For beauty lovers, is there anything that beats the joy of falling in love with a new brand? Keep reading to discover 20 dope American Indie Makeup Brands that you need to try in 2020.
What is an indie makeup brand?
All makeup brands are either independently owned and operated or owned by a conglomerate company. A conglomerate, sometimes known as a parent company, is a corporate entity that owns multiple subsidiaries (brands) that span various industries. Examples of known parent companies include Coty, Estee Lauder, L’OREAL, LMVH, and Shiseido.
Indie makeup brands are independently owned and operated by an owner that is not a parent company. However, indie makeup brands can be self-funded or financed by venture capitalists.
An indie makeup brand can be mainstream, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills and Melt Cosmetics, or it can be niche such as Touch of Glam beauty. Similarly, brands owned by parent companies may be mainstream or niche.
20 Indie Makeup Brands You NEED to try in 2020
Alamar Cosmetics DesNUDEas Lip Glosses (photo credit: Alamar Cosmetics Instagram)
1 | Alamar Cosmetics | 2017
About the brand: Founded by Cuban born, Gabriela Trujillo, in 2017 Alamar Cosmetics aims to bring inclusive Cruelty-Free beauty to the marked. Inspired by Trujillo’s Cuban heritage, the brand aims to empower beauty lovers of all skin tones.
Why the Brand Excites Me: First,I love how Alamar Cosmetics’ inclusive line of makeup is a celebration of Cuban heritage. Second, Gabriela’s thoughtful product creation and quality of each new release always impress me.
Alamar’s Colorete Blush Trio was featured in my 2019 Newbie Awards roundup. In addition to being an indie cosmetics maker, Alamar creates brushes – I received the brand’s face brush set in my February 2020 Boxycharm.
Where to Buy: Alamar Cosmetics
Clionadh Cosmetics Stained Glass Collection
2 | Clionadh Cosmetics | Toronto, 2016
**Please note: Clionadh is not an American brand, but is Canadian. However, I had to showcase this North American.**
About the brand: Founded by sisters Leigh and Maggie Cavanaugh in 2016, Clionadh Cosmetics aims to bring Cruelty-Free and Vegan handmade beauty to the market.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Have you seen the brand’s Stained Glass collection? These show-stopping multi-chromes from Clionadh Cosmetics come in a variety of shades and finishes. Check out swatches of the Clionadh’s Stained Glass shadows in my indie beauty single shadows collection.
Reviews on the way: Stained Glass Collection
Where to Buy: Clionadh Cosmetics
Devinah Cosmetics Single Shadows (Photo Credit: Devinah Cosmetics Instagram)
3 | Devinah Cosmetics
About the brand: Founded by DeAndra DeArmas, Devinah Cosmetics set out to provide MUAs of all stages and talent-levels with affordable, high-quality hand-pressed shadows that span a wide range of colors and finishes.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Devinah Cosmetics takes risks. The founder constantly works hard to release new and interesting products. From the brand’s high-quality mattes to its impressive shimmers, beauty lovers better watch out for Devinah.
Also, for swatches of the Devinah Cosmetics shadows in my collection, check out this post full of Melt Cosmetics Gemini Palette dupes or my indie beauty single shadow collection.
Where to Buy: Devinah Cosmetics
Dose of Colors Baked Browns Palette (Photo Credit: Dose of Colors Instagram)
4 | Dose of Colors | 2013
About the brand: Anna Petrosian founded Dose of Colors in 2013 to provide pigmented, high-quality beauty products. The brand has since garnered a cult following for its popular lip glosses, liquid lipsticks, and well-known collaborations with Desi and Katy as well as Karen Gonzalez a.k.a. ILuvSarahii
Why the Brand Excites Me: Like so many other Dose of Colors fans, I love the brand’s lip products and eyeshadow formula. Dose of Colors’ comfortable, high shine lip glosses are some of my favorite glosses in my lip gloss collection, while the brand’s all-matte quintets are go-to eyeshadow staples.
Reviews on the way: Baked Browns Palette, Blushing Berries Palette, Liquid Lipsticks, Lip Glosses
Where to Buy: Dose of Colors | Ulta Beauty | Beauty Bay
Give Me Glow Cosmetics Vintage Rose Palette (Photo Credit: Give Me Glow Cosmetics Instagram)
5 | Give Me Glow Cosmetics
About the brand: Give Me Glow Cosmetics is an American Indie cosmetics brand that known for creating highly pigmented shadows and blinding highlighters. The brand’s single shadows and palettes frequently run in and out of stock due to the hype surrounding the brand.
