PB Approved: 5 Asian Owned Beauty Brands We Love
Graphic by Tessa Swantek
The #StopAsianHate movement has been widespread over the past few weeks since the tragic Atlanta shooting. This event uncovered centuries of anti-asian hate, and many are calling for action. From sitting around the dinner table having an open conversation with your family to marching in rallies and calling for stronger penalties for hate crimes, we must all be actively anti-hate. Many in the fashion and beauty community are leading the digital march forward, and we seek to highlight these leaders along with asian-owned beauty brands we want to shine a light on.
Image Sourced from Jason Wu Beauty on Instagram
Jason Wu is an American fashion designer of Taiwanese descent, who has expanded into the realm of beauty with his namesake beauty brand. The beauty products are chic, simple, and feminine which is a hallmark of Wu’s fashion label. Jason Wu Beauty is certainly PB approved as the brand is touted as clean beauty and is made for a diverse audience. All products are cruelty free, formulated with safe ingredients, and 1% of net sales are allocated towards Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a foundation dedicated to end the AIDS epidemic and support all those affected.
Image Sourced from ireneskin.com
Kristin Chen is the founder of Iren Skin, a Japanese beauty brand. The brand was born out of Chen’s need for customization in her beauty products, as she told Sterre Rose Beauty in an interview. Due to her constant traveling, she realized that products were following a “one size fits all” model rather than a customized model for an individual’s skin type. Iren Skin’s core philosophy then is to use technology to create innovative clean products that account for skin types across a variety of cultures. The company is the first Japanese beauty brand to ban over 2000 toxic ingredients commonly seen in skincare products. All products are vegan and cruelty free and are enhanced with their trademarked ziplock encapsulation technology, which they describe as a magical ingredient “that compacts each active ingredient into nanometric (particles that are even smaller than our pores!) molecules for enhanced absorption by the epidermis. The encapsulation works in tandem with the prolonged-release effect, which preserves the ingredients’ freshness until they are released at deeper skin layers.” Now, we will not act like we understand all of that, but trust us when we say that Iren Skin is a top player in the realm of clean beauty! The brand also uses their technology to “refashion traditional skincare” through the combination of Japanese rituals with tested ingredients to “provide a minimalistic and modernized alternative that keeps true to tradition.” If you are noticing that your skincare routine does not work for your skin, we highly recommend Iren Skin!
Image Sourced from Velvet Vanity on Instagram
Adlina Nadirah, a Malaysian entrepreneur, is the founder of Velvet Vanity Cosmetics. Products are glowy, light, airy, and simply beautiful. Many of their products are said to feel like a “second skin” with an emphasis on makeup that looks natural. They are also cruelty free and vegan, which makes us at PhotoBook very excited. Velvet Vanity advocates for green shopping through the sale of their tote bag that prompts consumers to “join the green club.” The brand also advocates for mental health through the sale of their popular “self love” sweatshirt that is perfect for quarantine casual wear.
Image Sourced from Peach and Lily on Instagram
Alicia Yoon (Jee Hae), South Korean entrepreneur, founded Peach and Lily in 2012. Peach and Lily is a cosmetics company that is one of the many K-beauty brands responsible for bringing international skincare trends to other parts of the world. Peach and Lily, however, is the pioneer for many trends. The concept of “glass skin” in particular is a coveted skin type in Korea, and literally means that skin looks like glass- clear, poreless, and luminous. Yoon’s immensely popular trademarked Glass Skin Serum is the holy grail of the brand and #GlassSkinGoals content is featured on their Instagram page. The peach and lily name evokes imagery of juicy hydration and clean and fresh products. Ingredients are toxin and chemical free and promote a journey of long lasting, healthy skin, an important characteristic of Korean beauty culture. Alicia Yoon has recently written a Vogue feature about her experience as a naturalized American citizen, that we highly recommend reading. She urges readers to donate to the Stop Asian Hate Master Fund, which we also want to encourage.
Image SourceD from UBeauty on Instagram
Tina Chen Craig is a multi-faceted entrepreneur in the realm of fashion journalism, fashion licensing, digital management, and cosmetics. She is well known for her role as founder of Bag Snob, one of the first hugely popular fashion blogs created in 2005. She has used her wealth of knowledge in the fashion industry to create U Beauty, tech driven high performance skincare to limit the complexity of skincare routines. So, if you are tired of being told that you need a 13 step skincare regimen, U Beauty is for you! Tina Chen Craig has recently released a statement regarding Asian hate crimes; She writes, “Change starts with conversation, so initiate dialogue to shed light on what’s going on. Share our stories, highlight our experience and bring awareness. Be a proactive ally and be outspoken. Speak up when you see or hear anti-Asian racism on social media, in the media and, of course, in real life. Support Chinatowns and Asian-owned businesses: Every little bit counts. And think about the people providing your beauty services: In New York State alone, one out of four Asian immigrants live in poverty and many of the people who work hard to beautify us are in that low-income group.” We urge all of our PhotoBook readers to be an ally and wish that you, now and forever, support Asian-owned businesses.
Article by Tessa Swantek, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Destina Marotta, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
