37 AAPI-owned beauty brands that you’ll fall in love with in 2024

Viral beauty trends like gua sha and hair oiling aren’t trends at all — they are centuries-old practices passed on through generations of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. The impact that Asian traditions and technology alike have had in shaping today’s global beauty industry is immense. By supporting AAPI-owned beauty brands, you’re ensuring that these contributions are honored rather than appropriated and that the communities where they originated receive proper credit.

We spoke to Asian business owners and founders about how their AAPI identity has shaped their brands. From upholding cultural traditions to challenging the status quo, these trailblazers are educating about their heritage and communities while helping their audience find empowerment through effective, results-driven products. Beyond buzzy skin care ingredients or makeup trends, these Asian-, Asian American- and Pacific Islander-owned beauty brands are transforming our self-care rituals with skin care, makeup, hair care and fragrances made for everyone.

AAPI-owned skin care brands

Hero Cosmetics

Ju Rhyu, co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics, created the brand to combat the negativity and insecurity that breakouts and issue-prone skin can cause. Witnessing the stigma of having “bad” skin affect people in her own community, Rhyu wanted to rewrite the narrative around what healthy skin looks like.

“In Korean culture, it is very common for people to comment on your looks in both complimenting and slightly disparaging ways,” Rhyu explains. “For example, if you have a breakout, your Korean mom could be the first one to point it out or even your Korean co-worker would mention it. It can make you feel really insecure. And that’s one thing Hero is really trying to change — the negative emotions associated with breaking out. It’s such a natural thing that happens to many people, and when people come to Hero, we want people to feel accepted and confident because they have the Hero tools to get their skin back to healthy.”

It started with the Mighty Patch pimple sticker inspired by the hydrocolloid patches Rhyu found in South Korea, and now Hero Cosmetics offers a number of skin-saving solutions for acne, dark spots and rosacea.

Good Light

Born from the beauty website Very Good Light and its principle of “beauty beyond the binary,” Good Light is a personal care brand made for all gender identities. “I want folx to finally feel seen and have agency and know that they and their own unique beauty is undeniable,” founder David Yi says.

Based on the effective yet gentle approach K-beauty is known for, Good Light’s skin care products also open the dialogue for sharing other parts of Korean culture. “In Korea, bonds are deeply rooted. Friendships aren’t superficial — your friends are your family, they are you and you are them,” Yi says. “I want our brand to be a friend to those who perhaps need one. I want Good Light to be a signifier of empowerment, of hope — that whenever you find your Good Light cosmetics products at any store, that you feel as if you’re not alone because there’s an army of others just like you.”

Cocokind

Boosting hydration and protecting the skin barrier are the main goals of Cocokind’s unfussy skin care line. Founded by Priscilla Tsai, the brand makes an easy entry point into the world of skin care with gentle formulas and affordable prices.

With a little bit of everything — from microbiome-friendly acne serum to a bakuchiol overnight treatment — Cocokind’s products offer all that you need for a skin care regimen. “Before I was 16 years old, I already knew so much about skin care simply from watching my mom’s habits,” she says. “The several-step skin care routine was created and underscored by Asian cultures,” something that’s a major influence on Cocokind’s products today.

Her background didn’t just provide Tsai with skin care knowledge, though. It also contributed to her success as a business owner. “Being Asian has inspired so much of what I do in my job, both in terms of the values it has instilled in me as well as my inspiration for skin care,” Tsai says. “My parents immigrated from Taiwan with nothing and built an incredible life here for us using hard work and determination. They always emphasized staying humble and grounded,” she adds, two traits that Tsai always works to instill in Cocokind.

Sahajan

“As Sahajan is based on Ayurveda — the 5,000-year-old science from ancient India — Indian and South Asian culture, its practices are weaved into everything we do,” Sahajan founder Lisa Mattam says. Formulated with help from Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala, India (where Mattan’s family is from), Sahajan’s products are powered by traditional ingredients like turmeric, gotu kola and cumin seed oil that give serious results.

Just as gua sha and traditional Chinese medicine have gained attention in the mainstream, Ayurvedic skin care and wellness practices are also receiving more recognition. Building a brand off these traditions, Mattam wants everyone to benefit from them and celebrate them. “My wish is to see Ayurveda and India’s culture experienced by all,” she says. “I don’t feel uncomfortable when I see individuals who aren’t South Asian share our traditions, but my expectation is that they don’t appropriate it, and more than that, that they honor and elevate it.”

