25 Asian-Owned Makeup Brands to Shop and Support Now and Always

Ah, Patrick Starrr, one of the OG YouTubers. A fan of maximalist makeup, Starrr certainly doesn't shy away from baking, dramatic cat eyes and false lashes, and glam nails. We love that the Filipino American makeup artist stays true to his beauty philosophies, but if we're being honest, his makeup-removing product, the Go Off Makeup Dissolving Mist, also deserves its own spotlight. This particular Allure editor (hi, it's Sarah talking about myself in the third person) reaches for Starrr's setting sprays — particularly the dewy option — to lock in makeup while still looking fresh as hell.

Star Product: In case you haven't heard, skin tints are having a major moment, and it's one we have an inkling that this moment will last for years to come. Available in 18 versatile shades, the Turn Up the Base BBB Cream ($33) is a hybrid foundation-tinted moisturizer formula that almost instantly smooths out your skin tone, blurs texture, and boosts hydration — because we could always use a little extra. 

If you need an extra push to click "Add to Basket," allow Kara McGrath, Allure's deputy digital director, to convince you. "I inadvertently abandoned all BB creams in the past few years, but this one has me wondering why I ever bothered with any other type of base makeup," she previously said. "It's the perfect texture — hydrating and lightweight while still offering medium coverage — and the Light 2 (G) shade matches my skin tone almost exactly."

When you're a deeply knowledgeable beauty journalist, starting your own brand makes a lot of sense in many ways. While Bee Shapiro still has a column in The New York Times (which she has since turned into a book of the same name, Skin Deep), she found her true calling through crafting deep, complex scents that are also extremely wearable throughout day-to-day life. According to Ellis Brooklyn's website, all eau de parfums are cruelty-free and vegan, while the entire collection is formulated with non-irritating ingredients that abide by voluntary IFRA standards, packaged in glass, and shipped carbon-neutral whenever possible.

Star Product: Send your senses on a mental vacation with a few spritzes of Salt Eau de Parfum ($105). Destination? Somewhere where salty waters meet a glowing sunset and tropical florals. Composed with notes of ylang-ylang, Tahitian tiare, and musk, this warm, summery concoction smells like paid time off (PTO) in a bottle. We'll take two: one for our work desk, one for our bag for freshening up while on the go.

There's Euphoria, and then there's Youthforia, a feel-good, skin-first makeup brand founded by Fiona Co Chan, who also serves as the company's CEO. If the brand hasn't made it onto your radar, it will soon — as Youthforia has already made its way to a ton of major retailers, including Amazon, Revolve, and Credo. (Pretty impressive for a brand that launched in March 2021 in the midst of a pandemic.) Word is, Chan tests all of her products in her sleep, because they're that gentle.

Star Product: The brand's breakout product is, perhaps undoubtedly, BYO Blush ($36). It's gained notoriety on TikTok, where countless beauty fans have raved about the oil-based formula that shifts color as it reacts to your skin's natural pH. Chock-full of skin-nourishing oils like jojoba, sunflower, olive, and sweet almond, it'll give you the most believable, lit-from-within flush.

If you grew up on beauty YouTube, it's impossible not to recognize the name Michelle Phan. Some 14 years later, after a cofounding stint at Ipsy, the self-described "creator" is at the helm of a popular makeup brand called Em Cosmetics that continues to develop innovative products. The formulas are often hybrids between makeup and skin care, so they look and feel like skin. Take the Serum Blushes ($25), for example, which are infused with hyaluronic acid, squalene, and vitamin E for a — you guessed it — serum-like liquid that melts into your skin and imparts a dewy glow.

Star Product: This writer's everyday Em Cosmetics favorite is the Daydream Cushion ($48; pictured above). This cushion foundation has a buildable, sheer-to-medium formula (available in six versatile shades) that creates the perfect "my skin but better" base. All it takes is a few gentle taps of the teardrop-shaped antimicrobial sponge to lavish skin with natural-looking coverage and a luminous finish. While you should always rely on a standalone sunscreen for the strongest UV protection, it's comforting to know that the compact contains a combination of physical and chemical sunscreens that doesn't leave an ashy finish, even on deeper skin tones.

From a young age, Live Tinted founder Deepica Mutyala wanted to change the narrative within Indian culture that lighter skin is seen as more beautiful. Live Tinted started off as a digital community, where people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities came together to share their experiences with beauty. It was during that time she figured out what her first Live Tinted product would be: color-correcting crayons called Huesticks. While Huestick won a Best of Beauty Award last year, we're also quite the fans of the dewy, highlighter-like Hueglow and hydrating Unity Balm Gloss.