Why the Brand Excites Me: First, I am always so impressed by the performance of the Give Me Glow shadows that I own. Check out some swatches of my single shadows from Give Me Glow in my indie beauty single shadow collection. Second, the Give Me Glow Shadows and Highlighter swatches posted on Instagram are sickeningly pigmented.
Reviews on the way: Summer Vibes Palette, Single Shadows
Where to Buy: Give Me Glow Cosmetics
JD Glow Cosmetics Vivid Neon Liners (Photo Credit: JD Glow Cosmetics Instagram)
6 | JD Glow Cosmetics | 2015
About the brand: Best friends, Jennifer and Deandra founded JD Glow Cosmetics in 2015. This Baton Rouge-based indie makeup brand aims to make beauty accessible to beauty lovers through its high quality, affordable beauty products.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Have you seen the brand’s Galaxy Shadows or Multi-chromes?? These multi-dimensional, wet-looking metallic shadows are quite impressive! To see some swatches of the JD Glow Multi-chromes check out my indie beauty single shadows roundup.
Reviews on the way: Galaxy Shadow & Multichrome Shadows
Where to Buy: JD Glow Cosmetics
Juvia’s Place Loose Highlighters (Photo Credit: Juvia’s Place Instagram)
7 | Juvia’s Place | 2013
About the brand: Juvia’s Place was founded in 2013 by Chichi Eburu. Makeup lovers everywhere love this Black-owned indie beauty brand for its high quality, super pigmented, and affordable eyeshadows and visually stunning packaging design. The African inspiration behind each palette is clear and quite beautiful.
Why the Brand Excites Me: The Juvia’s Place eyeshadow formula is one of my absolute favorites. These shadows are easy for makeup beginners and makeup masters, alike.
Also, Juvia’s Place makes palettes for colorful shadow lovers and neutral lovers, alike. I’ve reviewed two of my favorite Juvia’s Place Palettes – the Nubian Palette and the Warrior Palette on my blog.
Reviews on the way: Warrior 2 Palette, Nomad Palette, The Berries Palette, The Nomad Palette, etc.
Where to Buy: Juvia’s Place | Ulta Beauty | Beauty Bay
Makeup Geek Single Matrix Shadows (Photo Credit: Makeup Geek Cosmetics Instagram)
8 | Makeup Geek | 2008
About the brand: Founded in 2008 by beauty influencer, Marlena Stell, Makeup Geek made waves in the beauty industry with its high-quality single shadows. When the brand first started it was known for making more affordable dupes to MAC Cosmetics single shadows.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Makeup Geek is one of the first influencer-owned, dope American indie makeup brands to burst onto the beauty scene. In many ways, Marlena’s success paved the way for new generations of influencer-founded brands.
Also, the brand’s focus on single shadows excite me. While I love palettes, I want to be inspired to create my own color stories using singles!
Reviews on the way: Makeup Geek Color Matrix System
Where to Buy: Makeup Geek | Target
Melt Cosmetics Co-Founder, Lora Arellano (Photo Credit: Melt Cosmetics Instagram)
9 | Melt Cosmetics | 2012
About the brand: Founded by professional makeup artists, Lora Arellano and Dana Bomar in 2012, Melt Cosmetics ushered colorful beauty products to the market through the brand’s boldly colorful matte bullet lipsticks. The brand has since expanded into eyeshadow stacks and palettes, as well as countless other lip and cheek products.
Why the Brand Excites Me: If this is your first time on my blog – welcome.
If you’re a regular reader, then you know that Melt Cosmetics makes one of my favorite formulas and created some of my all-time favorite palettes. In fact, I own so many of the brand’s palettes that I’ve ranked them.
The founders create products thoughtfully, with clear passion and inspiration. Each product is created with great attention to quality and feels authentic to the brand.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve reviewed many releases from this American indie makeup brand on my blog. Check out my in-depth reviews of the Blueprint Stack, Amor Eterno Collection, and Millennial Pinx Palette.
