While people across the world are fighting a year-long pandemic already, Asian American Pacific Islanders continue to fight an even bigger, far more unfair fight, everyday. Anti-Asian discrimination and Asian hate crimes have seen a rising high, above and over these hope-wrenching uncertain times.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Since threat hangs on first and foremost humanity and then all of our heads, belonging to any of the communities, coming from any of the backgrounds, it is on each one us to voice for our or our friend’s community, bring changes in the collective behavior, raise awareness and stir a revolution.
And so here we are, celebrating the Asian American Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, and taking a small step towards this bigger goal.
The list below is of the best of Asian beauty brands, thriving in the industry, each working towards a different purpose, all working in sustainable and clean way and towards healthier skins and planet.
Hued for the rest of the week will be bringing to you the best of AAPI names, Asian created products, big and small brands, art of all sorts and much more, asking for nothing in return but your unconditional love and support to them.
We hope we, together with you, can bring hues of happiness, equality, and justice to the lives of all.
Cocokind
Launched in 2015, Cocokind is one that has it all – clean quality ingredients? yes. plethora of products for all skin types? yes. Sustainable and grammable packaging? yes. Affordable rates? hell yes. (No, we’re not lying, it’s all under $25!) With only 6 years into the business, Cocokind has offered a product range loved by skins and hearts of many conscious consumers all around.
Behind the Brand:
Founder Priscilla Tsai is a Taiwanese-American, who ditched a 9-5-job life to start her own company, now a thriving business – constantly practicing transparency. She found inspiration for the same in her parents’ immigrant life, her own skin struggles and her very skincare–leaned culture.
Brand’s Best:
– https://www.cocokind.com/collections/bestsellers-1/products/organic-ultra-chlorophyll-mask
– https://www.cocokind.com/collections/must-haves/products/physical-sunscreen
– https://www.cocokind.com/collections/must-haves/products/sake-body-lotion
– https://www.cocokind.com/collections/all/products/oil-to-milk-cleanser
Kulfi
Named after a very beloved South Asian frozen desert, much like ice cream, Kulfi is the youngest brand baby on the list, with a February 2021 launch. Kulfi is by, for, and a loud and bright celebration of the South Asian community. Reimagining the kajal, the brand debuted with Kajal Liners in 8 vibrant hues to match the duskier and deeper skin tones. Made vegan and cruelty free, Kulfi moves with a core mission to constantly melt beauty norms and create space for self-expression.
Behind the Brand:
Priyanka Ganjoo, a Delhi girl and a kulfi lover, calls Kulfi a result of her journey of rediscovering joy in makeup and reclaiming her beauty. She serves these milky-textured treats to honor and represent her culture and women of South Asian skin. Ganjoo names her brand Kulfi remembering her nostalgic playful Delhi summer days.
Brand’s Best:
Peach and Lily
If you are a skin enthusiast, chances are you have heard of K-beauty and if you have heard about K-beauty, then even greater chances are you have heard and tried Peach and Lily already. Founded in 2012, and with close to a decade long run in the skin care space, Peach and Lily has believed and worked towards empowering and driving many’s skin transformation into their best, most healthy skin yet, with its worry-free, non-toxic, vegan and cruelty-free goodie line.
Behind the Brand:
A young and passionate entrepreneur, Alicia Yoon, is a South Korean esthetician based in the States. Post struggling with severe eczema and problematic skin in her growing years, Yoon educated herself on skin care formulas and techniques, and went ahead to launch her brand. She has been hugely inspired by her bicultural heritage, and runs the brand with an aim to share with the world the very best of K-Beauty.
Brand’s Best:
– https://www.peachandlily.com/products/glass-skin-refining-serum
– https://www.peachandlily.com/products/original-glow-sheet-mask
– https://www.peachandlily.com/products/lazy-day-all-in-one-moisture-pad
– https://www.peachandlily.com/products/overnight-star-sleeping-mask
Knours
A brand built on a one of a kind purpose, Knours, standing for ‘Know your skin. Period.’, is a safe and clean skincare pick created to solve hormone related skin concern. It is to help breakouts, hormonal acne and other conditions of skins, of all sorts, that women go through during the menstrual cycle. Birthed in 2018, the brand works towards bringing period-conscious skin solutions to gently tackle the 3M’s: menstruation, maternity, and menopause.
Behind the Brand:
The woman behind this ‘wow, man’ idea, is Julia Chon. A mother of two, Chon walked away from her hospital physical therapist life to extensively help fellow women fight their own hormones after drawing inspiration from her own skin struggles and the fundamentals of the Korean skincare. She crafted this brand, started a movement, and gave women a much needed best friend.
Brand’s Best:
– https://www.knoursbeauty.com/collections/shop-all-1/products/double-duty-mist
– https://www.knoursbeauty.com/collections/shop-all-1/products/your-only-cleanser
– https://www.knoursbeauty.com/collections/shop-all-1/products/one-perfect-cream
– https://www.knoursbeauty.com/collections/shop-all-1/products/sweet-rescue-nourishing-mask
Superegg
Hatched in December 2020, Superegg is a vegan, clean, people & planet conscious brand that brings the power of an egg and its nutritional values, in a never seen before – eye pleasing white egg shaped encasing. Superegg products through vegan and plant-based means duplicate the benefits and unique components of each part of an egg – the white, the yolk and the membrane to bring an eggcellent skin treat.
Behind the Brand:
Erica Choi, born in a beautiful South Korean city, Busan is a leading beauty influencer, licensed esthetician and the creative head or should we say creative hen 😉 that birthed the only vegan egg to exist, Superegg. She drew inspiration from the Asian beauty rituals and reinvented the inclusion of egg at every step.
Brand’s Best:
– https://www.superegg.nyc/collections/all-products/products/calm-movements
– https://www.superegg.nyc/collections/all-products/products/gentle-elements
– https://www.superegg.nyc/collections/all-products/products/sound-renewal
Ellis Brooklyn
Ellis Brooklyn is where clean meets fragrances. The cruelty free brand, launched in 2015, offers unforgettable scents made with clean ingredients and sourced sustainably. The scents and their names take after words in all forms – literature, songs, poetry etc and the pastel colored fragrances come in chic glass bottles, smelling like perfection.
Behind the Brand:
Born in Taiwan, ¾ Hakka Chinese and ¼ Shanghainese, and a The New York Times columnist, covering the style & beauty for over a decade, Bee Shapiro, is a mother of two and a luxurious fragrance lover. She created the brand over a simple need of lack of clean fragrances. Shapiro fought through several challenges that came due to her Asian American background and successfully has and continues to leave a strong scent in the men-dominated perfume industry.
Brand’s Best:
– https://www.ellisbrooklyn.com/collections/products/products/salt-eau-de-parfum
– https://www.ellisbrooklyn.com/collections/products/products/myth-eau-de-parfum
– https://www.ellisbrooklyn.com/collections/fine-fragrance/products/west-eau-de-parfum
Live Tinted
Started as a movement, Live Tinted in 2018, launched as a digital community touching the themes of inclusivity and diversity in beauty. Soon the brand came out with it’s first product, Huestick, that skyrocketed the brand’s success and built the brand into what it is today. Live Tinted brings cruelty-free, clean and vegan free range that celebrates culture and skin shades that are often missed in between.
Behind the Brand:
Behind the brand is the Indian origin American boss lady, Deepica Mutyala. The beauty influencer, went viral, back in 2015, for her red lipstick undereye-circle hack tutorial – which years later birthed Live Tinted. With every post and product, Deepica aims to change the beauty narrative and break beauty standards, making space in the industry for skin shades like hers.
Brand’s Best:
