Discover the Cult Favorites From the Women Driving the Clean Beauty Revolution

POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd
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Women use up to 15 personal-care products every day. We apply lipstick to lift our moods. Mascara to brighten our eyes. Lotions to soften our skin. It's not all harmless self-care and self-expression, though. Many of these beauty products contain controversial ingredients like phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and preservatives, which have been linked to health issues like allergies, cancer, or reproductive harm. In response, women have started a clean beauty revolution. This new billion-dollar industry of safer makeup, skin care, and hair care is driving female entrepreneur business opportunities and creating healthier cosmetics we all want to use.

Female Leadership

"I can't think of any other industry where 90 percent of the leadership comes from women."

Dawn Dobras is the CEO of Credo Beauty, a leading clean beauty retailer that maintains strict ingredient standards and only carries nontoxic products. According to Dobras, Credo stocks more than 115 of the top clean skincare and makeup brands, and more than 90 percent of these companies were founded by women and/or have a female CEO. "I can't think of any other industry where 90 percent of the leadership comes from women — certainly not in fashion, apparel, art, technology, venture capital, or general business," she said. Leading natural brands like Juice Beauty, RMS, and Tata Harper all have women at the helm. Credo fits in with the trend, too. Working mothers make up the company's entire executive team, and the HQ office in San Francisco is all-female. "We care about making sure that our customers have nontoxic and safe options, because we are those customers and they are our friends, sisters, mothers, and daughters," Dobras said.

Safer, Better Products

"Women are more vulnerable to breast cancer and other illnesses that may be triggered by exposure to harmful chemicals."

Lawmakers in Washington DC have failed to update laws regulating personal-care products since 1938. While the EU bans more than 1,300 potentially harmful ingredients, the US outlaws just 30. It can't be a coincidence that women make up less than 20 percent of Congress, which has the power to improve standards. Today, many conventional personal-care products contain ingredients that have been shown to disrupt the body's normal hormone functions. Activists note that women bear most of the risk because their bodies go through sensitive periods of change, including menstrual cycles, and can be more susceptible to cancers caused by toxins. This isn't to say the quality of the product suffers: "The ingredients that our brands use are clean, yes, but also incredibly effective," Dobras said. Because the women creating the products are also using them, consumers can get better payoff.

Meet the Founders

To learn more about the state of the clean beauty industry and what we can expect next, I spoke to eight female founders who are driving innovation with their brands. Ahead, they explain what role women play and share the products they're most proud of. Get ready to discover some cult favorites.

Indie Lee of Indie Lee
Indie Lee

Indie Lee of Indie Lee

What do you do when you're diagnosed with a brain tumor? For Indie Lee, you start a business that empowers other women to make healthy lifestyle choices.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Indie Lee: Transparent, empowering, and curious.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

IL: In 2008, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor that doctors felt could be environmentally derived and attributed to something as simple as what I was putting on my skin. After surviving a successful surgery on Earth Day 2009, I embarked on a journey to create change and empower others to be mindful about what they put on their skin as well as into their body. My line of products is the vessel for that mission.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

IL: Beauty tends to be an industry dominated by women and predominantly fueled by female consumers. I recently read that women are up to 10 times more likely to have an autoimmune disease. This is a big deal considering a lot of conventional ingredients may be linked to autoimmune diseases.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

IL: This community is a very inclusive one. If one of us wins, we all win. I think people previously felt they had to make a sacrifice to go clean. This simply isn't the case anymore. Clean products on the market today are absolutely competitive with — and dare I say superior to — conventional options out there. It's extraordinary to see that my dream for change is now a shared mission by so many others.

Indie Lee's I-Waken Eye Serum
Indie Lee

Indie Lee's I-Waken Eye Serum

PS: What product defines your brand?

IL: I-Waken Eye Serum ($48) is our first product launch in a long time, and it's really special to me. It symbolizes my awakening, or a couple of them actually. It embodies the moment I woke up from surgery to the beginning of the rest of my life. It also signifies my awakening to the need to be mindful about the products and ingredients we choose to put on our skin and, as a result, into our bodies. It's formulated with amazing ingredients like horse chestnut, mountain ash bud, witch hazel, and spirulina for a lightweight but powerful product.

Sholayide Otugalu of Joséphine Cosmetics
Joséphine Cosmetics

Sholayide Otugalu of Joséphine Cosmetics

Sholayide Otugalu wanted to create a superglam makeup line that happened to be nontoxic. And she did: meet Joséphine Cosmetics.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Sholayide Otugalu: Sultry, avant-garde, and glamorous.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

SO: As a former freelance makeup artist who worked for luxury international beauty brands, I spent a great amount of time listening to the needs of clients and customers. I found that a growing number of women wanted to invest more in products with clean ingredients but were experiencing difficulty finding brands that offered variety in shade ranges and products with strong color pigments. All the while, my entrepreneurial spirit was itching to break out. So, with a mix of drive, effort, and a bit of chutzpah, I found a dynamic way to bridge the best of both worlds: healthy ingredients for the skin paired with a variety of bold, daring color palettes.

