Indie Beauty Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Brand Crushes

In this edition of Beauty Independent’s ongoing series posing questions to beauty entrepreneurs, we ask 12 founders and executives: What brand do you admire?

Heather Wilson Director of Brand Development, InstaNatural

I have a lot of brand crushes as I am always finding inspiration from other passionate beauty creators. However, if I were to pick one, right now, it would be Osmia. Their founder, Sarah Villafranco, is a former ER doctor who is passionate about healthy and clean living. She creates gorgeous products from the most luxurious natural ingredients, and her work is truly inspiring.

Additionally, I love how she demonstrates her passion of natural living into the medical community. I believe the practices of western medicine and holistic approaches to wellness can work in tandem, and she truly embodies that. Her products always get shelf space in my bathroom, and I am continually motivated to do better by both her and her brand.

Nathaly Millan Co-Founder, Zue Beauty

We love brands like Patagonia because their model shows that you can be profitable, but still be able to generate long-lasting impacts in society. There is another brand we absolutely love. It’s called DoMatcha. They show that the most important thing is being true to your values and your backgrounds. They have been in the matcha market for a long time, but still they are able to remain category leaders while embracing their roots.

Jennifer Odom Owner and Creator, Meraki Botanicals

My brand crush is without a doubt Herbivore Botanicals. They were my biggest inspiration when starting Meraki and have continued to be a source of inspiration throughout this journey. I love the quality of the products as well as the brand voice and imagery. It's all so clean and lovely. I also have to say Aquarian Soul. [Founder] Ally [Sands]  is incredibly kind, and her products are magical.

Prudence Millsap  Founder, Beauty by Earth

We have so many brand crushes: 100% Pure, Tata Harper, Herbivore, Zoe Organics. There are so many powerful brands out there in our space educating people. Banded together, people are destined to learn ingredients and why clean ingredients are so important. We love seeing our brand on lists with these companies we look up to.

Matthew Stillman Founder, Primal Derma

Exo. If you don't know them, they are a meal replacement bar made with crickets. What I’ve loved about Exo since they launched on Kickstarter is that they are fearlessly telling a deep story about ecology, sustainability, and that there is an ancient and near global tradition of eating insects that they are trying to advocate for. For many or most in the Western world, there is a deep gross-out response to eating insects, but Exo is really upfront about what their product is made of and why it isn't crazy to eat crickets.

I consider Exo to be kin of a kind since our skincare product is made of grass-fed beef tallow. Primal Derma has a similar story to tell about ecology, sustainability and the reclaiming of an old and near global tradition that for many has a gross-out factor as much as crickets do. There are so many good reasons to approach entomophagy and just as many for putting nutrient dense grass-fed beef tallow on your skin. While we tell a slightly different culture-making story than Exo does, we keep an eye to how they are walking their path.

Rachel Roff Founder, Urban Skin Rx and Urban Skin Solutions Med Spa

I love the ingredients and look of Sunday Riley and Drunk Elephant. Two other great results-oriented brands that I admire are Dr. Dennis Gross and PCA Skin. I also really admire the social cult following Glossier has cultivated.

Julia Teren Founder, Thesis Beauty

I am crazy about the aesthetic of Restoration Hardware. It's not just mere replication of the old-world. I's a very thoughtful modern spin on timeless classics. I admire Whole Foods as a brand, and how they revolutionized the way natural supermarkets should look and what kind of standards should be applied to our everyday essentials.

I also love Trader Joe’s because their HR department does such an incredible job hiring special types of folks. From California to Boston, they somehow manage to have people in-store with the same cool, laid-back and super friendly vibe. In the realm of skincare, I admire Dr. Bronner’s for the incredible contribution in the organic movement although some products I tried were a bit harsher for my dry skin.

Alice Cheng Founder, GALS

My brand crush, Causebox, is not so much a brand, but what I'd like to call an ambassador of brands. In recent years, subscription boxes have become very popular. From health and beauty to makeup and jewelry, there seems to be a box for every interest and taste. What I particularly love about Causebox is that every single product they support comes from socially-conscious brands that do good and give back to communities. The way I see it, you can never have too much of a do-good thing.

Jessica Frandson Co-Founder, Campo Beauty

We have been crushing on David Pirrotta Brands since the day we were inspired to start our modern aromatherapy collection. We stumbled on his Instagram feed because he represents all of these uber chic and innovative luxury brands like Ilia Beauty, Lebon Toothpastes and Cire Trudon Candles.  

We love brands like Ilia that don’t compromise ingredients or mislead consumers with false promises and have transparency. We also admire brands that are created from authentic aha and inspiration moments, and can tell that story in an interesting way to message their brand and engage customers. And we are obsessed with chic and simple packaging like Byredo and Sachajuan, nothing too precious or fussy.  

Chris Collins Founder, Chris Collins, Alchemy of Fragrance

I love Tom Ford. He’s fearless and unapologetic. When it comes to his ads and his products, he never plays it safe. He’s dangerous and sexy. You either love them or hate them, but he forces you have an emotional reaction regardless. That’s very important. I was taught that, if your brand isn’t aspirational or sparks some sort of emotional reaction, whatever that is, then you have to go back to the drawing board.

Christine Cameron Koehler Founder, Flora 1761

My biggest brand crush is probably House of Hackney, the dynamite English textile company.  They became a huge inspiration for Flora 1761 at inception, when I was living in London. There are so many décor and fashion brands that are dripping in opulence and luxury like House of Hackney and, while there are lots of cool beauty brands out there, I have yet to find many grounded in this more is more aesthetic. It’s not necessarily au currant for beauty, but I believe there is a customer that really craves it.  

Along the same lines, though not retail brands, some major style inspirations for me are Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert and Iris Apfel. You won’t find them wearing specific trends and, yet, they consistently exude glamour and sophistication.

Inger Ellen Nicolaisen Co-Founder, Eleni & Chris

Virgin. Richard Branson is a big inspiration. He’s smart, innovative and disrupts current markets.

If you have a question you’d like Beauty Independent to ask beauty entrepreneurs, please send it to editor@beautyindependent.com.