Glow Recipe

With delicious-sounding products that highlight ingredients like watermelon, strawberry, guava and avocado, K-beauty brand Glow Recipe makes the sometimes clinical world of skin care cute and colorful — with highly effective formulas, of course. Founded by two L’Oréal alumni, Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, Glow Recipe has become a cult favorite among skin care enthusiasts.

Lanshin

Lanshin is a skin care and wellness brand founded by Sandra Lanshin Chiu, licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and master of science in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Offering award-winning gua sha tools that allow anyone to get the hang of the TCM practice, Lanshin’s facial tools look and feel luxurious while honoring centuries-old traditions. As gua sha becomes more mainstream, Chiu says it’s important to recognize its origins.

“We are working so hard to create a space for the voices of TCM practitioners and AAPI culture in the beauty and wellness community,” Chiu says. “It’s ironic that we have to work so hard to do this for practices that come from our culture, but that is what we’ve had to face. TCM is a medicine of the people — all people from all backgrounds. [However,] if you want to learn true, authentic TCM practices (like gua sha, acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbology), then you have to follow first and foremost TCM practitioners who are licensed and trained to practice. This is the same concept of relying on an MD’s guidance for medical treatments over an influencer.”

Krave Beauty

Krave Beauty is a brand that can be perfectly described by its founders’ journey. Before founding Krave Beauty, Liah Yoo was a beauty influencer with work experience at AmorePacific, Korea’s largest beauty company at the time. By sharing her own skin care journey online — in addition to beauty tips and tricks she picked up along the way — she garnered a dedicated following of fellow skin care enthusiasts. The transparency, simplicity and honesty of how Yoo built her online following embodies the traits that make Krave Beauty so successful.

The brand’s core series includes just three products — something that you don’t see too often in the skin care industry. But that idea of simple yet effective essentials is exactly what Yoo wants to hit home. “The rapid turnover of product trends and the constant drive for newness of the Korean beauty market is what made me want to create a brand that simplifies things for confused beauty consumers,” she says. All Krave Beauty’s core products are under $30, making them perfect for whether you’re just looking to get into skin care or hoping to build a new routine.

Selfmade

Looking at skin care from a wellness perspective, Selfmade founder and CEO Stephanie Lee works with mental health experts, dermatologists and beauty industry veterans to create products based around psychodermatology, or the connection between the mind and the skin. Each formula helps boost confidence and ease stress by addressing and correcting skin concerns that could get you down.

“Selfmade was made for everyone existing as a work in progress,” Lee says. It’s a state of being she relates to as an AAPI founder. “The narrative about what it is to be Asian in America is in the process of being rewritten. No more subservient silence or being likened to delicate geisha. We are discovering our voices, breaking stereotypes and getting messy as the plot thickens.”

Pink Moon

Pink Moon is a marketplace that features women-owned labels committed to sustainability and holistic wellness, including its own astrology-inspired skin care brand, Once in a Pink Moon. The founder, Lin Chen, curates skin care, body care, cosmetics and home products that honor the ritual of self-care. You’ll find gua sha tools, traditional Chinese medicine teas and organic skin care that highlight Asian ingredients and treatments in an authentic — not trend-motivated — way.

“It’s wonderful to see traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices and ideas become more widespread in the west, but it’s hurtful to see brands not honor the origins or teach incorrect gua sha techniques,” Chen says. “I know TCM is not the only traditional practice that is being exploited. So many other tools, technologies, practices and ideologies are being taken from Asian communities and are being exploited in ways that are appalling (such as yoga and Ayurveda). Whitewashing these traditional practices diminishes the ability of all BIPOC to create authentic narratives about ourselves and the legacies we have inherited.”

Instead, educate yourself about the origins of these beauty rituals and support small businesses founded by those in Asian communities who are preserving their cultural traditions.

Mixik

“While commuting monthly between Los Angeles and Seoul, observing Korean flight attendants spritzing a botanical serum mid-flight sparked the inception of Mixik,” co-founder Sunny Oh says. She, along with Lena Park and Christine Moon, set out to create a fun skin care line that’s easy to incorporate into a fast-paced lifestyle.

Mixik’s collection of mists has got your whole routine covered, from cleansing to moisturizing. The cute packaging and spritz-able formulas make them a joy to use. It’s something different in the ever-crowded beauty space, which is a testament to the brand’s Korean heritage. As Moon and Park note, Mixik combines tradition, innovation and Korea’s always evolving beauty science.