There also really isn't much diversity in the color ranges that are offered by current clean brands. I think this is because most of them play it safe, offering similar color palettes and foundation shades. My motivation for creating Joséphine was to go rogue and fill that void.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

SO: If the directive and innovation is coming from men, it's as if women are allowing men to dictate how women should look and feel.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

SO: It's amazing to see the present clean beauty industry — how many indie brands are trying to make sustainable choices. I'm very hopeful for the future of clean beauty because I now see a huge amount of the larger beauty companies coming to the realization that they have to change the way in which they operate in order to compete with the indie brands.

Joséphine Cosmetics's HD Mineral Eye Radiances Palettes
Joséphine Cosmetics

Joséphine Cosmetics's HD Mineral Eye Radiances Palettes

PS: What product defines your brand?

SO: Our HD Mineral Eye Radiances Palettes ($85) are made for everyone from the less-is-more girl to the adventurous girl. Each palette is designed with luxurious, enriching shades that deliver a multitude of diverse eye looks. The color combinations show how we push the envelope in creating bold makeup looks. It's also in much demand because of its ease of use, blendability, and striking color options paired with a natural, mineral formula. It's alluring, striking, rich, and brings the drama, and that pretty much defines Joséphine.

Tata Harper of Tata Harper
Tata Harper

Tata Harper of Tata Harper

Tata Harper went to school for industrial engineering, but after a family member got cancer, she questioned the products she used. Now she has a high-end skincare line made of natural ingredients.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Tata Harper: Effective, nonartificial, and fresh.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

TH: In Colombia, I grew up in a household of women where beauty and self-care were very important. But I never thought I would be where I am today. It was when cancer affected someone close in my family that I realized the role lifestyle plays in health. I started to examine everything I put into and on my own body. I couldn't find natural products that gave me results and a luxury experience, so I set out to create my own.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

TH: I'm my own customer. I knew what I was looking for when it came to performance, experience, and safety, and I knew that other women would, too.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

TH: The industry worldwide needs to eliminate chemicals that have shown to be unsafe or should not be put on our skin. This goes beyond skin care: also hair care, cosmetics, nails, household products. Consumers should expect products that give them peace of mind. Knowledge is power. Women have done their research, and there is no turning back.

Tata Harper's Elixir Vitae
Tata Harper

Tata Harper's Elixir Vitae

PS: What product defines your brand?

TH: One product I'm very proud of is Elixir Vitae ($400). It's a supercharged product formulated to act like an injectable but topically. It works to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by helping smooth the skin's surface and filling the look of fine lines to restore the appearance of youthful plumpness and volume. It's the ultimate antiaging product.

Nancy Twine of Briogeo
Briogeo

Nancy Twine of Briogeo

Nancy Twine founded her nontoxic haircare line in her tiny East Village studio apartment using her grandmother's beauty recipes as inspiration. Today, Briogeo is transparent about the ingredients it uses and doesn't use.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Nancy Twine: Clean, diverse, and innovative.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

NT: At a young age, I learned how to make my own hair-, skin-, and body-care remedies alongside my mom in the kitchen of our home, using natural oils, extracts, salts, sugars, butters, and waxes we'd source from our local health food store and ingredient catalogs. These childhood memories ultimately inspired me to do something greater with the passion for creating and start my own clean beauty line.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

NT: We know best what we need and don't need in our beauty regimens. That's not to say that there isn't an important role men can and should play in the industry, but it's important that women have a voice and are leading the innovation of the products they need and want.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

NT: I hope that one day the need to read and inspect ingredient labels becomes a thing of the past, that all personal-care and beauty brands have adapted to a clean methodology that becomes a nationally regulated standard across the industry.

Briogeo's Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask
Briogeo

Briogeo's Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

PS: What is one product in your line that defines your brand?

NT: Our Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask ($32) is a universal product for all hair textures and types. It helps to visibly repair damage and enhance the healthiness of the hair. It's a must-have haircare staple.

Rose-Marie Swift of RMS Beauty
RMS Beauty

Rose-Marie Swift of RMS Beauty

Rose-Marie Swift has been a makeup artist for more than three decades. After experiencing a health issue potentially related to chemicals contained in cosmetics, she decided to launch her own safe brand, RMS Beauty.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Rose-Marie Swift: Healthy, modern, and innovative.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

RMS: I've learned a lot about the impact of daily exposure to chemicals in beauty-care products. I've seen what works and what doesn't live up to its promises. I see the results of taking a quick-fix approach to looking good. I know firsthand the price our health can pay in the pursuit of beauty, and I realized that what women need is a cosmetics line that is as pure as possible. Women have the right to be able to purchase a clean, healthy product and not be judged as different or rebellious. I have led my life on a healthier, cleaner path even as a child, and that message to me is my life's mission. I feel woman really can relate to that and know they are purchasing a great product.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

RMS: We are screaming for change, and who else can really change the direction of a male-dominated industry, which has been trapped in a tunnel for the last 80 years, but women?

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

RMS: I hope that women embrace the green and clean cosmetic movement and stop being brainwashed by the traditional beauty industry and designer labels.

RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer
RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer

PS: What is one product in your line that defines your brand?

