Meet the Female Founders That Are Changing the Beauty Landscape

Seattle dermatologist Heather D. Rogers, MD, founder of Doctor Rogers RESTORE

As a dermatologist constantly touching her patients’ faces—often creating incisions, micro-injuries or injections in the name of beauty—Dr. Rogers created a hypoallergenic and all-natural solution to help skin heal faster and better. The golden ticket to better-looking skin: RESTORE Healing Balm ($30) which, as Dr. Rogers puts it, “supports the skin to do what it is made to do: heal itself without unnecessary and unwanted ingredients that can slow the process, irritate the skin or accumulate in our bodies and our world.”

Jessica Mulligan, founder of Winged CBD

What makes Winged CBD’s range of hemp-derived oils, sleep aids and edible gummies unique? It’s the first CBD line formulated specifically for women. Like many of us, Mulligan’s interest in CBD sparked after a long battle with chronic anxiety. When she first tried the ingredient, she was so excited to have found something to make her feel both relaxed and comfortable in her own skin. Fast forward to present day, and her favorite of 13 products under her belt is the Happiness Soft Gels ($40), which she describes as a stellar way to start the day. The gels pack in mood-balancing CBD, along with 5HTP and L-Dopa to support production of the brain’s “happy” neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine.

Sarah Ribner, Piperwai

Piperwai blessed us their all-natural, charcoal-based, nontoxic deodorant ($12) in 2014, which then fostered the creation for the rest of their clean and handy underarm products. Ribner began her journey with wellness about a decade ago when she realized that natural deodorant was the missing piece in her quest to lead a healthy lifestyle. When her childhood friend asked her to try her DIY formula, she immediately found the need for it in the marketplace. From there, Piperwai took off and formed a large following. Since, Ribner has been highlighted within Forbes 30 Under 30 and, most recently, has been chosen by Diane von Furstenberg to celebrate International Women’s Day through her #InCharge movement. 

Amy Liu, founder of Tower 28

This clean, playful line of sensitive skin–approved formulas may only be less than a year old, but Liu has already made a splash in the skin-care scene. As a beauty exec at big names like Smashbox, Kate Somerville and Josie Maran for more than 15 years, Liu knows everything there is to know about the space, but her eczema-prone skin stopped her from truly finding something that worked for her. Now, her colorful line features products like the Beauty SOS Facial Spray, which has already saved thousands from red, irritated skin, and soothing ShineOn Lip Jellies to comfort skin and act as a gloss. Even better: every product is 100-percent clean, vegan and free of every known skin irritant. 

Connie Lo and Laura Burget, cofounders of Niu Body

Frustrated with the lack of skin-care products in the market that were both affordable and effective, Lo and Burget created Niu Body in 2017 to fill the void. Priding themselves on true ingredient transparency and an under-forty-dollar price point, the brand is so much more than their chic, minimalistic packaging: it’s a huge step in the mission to make natural beauty accessible for all women. Now carried in more than 350 retailers across the U.S. and four new products in the pipeline, Lo and Burget are full steam ahead.

Jennifer Yen, founder of Purlisse

Purlisse harnesses the power of Asian botanicals into high-performing formulas that leave the skin both luminous and beautiful. Yen, who also happens to be a former Power Rangers actress, found that makeup gradually damaged her skin when she was wearing it on set for over 15 hours per day. She was discouraged when she couldn’t find the remedy to bring her skin back to life, which is when she finally decided to create it herself. Enter: Purlisse, a solutions-oriented skin-care brand that caters to every skin type and budget. Not sure where to start? The best-selling Blue Lotus Seed Mud Mask + Exfoliant ($48) delivers baby-soft skin in minutes. 

Sylwia Wiesenberg, founder of BAWDY.

Redefining the meaning of booty work, BAWDY. is all about fostering the idea of taking care of your behind just like how you take care of your face. A former gymnast, Wiesenberg is out to celebrate the power of the behind with her unique line of butt sheet masks that clear, brighten and plump the skin on the delicate but oh-so-powerful area. 

Aimee Werner, Whish

Werner was in the shower when she had her first “aha” moment—she had run out of shaving cream and reached for her husband’s. It was the best shave of her life, but she wished it didn’t smell so masculine. Once she and her husband set out to make the idea a reality, the wish slowly but surly turned into Whish, which began as a brand offering three game-changing shaving creams for women. Today, the clean beauty brand has blossomed into one that sells just about everything you’d need in terms of caring for your skin, both on the body and face. What’s up next? An expanded skin-care range and some innovative body treatments are said to be on the horizon.