Grab These AAPI-Owned Beauty Products Before They Sell Out (again!)

Prepare to stock up.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, recognizing the fastest growing racial group in the U.S., folks from the entire Asian continent—including East, Southeast and South Asia—and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia––celebrating their unique life experiences, traditions and cultures, and their contributions to America.

(This is where I give another shoutout to Kamala Harris, the first Asian American Vice President. Hey, girl, heeey.)

Not only do we celebrate Asian American, Pacific Islanders and mothers in May, but it is also Mental Health Awareness Month, Skin Cancer Awareness Month, National Blood Pressure Education Month, National Stroke Awareness Month and, naturally, National Salad Month. Lucky for us, so much of what makes Asian owned beauty brands so special is that they often focus on traditional beliefs, ritual, clean formulations, ingredients sourced from nature, and uplifting community––all essential elements in overall wellness.

The brands I’ve chosen specialize in everything from skincare and scents, to locks and lids, so let’s dig in.

CLE

CLE’s founder, Lauren Jin, started in fashion, and she brings that storytelling aesthetic to her beauty brand, believing that there is no one way to feel beautiful. The result is simple but effective skincare and makeup that is curated, sourced, and centered on the latest Korean Beauty technology.

Think of these refined products like wardrobe staples that you build your closet around. If you’re wondering how that works, CLE has you covered, demonstrating a morning and evening ritual on their site. Standout products include a CCC Cream that adjusts to your skin tone, luscious skin-hydrating Serumide, and a refillable Lip Care Trio which bundles a peel with oil and gloss to help you build your perfect pout.

RANAVAT

RANAVAT means “place of the king.” It’s also the last name of the founder, Michelle Ranavat, who herself was cracked open by a 2010 trip to Jaipur. As an Indian child raised on PB&Js in small town Wisconsin, she says, “inspired is an understatement” for how affected she was witnessing the elevated level of self-care in India. That devotion to ritualistic daily practices is the foundation for RANAVAT, skin and hair care products combining cutting-edge science with Ayurveda and adaptogens.

If you really want to feel like royalty, grab yourself the I Am Royal set. It includes full-size treatments of the entire glorious line, from the Luminous Ceremony Crème Cleanser to the often sold-out Mighty Majesty Fortifying Hair Serum, including facial massage tools to further ritualize your selfcare routine.

JUARA

JUARA is centered around Jamu, Indonesia's ancient holistic wellness tradition. “Jamu is a lifestyle. It’s a living tradition of taking care of your health and focusing on self-love to bring out the best in you,” explains Metta Murdaya, a co-founder of the brand and author of Jamu Lifestyle: The Indonesian Herbal Wellness Tradition.

“Indonesians value health and beauty not only as a physical condition but also as a mental one.” In other words, there is deep meaning behind this brand and the products are exceptionally exquisite to boot.

You’ll obsess over the entire line but, two of my favorite gems include the Invigorating Coffee Scrub featuring Sumatran beans and the Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Mask for all out luminosity.

Black Bean Grocery

I am so in love with the old school Chinese packaging alone. Fortunately, the products are also a slam-dunk. Based between Los Angeles and San Francisco, gender-inclusive Black Bean Grocery is a serious vibe, operating according to the five Chinese blessings of health, wealth, long life, love of virtue, and a peaceful death.

The line carries everything from texturizing spray to black beanies (get it), double cleansing towels and t’s. Stand out products include the Dai-Lo Styling Powder–– a tribute to the classic Hong Kong cinema boss archetype––and the Three Beans Pomade, which provides strong but pliable definition all day.

Emilie Heathe

Normally, I am not someone who does her own nails, mostly because I am notoriously bad at it. But the limited edition Batman Collection from Emilie Heathe is so badass, I could be convinced to get my pedicure on. There are three shades – Madness is reminiscent of The Riddler - a duo-chrome polish that flips from green to purple. The Dark Night has the deep blue shimmer of the midnight sky and Vengeance is a shimmery garnet, paying tribute to Selina Kyle aka Catwoman.

