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Peace out Skincare / Patrickta / jvnhair / Byrdie
The LGBTQ+ community's influence on the beauty world is important and widespread. So, while the requisite rainbow-themed collections from corporations appear for yet another June—we're choosing to spotlight products created by founders in the LGBTQ+ community. Embrace rainbow glitter, but make sure your consumption is conscious and stands with the queer community always.
A great place to start? Voting with your dollars. For decades, the community has been subject to discrimination, especially in the workplace. To help combat this, we’re focused on supporting LGBTQ+-owned beauty businesses that create safe workspaces for gay and queer folx, gender-neutral folks, and marginalized communities—and allow people to express themselves through art and philanthropy openly. Below, scroll through several LGBTQ+-owned brands that you should shop for this month and every month to follow.
Boy Smells
David Kien and Matthew Herman are the masterminds behind the 2016-founded Boy Smells, a highly curated range of luxury body, fragrance, and home products. From candles and cologne that look super chic on vanities and collaborations with Ganni and Kacey Musgraves to unique takes on classic fragrance families like woody, floral, herbaceous, and fruity, you can't go wrong.
Patrick Ta
Celebrity MUA Patrick Ta is known for working with just about every A-lister you can think of, from Ariana Grande to Eva Longoria. In between client appointments, Ta also shares his makeup wisdom with the world as the co-founder of his eponymous flourishing makeup brand, Patrick Ta Beauty. You can expect to see his latest launches trending on TikTok, like this bombastic blush that offers serious pigment in just one swipe.`
Jason Wu Beauty
Jason Wu has "always been fascinated about beauty," so when the fashion designer launched his own cosmetic brand to enhance natural beauty, we immediately added it to our "to-buy" list.
"I've done many collaborations in the past, but to launch my own beauty brand with Toni Ko of Bespoke Beauty Brands is a huge honor," Wu told us back in January 2021. Furthermore, a portion of the proceeds from any purchases made of Jason Wu Beauty goes directly to Gay Men’s Health Crisis. If you're into effortless glam at affordable prices with an important mission (who isn't?), this brand is for you.
Makeup By Mario
Mario Dedivanovic first started out in the beauty industry as a Sephora employee nearly 20 years ago. But nowadays, he's know for not only being Kim Kardashian's "right hand man" when it comes to makeup, but also being the founder of Makeup By Mario. Sleek, easy-to-use palettes and accompanying tutorials driven by technique set this brand apart from the pack.
Alder New York
Longtime best friends David J. Krause and Nina Zilka founded Alder New York, a genderless skincare and haircare brand based in Brooklyn. This queer and female-founded brand combines design sensibility with simple, high-performing personal care basics at reasonable prices.
In celebration of Pride Month, 10% of MSRP from the limited-edition Cooling Mineral Hydro Mist ($28) will be donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York City, whose mission is to protect LGBTQ+ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.
About-Face Beauty
Famed recording artist Halsey founded About-Face in 2021 to create "multi-dimensional make-up for everyone" that not only allows but encourages the wearer to unleash their inner creativity. The result? Vibrant eye and lip paints, pencils, eyelashes, and more in extensive (and inclusive) shade ranges that never fail to make a statement.
KimChi Chic Beauty
After appearing in the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Kim Chi has since become regarded as one of the most brilliant makeup artists in the industry today. It was only inevitable (and necessary) that she'd eventually release her own cosmetics line, aimed at makeup-lovers looking to recreate her signature styles.
A portion of all sales of KimChi Chic Beauty are donated to The Trevor Project—an organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ youth—to help draw awareness and support LGBTQ+ communities.
Noto Botanics
Gloria Noto, Founder of Noto Botanics, created the gender-fluid, queer, multi-use, and vegan essentials missing from our vanities. The products are packed with uncomplicated and high-performing organic ingredients and celebrate self-expression from the skin out.
