Words By Agnes Aui | Photograph By Nadezhda Diskant

“Who run the world? Girls!”

Women-run luxury brands in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021.

Every year on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a day that promotes gender equality and women’s rights. Looking back, the first celebration actually took place on February 28 in 1909 when the Socialist Party of America organised a Women’s Day in New York City. However, it wasn’t annually celebrated worldwide until the United Nations began celebrating it in 1977. In fact, in some countries, International Women’s Day is a public holiday and gatherings alongside marches dedicated to women can be seen worldwide. 

International Women’s Day is an opportunity for many to show their support to women in their family and community. One of the best ways to show your support is to embrace women-run businesses wherever you can. When supported, women-run businesses will flourish and gain recognition throughout the world, proving to young aspiring girls that everything is possible. This month, we’ve curated the ultimate list of women-run luxury brands in support of International Women’s Day 2021!

Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin

Launched on September 8, 2017 by well-known singer Rihanna, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin is the ultimate brand that displays an amazing climb to success in such a short time. What drove Fenty Beauty into the limelight is its wide inclusivity across different skin tones and gender, especially with the Pro Filt’R foundation. This game changing liquid foundation launched a whopping 40 shades, and has since expanded to 50 shades. The brand then expanded to having 50 shades of concealer, as well as recently providing powder foundations. In 2017, Time Magazine actually named Fenty Beauty one of the best inventions of the year. 

Fenty Skin on the other hand is a newly launched skincare range by Rihanna. The notion behind this creation is to make skincare simple and uncomplicated, which is why most of Fenty Skin’s products are multitasking. For example, the cleanser is a two-in-one makeup remover and cleanser, while the hydra vizor moisturiser contains sunscreen, allowing skincare users to moisturise and apply sunblock in one simple step. Truly, it’s an innovation that exhibits the impeccable thinking of women, and deserves the utmost support from skincare enthusiasts worldwide.

Glossier

If there’s any brand that defines ‘putting women at the forefront’, it has to be Glossier. In fact, one of the reasons the brand was created was to actually drive women to the frontline of the beauty industry. Emily Weiss, an American businesswoman founded cosmetics company Glossier as well as a blog called, Into The Gloss back in 2014. It all started with the idea to cater to millennials, and with that, she started approaching venture capitalists with ideas for expansion. 

In October 2014, Glossier launched their first ever line of products which include an all-purpose balm, a facial mist, a sheer skin tint as well as a moisturiser. Within six weeks of the launch, Glossier was a hit and continued in the spotlight till today. Other than minimalist packaging and potent ingredients, Glossier creates products that users wish existed. This brings customer service to a whole new level, proving that women are creators of products that matter. Which is why Glossier is a brand you should consider supporting this International Women’s Day.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Founded by Romanian-born Anastasia Soare in 1997, Anastasia Beverly Hills also known as ABH is a cosmetics company best known for its eyebrow products. ABH started when Anastasia herself opened a flagship salon in Beverly Hills. In 2000, the company’s first line of products were released to the public. However, ABH grew in popularity when they introduced a new brow-shaping service to customers. The service, also known as the “Golden Ratio Eyebrow Shaping Method”, was a way to get the perfect, balanced and symmetrical eyebrows that work perfectly on any face shape. 

Today, ABH is run by Anastasia’s daughter, Claudia Soare, and has ventured into more than just eyebrows. They’ve created eyeshadows, highlighters, powder foundations, mascara and more. Nevertheless, it’s their eyebrow products that still ranks at the top. In fact, ABH has just recently released the new brow styling wax that helps users create natural feathered brows without the use of any other products. 

So if you’re looking for new eyebrow products and don’t know which brand to support this coming International Women’s Day, here’s the one!

Estée Lauder

When you think of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world, it’s no surprise that Estée Lauder pops into your mind. But did you know that the founder of Estée Lauder is Estée Lauder herself? Well, Estée Lauder’s actual name is Josephine Esther Mentzer and she founded the cosmetic company alongside her husband Joseph Lauter (who later changed his last name to Lauder). 

She was born in 1906 and started selling her uncle’s blends to her friends. One day, she was getting her hair done in a salon and the owner asked her about her flawless skin. That was what started Estée’s passion for selling skincare products. 

Today, the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Well-known brands under the company include Becca, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Jo Malone, DKNY and more. 

It’s incredible to know that a woman like Estée, who was first selling products to her friends, would eventually build a luxury empire that embeds itself so deep in our minds. If there’s a luxury brand to continue supporting in order to empower other young aspiring women, it’s Estée Lauder.

Tata Harper Skincare

There’s beauty in supporting brands that are all for the environment, whether it’d be in their packaging or whether they use 100% natural ingredients. And the best part about Tata Harper Skincare, is that it’s founded by Colombian beauty guru Tata Harper, alongside her husband Henry Harper. It all started when Tata couldn’t find 100% natural products that were up to her standards of efficacy, quality, and purity. Thus, she started making skincare for women who refuse to risk their health by using chemical filled products in order to beautify their looks. One thing that Tata Harper Skincare assures, is that if Tata doesn’t feel like the product is ideal, she will not launch it.

Products from Tata Harper Skincare dons a leafy green packaging with gold elements. To make things better, the brand is 100% cruelty-free, while the ingredients used in the products are organically grown and free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In fact, they are produced and packaged at Tata Harper’s very own farm in Vermont, ensuring utmost quality and freshness. With the importance of all-natural skincare these days, there’s no better skincare brand to support than Tata Harper Skincare. By doing so, we’ll also empower and encourage women to further look into all-natural skincare, driving them to the forefront of the industry.