Standing out amid the crowd, many of Dr. Patel's Visha Skincare, products are uniquely formulated for athletes and expectant mothers.
Growing up South Asian American, I barely saw myself in the beauty world. One or two brands may have carried my foundation shade; most made me look orange or didn't have my shade at all. Brands barely prioritized issues people of color frequently deal with, like hyperpigmentation and dark spots. As a result, members of the South Asian diaspora created their own content and brands representing their unique identities and upbringings.
Deepica Mutyala changed the game with Live Tinted, which was inspired by her red-lipstick color-correcting hack. Sibling duo Akash and Nikita Mehta brought Ayurvedic hair care to the forefront with Fable and Mane; I even reviewed the brand's core line. Blume founders Taran and Bunny Ghatrora made it their mission to normalize acne and all things puberty, hormonal changes, and self care. Those stunning gold undereye patches all over Instagram and TikTok are created by Divya Gugnani's brand Wander Beauty, which makes multitasking beauty products that are high quality and convenient.
Taking inspiration from their heritage, background, and issues, these South Asian brand owners are breaking glass ceilings and making an impactful difference in the beauty industry. Ahead, get to know these brands, their founders, and the best products to try — from skin care to makeup to hair care.
Plantkos Skincare
The Brand: Plantkos Skincare was founded by Dr. Sejal Patel to help her daughter handle pigmentary mosaicism. The line takes a sensitive and gentle approach to helping those dealing with inflammation, dehydration, and hyperpigmentation issues. Dr. Patel used her background in pharmacy to create a line powered by Ayurvedic botanicals and western skin-care practices.
What to Buy:The Phyto Replenishing Facial Essence ($47) is a deeply hydrating toner you'll love using in your routine. It contains rose water, chamomile, licorice root, and probiotic ferment that replenishes and soothes the skin while prepping it for the rest of your skin-care routine. It's great for strengthening your skin's moisture barrier.
Zaila Skin
The Brand: Founded by Moumita Sahoo, Zaila Skin is a fun take on an Ayurvedic-inspired skin-care brand. After facing negativity when it came to treating her skin concerns, Sahoo wanted to make skin care fun and positive again. The brand uses ingredients rooted in botanicals and backed by clinical research.
What to Buy: The Silk Smoothie Moisturizer ($42) has a lovely gel-cushion texture perfect for those who need a boost of hydration to their skin. It has reishi, ginseng, and sandalwood to help soothe the skin, as well as oats, aloe vera, and vitamin B5 to moisturize and hydrate.
Silk Smoothie Moisturizer
$42
from ZAILASKIN.COM
Squigs
The Brand: Created by fashion editor Nikita Charuza, Squigs is "head care" that brings the fun back into skin care and hair care. The brand is all about enjoying your routine, with packaging that's a nostalgic nod to the '90s and early 2000s.
What to Buy: The Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil ($34) takes the Ayurvedic rituals and ingredients used in hair-oiling practices and makes them convenient for modern use. The oil doesn't stain your clothes or pillowcases, and it makes your hair feel soft and luscious. It even helps increase shine and reduce frizz.
Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil
$34
from SQUIGSBEAUTY.COM
Mora Cosmetics
The Brand: Created by Minara El-Rahman and Jasmine Dayal, Mora Cosmetics is a halal makeup line that is clean and vegan. Its mission is to highlight your beauty and make you feel confident in your own skin.
What to Buy: The Satin Sheen Multistick ($25) is a pigmented multistick you can use to give your lips or cheeks a stunning flush of color. It's a lightweight, blendable formula that will give you a natural rosy glow. It comes in three colors: a wine red, a rosy neutral, and a '90s brown.
The Satin Sheen Multistick
$25
from THIRTEENLUNE.COM
Samreens Vanity
The Brand:Created by Samreen Arshad, Samreens Vanity aims to create representation in the makeup space with unique products that celebrate her background and heritage. The products are clean, cruelty free, halal, and kosher.
What to Buy: The Samreens Vanity Lipstick in Sassy Sam ($25) is a lipstick and lip liner in one nifty pencil. It's long-lasting, with a semimatte, satin finish. The shade Sassy Sam is a vibrant red that's perfect for a bold-lip moment.
Samreens Vanity Lipstick in Sassy Sam $25 from SAMREENSVANITY.COM
Aavrani
The Brand: Created by Rooshy Roy, Aavrani was built on the foundations of embracing clinically proven, modern-day routines and ancient, all-natural rituals. The brand empowers everyone to embrace and celebrate what makes them unique.