Committed to creating impact through action, NOTO donates a percentage of sales to support queer folks and women, giving regular sums to Planned Parenthood, Trevor Project, LA LGBT Youth Center, and more.
Thrive Natural Care
Alex McIntosh, a co-founder of Thrive Natural Care, created a plant-based line meant for everyone. The products aim to naturally empower and regenerate both your skin and the Earth, without depleting or damaging communities or the ecosystem.
Trixie Cosmetics
Trixie Mattel—the founder of the eponymous cosmetics brand—is yet another RuPaul's Drag Race favorite who turned to the beauty industry. You can expect high-quality, highly pigmented eye, lip, and complexion products from Ms. Mattel—in adorable heart-shaped packaging, to boot.
Snif
Phil Riportella and Bryan Edwards made it their mission to simplify the way we shop fragrances. Snif, a direct-to-consumer business, provides high-quality, genderless scents at an affordable price point through its innovative try-before-you-buy approach, which allows customers to test fragrances from the comfort of their own homes.
Kaleidoscope Hair Care
Jesseca Dupart has the magic touch when it comes to hair growth (and rejuvenation). The hairstylist created Kaleidoscope Hair Care, a unisex brand, that seeks to assist people in developing a hair regimen. Since its founding in 2014, the brand has become a trusted source for hair restoration.
Peace Out Skincare
Enrico Frezza was no stranger to testing products for acne, hyperpigmentation, and "everything in between" when he became an entrepreneur. While experimenting with hydrocolloid dressing, Frezza decided to make his life-long search to find the best acne treatment and skincare routine a business. Thus, Peace Out Skincare was born.
With a mission to help bring peace between you and your skin through effective, clean, and fun skincare solutions, Peace Out Skincare offers acne dots, pore strips, and micro needling patches.
Trademark Beauty
After bonding over their childhood love of hair, celebrity stylist Joseph Maine and his sister Sabrina Maine created Trademark Beauty after realizing that everyone's unique brand of beauty is a trademark. The styling tools are meant to bring back fun into your morning routine, with an affordable price point and easy-to-use ethos.
Malin + Goetz
Since their start with their flagship apothecary in 2004, Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz continue to bring natural and effective ingredients to luxury personal care products including face, body, hair, and fragrance. Their uncomplicated, science-based approach to beauty means their products are guaranteed to be both gentle and effective.
W3ll People
Founded by makeup artist Shirley Pinkson, W3ll People is dedicated to making plant-powered products that respect our plant. All of the formulas are dermatologist-backed and include full transparency for their ingredients and sustainability. Because everyone should have the opportunity to "choose clean and live well."
VOLITION
Along with co-founder Brandy Hoffman, Volition is one of the first-ever fully crowd-sourced beauty brands. The company allows you to submit beauty ideas and watch them come to fruition with a cruelty-free formula built to maintain healthy skin.
Freck Beauty
Freck Beauty founder Remi Brixton was born in Seattle with an early freckle fascination. Her hunt for the perfect freckles led her to the creation of a beauty company that prides itself on embodying a vibrant and original attitude.
Beekman 1802
Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell created Beekman 1802 when they moved to Sharon Spring, NY, and took in 100 goats looking for a home. After experiencing the benefits of goat milk, they began making their hero product: soap. Their creation received rave reviews, and the rest is history. Beekman 1802 has become one of the world’s biggest goat-milk-based skincare companies.
Ghost Democracy
When Rex Chou created an inclusive beauty brand, he wanted to ensure that minimal ingredients and accessibility were paramount. Transparency and democracy were a must, hence the name, Ghost Democracy. This is truly a skincare brand for the people.
JVN Hair
Jonathan Van Ness (commonly referred to by their initials JVN) is not only a beloved member of the Queer Eye "Fab Five," touring comedian, podcast host, and best-selling author, but also the founder of JVN Hair. The 13-piece collection is broken up into four categories based on hair needs—Complete, Nurture, Undamage, and Embody—with each product coming in under $30.
