International Women's Day places the spotlight on women, celebrating our achievements, offering support for one another and raising awareness for the challenges we face. With that in mind, we're sharing some of our favourite woman-founded beauty brands that we reach for on a daily basis.
When it comes to beauty brands, we typically place focus on the products they produce, meaning we can often disregard the creatives behind it all. That's why we're taking the opportunity this International Women's Day to share our favourite female-founded beauty brands, that have created some of the best long-lasting perfumes and best-smelling body lotions on the market.
From a natural skincare brand rooted in family values to a luxurious fragrance brand with scents inspired by the founder's life events, these are the four woman-founded beauty brands that you need to have on your radar this International Women's Day and beyond.
Our team's favourite woman-founded beauty brands
Supporting and celebrating women's achievements, innovation and business endeavours is more important than ever before. While International Women's Day is a great opportunity to do all the above, it's also important to recognise these brands all year round, not just on a single dedicated day in the calendar.
With that said, we're taking this moment to introduce you to four woman-founded beauty brands that deserve love, support and recognition throughout the year (and years to come), including a bodycare brand equipped with nourishing, aromatic buys inspired by London neighbourhoods and an industry-favourite beauty brand founded by a trailblazing makeup artist.
Fiona's favourite woman-founded beauty brand
I’ve admired Soapsmith and its founder, Samantha Jameson, for years because this is a brand that’s been built from scratch and still feels completely itself (not easy to do when everyone’s looking around on social media) Production began - and remains - in London's Walthamstow, by Samantha and a small team of craftspeople, with excess soap made into mini bars and donated to Beauty Banks charity. Oh - and the products are gorgeous. There are aromatic bath soaks, body butters and of course, soaps made with natural and cruelty-free ingredients in beautifully designed, highly giftable packaging. New scents get launched when the time is right, so it’s always exciting when a new one comes along. I love that they’re all inspired by London neighbourhoods - and not the usual ones you might expect - herby, summery Hackney, incense-filled Camden and spiced Brick Lane are particularly evocative and well worth a sniff.
Fiona McKim, Digital Beauty Editor
RRP: £20
Enriched with mango butter, shea butter and cocoa butter, alongside nourishing oils such as sweet almond, coconut and vitamin E, this body butter offers the ultimate hydration hit. Creating a long-lasting barrier that protects from dryness, this intensely moisturising formula seeps into the skin, leaving it soft, supple and rejuvenated. Not to mention its gorgeous, soothing floral scent of roses, honeysuckle, primrose and peony.
RRP: £10
This herbaceous soap is inspired by the fragrant Hackney Marshes, with its blend of bergamot, rosemary, geranium and sandalwood essential oils that leave the skin feeling nourished and silky soft to touch. For an added visual touch, the green bar of soap is designed with white swirls to represent Halley's Comet, which was discovered by Hackney-born astronomer, Edmond Halley.
RRP: £30
Treat yourself to some TLC with this indulgent spa-like bath soak which is inspired by the aromatic scents of Camden Market. Formulated with natural ingredients such as coconut milk, oat powder, epsom salts and Dead Sea salts, these crystals work to remove the build-up of toxins, while hydrating and soothing the skin. Its moreish bergamot scent also helps relieve stress for a rested and rejuvenated mind and body.
Aleesha's favourite woman-founded beauty brand
An industry favourite among makeup artists, Pat McGrath Labs was founded by the trailblazing makeup artist herself. An award-winning makeup expert and creative, Pat McGrath has been voted as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and in 2021 was awarded D.B.E. Dame of the British Empire by the late Queen for her services to the Fashion and Beauty industry and Diversity - making history as the first makeup artist to achieve this accolade. As a working makeup artist who has created looks for countless Fashion Week shows over the years, McGrath knew exactly what she wanted to put into her products and that experience shows in her diverse, high quality collections. From her iconic Sublime Perfection foundation to the wide assortment of eye palettes and the robust lip options, the brand offers diverse products that offer a perfectly-finished, long-lasting finish to everyone.
Aleesha Badkar, Digital Beauty Ecommerce Editor
RRP: £30
Give your under-eyes a blurred, soft-focus finish with this brightening setting powder from Pat McGrath. Designed specifically for the eye region, this lightweight formula delicately sets the makeup in place, without settling into fine lines or going cakey. Arriving in an array of hues that complement the tone of your complexion, this silky formula is infused with light-diffusing mica to brighten, smooth and blur the skin.
