It’s coming to the US so mark your cal.

While Summer Fridays is a cult-loved brand (especially amongst loyal Sephora shoppers), what’s lesser-known is that this total skin care powerhouse actually has an AAPI co-founder in Marianna Hewitt. For those who still haven’t gotten their hands on the goods, the Jet Lag Mask and Lip Butter Balms are a good place to start.

Combining the Ayurvedic wisdom from her Indian heritage and her knowledge as a pharmacist, Sejal Patel created a skin care brand that catered to melanated skin. Thus, Plantkos was born. Each product, like its Phyto Exfoliating Cleanser and Phyto Triple C Serum, is made with a proprietary blend of Ayurvedic herbs and clean actives to combat inflammation, dehydration, and hyperpigmentation.

South Asian beauty doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, and Kulfi is on a mission to change that. The brand celebrates the region’s rich culture through its lineup of makeup, hair accessories, and fun stickers. Its Kajal eyeliners have plenty of pigment for great color payoff and are infused with skin-nourishing ingredients like aloe vera and vitamin E.

Good light, a line of personal care products created by David Yi, is a brand that’s focused on inclusivity and calls itself “beauty beyond the binary.” Their probiotic serum contains ingredients like bakuchiol to promote skin cell turnover, carrot and moringa seeds for hydration, and blue tansy for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Fans of the OG YouTube days likely remember Patrick Starrr, and now, the Filipino-American is the mastermind behind ONE/SIZE. And guess what? None other than Beyoncé is a total fan of the brand’s On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray.

Who better to create a skin care line for Gen Z than people who are actually part of Gen Z? Founded by 20-year-old Jeena Chong in 2020, Cityface is the clean beauty brand that empowers city communities.

Each product is made with clean ingredients (the serum is filled with rich antioxidants like ginseng root and olive fruit extract to protect skin from environmental aggressors) and the brand partners with local non-governmental organizations in Seoul, New York City, and San Francisco to help underserved youth communities. (Plus, if you’re a sucker for adorable packaging, this brand is definitely worth checking out.)

Chriselle Lim is the Korean-American founder behind the scent-centric brand PHLUR. While many of their bespoke perfumes have gained quite the following, one in particular — namely, Missing Person — went completely viral, selling out in seconds upon its first launch. Now that’s power.

Founded by Nikita Charuza, Squigs is a beautiful culmination of her South Asian heritage—its formulas are inspired by the Ayurvedic beauty remedies that have been passed down through generations in her family. The Hair Oil is a fan favorite, and takes scalp care to the next level with hair-strengthening ingredients like amla extract and coconut oil.

Emilie Heathe was created to celebrate founder Emily H. Rudman’s Asian heritage with clean ingredients that she was struggling to find out in the market. The Nail Artist polish contains ingredients that nod to her background, such as anti-inflammatory bamboo, rice bran oil, and sea buckthorn (which has been used in Asia as a skin protectant). Between the shades and the packaging, you won’t be able to decide what’s prettier.

Founded by three East-Asian and Hawaiian men, Koa skin care highlights traditional Asian and Pacific Islander ingredients, such as Hawaiian White Ginger and Kukui Nut, to produce highly efficient formulas in its gender-neutral products.

Turn to its Yuzu Facial Cleanser, which contains natural yuzu for a refreshing cleanse and without harming the skin’s natural barrier. For the ultimate sun care, its Mineral Face Sunscreen contains non-nano zinc oxide to is one hundred percent reef safe and provides broad-spectrum UV protection as well as niacinamide and bisabolol to nourish skin.

Filipina actress, singer, and TV host Anne Curtis and her business partner Jacqe Yuengtian Gutierrez created Blk Cosmetics to make beauty less complicated. Case in point: this all-day lip and cheek tint. It’s a functional two-in-one stain for natural color on your lips, cheeks, or both.

Born in Taiwan, Bee Shapiro started her journey as a journalist for The New York Times before dreaming up the sweet scents that make up her line, Ellis Brooklyn. Now, the brand has an impressive collection of beloved perfumes, like the honey-scented BEE, as well as a newly-launched tropical fragrance called MIAMI NECTAR that’s already an editor favorite.

