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With APPI Heritage Month kicking off this week, it’s the perfect time to take notice and support the AAPI-owned and -founded brands making waves in the beauty category.
Like other founder communities of color, Asian founders of brands face their own set of hurdles when breaking into the industry. According to the nonprofit organization Score, Asian Americans own 10% of small businesses in the U.S. The organization cited access to capital and funding opportunities as the main issues hindering AAPI founders. However, as the country’s fastest-growing minority group, Asian Americans are seeing increasing success in beauty driven by consumer demand for their brands.
In May 2022, Glow Recipe, founded by Sarah Lee and Christine Chang in 2014, collaborated with emerging and well-known AAPI brands to launch the AAPI Bestseller Beauty Collection. Sold as a curated box on each included brand’s website, it retailed for $100 with $10 from each box going to AAPI advocacy organizations. Participating brands included Glow Recipe, JinSoon, Live Tinted, Hero Cosmetics, Fable & Mane, Mount Lai, Cocokind and Tower 28.
These founders have also catapulted Eastern beauty treatments and practices. “I’m seeing categories more established in Asia starting to grow in the U.S. due to more Asian-founded brands becoming mainstream,” Tatcha founder Vicky Tsai told Glossy in a previous interview. “Cleansing oils, sheet masks and even essences are now seen as skin-care essentials to many more people. There’s room for all of us, and I’m thrilled we’re all here.”
From the TikTok-viral Tower28 to the cult-favorite Tatcha, the following AAPI-owned brands are worth supporting this month and beyond.
Tatcha
At almost 20 years old, Tatcha has become a cult-favorite beauty brand. In 2017, its Water Cream was named the bestselling moisturizer at Sephora, which opened the door for the brand to expand its presence to new consumers. Since then, Tatcha has hosted pop-ups, partnered with influencers and continued to sell out of its moisturizers.
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Kulfi
Founded in 2021 by Priyanka Ganjoo and inspired by Ganjoo’s Southeast Asian heritage, , Kulfi is new to the scene but has already gained good traction. In 2022, the brand participated in Sephora’s Accelerate Program, launching at the retailer shortly after. Overall, Kulfi is on a mission to highlight diversity by amplifying often-overlooked versions of beauty.
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Tower28
Though the Sephora teens have claimed Tower28 as their hero brand, the clean beauty company has managed to connect with consumers across multiple demographics. Its bestselling collection, the SOS franchise, consistently sells out and has gone viral on TikTok numerous times.
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Glow Recipe
TikTok fame doesn’t always translate into sales, but for Glow Recipe, founded by Sarah Lee and Christine Chang in 2014, it has certainly helped. In February, the co-founders shared that the brand had reached over $300 million in sales since its launch. And its bestsellers, including the Watermelon Dew Drops, have continued to be social media favorites.
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Ellis Brooklyn
Founded by lawyer and New York Times columnist Bee Shapiro in 2014, Ellis Brooklyn quickly gained popularity for its sustainability edge and distinctive scents. Two years after its inception, the brand launched in Sephora. It’s since expanded into Ulta, Nordstrom, Bluemercury and Credo Beauty.
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