What to Buy: The Glow Activating Exfoliator ($29-$70) is one of the brand's bestselling products. Made with turmeric, neem, jojoba, and raw honey, this gentle mask is a luxurious facial in a jar. You can leave it on for up to five minutes or longer, until it hardens. It yields soft, glowing skin.
If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, the Healing Rose Clay Mask ($39) will calm your skin, diminish breakouts, and soothe irritation. It contains saffron, pomegranate, rose clay, rose water, and pure rose oil. It's an editor favorite — read the in-depth review.
Glow Activating Exfoliator
$29
from AAVRANI.COM
Healing Rose Clay Mask
$39
from AAVRANI.COM
Kulfi Beauty
The Brand: Kulfi Beauty was created by Priyanka Ganjoo, who previously worked at beauty heavyweights like Estée Lauder and Ipsy. Ganjoo launched the brand after realizing that South Asian individuals are often underrepresented in the beauty industry.
What to Buy: The Underlined Kajal Eyeliner ($20) has a smooth texture and an aloe-vera-infused formula that helps the product glide onto the eyes with minimal tugging. Once applied, it gives you a dry finish that won't budge no matter the situation. Read the in-depth review.
Underlined Kajal Eyeliner
$20
from KULFIBEAUTY.COM
CTZN Cosmetics
The Brand:CTZN was founded by three Pakistani siblings: Aleena, Aleezeh, and Naseeha Khan. Born in the US and raised in the UAE, the sisters set out to combat the lack of Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern representation in the beauty industry by creating a lineup of inclusive, genderless products that work on all skin tones. Their nude lipsticks, which come in 25 shades, are now considered beauty must haves.
What to Buy: The Nudiversal Lipstick ($25) is your go-to nude shade. It comes in 25 shades that complement various skin tones, undertones, and lip tones. One side is a matte lipstick, and the other is a matching lip gloss.
Nudiversal Lipstick
$25
from CTZNCOSMETICS.COM
Wander Beauty
The Brand: Created by Divya Gugnani, Wander Beauty is for the person on the go. The products are made for those who need a streamlined routine and have no time for 10-plus steps. Most of its products are multitaskers that will make getting ready one fewer thing you have to worry about.
What to Buy: The Baggage Claim Eye Masks ($26 for six) have gone viral on Instagram and TikTok. Each eye patch contains a hydrating mix of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and amino acids to lift and firm the area for a more awake appearance. The cool thing about these eye masks is that there's an elastic layer that will prevent them from slipping off. You can catch a flight, get ready in an Uber, drink coffee, or do the rest of your routine while your undereyes get some extra love.
The Mile High Club Mascara ($26) is another great product from the brand — it's all you need for volume and length. The mascara is smudge proof, flake proof, and water resistant for all-day wear.
Baggage Claim Eye Masks $26 from SEPHORA.COM
Mile High Club Mascara $26 from SEPHORA.COM
Soma Ayurvedic
The Brand: Created by Arjun Sampath, Soma Ayurvedic is a skin-care brand inspired by Ayurvedic practices that span centuries. With ingredients sourced from adaptogenic herbs from farms all over India, this skin-care line is a luxurious experience suitable for all skin types. The brand even gives back by donating school supplies to kids in the communities it works with. The products are housed in bottles made from recycled glass.
What to Buy: The Soma Ayurvedic Jasmine Body Oil ($128) is a lightweight, quick-absorbing formula that's deeply moisturizing. It doesn't leave any type of residue or stickiness on the skin or clothing. The body oil makes your skin look glowy and feel soft and silky. The best part is the scent: it smells exactly like jasmine flowers from India. It's a familiar yet romantic scent that will make you feel at home. If you aren't convinced yet, read our in-depth review.
Soma Ayurvedic Jasmine Body Oil $128 from SOMAYURVEDIC.COM
Live Tinted
The Brand: Founded by influencer Deepica Mutyala, Live Tinted aims to make every skin tone feel seen and represented. Mutyala's career started with a color-correcting hack and led to the creation of her own brand. Live Tinted has products that are both universally flattering and multitasking — which makes our lives a lot easier.
What to Buy: The Hueguard 3-in-1 Broad Spectrum Mineral SPF 30 Primer ($32) sunscreen is a three-in-one product that is a sunscreen, a moisturizer, and a primer. The mineral sunscreen has an SPF of 30, and it's formulated with 18 percent nonnano zinc oxide. It's clean, vegan, cruelty free, fragrance free, and reef safe. The finish of this sunscreen leaves your complexion with a sun-kissed glow rather than a white cast. Read our in-depth review if you're not yet convinced.