RMS: Living Luminizer ($38) is my cult-hero product that put RMS Beauty on the map. You will find it in every makeup artist's and beauty editor's bag. I have always believed in the "less is more" philosophy; this product enhances the skin and adds a touch of youthful radiance. The simple purity of natural ingredients gives me the confidence and security that I'm wearing a healthy and fashion-forward brand without the chemical side effects of most beauty products.

Karen Behnke of Juice Beauty
Juice Beauty

Karen Behnke of Juice Beauty

Karen Behnke created Juice Beauty after becoming pregnant. Today, it's a leading organic makeup and skincare line.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Karen Behnke: I can't pick just three, but I can use four words to define Juice Beauty! Clinically validated. Authentically organic.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

KB: I've been a serial wellness entrepreneur for years. But it was later that I developed an interest in personal-care products upon becoming pregnant with my first child at the age of 40. I was astounded to learn that, although the skin absorbs up to 60 percent of what is placed on it, there were very few available healthy personal-care products that worked well.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

KB: Hormonal changes in teens, childbearing, and aging are unique for women, and beauty products are so tied to our rituals as well as self-esteem. We have that emotional connection behind the products we develop because we understand the need. We've been there.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

KB: I hope consumers begin to understand the difference between "organic" and "natural," as Juice Beauty is still one of the only organic beauty companies in the prestige market. Organic is regulated in the US, and to label and use the word organic freely, one must have greater than 70 percent total organic content excluding water. Natural is an unregulated term and can mean anything. Additionally, labels such as "ecocert" are not recognized by the US government and only require a total of 10 percent organic content.

Juice Beauty's Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara
Juice Beauty

Juice Beauty's Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara

PS: What product defines your brand?

KB: We have over 75 skincare products and 75 makeup products. With makeup, it would be a tie between our Phyto-Pigments Illuminating Primer and our Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara ($24).

Kirsten Kjaer Weis of Kjaer Weis
Kjaer Weis

Kirsten Kjaer Weis of Kjaer Weis

Danish-born makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis has created a high-end makeup line that is good for your skin. The natural ingredients mean no more makeup-induced breakouts.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Kirsten Kjaer Weis: Organic, high-performing, and luxurious.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

KKW: I was inspired by my time in the field as a makeup artist where I saw firsthand all of the skin issues that the models were developing. I was able to see the effects of the conventional makeup that they were wearing on a daily basis. At the time, there wasn't an alternative within the green space that could replace the conventional brands in my kit. That was my aha moment, realizing that there was a gap in the market. I wanted to merge these two worlds together without any compromises.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

KKW: The majority of customers using beauty products are women, so we need to set the tone for what is acceptable within the industry. This also translates into marketing and imagery. The pressure that the industry has put on women and aging compared to how they embrace it when it comes to men, there is a massive discrepancy. It's extremely important for women to lead this beauty innovation.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

KKW: I hope that the industry keeps expanding and that it steps out of being the "little sister" niche market. I believe the roles will eventually reverse within the industry, allowing clean beauty to become a given. I also hope that there are eventually more defined standards within the space in terms of natural vs. organic to help simplify for customers.

Kjaer Weis's Cream Foundation
Kjaer Weis

Kjaer Weis's Cream Foundation

PS: What is one product in your line that defines your brand?

KKW: Our Cream Foundation ($40), because the formulation is just like skin care yet functions beautifully as makeup. It gives the most flawless coverage while being invisible on the skin.

Sylwia Wiesenberg of Bawdy
Bawdy

Sylwia Wiesenberg of Bawdy

Sylwia Wiesenberg is bringing a bit of fun to the sometimes-serious clean beauty space. Her Bawdy Beauty line of butt masks is just one example.

POPSUGAR: How would you describe your brand in three words?

Sylwia Wiesenberg: Original, clean, and adventurous.

PS: What inspired you to start a clean beauty line?

SW: I believe it doesn't make sense to carefully feed my body with organic food and then pollute it with dirty skin care, hair care, or makeup. I always say that what matters most is the quality of ingredients, and I seek ingredients that are pure and unspoiled. By creating Bawdy the Butt Galaxy brand, I wanted to be fun yet serious about the ingredients. I will never endorse a product that I don't use or believe in and I stay firm in my belief.

PS: Why is it important for women to lead beauty innovation?

SW: Women who create clean beauty target other women who dream about walking into a safe space like Credo Beauty knowing that they can shop worry-free and enjoy the beauty experience without wondering if the makeup, cream, or mask they bought is actually safe for them and their family.

PS: What are your hopes for the future of the clean beauty industry?

SW: I hope that clean beauty will become the norm — that we won't have to search for it since it will be everywhere. Then we can just enjoy beauty and not fear it.

Bawdy's Shake It Mask
Bawdy

Bawdy's Shake It Mask

PS: What is one product in your line that defines your brand?

SW: Shake It ($8), a sheet butt mask that is firming and illuminating. It is fun as it has gold dust that illuminates your butt and reflects light. Besides the benefits and how clean it is, it actually says "shake it" on the mask, and once applied on my butt, I cannot stop myself from shaking my butt — it really stays on.