These Will Be the Most Influential Beauty Brands of 2017

POPSUGAR Photography | Maria del Rio
POPSUGAR Photography | Maria del Rio

Every year, we're wowed by incredible innovation, pretty packaging, and genius marketing strategies from our favorite beauty companies, but the past 12 months saw some particularly game-changing moments. We kept tabs on them all, from the impossibly viral launch of Too Faced Sweet Peach to the much-anticipated debut of stylist Jen Atkin's Ouai and every exciting event in between. As we look on to next year, we're prepared to call it: these will be the brands to revolutionize the industry in 2017. Read on to see if your favorite made the list.

Too Faced

If the past few months are an indication of future success, 2017 is going to be a banner year for Too Faced. The brand collaborated with Kat Von D, launched an incredibly viral collection inspired by its Sweet Peach palette, and inked an unprecedented $1.45 billion deal with Estée Lauder.

Too Faced's huge growth this year is in large part due to cofounder Jerrod Blandino's dedicated Instagram fans. He shares product sneak peeks many months before they hit shelves (sometimes years in advance), creating an unprecedented level of hype around each and every launch.

Cuvée Beauty

This up-and-coming hair care line harnesses the power of Champagne in every bottle. Brand founder Rachel Katzman was inspired to start her company after being soaked in the fizzy stuff on a wild trip to Las Vegas. She loved how soft and textured it made her strands, so she developed a range of six unisex products — including a shampoo and a serum-like complex — infused with Champagne, white truffle, and platinum. Once you experience the way Cuvée Beauty's luxe formulas transform your hair, you'll be drunk in love.

Kat Von D

Like her close friend (and collaborator) Jerrod Blandino, Kat Von D has a legion of fans who flock to her Instagram feed for product reveals and swatches, which she shows off long before the official launch dates. Items like the Pastel Goth palette, brightening powder, and Saint & Sinner palette have us all anxiously looking ahead to 2017.

In 2016, she announced that she was taking strides to make her brand entirely vegan, garnering a new group of fiercely loyal devotees. By making Kat Von D Beauty a line that animal-lovers can trust — as well as drawing in artists searching for highly pigmented formulas — Kat has cemented her company's place on this list. Keep an eye on what comes next from her!

Anastasia Beverly Hills

What started as a cult-favorite brow brand beloved by the Kardashians has grown to the most in-demand range across the United States. Anastasia Beverly Hills blew up this year thanks to popular launches like the unicornesque Moonchild Glow Kit, a collaboration with Mario Dedivanovic, and a foray into the world of makeup brushes. Many of its dedicated Instagram followers — all 12 million of them — are professional makeup artists who religiously follow the feed to see their own work regrammed on the account. With excitement building around an upcoming partnership with major influencer Nicole Guerriero, we know that it'll maintain the amazing momentum it built up this year into 2017.

Urban Decay

Twenty years ago, Urban Decay started as a way for women to rebel against the widespread surge of saccharine pink shades in the cosmetics industry. Then, there were only 10 lipsticks and 12 nail polishes in the range. Now, it has been named brand of the year by WWD Beauty Inc, sells the most popular eye shadow palette ever (Naked, natch), and has even expanded to include some of those once-maligned softer shades. This year brought blockbuster launches like the Vintage Vault, a highlighter set, and an all-matte Naked palette, but we're already looking ahead to next year. If these upcoming products are any indication, the internationally adored brand could be getting a chic new look.

NYX Cosmetics

NYX Cosmetics closed out 2016 with a bang — and some seriously covetable new launches. Products like the Wanderlust Collection, a Los Angeles-themed eye shadow vault, and a stash of 24 matte lip colors created even more buzz around the affordable, artist-quality brand. Practically the Zara of the beauty world, NYX churns out genius, trend-forward products quickly into drugstores as well as its new (and enormous) free-standing stores across America. There, shoppers can get makeovers from the brand's savvy artists. Follow this cruelty-free company closely as it moves into 2017.

Glossier

This by-millennials-for-millennials company debuted makeup this year, including its wildly popular Haloscope highlighter. But according to an interview with W, founder Emily Weiss has even bigger plans in store for 2017. Glossier will be getting its own retail location as well as launching the top-secret "Phase 3" of its product assortment.

Tarte

What started as an experiment in brand founder Maureen Kelly's NYC apartment is now a multimillion-dollar (international!) business. This year, we saw the launch of two collections of instant bestsellers (Double Duty Beauty and Rainforest of the Sea), as well as the introduction of an entirely new, genius category to the industry, athleisure beauty. Though Tarte has long been adored by cruelty-free, eco-chic beauties — as well as major influencers like MannyMUA, MakeupShayla, and Patrick Starrr — last year is an indication that 2017 will be one of its most successful yet.

ColourPop

ColourPop made headlines around the world when fans realized its products were produced by the same factories as Kylie Cosmetics and its range boasted very similar shades. However, unlike Kylie's products, restocks of sold-out items were frequent and consistent, and the entire collection was far more affordable. Fans keep returning to the brand for influencer collaborations, adorable new launches, and trendy — yet budget-friendly — shades.

Huda Beauty

It doesn't surprise us that the brand of influencer and entrepreneur Huda Kattan continues to skyrocket. Huda is one of the most supportive women in the industry and regrams videos of other artists' work, while rarely sharing her own products. However, those few product launches — which included lip liner, liquid lipstick, and eye shadow this year — cause international mayhem. Next year brings an expansion of her liquid lipstick assortment and a possible range of foundations. Keep an eye on her Snapchat, where she generously shares behind-the-scenes looks at her organization.

Wet n Wild

Though Wet n Wild has been around since 1979, it saw a surge in popularity this year for two reasons: an increased consumer focus on cruelty-free beauty (which the brand has always had) and its ultra-affordable take on rainbow highlighter. Next year will be a big one for the drugstore mainstay: it's tapped Hollywood royalty, Andy Garcia's daughter Alessandra Garcia; Jamie Foxx's daughter Corinne Foxx, and Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's daughter, Ireland Baldwin, to help launch 27 products all designed to improve your selfies.

Ouai

Celebrity stylist Jen Atkin launched her much-awaited hair care line Ouai in early 2016, and since then, styling junkies, celebrities, and beauty editors have been singing its praises. Chic, minimalist packaging, delicate floral fragrance, and fuss-free formulas that work have made every item essential. As the brand grows in 2017, its list of fans is bound to, too.

Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath is arguably the most influential makeup artist of our time. For the past few years, she's been the global creative-design director for Procter & Gamble and has overseen Max Factor and CoverGirl. This year, she debuted her own line, Pat McGrath Labs, which consists of a handful of powerfully pigmented products like highlighters and glitter lip kits. As she continues to tease us with shimmery eye shadows and creams, we know that the lustrous launches will keep coming well into 2017.

Tata Harper

As many women vow to become more eco-conscious in the New Year, we can bet that they'll start adding more Tata Harper into their skin care regimens. The 100 percent natural products of the brand are produced in small batches with sustainable packaging — and knowing they're espoused by holistic beauties Jourdan Dunn and Gwyneth Paltrow makes us love them even more. Look for its first blemish treatment formula in 2017.