Here are seven Asian-American women behind some of the buzziest brands currently paving the way to a brighter future for the beauty market.

1. Amy Liu, founder of Tower 28

With over 15 years of experience as a beauty executive for brands like Kate Somerville, Smashbox and Josie Maran under her belt, Liu couldn’t find affordable products that were gentle enough on her sensitive skin to not trigger her eczema. That’s how Tower 28 was born, a clean beauty brand inclusive of all skin tones, skin types and budgets.

Since its launch, Liu has ensured the brand not only keeps coming out with quality products but also takes action toward sustainability – the reason why they have pledged to transition the brand’s packaging to a minimum of 50 per cent and up to 100 per cent PCR (post-consumer recycled plastics) by 2023.

2. Charlotte Cho, founder of Then I Met You and Sokoglam

Cho’s upbringing as a Korean-American has always served as her inspiration, to the point that she turned it into her life’s work.

Founder of popular K-beauty e-commerce company Soko Glam and her own brand Then I Met You, Cho uses all of her platforms to urge people to see skincare as a form of self-care that goes beyond the way we look.

From the very beginning, she committed to selling products and educating the market about formulations, skin wellness and ingredients to help newbies approach skincare as a form of wellness.

3. Ju Rhyu, co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics

As the co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics, Rhyu’s goal was to remove the stigma surrounding acne and breakouts in the beauty market and rewrite the narrative regarding what “good” skin is supposed to look like.

Knowing millions of people worldwide have experienced the insecurities that can come with acne, Rhyu created Hero Cosmetics to offer a new perspective. The brand carries a variety of patches, formulations, and treatments to help bring your skin back to its healthy self while understanding that breakouts are a natural way for your body to react to its environment.

4. Priscilla Tsai, founder of Cocokind

When Tsai launched Cocokind in 2015, the former Wall Street investment banker had one goal: providing customers with gentle, simple-ingredient formulas that could make them feel good inside and out.

Having struggled with acne and skin sensitivity for most of her life, Tsai knew from experience that sustainable products for acne-prone skin were not easy to access, which ultimately became the push she needed to quit her finance job and create Cocokind.

Since then, her purpose has been to develop affordable and effective formulas to encourage others to take care of their skin while feeling comfortable in it, regardless of its appearance.

5. Lauren Jin, founder of CLE Cosmetics

Being able to experiment and discover herself as a child has profoundly shaped Jin as a person and businesswoman. Growing up, her parents encouraged her to explore different ways to express herself through fashion and make-up, which she says built a sense of freedom that boosted her confidence and courage to try new things.

That authenticity is what drove her to launch CLE Cosmetics, a line of simple, versatile make-up and skincare products like powder-to-tint lip colours, essence-infused highlighters, and CC (colour-correcting) creams to cover all your “no-make-up” make-up needs while still taking care of your skin.

6. Stephanie Zheng, founder of Mount Lai

It all started with Zheng’s grandmother, who used jade rollers and gua sha stones for decades as part of her daily skincare ritual. That’s what inspired Zheng to launch Mount Lai, a brand rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that serves as both a beauty-focused line and a wellness platform to help people come up with their own skin and mind self-care rituals.

She aims to introduce tools such as gua sha and rolling stones to the Western market while properly educating customers about their benefits and the history behind their healing modalities.

7. Charlotte Chen Pienaar, founder of Everyday Humans

Everyday Humans’ philosophy is rooted in Pienaar’s aim to create an eco-friendly and inclusive brand offering sun-protection products for everyone, regardless of skin type or colour.

Leaving her corporate job behind at 27 to work for various start-ups, she decided to use her love of entrepreneurship and skin health to create a brand focused on making sun care a non-negotiable step in everybody’s routine.

With formulas designed to feel comfortable for everyday wear, Pienaar has developed a collection of lightweight, deeply nourishing and clean products that seek to boost and inspire their community in every way possible.