Star Product: Available in a range of nine (and counting) bold and beautiful colors (like berries, browns, reds, and corals), Huestick ($24) adds a burst of creamy pigment to cheeks, lids, and lips. The orange-tinted Rise shade is particularly handy for canceling the appearance of dark circles and acne scars. The formulas are so smooth and easy to work with that you can easily blend them out with just your fingers.

Gel manicures cost a pretty penny, and no one knows that better than Christina Kao, cofounder of Le Mini Macaron, who sought to create a salon-quality DIY kit for long-lasting, chip-resistant manicures at home. As a Chinese American woman raised in Alabama, Kao struggled to connect with and appreciate her cultural roots until she moved to New York City and, subsequently, Shanghai, where she got the idea to launch Le Mini Macaron. The name is not only a nod to French beauty but an entire brand ethos that embraces multicultural identities and collaboration.

Star Product: Of course, the brand's signature product is the Gel Manicure Kit ($35), which comes in 13 (and counting) shade options with matching equipment, such as a LED lamp (curing only takes 30 seconds, by the way), cuticle stick, nail file, and remover wraps. Best of all, the three-in-one formula combines base coat, color, and topcoat — which definitely cuts down on time. Who knew you could achieve flawless nail color that lasts up to two weeks in a mere 15 minutes? Well, now you do.

Velour founder Mabel Lee has had a hardworking hustle attitude embedded within her since a very early age. Lee is committed to offering high-quality, cruelty-free false lashes that are comfortable to wear all day — up to 25 applications. The brand notably made headlines last year when they pledged to stop producing mink lashes entirely. (Now, you'll only find Vegan Mink Luxe and Luxe Faux Mink styles on Velour's website.)

Star Product: The Effortless Kit ($29) was designed for newbies and experts alike. Would I Lie? is a flared, crisscrossed style made out of synthetic silk that's actually one of Lee's favorite styles. The flexible band ensures the perfect line, no trimming or measuring needed. A mini lash applicator and latex-free adhesive (that dries invisible) quite literally seal the deal, making your falsies routine as seamless as possible. No wonder the Effortless Lashes won a Best of Beauty Award — the name rings incredibly true. (Velour's Lash & Go Eyeliner also received a Best of Beauty seal in 2020, so that's no small feat.)

While building Kulfi Beauty, a brand that celebrates South Asian heritage, founder Priyanka Ganjoo went on a journey of self-discovery that put to rest a life-long struggle with westernized beauty standards and let her reconnect with the joy of experimenting with makeup. Her mission with Kulfi is to empower South Asians through makeup and storytelling (through Kulfi Bites) and engage with Gen Z members of all ethnicities, who already know a thing or two about pushing for diversity and reclaiming their identities. 

Star Product: Kulfi Beauty started out with a bang, launching five Underlined Kajal Eyeliners ($20 each) armed with opaque and creamy pigments that are also smudge-proof once they dry down. Nazar No More (true black), Rain Check (electric blue), Cheeky Chiku (rich brown), Tiger Queen (terracotta), and Purply Pataka (plum) were carefully formulated with deeper skin tones and undertones in mind and contain a nourishing blend of aloe vera extract, safflower seed oil, and a vitamin E complex.

If you do a little digging on allure.com, you'll find Melbourne-based Indian makeup artist and content creator Rowi Singh peppered all over the site because her creative looks are literally works of art. It's only natural that she decided to launch her own brand, Embellish, with a lineup of colorful gems so that her legion of followers and admirers can easily recreate some of her most iconic looks.

Star Product: As of now, Singh has debuted the Reflect and Aura gem packs ($25 each), which consist of 330 glass crystals (per pack) of varying sizes and colors. These self-adhesive, reusable gems only take five seconds to apply and can instantly level up any look, no matter what sort of placement you decide on.

ManiMe cofounder Jooyeon Song set out to create a solution that would allow her to switch up her nails without running to the salon and spending hours of her limited free time getting manicures. After meeting her cofounder, David Miro Llopis, in business school, they developed 3D modeling technology to laser-cut each set of gel stickers to a person's specific nail dimensions. All the customer has to do is upload a few photos of their nails positioned against a credit card and they'll receive their custom-fit stick-on manicures in the mail, ready to be applied in a few minutes. It's almost too good to be true.