“For so many of us Korean Americans, beauty — particularly the rise of K-beauty — has been another way for us to reconnect to our Korean heritage,” Park says. “We joke that we can hear our mothers in our heads while doing beauty routines.”

Glowmance

Glomance’s skin care line was born from the goal of uncovering glowing skin for all with simple yet effective formulas. “I firmly believe that there should be no limitations or barriers to entry in the beauty world based on one’s race or ethnicity. Everyone has a unique perspective and experience to bring to the table, and our brand is committed to championing inclusivity and diversity,” Glomance founder Sheena Iyer says. “As an Indian American, I’m proud to create a space where everyone feels empowered and shares their unique perspective with the world.”

Iyer launched the brand in 2022 with Overnight Star, an exfoliating and hydrating treatment that leaves skin super smooth. Glomance now has two other products (and more to come) that focus on high-quality ingredients that serve all skin types.

Shikohin

A skin care and wellness brand centered around Japanese self-care rituals, Shikohin has a range of deeply restorative face, body and bath products. With influences from the US, Japan and France, the California-based brand from Takeshi Nobuhara takes a holistic approach that modernizes the onsen experience with CBD-infused lotions, bath tablets and more. The healing effects of the CBD complement Asian ingredients, like Japanese cypress and yuzu.

Blunt

A double entendre, Blunt’s name addresses the brand’s straightforward approach as well as its hemp- and CBD-infused formulas. Cosmetic chemist Stas Chirkov created the line after seeing a growing interest in CBD in skin care but a lack of transparency around the ingredient. “Ancient origins of the medicinal and spiritual use [of hemp] in different parts of Asia excited me to further excel the research for skin care applications,” he says. “As an Asian American with North Asian heritage, I am so proud of our community to lead innovation and inclusivity in the beauty space.”

Humans have a whole endocannabinoid system within our bodies that helps regulate a number of bodily functions, including our inflammatory and immune functioning, which relates to our skin. Using hemp- and CBD-infused formulas (which do not contain any psychoactives) like Blunt’s face oils communicates with this system for anti-inflammatory, calming responses.

Pili Ani

Created by mother-daughter duo Rosalina Tan and Mary Jane Ong, Pili Ani pays tribute to the founders’ Filipina heritage through its naturally harvested ingredients.

“It’s humbling to see fellow Filipinos from all over the world — from all walks of life — support the brand,” Ong says. “That our homegrown brand from the Philippines can offer the global beauty stage products that are clean, conscious, clinically tested and truly effective is something that drives our passion. At every step of our Pili Ani journey, we come closer to fulfilling the dream that started it all in 1990. That is, to uplift the lives of our local farmers by promoting the transformative skin care benefits of pili and elemi oils, which are endemic to the Philippines.”

Working with local farmers in the Bicol region to create healthy harvesting practices and support the agricultural community, the brand’s nourishing oils are found throughout the line to provide restorative skin benefits.

“The source of Pili Ani’s key ingredients, pili trees, are in themselves a reflection of Filipino resilience,” Ong says. “As these trees weather the countless storms and super typhoons that go through the archipelago each year, the more fruits they bear. It’s stories like these about local life and topography that [our] brand hopes to share through its products.”

Sonäge

Sonäge has a global approach to beauty, with formulas based on European skin care traditions, utilizing natural ingredients inspired by co-founder Anisha Khanna’s Indian heritage and made in small batches in the US. You’ll find turmeric, bakuchiol, tea tree and more in the ingredient lists in its collections, which center around skin concerns like dryness and dullness, fine lines and wrinkles, and uneven skin tone.

Beia

Beia was born from founder Brittany Lo’s Chinese heritage and its name derived from the Chinese word “bao bei,” which means “treasure.” Not your average beauty brand, Beia is where skin care and sexual wellness meet. From an oil-based body serum that doubles as lube to a new smoothing scrub that you can use all over, the products are meant to build your confidence and get you in tune with your intimate side.

AAPI-owned makeup brands

EM Cosmetics

Before beauty influencers were even a thing, Michelle Phan was posting makeup tutorials to YouTube in the early 2000s. Her videos went viral in the early days of social media, gaining her over 8 million followers on the video platform. Phan quickly became a bona fide beauty mogul, launching beauty subscription company Ipsy in 2011 and EM Cosmetics a few years later (she has since stepped back from Ipsy and relaunched EM Cosmetics). The brand’s name is a nod to her heritage: “My brand is called EM, pronounced like the letter ‘M,’” she says, “and it’s how you address your younger sister, brother and loved one in Vietnamese.”