From mermaidcore holographic colors to shades of galaxy-inspired magnetic glitter, Mooncat’s polishes are basically art in a little glass bottle. Its Taiwanese founder, Michelle Lin, is to thank for that.

Founded by Vanessa Lee, The Things We Do is a Los Angeles-based med spa that caters to all your skin needs (and has its own skincare line). This color-correcting serum uses plant-based brighteners like licorice root extract, which is a safer alternative to other dark spot banishers like hydroquinone.

Model and philanthropist Pritika Swarup created Prakti to put Indian beauty at the forefront. Made with traditional Ayurvedic practices and Indian beauty rituals with Western innovation, the skin care line offers effective products for healthy glowing skin while also introducing you to Indian beauty practices and ingredients.

SelfMade is where beauty and mental health meet. Stephanie Lee created the brand with the intention of helping people of color put their well-being first and showcasing how our mental state affects our physical being. Products, such as the Secure Attachment Comfort Serum+ and True Grit Resilience Scrub, are formulated with a board of advisors that help make that psychological connection and prioritize people of color in mental health discussions, something that isn’t being done enough.

Stefanie Walmsley created Prim to share the ingredients that helped her get back to her roots. “Having been born in the Philippines and raised in New York, we’re all about embracing diversity and making you feel comfortable in your skin,” it reads on the site. This gentle body scrub has ingredients like rose and grapefruit oil for hydration and acne.

Inspired by Indian products and rituals that have been passed down through generations, Shaz & Kiks (created by sisters Shaz Rajashekar and Kiku Chaudhuri) features natural and nourishing ingredients. This hair mask, for example, is made with coconut oil to help treat and prevent hair damage and amla to help stimulate hair growth to get you strong and healthy hair.

Phytosurgence is an Asian and LGBTQ+-owned beauty brand that is all about transparency. It cuts out all the marketing and fear-mongering BS (you won’t see the words “non-toxic” or “clean” here). What you will find are high-quality products made with natural ingredients that are backed up by science.

This balm is a cream-to-powder highlighter that blends into skin seamlessly to give you a really nice iridescent glow. It contains a blend of waxes and hydrocarbons so that it doesn’t go on cakey and locks moisture in so you get that dewy finish.

Youtuber Deepica Mutyala changed the beauty game with her red lipstick on undereye dark circles hack. From there, she created Live Tinted to focus on inclusive and diverse beauty. Turn to its hero product the Huestick or Superhue to address hyperpigmentation.

Founded by Stephanie Morimoto (and partly owned by Venus Williams), Asutra Self Care is a collection of natural products that take care of your skin and well-being. With soothing products like the Magnesium Body Butter and the Pure Soothing Comfort Aromatherapy Mist, you’ll find something to help put you at ease and make life a little more relaxing.

Founded by influencer and activist Diipa Khosla, Indē Wild enters the skin care game with first-of-its-kind Ayurvedistry technology. It combines traditional Ayurveda practices and chemistry to produce nourishing serums, the 15% Vitamin C and 1% Bakuchiol, to transform skin to its healthiest and most radiant form.

Makeup you can sleep in without wreaking havoc on your skin sounds too good to be true. But founder of Youthforia Fiona Co Chen may have actually created it (or at least the closest makeup will ever be to that claim). Chen’s super fun party makeup is also made to nourish skin. Each product, like the fan-favorite Pregrame Primer or the BYO Blush, is made with plant-based ingredients and zero fossil fuels.

Sarah Paiji Yoo didn’t want to just create a good product; she wanted to take care of the planet as well. To help eliminate the need for single-use plastic, the products in the collection either come in tablet or powder form meant to be mixed in with tap water or used directly on.

Its body cleanser, which is a powder-to-gel body wash, comes with a reusable bottle that you can pretty much use forever. All you have to do is fill your bottle with water, pour the powder in, shake, and you have a nourishing gel body wash.

Japanese beauty is a holistic approach where you enjoy the ritual of taking care of your body inside and out. Shikohin founder Takeshi Nobuhara created products to celebrate that tradition. From its Enlightening Night Serum to Instant Relief Roll-On, you’ll find something that soothes and nourishes your skin (and your soul).