Innovative Indie Personal Care Brands for 2024

The vibrancy of the indie beauty scene continues into 2024, with sales up 90% during the past year, according to Kline’s recently published Beauty Indies: U.S. Analysis of Brands to Watch in partnership with NielsenIQ.

According to Leah Wisniewski, analyst, beauty and wellbeing, Kline, recent growth in the indie beauty sector has outpaced the total industry more than tenfold, which is a result of retailer support and brands’ purpose-driven efforts, accessible pricing and innovation that spans product development, brand messaging and digital marketing.

The increased pace at which indies enter the marketplace comes with a caveat: their longevity.

“The average lifespan of indie beauty brands has experienced a notable transformation in recent years,” said Wisniewski. “Previously, these brands would typically endure for around 20 years. However, this lifespan has been halved. This condensed runway presents both opportunities and challenges for indie brands—allowing certain brands to realize their success more quickly, while putting pressure on brands to demonstrate their competitive edge within a more restricted timeframe.”

Innovations are seen across all beauty indie categories—from toiletries to hair care—and this is often what gets an indie brand off the ground and into the spotlight. But smaller cosmetics brands have had a financial shift from rapid brand growth as a goal in the past toward creating brands with longevity and stability.

According to Eber Bodmer, vice president, marketing and communications, Independent Beauty Association, marketers should connect with their consumer on a personal level. Truly authentic and transparent brand messaging with formula clarity is also key to successful indie brand.

“Marketers of these indie brands need to pull up a seat and speak with suppliers, formulators and product development teams,” said Bodmer.

Read on to learn more about the latest indie beauty brands making Happi headlines. Each is primed to grow in the year ahead thanks to a founder’s unique talents and personal stories. They are placed in alphabetical order.

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Fresh by Houston White
www.freshbyhoustonwhite.com

Why We’re Watching: Inclusive personal care brand Fresh by Houston White launched to bridge cultural divides in the beauty aisle. Formulated for all races, genders and hair types, Fresh says it provides effective routines for a community of people who celebrate feeling beautiful and strive to vibe high every day.

Names To Know: Founder and CEO Houston White

Major Products: Moisturizing Shampoo, Deep Conditioner, Pomade for Straight Hair, Pomade for Curly Hair, Pomade for Wavy Hair, Clarifying Face Scrub, Get Up Body Lotion, Get Down Body Lotion, Soothing Face Lotion

Hero Product: Pomade for Wavy Hair

Stocked At: Target.com and select Target stores nationwide

Brand Story: Inspired by his passion for cutting hair and reveling in the communal space of the barbershop, White opened a barbershop in his hometown, the Camdentown neighborhood of North Minneapolis, in 2007.

Unable to find a brand that catered to his diverse audience that he was serving at the barbershop, White created his own products, starting by making a hair pomade by trial and error in his living room in 2009.

Years later, his Fresh by Houston White line was created to meet the grooming needs of people of all backgrounds.

White created Fresh by Houston White in response to his shared experiences in his barbershop, testing product formulations and a desire for everyone to use effective products regardless of cultural differences. Houston launched Fresh by Houston White exclusively in Target in his hometown to desegregate hair and skincare and meet the needs of everyone in varying hair textures and skin types.

The collection includes solution-oriented and nutrient rich products for all hair types, vibrant packaging and fresh ingredients, including matcha tea, cocoa butter, shea butter, jojoba oil, lavender and aloe.

White’s signature fragrances—notes of Egyptian musk, cocoa, rose and apricot—are inspired by the scents within his barbershop and designed to replicate the salon experience at home.

In addition, an innovative component in the Fresh collection includes a QR code and frequency on each product that drives to the Vibes, a curated playlist by White that correlates to the mood brought on with the scents for a “transformative experience” during your morning, mid-day, or evening routine.

“Each vibrational tone of the frequencies has medicinal and healing qualities with the goal of an immersive sensory experience and deeper connection to the products at home,” he insisted.

What’s Next: Fresh by Houston White is set to launch new products including shave and beard oils in 2024.

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Gitti
gittibeauty.com

Why We’re Watching: Gitti believes that conscious beauty is the future of beauty. Its plant-based, vegan, cruelty-free, 30-free polish formula is on a mission of clean innovation with sustainable packaging to boot.