Star Product: It's no wonder that ManiMe's stick-on gels (starts at $12) won a Best of Beauty Breakthrough Award. Apart from our jaws dropping at how accurate the 3D software is, you can choose from over 150 manicure and pedicure designs at any given moment (at the timing of publication, it's 171), many of which are designed by Instagram-famous nail artists like Mei Kawajiri, Amy Vega, and Michelle Won. Search by individual designer, specific collections like Spring Forward and Signature Capsule, or simply browse the entire selection and see which colors and prints jump out at you.

Wonny Lee and Su min Park are nothing short of a power couple — one that is pushing boundaries in the fragrance industry, which is known to lack diversity, with their brand, Elorea. Lee previously told Allure that one of the "most important" parts of starting a perfume line was sourcing ingredients from South Korea. "Maybe it's ingrained in the culture — the best perfumers on the planet go to study in Europe and end up using ingredients from that region because that's how they were trained," he explains. "We want to be part of an evolution away from that." As a result, each "heart note" of the scents — Boseong green tea, Goheung cypress, Pocheon jasmine, and Jeju lime — is a true testament to the rich culture and history of Korean fragrances.

Star Product: We get it; it's a difficult task to choose from four equally charming elements—I mean, scents. That's where Elorea's Discovery Set ($30) comes in handy. Conveniently packaged in four two-milliliter vials, you can delve into each element (Heaven, Earth, Water, and Fire) to discover which speaks to you the most before committing to a full-size bottle, which starts at $125 for 50 milliliters.

Born in Los Angeles, raised in Dubai, and currently based between there and London and, sisters Aleena, Aleezeh, and Naseeha Khan have felt like global citizens their entire lives. Their upbringings naturally led to CTZN Cosmetics and a deep-seated passion for growing a brand that represents and suits all demographics, ethnicities, and skin tones. Inclusivity is just a baseline for these powerhouse founders. While CTZN Cosmetics is best known for getting nude lipsticks so right, the brand has also delved into dewy, multi-use balms and universal gold shimmer pots — and we're confident there's even more innovation on the horizon.

Star Product: The Nudiversal Lip Duo in Koh Samui ($25) snagged a 2020 Best of Beauty Award for best neutral lipstick for medium skin. The sleek, double-sided tube features a tawny matte bullet on one end and a matching gloss on the other. Like partners in crime, the two dusty-mauve formulas (with pink undertones) are best worn together, but can also fly solo for a more low-key look.

Sundays founder Amy Ling Lin previously shared with Allure that the immigrant element of the nail industry is what inspired her to create Sundays, a cruelty-free, vegan, and nontoxic nail-care brand with over 45 shades that span every color of the rainbow and then some. Lin is passionate about bridging the communication gap between specialists and clients (which is why each color has a specially designated, easy-to-read number), as well as fusing wellness practices into the salon experience through elements like guided meditation and a mindful tea bar.

Star Product: As far as we're concerned, a bright red polish is the cure for gloomy days. No. 13 ($18) is described as a chili-pepper red with orange undertones and just so happens to be an Allure Best of Beauty winner. Like the rest of Sunday's shades, No. 13 is vegan and 10-free, which means it doesn't contain certain potentially harmful ingredients like formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate, in case that's of concern to you.

Byredo has had a busy few years, including its first-ever makeup launch, an immediate-sell-out collaboration with Travis Scott, and an affordable candle partnership with Ikea — just to name a few standouts. But some might be surprised to learn about the man behind the brand, Ben Gorham. Born to an Indian mother and Canadian father, Gorham is naturally adept at exploring different cultures, which is perhaps why Byredo is so good at nailing every single scent it whips up — and then outdoing itself on the next. With a selection of leather goods and both hand and body care under its belt, as well as an expanding makeup collection (which includes mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and eye shadows), Byredo shows no signs of slowing down.

Star Product: Byredo's Rose Noir ($276) isn't afraid to show up your average rose-infused perfume. It offers a noticeable intensity that is amplified by warm notes of cardamom, musk, and red berries. It's classic, sexy, and alluring all in one. Allure digital editor Jihan Forbes puts it best: "When I put this on, I feel like a very fancy Manhattan lady on her way to dinner with some finance guy that I'm going to block once we say our goodbyes." 