Like other Asian American kids, Phan didn’t see people who looked like her growing up — in the media and even in her own community. But by putting herself online, she became a figure to look up to for young Asian people across the country (and the world). “Growing up on YouTube, I became this big sister to the AAPI youth,” Phan says. And for a long time, she would have denied her own impact on making the beauty world a more inclusive space. “I wanted to stay humble about my success because that’s what I was taught,” she says. “When people gave me credit for what I’ve trailblazed, I was awful at receiving it.” But Phan has learned that owning her success is bigger than even herself. “Looking back, that inherently hurts [the AAPI] community because we don’t think we are worthy of receiving the love and acknowledgment for what we’ve done in the beauty space. I’ve learned to celebrate my wins and receive praise from a place of love, not fear.”

Live Tinted

Deepica Mutyala initially founded Live Tinted as a digital beauty community for those historically underrepresented in the space, and it was based on their feedback that the brand’s hero product — the multipurpose, color-correcting Huestick — was born.

But having an in-demand product is just one part of building a successful beauty brand, and Mutyala has experienced the hurdles that come with being a female AAPI founder. “The biggest challenge has been the lack of funding,” she says. “Women only receive 2% of venture capital funding, and that number is staggeringly less for women of color. It was hard and it still is hard, but we have to keep pushing to make space for us.”

Now available at Ulta, Amazon and more, the line continues paving the way for celebrating multicultural and marginalized voices. “With so many other POC and, more specifically, AAPI-founded brands today, [that] are making a difference in the beauty industry, Live Tinted also works to honor our fellow leaders in the space, sparking larger cultural solidarity and connectedness industry-wide,” Mutyala says.

Tower 28

Tower 28’s clean makeup line is made for sensitive skin. Informed by founder Amy Liu’s own struggle with finding cosmetics that didn’t cause her eczema to flare up, the formulas are made with soothing, gentle ingredients that won’t irritate the skin. With essentials like tinted SPF and multipurpose cheek colors, the California-based brand channels the laid-back vibe of the West Coast.

Lilac St.

When false lashes don’t fit right, they can be uncomfortable, itchy and irritating. Lilac St.’s falsies solve this problem with its easy-to-apply lash clusters that fuse to the underside of your natural lashes.

Founder and CEO Alicia Zeng wanted to create an alternative for herself and people like her. “As a Chinese American with naturally straight, short lashes, I struggled with finding mascaras that would actually lift and lengthen my lashes,” she says. “The experience made me feel like there was something wrong with me, that beauty wasn’t meant for eyes like mine and for people like me. The DIY lash extensions we ended up making are the products I wished I had growing up.”

CLE Cosmetics

K-beauty innovations make using Lauren Jin’s minimalist makeup and skin care line a delight. Unique powder-to-tint lip colors, cushioned highlighters and color-adjusting CCC creams bring a twist to no-makeup makeup essentials, one of the many trends that started in the Korean beauty community.

“With the rise of social media and globalization, Asian beauty trends and traditional practices have become easier to credit,” Jin says. “Beyond K-beauty, I love seeing diverse Asian self-care practices, ingredients and brands sharing their knowledge. Authenticity is something many people want to see in a brand. When you have someone behind the brand that has used and uses those practices, routines and ingredients themselves, it means a lot.”

Glamnetic

Known for its user-friendly magnetic eyelashes and fun press-on nails, Glamnetic makes it easy to go full glam. Since its launch in 2019, the company has quickly grown into a global beauty brand, and founder Ann McFerran is happy to be paving the way for other AAPI women, especially fellow Thai businesswomen.

“There’s a platform to tell our story, where people want to listen,” McFerran says. “We are inspiring another generation of female leaders to want to step up and feel like they have an example to look up to. I get so many messages from fellow AAPI girls out there saying that because they see someone who looks like them succeeding, they feel like they can do it too. I come from a very humble background, so this is something that’s very important for me to convey — that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can succeed in anything you truly put your mind, passions and hard work to.”

Patrick Ta

Makeup artist to top models like Gigi Hadid and pop stars like Camila Cabello, Patrick Ta is known for his glamorous red-carpet beauty looks. The artist’s eponymous makeup line channels his often monochrome approach with a focus on rosy, warm tones that look amazing on anyone. Think sultry smoky eyes, sculpted contours and slick, glossy lips.