Names To Know: Jenni Baum-Minkus, CEO and founder

Major Products: Nail care including polishes, remover, high-gloss top coat and exfoliating cuticle gel

Stocked At: gittibeauty.com, The Well NYC

Brand Story: During a dinner party in Berlin, Gitti Founder Jenni Baum-Minkus was asked: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

Immediately an answer popped into her head: make a glitter nail polish.

That night, she began researching—for the first time in her life—nail polish. Minkus was displeased with the common ingredients for nail polish.

A few years and countless formula trials later, Gitti nail polish launched online with clean alternative ingredients—and it sold out in two hours. 

“We constantly work to improve our formulas as the clean beauty market adapts and evolves,” noted Minkus. “Our goal—and challenge—is to achieve a 100% natural origin formula.”

Minkus added: “It is not easy to create new, innovative formulas from scratch and take the risk to be the one that brings them to the market first, but I see it as Gitti’s obligation to challenge the industry and be the first mover. It’s fantastic to see how much change we have already created in the industry and that larger brands are excited about following our tracks.”

Minkus say she’s on a constant search for “safer innovations with a lower environmental impact from plant-based, renewable solvents created through the fermentation of sugar cane, cassava and corn to cotton-based film formers and non-formaldehyde-releasing resins.”

Gitti is also PETA certified and uses sustainable replacements—such as ethically-sourced mica. The nail polish range boasts more than 60 hues that are up to 82% plant based.

“While there is no legal definition of ‘natural’ in the cosmetic industry, we rely on guidelines from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to ensure maximal transparency for our customers,” added Minkus.

What’s Next: Gitti will expand its marketing outreach in 2024. Currently its brand partner is Kim Truong, the celebrity manicurist for Kourtney Kardashian, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Aniston and other boldfaces names in Hollywood.

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Josh Rosebrook
https://joshrosebrook.com

Why We’re Watching: Josh Rosebrook is a skin, hair and body care company on a mission to strengthen skin health and support the vitality of the person within. According to its namesake founder, its mission is “to create bio-designed, research-driven formulas that harness advancements in cosmetic science and sustainable practices to bring optimum performance products that work for everyone, in packaging that works for our planet.”

Names To Know: Josh Rosebook, founder, cosmetologist and lead R&D

Major Products: Hydrating Accelerator, Vital Balm Cream, Daily Acid Toner, Ultra Peptide Cream, Nutrient Day Cream Tinted SPF 30, Complete Moisture Cleanse

Hero Product: Hydrating Accelerator

Stocked At: Credo, Heyday, Shopgood, Detox Market, Aillea, Saks Fifth Avenue, Amazon and joshrosebrook.com

Brand Story: A celebrity hairdresser turned product developer, Rosebrook launched his eponymous brand with a mission he’s carried to this day: to create dynamic, nutrient-dense products that strengthen skin health and support the wellness of the whole person. His brand emerged quietly but powerfully—originating from his private studio in Beverly Hills, where word-of-mouth referrals and influential ties he had cultivated during his early career in hair care served as the foundation of his success.

Rosebrook was regarded as an innovator in the clean beauty space due to his results-driven treatment approach to skin, scalp and hair care.

According to Rosebrook, using advancements in herbalism coupled with meticulously screened ingredient sources, each small-batch formula is woven around a signature hand-crafted plant infusion calibrated for maximum potency and application efficacy.

Over the years, Rosebrook has evolved alongside the brand, using more eco-friendly ingredients, broadening his product range while staying cruelty-free.

In addition, he has adopted a biomimetic beauty approach, using more “skin-like ingredients” such as vitamin C, retinoids, probiotics and biotics to reshape beauty with both science and sustainability in mind. The brand’s latest launch is a plant-based fragrance.

The company is also beloved in Hollywood. Celebrities that use Josh Rosebrook products include Stephanie Shepherd, Olivia Wilde, Alicia Silverstone, Emma Watson, Hailey Bieber, Mila Kunis, Naomi Watts, LeAnn Rimes and Cynthia Nixon.

“What distinguishes the brand is the meticulous selection of traceable, consciously produced ingredients, a dedication to fair-trade suppliers and the use of green chemistry in formulation,” Rosebrook told Happi. “The brand embraces inclusivity in product development, ensuring that its offerings cater to all skin types. Sustainability is a key focus, evident in the thorough analysis of the supply chain and packaging, with a preference for recyclable and biodegradable materials.

