When shopping for all things beauty, it can be easy and convenient to just head to the nearest drugstore like Guardian or Watsons, or head right to Sephora where you’re greeted with established brands and pick out what you need.
And while there is nothing wrong with supporting big labels, indie brands have a charm of their own. These lesser-known brands tend to share certain characteristics such as they’re small companies and generally have more intimate customer service; they’re creative, innovative and distinct with their formulations, offerings, and packaging; and that their products are artisanally-made and cruelty-free.
Moreover, you would be supporting a small enterprise and their dreams of creating what the markets lack. Plus, your new flex can be telling your friends you tried a new brand they may not have come across.
This article first appeared in Cleo Singapore.
The late Fabienne Christenson jumped into her passion and started Possets Perfume after being dissatisfied with her life in the corporate world. The label is known for the niche blends of oil-based fragrances inspired by art and are vegan and handmade.
While the brand doesn’t use fancy bottles that deserve their own spot on your vanity (they use standard pharmaceutical/aromatherapy bottles to reduce cost), the perfume oils pack a punch with a little going a long way. Possets has a sizeable variety of scents that can be overwhelming to try, but they also retail sample packs to ease you into their aromatic world.
Future Primitive Soap Co. was founded by Tiggy Fiander in 2006 and her line of handmade body care, hair care and perfumes are inspired by her love for the people and places in England. The vegan and cruelty-free brand is also known for using hand-blended scents that are emotive, complex and long-lasting without being cloying. A fan-favourite is their water-less whipped soap that can be used as shampoo, soap and even shave cream.
For all you RuPaul’s Drag Race fans, drag queen Kim Chi shouldn’t be an unfamiliar name. The South Korean-American performer first stole our hearts in season eight with her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent and her amazing makeup and fashion looks.
KimChi Chic Beauty is an extension of her love for makeup and the cruelty-free line has since expanded to include concealers, loose powders, powder and liquid eyeshadows, highlighters, and lip products. Moreover, two per cent of the sales prices go to a good cause – The Trevor Project which helps prevent suicides among LGBTQ youth in America.
Finding the right foundations can be difficult if you have sensitive skin. Annie Theiss Jebens created Lucy Minerals because she couldn’t find the right foundation to suit her sensitive skin prone to acne and rosacea. Her mineral-based talc-free foundation is available in different formulas for oily, combination/sensitive and extremely sensitive skin type.
Moreover, finding the right shade is made easy as Lucy Minerals retail sample sizes for you to test the shades before committing to a full size. You can even custom order your foundation shade to your personal liking. The vegan, cruelty-free brand also retails skincare and a range of makeup needed to do a full face.
Holy Snails started as a skincare blog that focused on K-beauty by Jude Chao and Chels Cortes in 2014. Peeling back the marketing jargon, they’ve discovered what made Korean skincare products great: the focus on scientific research. Since then, they’ve started their own line of K-beauty inspired skincare that has won over many fanatics.
The hot product is the Shark Sauce (no sharks were harmed in its making), which employs five per cent niacinamide and three per cent n-acetylglucosamine – a ratio that they claim is perfect for targeting hyperpigmentation, redness and signs of ageing. The handmade, cruelty-free label also has other serums and essences in its stable.
Andrea Evans started cruelty-free cosmetics label My Pretty Zombie as a side hobby on Etsy in 2010 and has since become highly favoured in the indie beauty community. They are known for their unique shades, especially their colour-shifting duochrome eyeshadows and pigmented blushes, with equally unconventional names like Coffin Critters (black matte) and Armadillo Debutante (peach with blue glitter shift). Their nail polishes are also well-received too and are available in vegan formulas. My Pretty Zombie also sells highlighters, lipsticks, setting powders and sample sizes.
You know a makeup brand is legit when professional drag queens gush about their products. Sugarpill is one of these brands. Amy Doan, who goes by the name Shrinkle, dropped Sugarpill’s first line of bright eyeshadows in 2010 and has since made a name for its colourful, impactful and unique cruelty-free offerings. These include loose and pressed eyeshadow of different finishes, lip products and false eyelashes. Shades like white, yellow and red, which are hard to formulate well, have become best-sellers for the label.
With a name inspired by the layers of the skin, Stratia is focused on delivering effective and restorative cruelty-free skincare. Alli Reed turned her passion for all things skin and started the label with Liquid Gold, which happens to be the brand’s bestseller. Liquid Gold is made with ceramides, cholesterols and fatty acids to repair the skin barrier, niacinamide to brighten and regulate skin cell turnover and sea buckthorn oil to soothe and heal.
Other Stratia products include facial wash, chemical exfoliant and a water-less vitamin C serum. People with sensitive skin can try Stratia as their products aren’t formulated with irritants like fragrances, denatured alcohol and essential oils.