7 Beauty Brands Started By Influencers To Check Out Right Now
From Pony’s Pony Effect to Michelle Phan’s Em Cosmetics.
Beauty influencers have grown in tandem with the rise of social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. These media personalities make a living helping us navigate the expansive world of beauty by breaking things down into easier, more digestible content. Armed with firsthand knowledge of the industry and the ever-changing trends, it shouldn't be a surprise then that many of them have since launched their own beauty labels aimed at espousing their brand of beauty while attempting to fill in blank spots in the lucrative market.
Here are seven beauty brands started by influencers to check out right now, from South Korea’s Pony to OG YouTuber Michelle Phan.
Park Hye-min, more famously known online as Pony, is one of South Korea’s biggest beauty influencers. Her makeup line Pony Effect was created in partnership with makeup company Memebox and is aimed at being an experimental label that celebrates artistic expression and individuality. Pony Effect retails just about every product you need for your makeup routine.
Pony Effect is available here
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Krave Beauty is the brainchild of Korean-American YouTuber Liah Yoo. The skincare label is a reflection of her personal beauty ethos - well-made, thoughtful efficacious products made in a sustainable and inclusive manner. The products are made to be gentle and great for people with weakened skin barriers, such as the Great Barrier Relief serum which employs tamanu oil, niacinamide and ceramides.
Krave Beauty is available here
Longtime viewers of beauty YouTube would not find OG Vietnamese-American influencer Michelle Phan an unfamiliar name. The brand was first created with L’Oreal in 2013 before she bought the brand back and relaunched it as Em Cosmetics in 2017 with Phan having full creative control. Em Cosmetics prides itself on creating easy-to-use makeup that provides a polished yet effortless finish ranging from base makeup to cheek and lip products.
Em Cosmetics is available here
Related article: 2022 Makeup Trends You Can Start Wearing Now
Dutch YouTuber Nikkie de Jager or NikkieTutorials created Nimya to marry her love for cosmetics with her longtime expertise in the beauty industry. The products were made with the intention of filling gaps in the market such as the Where It All Starts Cream that doubles as a moisturiser and a luminous primer. Nimya recently launched its first colour cosmetics, Spill The Juice! Lip Gloss.
Nimya doesn’t ship to Singapore but can be purchased here
Live Tinted was first launched by South Asian-American influencer Deepica Mutyala to be a beauty label and digital platform to give voice and representation to people with darker skin tones that have often been left out of the conversation. Deepica Mutyala blew up when she shared her hack of using red lipstick to correct her deep undereye circles. This inspired the creation of the multipurpose Huesticks and the line of inclusive Live Tinted beauty products.
Live Tinted doesn’t ship to Singapore but can be purchased here
Related article: Is Multi-Colour Correcting Makeup The New Contouring?
Huda Kattan began her career as a beauty blogger and makeup artist before she capitalised on her success to form Huda Beauty with her sister Mona Kattan in 2013. The Instagram-famous brand started with false eyelashes first before expanding into a slew of makeup products ranging from foundation and concealers to lip pencils and liquid lips. The brand subsequently expanded its repertoire with the Kayali line of perfumes and the Wishful skincare line.
Huda Beauty is available here
Filippino-American Patrick Starr is one of the first men who made it big doing beauty on YouTube. With his brand One/Size, he hopes to spread kindness and individuality through quality makeup and beauty products. The brand has expanded into base makeup after its initial launch of makeup removers, eyeshadow palette, liquid eyeshadows and eyeliners.
One/Size is available here