Founder Yu-Chen Shih previously told Allure that she wanted to "portray Asian women as a force to be reckoned with" and do away with the typical, stereotyped attempts at representing Asians she saw other beauty brands pushing out. Her company, Orcé Cosmetics, specifically caters to Asians of all skin tones and backgrounds, and Shih — as someone who is considered "darker" amongst the East Asian community — is passionate about ending colorism within the Asian community and age-old notions that "light skin is better." While non-Asians can also wear the brand's foundations, all six shades have been carefully crafted to match undertones commonly found in Asian skin.

As a survivor of sexual assault herself, Shih has partnered with Rise Justice Labs' Survivor Safe Haven program and donates a portion of every Orcé purchase to the cause.

Star Product: The Skin-Perfecting Serum Foundation ($89) is an oil-free formula that sinks into the skin without a trace, leaving behind breathable, buildable coverage and a silky-smooth finish. Each bottle is infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid and brightening Tahitian pearl for skin-care-like benefits. You can use this handy guide to find out which shade you are. Top it all off with the invisible Come Closer Perfecting Setting Powder ($42) for all-day wear and soft-focus glow.

Jin Soon Choi has been in the game since the early 1990s, but 2012 was the year her long-awaited nail collection was finally released. And in case you missed the memo, it has been and remains the real deal. Plenty of Jinsoon shades have caught the eyes of Allure editors over the years, including a deep wine called Audacity, which picked up a Best of Beauty Award. If you can't make it to any of the New York City-based Jinsoon Hand & Foot Spas, then you might as well pick up some polishes, tools, and treatments for your very own at-home manicure. All Jinsoon polishes are 10-free, long-lasting, chip-proof, and pigmented as heck.

Star Product: The Flower Art Collection ($42; pictured above) is the perfect excuse to add some spring-inspired newness to your nail collection. Designed in collaboration with Seoul-based artist Nanan Kang, this iteration of the Seasonal Selection Box is outfitted with a cheerful pink illustration and accompanied by a multicolored, confetti-like polish called Daisy that has miniature orange, blue, and light-pink daisies sprinkled all throughout. You can buy Daisy alone or as a box set with two additional polishes of your choice.

When Sravya Kalyanapu got tired of roaming the aisles of beauty stores only to find non-inclusive lipstick shades that would either not show up on her lips or lean far too ashy, she decided to start her own makeup line that would suit all skin tones (especially deeper ones). While developing Mango People Cosmetics, sustainability and natural ingredients were top of mind for Kalaynapu, so she started experimenting with different clays and pigment-rich fruits and flowers often used in South Asian beauty.

Star Product: The rich colors found in all eight shades of the Multi Stick ($24; Tabla, a deep brownish berry, is shown above) are derived from fruits and vegetables such as cherries, apples, carrots, radishes, and sweet potato. As the name suggests, you're free to apply wherever you'd like a dose of skin-enhancing color — whether that's on your lips, cheeks, or eyelids. These petite tubes are also infused with olive, sesame seed, and ashwagandha oils to nourish and soften skin.

As a Korean American woman adopted into a white, Jewish family, founder Emilie H. Rudman embarked on a mission to create a beauty company that represented and celebrated people who looked like her, and beyond. After she trained as a makeup artist and hairstylist and went on to earn her MBA, she started developing products that would fill a hole she saw in the beauty industry: non-toxic formulas held to high-performance standards and thoughtfully designed and packaged. Through her journey of starting Emilie Heathe, Rudman found herself reconnecting with her East Asian heritage through the ingredients she sought to infuse into her products, including bamboo and rice bran oil.

Star Product: While Emilie Heathe has expanded to other categories beyond nail care, including a brow powder and lip exfoliating balm, the brand's Nail Artist Nail Polishes ($28 each) rightfully stand out. Twelve vegan, 10-free shades are enveloped in luxurious, gold-topped glass bottles embedded with magnets so you can quite literally stack your polishes together. A powerful blend of zinc, biotin, vitamin E, bamboo extract, sea buckthorn oil, and rice bran oil strengthen and condition brittle nails. Shown above is Emma, a periwinkle blue named after the founder's daughter (how precious).

Cofounder Ann McFerran pivoted from a "traditional" pre-med and doctor path to pursue a more creative career that would shake up the beauty industry. Thus, Glamnetic was born in the summer of 2019 with the mission of creating easy-to-apply, strong-hold magnetic lashes that looked just as amazing as all of the strip lash options out there. Based on community feedback, she has been adamantly testing and improving their designs ever since. For example, the lashes are now conveniently precut to 2.9 centimeters (the average length of an eye), but you can easily cut them to your desired length.