Hueguard 3-in-1 Broad Spectrum Mineral SPF 30 Primer $32 from ULTA.COM
Ranavat
The Brand: Created by Michelle Ranavat, Ranavat aims to make everyone feel like royalty by encouraging self-care. The products exude luxury and contain powerful botanicals.
What to Buy: Loaded with antioxidants, the Eternal Reign Renewing Bakuchi Crème ($95) is a rich, hydrating cream that's great for normal-to-dry skin types. It contains bakuchi seed, which is a soothing ingredient that can help even out the skin tone, and ashwagandha, an adaptogen that helps balance the skin. You can use it day and night.
Eternal Reign Renewing Bakuchi Crème $95 from SEPHORA.COM
Blume
The Brand: Created by Taran and Bunny, Blume is a personal-care wellness brand that aims to empower women to not feel ashamed of their womanhood — from PMS and puberty to breakouts and self-care.
What to Buy: The Meltdown Acne Oil ($28) is one of its bestselling products for treating and preventing breakouts. You can use it as a spot treatment or an all-over facial oil. It takes a gentle approach to diminishing breakouts and reducing inflammation.
The Superpower Clay Mask ($34) is an editor favorite and a great weekly treatment for breakouts and congested pores.
Meltdown Acne Oil $28 from BLUME.COM
Superpower Clay Mask $34 from BLUME.COM
Fable & Mane
The Brand: Created by siblings Akash and Nikita Mehta, Fable & Mane takes the tradition of Indian hair oiling to a new level. Fable & Mane is loaded with incredible ingredients that will nourish your scalp and hair.
What to Buy: The HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil ($34) is centuries of South Asian hair treatments and remedies in a bottle, and it smells absolutely divine. It contains ashwagandha, dashmool, castor oil, and various other Ayurvedic oils, as well as extracts such as brahmi, sesame-seed oil, safflower oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and grape-seed oil. These ingredients promote hair growth and strength while protecting hair from damage, breakage, and split ends. A little goes a long way in making your hair feel softer and look silkier and shinier.
If you are looking to boost your shine levels on styled hair or just want to spritz yourself with the divine scent, get the new HoliRoots Hibiscus Hydrating Hair Oil Mist ($29). It's an editor favorite — read our in-depth review.
HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil $34 from SEPHORA.COM
Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hibiscus Hydrating Hair Oil Mist
$29
from SEPHORA.COM
Mango People Cosmetics
The Brand: Created by Sravya Kalyanapu, Mango People is a clean-beauty brand that merges skin care and makeup. Its pigments are all derived from fruits, vegetables, and the earth.
What to Buy: The Multi Stick ($24) is the perfect multiuse color and works for all skin tones. It has a gorgeous shade range, and the product looks amazing as eyeshadow, lipstick, and even blush. We love the colors Gulabi, Cherry, and Peach.
Multi Stick $24 from MANGOPEOPLEOFFICIAL.COM
Shaz & Kiks
The Brand: Shaz & Kiks is created by sisters Shaz and Kiku, who were inspired by their grandmother's recipes. It's a hair-care brand that uses Indian herbs and Ayurvedic oils to create the ultimate nourishing hair-treatment line.
What to Buy: All you need is 20 minutes once a week for smooth, shiny, and healthy hair. The Back to Your Roots Scalp + Hair Prewash ($60) is a creamy, plant-based hair mask formulated with 20 nutrient-dense Indian herbs, oils, and flowers that will nourish your scalp and hair. Just take a scoop of this, concentrate it on your roots, and massage it in, spreading the excess to your midshaft and down. Tie your hair up in a bun, and let it soak in. This formula is great for those with dry, frizzy, or curly hair. If you have a hair type that leans more thin and flat, try the Back to Your Roots Scalp + Hair Prewash For Thin, Flat, or Normal Hair ($60).
Back to Your Roots Scalp + Hair Prewash
$60
from THIRTEENLUNE.COM
Back to Your Roots Scalp + Hair Prewash For Thin, Flat, or Normal Hair
$60
from THIRTEENLUNE.COM
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty
The Brand: Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Lara Devgan created the medical-grade Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty to give the best of the best to your skin. Her line is preventive and takes a less-is-more approach.
What to Buy: If you want lip fillers but don't want to commit to them, the Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 ($50) is a must have. It's a clear gloss that hydrates the lips while giving them a smoother, more plumped look. It contains multiple weights of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacin.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 $50 from SEPHORA.COM
Shayde Beauty
The Brand: Shayde Beauty is a skin-care brand made with melanin in mind. After seeing how the beauty industry overlooks the struggles people of color go through with their skin, founder Shay created products that help solve the skin issues people of color go through and are also safe to use.
