Karine Laudort With everything which is going on in the world right now, it is important to stay on top of your self-care and wellbeing, whether this is beauty, shoes, or food! I love to use beauty products from hair care to skincare, to make me feel that one bit better about life. I have noticed a rise in independent indie beauty brands using innovative ideas to compete with massive beauty corporations. But what are indie beauty brands? This term is used to refer to independent businesses, who are not supported by the funding from big corporations. Most are supported and managed by their founders, and usually have strong passions and beliefs behind the brand and products. Typically a big part of indie beauty brands is the fact they have the freedom to be more experimental with most being sustainable, organic, cruelty-free, and sometimes handmade. The fact that these brands have more freedom to experiment means they can be more personalised with their product offerings, normally talking straight to the consumers face to face, or through marketplaces like Etsy. However, big companies are now catching onto this trend, with Amazon now offering an indie beauty section! I hope that Amazon does not threaten these brands to flourish and thrive, to support them. I have handpicked some of my favorite inclusive, organic, and cruelty-free indie beauty brands just for you.
Ndulge:
All of Ndulge skincare remedies are created by hand in small batches. The luxurious scented bestseller soaps are formulated containing only natural plant-based oils, butter, herbal ingredients, clays, certified essential oils, and presented in minimalist recyclable, plastic-free materials, which is both sustainable and kind to the planet and your skin. Followed closely by the highly moisturising body crèmes, natural and unscented, for both men and women.
“The need to provide a no-nonsense skincare brand has always been at the forefront of starting my business, especially as that is the only lifestyle I have ever known and wanted to share” says Jacalyn Belgrave the founder of Ndulge, handmade natural skincare remedies. Her desire to replicate some of the natural concoctions she remembered in the Caribbean, from watching her grandmother and mother blend plant leaves and butters, was instilled in her from a tender age and which she is passionate about sharing to encourage others to live as natural a lifestyle as possible. A qualified formulator, Jacalyn states the key to any business is to listen first to the customer’s needs and deliver on the promise that you make.
Find NDulge on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and on their Website.
NI-KA Deluxe:
Ni-Ka Deluxe was started by Yvonne Roberts, a former civil servant, in 2012 who wanted to create a range of handmade skincare suitable for people with sensitive skin to meet the needs of her family and herself. From the outset, it was important that as far as possible the products would be made using natural ingredients that were ethically sourced and cruelty-free. This also included the packaging which has to be recyclable. Organic body butter, lip balm, hair pomade, and baby balm 100% natural free from artificial preservatives, free from artificial fragrance, free from artificial color. Ni-Ka Deluxe produces handmade quality skincare products using natural, fairtrade, and organic ingredients to maintain the skins’ health and beauty. Ni-Ka Deluxe products can be obtained on Shop Noir.
CRIA Hair:
CRIA hair was born in 2017, when founder Dr. Shubhra Sharma stumbled across her late Fathers diary, with a jumble of numbers that made no sense. The formula turned out to be the ingredients for what is CRIA Hair now, an ode to her parents and their enduring legacy for organic, healthy, minimalist empowered living.
CRIA Hair believes great hair and brows begin with self-care. Their patent-pending formula powerfully combines only 4 organic ingredients to give you healthier, stronger hair and brows faster, and that last. CRIA is vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free. CRIA’s goal is to change the hair loss paradigm that shames people into doing the body wrong. It promotes products that weaken the body without giving you the hair and brows you need. Their standpoint is empathy, offering you meaningful, minimalist grooming products carefully crafted for maximum life-affirming affects.
To learn more and/or purchase CRIA Hair and Scalp Booster, CRIABrow Enhancer and Conditioner, visit their website.
True Skincare:
Created by beauty insider turned businesswoman, Emma Thorn- ton, TRUE Skincare delivers high-quality natural and certified organic ingredients, luxurious formulas, honest messaging and stylish design which have been priced competitively to make feel-good products as accessible as possible. What’s more – as pioneers within the blue beauty movement, TRUE’s waterless approach means it’s a range which cares for skin with concentrated formulas and minimal artificial preservatives, whilst conserving the planet’s natural resources.
Since launching, the award-winning British brand has gained a legion of fans which led to the vegan and cruelty-free range selling out almost instantly amongst retailers; whilst its founder and products have been celebrated within the mainstream and natural beauty press. Following on from the outstanding success of its launch range of facial oils, cleansing oil, and exfoliator, this Summer sees the release of three new and exciting waterless products which look set to continue TRUE’s success story, including its Radiance Renewal Vitamin C Serum and Hydrating Blossom & Pine Toner.
The founding product of TRUE’S Youth Renewal range, this skin smoothing hydrator helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles with Cacay – a natural occurring and less riskier alternative to retinol. Toning and firming Frankincense and Blackcurrant, which helps rid skin of ageing toxins and free radicals, sit alongside anti-ageing apricot kernel and grape seed oil which, alongside a waterless production process, help this oil’s powerhouse ingredients quickly penetrate deep into the skin.
To learn more and/or purchase True Skincare visit their Instagram or Website.
Devances Cosmétiques:
Devances Cosmétiques was founded by two people passionate about technology and green chemistry and cosmetics; Dr France-Aimée Gail and Dr Sandro Gaïl. The idea about producing greener and environmentally friendly cosmetics drove the project until the launch of their first products, developing a unique product to take care of the hair with technology derived from lab research and combining ingredients extracted from nature and innovative technologies.
Inspired from Caribbean rituals, the vegan brand Devance Cosmétiques is dedicated to treating dry and overworked hair from straight to kinky hair. The natural and organic products are made with very few ingredients (100% are active ingredients and +95% of the ingredients are natural). The cosmetic range is made of specific powder deep-hair treatments and powder shampoos to avoid preservatives usage and 2 nourishing oils. Based on tropical maranta (arrowroot) and fruit of hibiscus (okra), the deep- treatments have moisturising, restorative, nourishing and UV-protection properties. They are effective from the first application and available in hair salons. The shampoo 100% Natural and soft is sulfate-free. The nourishing oils 100% Natural and Bio contains 100% organic ingredients as avocado and coconut oils and are multitasks (hair, body, beard and face). The entire range is free off preservatives, fragrances, ammonium quats, silicone, mineral oil, and petrolatum.
Follow Devance Cosmétiques on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. To purchase and learn more about their products visit their website.
I hope I have convinced you to buy into independent, niche and indie beauty brands. These are the brands you should support and recommend, especially due to recent circumstances, helping passionate people and promoting high quality ingredients every step of the way. I believe the future of the beauty industry lies in these smaller heartfelt brands, who want the best for your skin, the environment and the future!