RRP: £27
Unlock a picture-perfect pout with this lightweight yet rich and creamy lipstick. Enriched with passionfruit extract and botanical collagen, this nourishing formula moisturises the lips while boasting an enviable pillow-soft finish. The lineup features an array of shades, from everyday neutrals (like this Nude Romantique 2 hue) to standout reds, to suit whatever your preferences are.
RRP: £61
This weightless formula boasts long-lasting pigments that allow for a buildable sheer-to-medium coverage to suit whether you're looking for a skin-like tint or a satin soft-focus finish. Its silky serum-esque texture sets itself in place for up to 12 hours of wear time while remaining incredibly comfortable on the skin, making it perfect for a special occasion or if you're heading into the office.
Naomi's favourite woman-founded beauty brand
Boasting an array of chic and uncomplicated fragrances, along with luxurious bath and bodycare buys, Jo Loves is a brand I've really been gravitating towards lately. Founded by Jo Malone CBE, following her departure as Creative Director at the eponymous Jo Malone London in 2006, Jo Loves feels fresh and modern - combining both Malone's renowned taste and experience in the world of perfume. Her passion and well, love for fragrance is clear in every uncomplicated, sparkling blend, be it Pomelo or Amber, Bergamot and Lime. Each scent is inspired by memories in Malone's life and offers distinctive but minimalistic signatures for very accessible prices. It's a creative triumph and again feels fresh, which is no easy feat in such a saturated market.
Naomi Jamieson, Digital Beauty Writer
RRP: £115 for 100ml | £78 for 50ml
For those on the lookout for a warm, sexy and elegant fragrance, look no further than Jo Loves' best-selling Amber Lime and Bergamot eau de parfum. Both warm, citrusy and fresh, this glamorous scent is grounded with warming musks, such as cedarwood, suede and patchouli.
RRP: £42
Perfect for topping up your perfume while on the go, this innovative refillable Fragrance Paintbrush™ disperses the scent onto the skin through its fluffy brush applicator, before quickly drying down in seconds. The woody Red Truffle scent boasts notes of truffle, fresh juniper, zesty bitter citrus and earthy green fig leaf and pine.
RRP: £150 for 100ml | £105 for 50ml
Oozing luxury and old money sophistication, this Jo Loves scent is inspired by founder Jo Malone's past and present trips to Dubai. Notes of black cashmeran and tonka bean give this fragrance a mysterious and alluring powerful edge, while being warmed by notes of spicy ginger and cardamom. Not to mention its chic black and gold marble-effect bottle, which is set to make an impact on any dressing table.
Sennen's favourite woman-founded beauty brand
Debuting onto the market with her nourishing Body Smooth scrub, Tropic Skincare was founded by Susie Ma at age 15 to help her mum pay the bills. 21 years on, and now a mother herself, Ma has received various accolades including Forbes 30 Under 30 and EY Young Entrepreneur thanks to her brand's stellar offering of skincare, bodycare and makeup must-haves, each formulated to feed the skin with natural nutritious ingredients that are sustainably sourced from the world's tropical regions. Not only does Tropic excel with their lineup of products, whether that be their hydrating Rainforest Dew Serum or delicately toning Morning Mist, but they also donate 10% of their profits to support global causes, such as The King's Trust Women Supporting Women and funding education for children in remote parts of the world.
Sennen Prickett, Digital Beauty Writer
RRP: £78
Marking the world's first certified natural marine retinal, rooted in a decade's worth of research, this youth-enhancing oil-serum hybrid is designed to work faster than your typical retinols while producing results without any irritation. Enriched with 10 actives that work to reverse visible signs of ageing, such as minimising fine lines and boosting collagen, this powerful formula brightens, tones and refines the texture of your complexion.
RRP: £20 for three masks
Give your skin the hydration hit it deserves with these Hydrogel Face Masks, which are packed full of cooling, refreshing, nourishing and revitalising ingredients, such as allantoin, aloe vera juice and plant peptides. Specially designed to sit close and comfortably on the skin, these gel masks work as a barrier allowing the skin to retain and quickly absorb moisture. The outcome reveals a plumper, smoother and recharged complexion - sign us up!
RRP: £24
This mineral-rich sea salt body scrub is the product that started it all. Inspired by founder Susie's childhood in Australia, where she would create the scrub in her mum's kitchen using local ingredients, this indulgent formula works to effortlessly scrub away dead skin while boosting hydration and imparting a gorgeous lemon sorbet scent.