Star Product: The Virgo Lashes ($30) are a great set for beginners, especially if you're a little worried about overdoing it. This pair of round, short lashes have the perfect amount of flutter to them and can be used, as with all of Glamnetic's magnetic lashes, up to 40 times — making it a very economical option (that comes down to about 70 cents per wear). You can also buy lash bundles that include magnetic liner and save a few bucks in the process.

Lauren Jin credits her Korean immigrant parents' full trust and backing of her creative endeavors as one of the reasons why Cle Cosmetics exists today. While Jin began her career in fashion, she later turned to beauty because she wanted to provide contemporary women with self-care basics that go beyond skin deep. All of Cle's products are vegan, cruelty-free, and ethically made and span both makeup and skin care. In fact, you can read up on ingredients frequently used — like pearl powder, bamboo extract, blueberry, and snow lotus flower — to gain a deeper understanding of the brand's sourcing.

Star Product: In a nutshell, the CCC Cream ($38) does it all. Take it from news editor Nicola Dall'Asen, who says this lightweight, color-correcting cream "basically takes all the plumping, hydrating, and brightening qualities of a multi-step K-beauty skin-care routine and puts them all into one makeup product for a glowing finish that looks and feels like bare skin." The resulting dewiness can be attributed to a blend of plumping hyaluronic acid, moisturizing coconut oil, tone-evening niacinamide, and brightening vitamin C (derived from blueberries). Slather on a layer of this sheer, buildable formula (currently available in 10 shades) and you're good to go for an entire day of meetings.

As busy women and moms who were searching for a streamlined beauty routine, cofounders Divya Gugnani and Lindsay Ellingson launched Wander Beauty to develop multitasking beauty essentials that cater to active lifestyles. After all, the last thing you need to worry about is juggling an overflowing makeup collection on top of jobs, children, and a social life. For those who are extra conscious, Wander Beauty's offerings are all cruelty-free and free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, mineral oil, and synthetic fragrances.

Star Product: The On-The-Glow Blush and Illuminator ($38) was one of the first products the duo ever launched, and it's still one of the best sellers we see today. (It also earned a Best of Beauty Award in 2018.) Available in four blush/highlighter combinations infused with conditioning vitamins A, C, and E, the dual-ended sticks add an instant, pearlescent glow to dull-looking, tired skin. Move over, caffeine — this is your new wake-up call. For your consideration, the Frame Your Face Precise Brow Gel ($22) also picked up a Best of Beauty Award.

Inspired by her dad's entrepreneurial spirit in Taiwan in the 1980s, founder Cat Chen naturally found herself excited about starting her own business. Her goal was to develop fresh, sophisticated scents that did without potential allergens and harmful chemicals, and Skylar was born. All of the brand's fragrances are vegan and free of parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS, animal-derived ingredients, and synthetic dyes to boot. 

While each perfume can definitely be worn alone, you're also encouraged to layer scents however you see fit. If you're new to the concept, check out the brand's six-piece Perfume Palette for easy, guided pairing. Skylar also offers a subscription service, as well as a variety of hand and body products.

Star Product: Coffee lovers, Skylar's Vanilla Sky Eau de Toilette ($85) is a match made in sweet-smelling heaven for you. It's like a comforting cappuccino for the senses, spiked with notes of vanilla and caramelized cedar for a warm hug any time of the day. The brand's Smell-The-Taste technology makes this beverage-to-perfume translation possible, and so true to an actual cup of joe.

Created by Indian-born, Canadian-raised TV personality Monika Deol, Stellar Beauty began as a mission to serve often-overlooked medium skin tones, including people who identify as Latina, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, biracial, and Indian. Foundation ranges with tons of fair and deep options simply weren't cutting it for Deol, and she felt the need to develop a foundation line that was inclusive of everyone. 

In just four years, the brand's portfolio has grown extensively to offer eye, lip, cheek, and even more base products that will make you feel, well, stellar. "The word stellar, to me, means something set apart from the rest," Deol previously told Allure. "It also is about the constellations and stars. My theory on beauty is that no two women are alike, and no two stars are alike." We can certainly agree on that.

Star Product: The Limitless Foundation ($30) started out with 22 shades catering in particular to overlooked medium skin tones, but has since expanded to 35 diverse shades. And it retails for just $30, which is pretty competitive in terms of indie brands. The lightweight, satin-finish formula gives skin medium coverage and looks entirely natural, even if you build up multiple layers.