A pet project of founder Emily H. Rudman, drawing comics is what led her to painting faces and the beauty industry. All products contain Asian inspired ingredients like bamboo extract and rice bran oil, and all polishes are 10+ Free, non-toxic and vegan. If, like me, you were wondering what 10+ Free means, in this case it means free of bad stuff –– parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and animal derived ingredients.

Soft Services

This award-winning line of beauty bars, cleansers, masks, and more is making sure our shoulders, backs and butts are just as shiny and smooth as our faces. This is face care quality for your entire bod.

Head straight for Byrdie’s Best Body Bar––the exfoliating Buffing Bar––and Refinery 29’s Beauty Innovator––the Smoothing Solution––along with the moisturizing Carea Cream in the Smoothing Set, and say so long to strawberry skin, ingrown hairs, rough patches, and keratosis pilaris.

Tower 28

Named after an iconic Santa Monica lifeguard stand separating Santa Monica from Venice Beach, Tower 28 products are FOR everyone, but FORmulated for sensitive skin because #ItsOkayToBeSensitive. Founder Amy Liu had a heck of a time finding products for herself, so the clever girl went ahead and created them.

These skin soothers are non-toxic, non-irritating and non-comedogenic, with no fillers, fragrances, or animal by-products. Standouts include the SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation and the Allure Best of Beauty award-winning BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm, made to slather on your lips and cheeks for that “golden/magic/happy/rush/power/after hour glow all day long.”

Kulfi Beauty

If you’re looking for a quick dopamine fix, just click the link to Kulfi’s site. Sherbert colors and glitter galore, the images are indicative of the name––Kulfi is both a delicious South Asian ice cream and this line of Kajal (kohl) eyeliners. “It’s an ode to the girl growing up in Delhi spending summers eating kulfi and to the woman I am today, says founder Priyanka Ganjoo.

As such, all products are representative of the South Asian experience, created to bring the perfect shade to skin tones and undertones. “All in all,” Ganjoo says on the site, “Kulfi is our treat to you.” The company also donates to mental health organizations serving South Asian communities.

An Allure 2021 Best of Beauty award winner, I would advise you to splurge on the complete Underlined Set––five stay put but still creamy colors that are smudge-proof, waterproof, vegan and cruelty free.

Matter of Fact

Founded by former K-pop star Paul Baek, who was frustrated with the lack of options for his own skin, Matter of Fact is the famous one now. The recipient of a 2021 Refinery 29 Beauty Innovator award, the company’s killer vitamin C serum is itself hard to kill. According to the brand’s clinical trials, it retains 94.25% of its initial 20% ascorbic acid concentration for 16 months (ascorbic acid is notoriously unstable and therefore loses its potency over time).

If I say this serum is bringing sexy back, does that relate to K-pop or just let you know how old and out of touch I am? Either way, will never tire of this stuff.

Skylar

A first-gen Taiwanese American, Cat Chen was a tech and beauty industry executive, wearing her everyday fragrance when her newborn had an allergic reaction to it. Chen saw it as an opportunity to use her expertise to create fresh, inspiring scents that are cruelty-free, hypoallergenic, and safe for sensitive skin.

Available in full and travel size as well as in candles, these scents are sublime: Coconut Cove is a trifecta of my favorite smells––coconut, bergamot and amber and best seller Vanilla Sky is a blend of cappuccino, vanilla and caramelized cedar. Caramelized cedar?!? Shut the front door.

And remember rollerballs? I’m talking OG Kissing Potion ala the ones I used to “borrow” from my older cousins, but in this context, I mean the world’s largest Scent Club. Sign up and Skylar sends you a new scented rollerball every month. The perfect excuse to try all of them. You won’t be disappointed.

Explore even more AAPI owned beauty brands, by grabbing the AAPI beauty box. This limited-edition collection features Tower28’s obsess-worthy ShineOn Lip Jelly in CHILL, plus seven full-size best-selling beauty products from Glow Recipe, Fable and Mane, Hero Cosmetics, JINsoon, Live Tinted, and Mount Lai.

Not only is it a steal at 45% off, but $10 from every box sold will go to AAPI non-profit organizations benefiting the community.

May might be in full swing, but guess what? These brands are bringing the best in beauty all year long, so get to shopping and let me know which products make you shine, anytime.