March 05, 2024

15 Female Beauty Brand Founders Going Beyond Just Business

These are the women who are showing us how it should be done this International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, marks one of the most important days on the calendar for women everywhere. It’s a day to celebrate and recognise all women on their achievements, build support for women’s rights and their participation in the economy, politics, community and life more broadly.

Now, we’re firm believers that all female founders should be celebrated—it’s not easy building a successful brand in a world that constantly tells you you can’t. But, what about those who are going beyond business and using their platforms to give back? We think they’re pretty damn inspiring. So, here we’re rounding up 15 female beauty brand founders going beyond just business that you should have on your radar this IWD.

That’s enough from us, we’ll let them do the talking.

Emma Lewisham

Founder of Emma Lewisham

Whether it’s the beautiful skincare formulations or the amazing work the brand is doing in the circular beauty realm, Emma Lewisham is a name that I have no doubt you’ve heard before. Lewisham began the now B Corp Certified brand with one ethos in mind: to set a new benchmark in beauty and make a positive impact on not only your skin, but the planet, too. Well, she has achieved exactly that and more. With refillable packaging, a climate positive status, ingredient and supplier transparency, Lewisham is a female founder showing us all how it’s done.

Founder of STELLA by Stella McCartney

name in the beauty industry, too. But, not just for her luxurious skincare products. STELLA by Stella McCartney goes beyond simply offering a conscious alternative in beauty. With three key pillars of focus when it comes to sustainability—Stella Voices, Stella Vision and Partners In Planet—Stella McCartney is setting the bar high when it comes to doing good. Having partnered with Wetlands International, McCartney’s brand has committed to donating 1 per cent of STELLA’s net sales to the charity, making up only part of her sustainability vision which you can read in full on the brand’s website.

Founder of Eye of Horus

Holly Schleich, founder of cosmetic brand Eye of Horus, could teach us all a thing or two about going beyond business. With an aim to provide clean beauty powered by nature, Schleich began her brand with a desire to make a difference. Not only does the brand pride itself in its sustainability efforts such as circular packaging and clean formulations, but it also has a partnership with i=Change. That’s right, $1 of every Eye of Horus sale goes to a project of your choice, including organisations like Cancer Chicks, Womens Community Shelters and the Seabin Foundation.

Founder of LESSE

Her brand might have a philosophy of less is more, but Neada Deters, founder of the fuss-free skincare brand LESSE, is certainly of the mind that more is more when it comes to sustainability. Launching her brand with the hope to shift the focus from keeping up with trends to a focus on ingredients, efficacy and sustainability, Deters is dedicated to making a difference. The brand holds sustainability close to it’s heart by sourcing organically cultivated ingredients, providing recycled and recyclable packaging and not compromising on efficacy or the health of the planet—there is even a detailed page on the LESSE website on how to best recycle your LESSE empties to ensure they are disposed of thoughtfully.

Founder of Go-To Skincare

Another familiar face on the noteworthy female founders list is none other than Australia’s beloved Zoë Foster Blake. Having not only built a skincare empire, Foster Blake is committed to doing her part as the founder of Go-To Skincare. Working with Reforest Now, a non-profit that works to protect and regenerate forests, Go-To has donated over $360,000 towards the planting of new trees—and it doesn’t stop there. The brand also supports Foodbank, The Children’s Ground, The FRRR and Look Good Feel Better, along with remaining cruelty free and committed to sustainability.

Founder of The Body Shop

Having founded cult Australian body and skincare brand, The Body Shop, back in 1976, Dame Anita Roddick made it her mission to fight for a fairer and more beautiful world. Remaining at the heart of what the brand stands for, Roddick believed business is an avenue to create positive change in the world around us—especially when it comes to empowering women. Proud supporter of Plan International Australia’s Youth Activity Series, The Body Shop pledges to fight for equal rights and education for women everywhere by using its platform to advocate for female leaders and voices.

Founder of Briogeo

Following the sudden loss of her mother, Nancy Twine was reminded of the times they spent creating DIY beauty treatments in their home kitchen, inspiring her to launch her own hair care brand, Briogeo. Recognising her long-standing desire to create change in the industry, Twine and her brand are proud to have an impact beyond just beauty. Along with creating a range that has sustainability and inclusivity at its core, Briogeo donates 1 per cent from every purchase on their website to a nonprofit of the customers choice, including Soul Fire Farm, Fifteen Percent Pledge, Room to Grow, Sister Song and the Hawaii Community Foundation.