What to Buy: The Overnight Glow Up ($54) has a potent and powerful mix of niacinamide, kojic acid, coffee-bean extract, and fruit extracts to revive the skin and reduce the appearance of discoloration. It's a serum formula that you leave on overnight. You can use this treatment one to three times per week.
Overnight Glow Up
$54
from THIRTEENLUNE.COM
Visha Skincare
The Brand:Visha Skincareis a skin-care line created by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Purvisha Patel. Visha Skincare is unique in that it has specific lines targeting fitness enthusiasts and moms-to-be.
What to Buy:Whether you're pregnant or breastfeeding, theMommy Brightener With Illuminotex($65) is perfect for battling hyperpigmentation. It contains azelaic acid, vitamin C, kojic acid, ferulic acid, vitamin E, and Illuminotex, a natural brightening agent. You can use this twice a day — just be sure to wear sunscreen in the mornings.
The Brand: Created by Anisha Vinjamuri, Umm Skincare aims to give you the ultimate spa and wellness experience at home. Its luxurious products are filled with skin-loving, nourishing ingredients rooted in the wisdom of Ayurveda.
What to Buy: Pamper your skin with the ultraluxurious Body Oil ($65). It's filled with nourishing ingredients, such as almond oil, jojoba oil, safflower oil, saffron, Ashwagandha, ylang ylang, and flakes of 24k gold.
Body Oil $65 from UMMSKINCARE.COM
Oath MD
The Brand: Oath MD is a vegan, noncomedegenic, fragrance-free line created by dermatologists Dr. Divya Shokeen and Dr. Mona Mislankar. Inspired by the Hippocratic Oath, they aimed to create a line that makes skin care more transparent, manageable, and approachable.
What to Buy: If you have oily or acne-prone skin, the Oath MD TBH Facial Serum ($68) might be your new favorite night serum. It has it all, including bakuchiol, AHAs, manuka honey, niacinamide, green tea, zinc, and aloe — the perfect combination for diminishing breakouts and calming down inflamed skin.
Oath MD TBH Facial Serum $68 from OATHMD.COM
Chiji
The Brand: Created by Venus et Fluer founder Seema Bansal Chadha, Chiji is a wellness brand that aims to help people put themselves first. From crystal-infused candles to crystal facial rollers, these products promote good vibes and remind you to take care of yourself holistically.
What to Buy: Facial massage has so many benefits, including promoting blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. Give yourself a zen moment with the Chiji Opal Face Roller ($30).
$30
Chiji Opal Face Roller
from HOMEOFCHIJI.COM
Journ Beauty
The Brand: Journ Beauty was founded to give people a more streamlined routine. Founder Sara Shah dealt with acne and wanted to create skin-care-focused cosmetics that correct current problems both immediately and over time with skin-nourishing ingredients.
What to Buy:The Alpenglow Color Corrector ($39) is great for color correcting dull skin. It contains vitamin C, vitamin E, and arbutin to help brighten and even out skin tone.
$39
Alpenglow Color Corrector
from OURJOURN.COM
Bili Beauty
The Brand: Bili Beauty is a makeup brand inspired by the rich colors and traditions of India. Founder Sarah Sophy Thomas created this brand when she realized there wasn't enough representation in beauty. The brand aims to be all-inclusive with its shades.
What to Buy: The incredibly vibrant Eyes of India Eyeshadow Palette ($42) is perfect for any makeup-lover. It contains 10 vibrant eyeshadows that range from neutrals to shimmery pops of color.
Eyes of India Eyeshadow Palette
$42
from BILIBEAUTY.COM
Khalm Skincare
The Brand: Created by Yaz Khan, Khalm Skincare is a skin-care line that uses oud, a healing oil used in Ayurvedic practices. Khalm Skincare is for all skin types and is a truly luxurious experience.
What to Buy: The Overnight Oil Elixir ($185) combines tradition and modernity. It contains oud, prickly pear, and vitamin C to brighten and hydrate the skin. It's a luxurious facial oil with a sensual scent.
Overnight Oil Elixir
$185
from KHALMSKINCARE.COM
Yellow Beauty
The Brand: Created by couple Jaz and Jamil, Yellow Beauty is an anti-inflammatory, turmeric-based skin-care company inspired by the Holud ceremony in Bangladesh.
What to Buy: The Power Couple ($54) consists of a facial scrub and a detoxifying mask that will help calm and brighten irritated skin. Whether you need to take care of a breakout or give yourself a glow-from-within boost, the Power Couple has you covered.