In addition, Rosebrook says his “commitment extends to transparent, education-based marketing and giving back to marginalized communities, showcasing a holistic approach to ethical practices. The bio-designed philosophy integrates lessons from nature and human ingenuity, utilizing bio-technology and herbalism to create high-performance formulations enriched with potent botanical and biomimetic ingredients.”

What’s Next: Rosebrook is developing a product formulated with a novel ingredient that will be “groundbreaking” in the anti-aging skin care industry. The launch is planned for September.

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Junoco
www.junoco.com

Why We’re Watching:  Junoco’s mission is to create a more inclusive and earth-conscious future for the beauty industry by celebrating “real people, real skin, and real bodies and offering products that are vegan, cruelty-free and eco-friendly,” according to Founder Kyle Jiang.

Names to Know: Founder and CEO Kyle Jiang 

Major Products: Clean beauty and skincare

Hero Product: Clean 10 Cleansing Balm

Stocked At: Online at junoco.com and on Amazon.

Brand Story: Founder Kyle Jiang’s family has been in the beauty industry for a couple of decades. Over that time, he witnessed firsthand “the harmful impact “of the industry on both the environment and people. “From the excessive, wasteful packaging to the harmful beauty standards of unattainable ‘flawless’ skin,” he said.

This inspired Jiang to found Junoco—a sustainable skincare and beauty company leading change toward a more earth-conscious future in beauty and representing real, healthy skin. 

The company recently launched its #ToBeHuman campaign “to provide a safe space to create meaningful conversations where real skin is seen and celebrated,” noted Jiang.

“Healthy skin has zero correlation to perfect skin,” said Jiang. “The goal is to relay this message as many times as possible, to as many people as possible, in hopes to change societal standards of ‘healthy skin.’”  

Every Junoco product is created with sustainability at the core of its ideation—from ingredient sourcing, minimal formulation practices to its approach to packaging. The latest launch, the refill pod system, was created as a solution to single-use, non-recyclable packaging. 

“Traditional brands tend to release new products individually, in new packaging that leads to more plastic waste and higher costs for consumers. Junoco is taking a different approach to this issue by providing new products that are refillable by using one high-quality container,” he said.

In addition, Junoco’s formulations highlight the company’s core values by using ingredients that are simple, minimal and effective. For example, the cleansing balm, Jade Clean 10, is formulated with only 10 “purposeful ingredients that truly work, not just trendy buzzwords,” said Jiang. 

What’s Next: The clean beauty company is trending on social media so far in 2024.

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Light Activated Beauty (l.a.b.)
https://skinbylab.com

Why We’re Watching: Light Activated Beauty (l.a.b.) is a disruptive skincare brand that uses light therapy in synergy with topical formulations to achieve enhanced beauty results. The brand, which was founded by industry veterans—offers a one-of-a-kind, patent-pending, FDA-cleared light therapy pimple patch that delivers fast, easy and affordable LED-enhanced benefits to treat pimples at home.

Names To Know: Doug Cooper, co-founder, head of product innovation and formulation; Lloyd Nelson, co-founder, head of product innovation and light therapy 

Major Products: Acne Light Therapy Patch and Acne Drying Compound 

Hero Product: Acne Light Therapy Patch

Stocked At: DTC via skinbylab.com and Amazon

Brand Story: Light Activated Beauty (L.A.B.)  was developed by industry veterans Doug Cooper and Lloyd Nelson. It is based in Fair Lawn, NJ.

Cooper has a proven track record of creating indie brands around hero products which have redefined beauty categories as seen with Wunder2/Wunderbrow and Westmore Beauty/Body Coverage Perfector (acquired by Guthy Renker).

Nelson is a leading expert in both consumer and medical light therapy devices. He, and his company LED Technologies, developed at-home LED devices for many global brands around the world including Dr. Dennis Gross; he has also consulted with companies such as Estée Lauder and L’Oréal.

L.A.B. came to be when Cooper was introduced to Nelson in 2022. Cooper was exploring the development of a brand that combined light therapy with topical skincare. He had the formulations but was looking for an innovative way to deliver light therapy. Nelson introduced Cooper to an LED device he had been developing for over two years—a patent-pending, first-of-its-kind light therapy patch that could be used for multiple skin issues.