Kulfi Beauty

After working behind the scenes in the beauty industry and not seeing South Asian people like herself at the forefront of any of the brands she was working with, Priyanka Ganjoo decided to pave the way herself. “From the very beginning, Kulfi Beauty has been about creating the representation that we have always wanted to see in the beauty industry,” the Kulfi Beauty founder says. “There’s so much power in the experience of feeling seen, and that’s what I want my community to feel through Kulfi.”

While the creamy, long-wearing kajal eyeliners work for everyone, the formulas themselves were tested and developed specifically for those with skin tones and undertones in South Asian communities, ensuring that the representation goes beyond optics and into the user experience too.

One/Size

Filipino American makeup artist and influencer Patrick Starr created his beauty brand to prove that makeup is one size fits all, no matter your gender identity or expression. The bold beauty line is MUA-approved and features cheekily named products like Turn Up the Base Foundation and Cheek Clapper 3D Blush.

AAPI-owned nail brands

JINsoon

Korean-born nail artist Jin Soon Choi moved to America in 1989, and opened her first nail salon in New York City a decade later. Since then, she’s opened three more NYC spa locations, launched her namesake nail polish brand and become a top manicurist in the fashion industry, working with major designers like Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs.

“My Korean heritage and upbringing has played a huge role in my business from my very first salon to my line of nail lacquers,” Choi says. “I’ve been lucky enough to blend both into meaningful product launches and a luxury spa experience.” This is apparent through the Asian-inspired design of her nail spa locations as well as her unfussy yet playful approach to manicures.

Aprés Nail

“The nail industry has significantly been shaped by the talents and creativity of Asian immigrant women,” says Aprés Nail founder Albee Chen. “Many arrive in this country, speak English as a second language and work in hopes of achieving a dream. As an Asian immigrant woman myself, I am proud to have Aprés Nail represent just how big of a dream is achievable within this industry.”

The brand has reinvented the nail extension space, creating soft gel tips that are lighter and thinner than acrylics while still having length and longevity. At the nail salon, they’re a great entry point into nail extensions for those who have never tried them before, and that also goes for those who like to do their own nails at home.

Sundays

Sundays founder Amy Ling opened her first nail salon in 2012 after graduating from beauty school, something she saw as a way to support fellow immigrants. But she soon discovered that many nail products were full of harmful ingredients. These were having negative effects not only on clients’ nails but on the health of the salon’s technicians and employees. Fast-forward to an MBA and some R&D with a chemist later, Ling created Sundays’ signature nontoxic nail polish. “It’s not just about pretty nails,” Ling says. “I hope people can be aware of the effect of the ingredients in the products they are using. Too often people are willing to sacrifice for beauty.”

Sundays’ nail polish is nontoxic, cruelty-free and formulated without 10 potentially health-harming chemicals regularly found in nail polish. Everything from the pigmentation to the consistency of the application is flawless, and when paired with Sundays’ extensive yet classic color selection, you most definitely won’t miss the generic nail polish brands.

MiniLuxe

From eye-catching reds to trendy greens to classic neutrals, MiniLuxe offers its clean nail polishes in all the colors of the rainbow. Founded by Tony Tjan, the line of nontoxic, 8-free and vegan nail care products and polishes was made as a safer alternative for clients and nail technicians (a workforce largely comprised of women and people of color). From gift-ready sets to seasonal polish collections, MiniLuxe has everything you need to stay on top of nail trends.

Emilie Heathe

Emilie Heathe’s eco-conscious line offers classic nail polish and lipstick shades made from better-for-you formulas inspired by founder Emily H. Rudman’s Asian heritage. As a Korean American adoptee, Rudman found learning about ingredients like bamboo, rice and sea buckthorn brought a sense of connection to her origins that she hadn’t felt while growing up.

Turning to comic books and drawing as a creative outlet when she was younger, this artistry later translated to makeup. This influence is seen in the bold colors of Emilie Heath, from wanderlust-inspired nail polish trios to bold lipstick shades.

AAPI-owned hair care brands

Fable & Mane

“Beauty is not about being fair, skinny, [with] a certain hair type — it comes from within, starts at the roots, it’s holistic,” believe sibling co-founders of Fable & Mane, Akash and Nikita Mehta. And when it comes to hair care, reaching that sense of beauty nirvana begins with an Ayurvedic tradition.

