Independent Brands in Sephora

Disclaimer: If I am wrong about any, then please forgive me on that score. I tried my best. Therefore, take what I list with a grain of salt and do your own research. An indie brand essentially does not have a parent company (ie. constant backing, or outright ownership from the bigger shark) as per my opinion of it.

Thus, Fenty Beauty and KVD are sisters because they are owned by one big parent company i.e. Kendo Holdings (Louis Vuitton, I believe). Rihanna is not the owner of FB, she’s simply the model. Same thing with Too Faced (this one used to be indie till very recently), MAC, GLAMGLOW, and NARS which are now owned by Estée Lauder.

Also, the misconception that indie brands are online only and “exclusive” to their own website is incorrect (take Juvia’s Place and Storybook Cosmetics at Ulta for example). They can be sold at other stores, if the store and the brand are able to come to a satisfactory contractual agreement. But new indie brands do predominantly tend to sell online, exclusively to their own website. It all comes down to customer demand and popularity. Many people think indie means new and upcoming, that however, is not the case. An indie brand, simply put, means independent, no matter how small or big, young or old.

You are welcome to disagree, but you are now aware of my standpoint. Today we will talk (ahem read) about mainstream brands, brands that everyone and their mother knows about. I exaggerate of course, because my own mother does not know about these brands. The point being, brands that are popular, well established brands that are still independently owned by the founder of the company.

And if you don’t see a certain popular brand it’s most likely because they do have a parent company or are a subsidiary to a conglomerate. Granted this is subject to change at any given moment, where many independent brands sell their ownership to bigger companies. Or rarely but not impossibly, where the founder/owner buys back ownership from the parent company.

The best way to figure out if a brand has a parent company or not is to looking at the very bottom of the page where it has the copyright/ trademark and date with very tiny letters. That, however, is not full proof because many brands do not disclose it down there. The other way is to read the terms and conditions page (i.e command + find, and look for key words).

LIST

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills

Founder and CEO: Anastasia Soare

Source: Owler, Brand’s About Us Page

2. Beauty Blender

Founder and CEO: Rea Ann Silva

Source: Owler, Brand’s Pro-files Page

3. Bésame Cosmetics

Founder: Gabriela Hernandez

Source: Owler, Brand’s About Us Page, theblondesalad.com

4. Dominique Cosmetics

Founder: Christine Dominique

Source: Brand Website

5. Farsali

Founder and CEO: Sal Ali

Source: Brand Website

6. Huda Beauty

Founder and CEO: Huda Kattan

Source: Owler, Wikipedia

7. Milk Makeup

Founders: Mazdack Rassi, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Georgie Greville, and Diana Ruth.

Source: Brand Website

8. Natasha Denona

Founder: Natasha Denona

CEO: Yaron Adi

Source: Brand’s Terms Page; LinkedIn

9. Nudestix

Founders: Jenny, Aly, and Taylor (mother and daughters)

CEO: Jenny Frankel

Sources: Brand’s Meet Us page, beautyninetofive.com

10. Pat McGrath Labs

Founder and CEO: Pat McGrath

Source: Owler, Brand’s About Us Page

11. Pretty Vulgar

Founder and CEO: Lewis Farsedakis

Source: Owler, Brand’s Website, and LinkedIn

12. Viseart

Co-Founder and CEO: Anastasia Vandusen-Sparrow

Source: Owler, LinkedIn

I hope this helps those who wish to be aware makeup customers! Buying from a conglomerate or small business is by no means right or wrong. You do you. But for those who wish to be aware, nothing wrong with that either.

Thank you so much for your time. Please check out my other posts.

Au Revoir Mon Ami

XOXO