Cooper immediately “fell in love” with the technology and his search was over.

According to Cooper: “L.A.B. provides innovative, accessible, FDA-cleared, at-home LED-treatments that work in conjunction with topical skin care across a plethora of issues including acne, dark spots and wrinkles.”

The first product launch is focused around the acne category through its semi-disposable Acne Light Therapy Patch and Acne Drying Compound. Says Cooper: “These two products create a new 1-2 punch in the category with the Patch zapping acne-causing bacteria in just three minutes; the Acne Drying Compound uses sulfur, salicylic acid and zinc oxide to dry out and shrink pimples overnight.”

Cooper added: “L.A.B. is not only committed to helping consumers achieve clearer, better looking skin through light therapy—but we also hope to bring light therapy to help people with their mental health.
Light therapy doesn’t only help with treating skin but also can help improve mental health—especially for those people who have seasonal affective disorder.

The indie company also focuses on the community; L.A.B. is planning to donate specially designed boxes to hospitals and schools in 2024.

Why We’re Watching: The beauty technology sector continues to grow by bridging the gap between professional skincare services and the retail marketplace.

“L.A.B. will continue trailblazing tech innovations to bring consumers the effective, accessible and affordable skincare solutions that are typically found in doctors’ offices,” said Cooper.

What’s Next: L.A.B. anticipates a very busy 2024 as it establishes itself across multiple channels, grows on social media and plans a new launch.

The brand’s products will be available on the FSA/HSA marketplace, which executives say provides consumers accessibility to essential health and wellness products that align with financial convenience. The founders say L.A.B. also plans to announce a national retailer partnership for its acne line.

In addition to new activations including influencers, creators, derms and celebrities to create exposure around the brand and its innovative products, L.A.B. expects to complete development of a new beauty device that will dispense light therapy, micro-currents and hair oil in one application.

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Miles Personal Care
www.hey-miles.com

Why We’re Watching: Miles is a personal care brand designed for teens and tweens. Created by a mom with industry experience who was looking for products for her own tweens, Miles delivers effective products using clean ingredients and distinctive, teen-curated scents.

Names To Know: Carly Broderick, founder and CEO

Major Products: Deodorants and antiperspirants in Fresh, Clean and Rugged

Hero Product: Miles deodorant in Fresh

Stocked At: Amazon and Target

Brand Story: According to Carly Broderick, founder and CEO of Miles, Minneapolis, MN, “Puberty is fierce, and Miles is here for the journey!”

In the early days of the pandemic, Broderick’s 4th grade son had the “the puberty talk” during a health unit at school. Only  he was home with Broderick, and she was going over the curriculum with him. That’s when the idea struck—why isn’t there a go-to brand for tweens and teens that address body concerns during these critical years? It rolled around her mind and woke her up at night for months, until she decided to do something about it in early 2021.

Broderick founded Miles with a depth of knowledge and experience related to consumer products and merchandising. She successfully grew the natural beauty segment at Target by double-digits.

Following her corporate career, Broderick became an independent consultant for emerging brands and retailers focused on growth strategies in a rapidly changing omnichannel landscape. She most recently was thechief operating officer of The Stable, leading business operations and M&A integrations.

“I wanted Miles to represent all teens and tweens, not just the ‘sporty’ kid or the athlete—because everyone has body odor!” she told Happi.

Broderick worked with a R&D lab in Minneapolis to design deodorant and antiperspirant as the launch products.

“In talking with hundreds of parents, I confirmed that these are the first body care products kids use that feel like their own—rather than something they use just because it’s in the shower or bathroom,” she said. 

In designing Miles’ products for teens and tweens, Broderick said, “First and foremost, Miles had to work hard to prevent body odor and sweat.”

With 24-hour clinically proven effectiveness, Miles is delivering on that goal.

The line was formulated using naturally derived and sourced ingredients like safflower oil, mango seed butter and magnesium hydroxide.

Broderick said, “How Miles glides onto skin was really important to me. Teen skin is sensitive and Miles applies smoothly, with no visible residue.”

The scent development was critical as Carly had learned through her research that most teens pick a deodorant based on fragrance. To that end, she collaborated with teens to develop and curate Miles’ three signature scents.