“Our brand has become a vehicle that allows us to educate cultural traditions,” the Mehtas say. “At Fable & Mane we start with hair oiling, a ritual that has been performed from generation to generation, not only to nourish and strengthen the head, scalp and hair but also to de-stress, connect and slow down. Our HoliRoots prewash hair oil allows the Western world to take the first step in this ritual.”

Fable & Mane’s hair and scalp care products are powered by Ayurvedic ingredients that blend beauty and wellness, some of which were introduced to them as beauty secrets from their mother. The heritage behind their brand can be felt in the nourishing hair oils, masks and washes that keep strands healthy and strong.

Shaz & Kiks

Another sibling-founded hair care brand that highlights the restorative power of Ayurvedic practices, Shaz & Kiks was launched by sisters Shaz Rajashekar and Kiku Chaudhuri. Their hair masks, cleansers and conditioners contain indigenous Indian ingredients that are ethically sourced from their native regions and local farming communities.

Squigs

Squigs dubs itself a “head care” brand, meaning it not only creates effective products for your hair and face but wants to foster beauty inside your noggin too. It does this through a happy, confidence-boosting outlook and by supporting mental health charities.

Founded by beauty and fashion editor Nikita Charuza, Squigs puts a fun, approachable spin on traditional Ayurvedic ingredients like amla oil and turmeric, whipping them up into nourishing products packaged in colorful, teen-friendly branding.

“I wanted to take these amazing traditions and honor my heritage by making Ayurveda feel more approachable to someone who was told they’re not Indian or American enough,” Charuza says. “These beauty traditions were what kept me feeling connected to my heritage as a proud South Asian woman even though I moved a lot during my childhood. Teaching others about these amazing Ayurvedic hair care and skin care concoctions is actually how I made friends each time we moved. Now, I get to pass those traditions along in a fun and meaningful way to a younger generation, which is something I don’t take for granted, and it’s definitely a full-circle moment.”

AAPI-owned fragrance brands

Phlur

Phlur owner and creative director Chriselle Lim took her experience as a celebrity stylist, content creator and entrepreneur to the brand when it relaunched in 2022. Under Lim’s discerning eye (and nose), Phlur has become a coveted, viral fine-fragrance brand with tantalizing scents. The best part? All the perfumes are just under $100, making it one of the more accessible fine-fragrance labels out there.

Ellis Brooklyn

“In fragrance, representation has been late in coming,” Ellis Brooklyn founder Bee Shapiro says. “When it comes to the way we see or hear the world — like photography and music, for example — we are aware of and consider diversity. But when it comes to our sense of smell, it’s not something we give much thought to. The scent world has been dominated by caucasian French men for decades. They have influenced what we consider ‘clean’ or ‘baby-like’ or ‘sexy.’ Oftentimes these ideas of smell and scents are social constructs.”

As a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant, Shapiro knew she had a different point of view to share through fragrance. “For Ellis Brooklyn, I wanted to approach scent from a completely different place. I wanted to create scent to live in and breathe in, and be integral and intimate to the wearer. My heritage and how I grew up plays a big part in that creative process.”

Shapiro’s responsible fragrance brand consists of perfumes, body care and home scents that juxtapose and harmonize aromas, from sweet-as-honey, gourmand Bee to woodsy and fresh Florist.

Elorea

Offering unisex scents, Elorea introduces fragrance as the next frontier of K-beauty. Founded by a Korean American couple, the collection honors their background by utilizing ingredients sourced from South Korea.

“We created Elorea to be closer to and honor our Korean heritage,” co-founder and CEO Wonny Lee says. “The first record of scent being used in Korea dates back to the fifth century, yet most people are unaware of this. Elorea celebrates this centuries-old history of scent in Korea, while challenging the Eurocentric perfume industry by offering balanced fragrances that have been formulated using key ingredients sourced from distinct regions of the peninsula.” Elorea’s latest collection, The Forgotten Words, consists of four fragrances inspired by Korean words no longer used regularly in modern vocabulary.

Nette

First launching with clean-burning candles in 2020, Carol Han Pyle’s Nette recently expanded to fine fragrance this year. With a lineup of five eau de parfums, the options cover the bases of different scent profiles, from the fresh floral Opening Night to the warm gourmand Thé Vanille. Nette’s creations are elevated by sustainable practices like the use of handmade candle vessels and traceable perfume ingredients, making the products stand out for their attention to detail.