Michelle Doherty

Founder of Alpha-H

The late Michelle Doherty is a much celebrated name in beauty, having left behind the legacy that is the much-loved skincare brand Alpha-H. The brand today continues her work by giving back in more ways than one. From the team being made up of 70 per cent female-identifying employees, to supporting The Encoreship and partnering with Australian charity Support The Girls, Alpha-H sure is making waves when it comes to giving back. Not only that, the brand is also a proud member of 1% for the Planet, committing 1 per cent of all sales of its Liquid Gold to Women in Ocean Science.

Founder of MECCA

Founder of MECCA, one Australia’s biggest beauty retailers, Jo Horgan, isn’t just a driving force for business, but for social change, too. MECCA’s very own MECCA M-POWER movement aims to help champion a world where everyone has equal rights and opportunities, no matter the gender, postcode ethnicity or background. Since its launch in 2017, the program has invested in multiple programs that support the education and economic empowerment of women and girls and continue to work towards this vision today. With a 5,500 strong team made up of 94 per cent women and a customer base whose majority identifies as female, Horgan and MECCA M-POWER are committed to creating a world where women thrive.

Founder of Kester Black

Growing up with a love of nature is what drove Anna Ross to create the much-loved ethical beauty brand, Kester Black. With a belief that businesses remain solely accountable for the ethical production and disposal of product and packaging waste, Ross and Kester Black are devoted to being one of the most trustworthy beauty brands in the world. The brand counts badges such as B Corp Certified, Certified Carbon Neutral and vegan and cruelty-free under its belt, so you know it’s not playing around. Having already achieved targets like removing all microplastics from its formulations and donating at least 2 per cent of revenue to selected charities, Ross and her brand are well on the way to making meaningful change.

Founder of Charlotte Tilbury

A name that has become one of the most highly regarded in the beauty industry is none other than Charlotte Tilbury—and it’s not just for her stunning products. Not only has Tilbury built one of the most well-known beauty brands in the world, but she uses her brand to empower women and make real change. In 2016 the brand launched 12 brand new Hot Lips lipstick shades in support of the charity Women For Women International. Not only this, but with the reveal of the second Hot Lips collection, Tilbury announced a £1 million pledge to the charity in a commitment to provide support for women around the world and remains a Global Ambassador for the charity today.

Founder of Conserving Beauty

Somewhat new to the beauty scene, Nastassia Nicolao and her brand Conserving Beauty, launched in 2021 and are already making waves in sustainability. Inspired to create a brand that is good for our skin and the earth, Nicolao used her background in science to pioneer a range of waterless beauty products that don’t relinquish our planet’s most valued resource—water. With sustainability objectives informed by the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals, Conserving Beauty is working towards not only saving water, but reducing carbon, preventing waste and advocating for valuable change across the entire beauty industry.

Co-Founder of BEAR

Launching her vitamin brand, BEAR, with a mission to create a better world, Saasha Burns is a female founder to watch. Together with her husband, Burns has created a brand that not only provides high performance wellness essentials, but has sustainability and ethical practices at the heart of everything it does. Besides being a Certified B Corporation, the brand works with not-for-profits such as WildArk and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, as well as supports Indigenous Australian artists with its Indigenous Art Club programme. Burns has long been a familiar name in the fashion and beauty industries, with a following of over 290,000, and is a female founder that continues to use her platform for good.

Founder of Rhode

Mrs Hailey Rhode Bieber rocked the beauty world when she launched her namesake skincare brand, Rhode, and hasn’t stopped there. With the Rhode Futures Foundation, the brand pledges a minimum 1 per cent of sales, as well as ongoing team efforts, to support organisations who are breaking down the barriers hindering all women in their careers and supporting long-term goals. Ongoing partners of the brand include LIFT Family Goal Fund, LOOM, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Plan C and Accion Opportunity Fund. Working to give women glowing skin and equal opportunity, Bieber is a female founder who is doing it all.

Founder of Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin

Arguably one of the most successful celebrity beauty brands, Fenty Beauty and its very well-known founder, Rihanna, aren’t just making a difference in the beauty world, but in society as whole. Founded by the famed singer in 2012, The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) supports climate justice initiatives in the Caribbean and United States, helping communities be more greatly prepared for natural disasters. To assist with the foundation’s efforts, Fenty Beauty donates 35 per cent of every purchase of the CLF 3-piece makeup bag, and provides their customers the option to donate at checkout.

March 05, 2024

15 Female Beauty Brand Founders Going Beyond Just Business

by SARAH GARNAM

These are the women who are showing us how it should be done this International Women’s Day.

That’s enough from us, we’ll let them do the talking.