“In naming the scents, I wanted overtly plain and easy to understand names, because I don’t think teens know what vetiver cardamom smells like,” she told Happi.

What’s Next: Miles is in the early stages of expanding into other categories within personal care. 

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Namesake Skincare
www.namesakeskincare.com

Why We’re Watching: Namesake, a clean skincare brand created by the daughter of a dermatologist, is rooted in self-care. Meticulously formulated and tested under the expertise of dermatologist Dr. Lynn McKinley-Grant.  Its hero product is an Essence “Best in Black Beauty” award-winning, multitasking facial moisturizer.

Names To Know: Founder and CEO Davlyn Mosley

Hero Product: The Daily Moisturizer

Stocked At: The Detox Market, Thirteen Lune, The Things We Do, Skintellect, Lennox & Harvey

Brand Story: Growing up with a mom who is a Black dermatologist, founder Davlyn Mosley saw how in demand the doctor was for her skin-care savvy. But, even on her busiest day, her mom always made time for herself—even to just take a 20-minute nap to recharge.

“Not only did she teach me everything I know about taking care of my skin, she taught me the importance of self-care from a young age,” said Mosley. “Growing up I had sensitive skin and luckily my mom was able to help me navigate that. But despite her being a dermatologist, I still sought my own skincare journey, trying every new trend and product under the sun.

“I have always been the friend that people come to for informed skincare advice and fast forward to today I’ve quickly grown a community on TikTok of almost 75,000 people,” she told Happi. “With over 49 million video views, I have started multiple viral conversations, even one that resulted in a Washington Post article.”

However, the skincare practices that had been ingrained in Mosely from her mom could be “confusing and overwhelming” to everyone else.

“And now as we approach 40, my peers don’t have time to learn everything about every ingredient, they just want to be told what to use,” she explained. “I really created Namesake for my friends. I wanted to give them a line of game-changing skincare essentials, giving them an opportunity to take a quick moment to themselves without having to worry about yet another thing—like whether or not the products that they use are safe and made with melanin in mind.  And as we all know, when you formulate for skin of color, it works great for everyone, so all of my friends are happy.”

Davlyn’s mom, Dr. Lynn McKinley-Grant, earned her Doctor of Medicine degree at Harvard Medical School and trained in dermatology at New York Univeristy. Dr. McKinley-Grant specializes in skin of color and internal medicine and has trained over 200 dermatologists—so it was no surprise that she enlisted her mom as the Dermatology advisor for Namesake.

Mosely and her mom worked closely together over the course of two years to formulate, test and launch Namesake’s first product, The Daily Moisturizer.

“It had to be powerful enough to hydrate, brighten and smooth the skin, while being gentle enough for the most sensitive of skin types,” she noted. “Even though it does have oil in it, it’s not greasy, it doesn’t pill under foundation and it makes skin look dewy under makeup.”

Since its launch in 2022, The Daily Moisturizer has been well received and won a 2023 Essence Best in Black Beauty Award.  This multitasking facial moisturizer uses PHAs to gently exfoliate; rosehip oil to protect and nourish; and glycerin and ceramides to plump skin. Doubling as a makeup primer, The Daily Moisturizer is also fragrance-free and Leaping Bunny Certified. The sustainable jar is made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging.

According to Mosely, Black consumers are still three times more dissatisfied with their options for skincare and don’t have the skin care solutions they need (McKinsey 2022).

“Brands are not speaking directly to the Black consumer and the Black consumer is 2.2 times as likely to think that products from Black-owned brands will work for them,” she told Happi.

“Namesake formulates for all skin tones and types but does so keeping the nuances of melanin-rich skin in mind (prone to dryness, hyper pigmentation). With the backing and expertise of a renowned Black dermatologist, Namesake is on a mission to change the way that we take care of our skin using clean, multi-tasking formulas that are both gentle and effective.”

Namesake is also community driven. Last year, it hosted a number of wellness events in Los Angeles and on Martha’s Vineyard; the occasions have included a tennis clinic, a facials night, a yoga class and a morning hike.

What’s Next: The next 12 months will be about creating “superfans” and equipping them with skincare knowledge and products to be confident in their beauty routine.

According to Mosely, Namesake is also developing other SKUs to round out “an efficient and effective skincare routine.” 

Related Content:

The Indie Beauty Brand Playbook