Reviews on the way: Smoke Sessions Palette, Radioactive Palette, Twenty-Seven Palette, Matte Lipsticks, Blushlights, Digital Dust Highlighters
Where to Buy: Melt Cosmetics | Sephora | Beauty Bay
Menagerie Cosmetics Killer Purr Palette (Photo Credit: Menagerie Cosmetics Instagram)
10 | Menagerie Cosmetics | 2019
About the brand: Founded in 2019, Menagerie Cosmetics is a wildlife-inspired, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, and indie makeup brand that burst onto the market with its Feral Palette.
Why the Brand Excites Me: I love the brand’s nature-inspired aesthetic and ability to create high-quality, colorful shadows that are Vegan! Also, the brand’s Violet Ink Micro Palette impressed me, so I want to try more from this brand!
Where to Buy: Menagerie Cosmetics
Midas Cosmetics High Times Palette (Photo Credit: Midas Cosmetics Instagram)
11 | Midas Cosmetics | 2018
About the brand: Founded in 2018 by Rocio Nunez, Midas Cosmetics is an affordable indie beauty brand known for its colorful palettes and glitters.
Why the Brand Excites Me: From creating bold color stories to collaborating with small creators, Midas Cosmetics is an indie makeup brand that takes risks. Midas frequently collaborates with influencers who do not fit the typical ‘beauty guru’ mold.
Additionally, the brand’s transparency with customers during the release of the Smokey Glow collection impressed me. Both Hannah (Smokey Glow) and Rocio honestly answered buyers questions and allowed concerned fans to cancel orders impacted by the pandemic.
Finally, this indie brand creates affordable products that many cosmetics fans are sure to love. Plus, discount codes and frequent sales make this brand’s products a steal!
Reviews on the way: High Times, Smokey Glow, and Temptation Palettes
Where to Buy: Midas Cosmetics
Nomad Cosmetics Palettes (Photo Credit: Nomad Cosmetics Instagram)
11 | Nomad Cosmetics | 2015
About the brand: Founded in 2015, travel-inspired Nomad Cosmetics aims to provide users with Cruelty-Free cosmetics free from Phthalates and Parabens.
Why the Brand Excites Me: I love the inspiration behind the brand. Each product created has a clear destination-specific inspiration with a unique flare.
Reviews on the way: Berlin Underground Palette
Where to Buy: Nomad Cosmetics
Ofra Cosmetics Rodeo Drive Collection (Photo Credit: Ofra Cosmetics Instagram)
13 | Ofra Cosmetics | 1994
About the brand: OFRA Cosmetics was founded by Ofra and David Gaito in 1994 to provide beauty lovers with professional quality makeup and skincare products.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Ofra makes some of my favorite cheek products. From blinding highlighters to creamy bronzers and blushes, I’ve enjoyed every cheek product I’ve tried from the brand.
In fact, the Ofra Highlighters are some of my top-ranking products in my highlighter collection. Check out this in-depth review of the Pillow Talk Highlighter or for this glowing review of the Samantha March Collection.
Where to Buy: Ofra Cosmetics | Ulta Beauty | Beauty Bay | Morphe
Persona Cosmetics Cali Glow Highlighters (Photo Credit: Persona Cosmetics Instagram)
14 | Persona Cosmetics | 2016
About the brand: Founded in 2016 by Armenian makeup arist, beauty blogger, and YouTuber, Sona Gasparian and her husband K.B., Persona Cosmetics provides must-have staples created with Sona’s color theory expertise. Moreover, Persona provides inclusive, high-quality products expertly curated and designed to help beauty lovers look and feel their best.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Not only is Sona one of my favorite YouTubers, but Persona is a favorite makeup brand. I love the way Sona reinvents classic products with a modern twist. Thoughtfully crafted, Persona’s products work for makeup beginners and makeup artists.
Thought I was joking about my love for the brand? Read my review of the Persona Lip Glosses, Liquid Lipsticks, and Identity Palette.
Reviews on the way: Super Blush, Identity 2 Palette, Copper Color Theory Kit, Pink Color Theory Kit
Where to Buy: Persona Cosmetics | Ulta Beauty
Shared Planet Tiger Palette (Photo Credit: Shared Planet Instagram)
15 | Shared Planet | 2019
About the brand: Founded by 17-year-old Aashna Sharma in 2019, Shared Planet is a Cruelty-Free and Vegan Indie brand that donates 10% of all sales towards Panthers & Polar Bears International.
Why the Brand Excites Me: I love Shared Planet’s mission to support animal protection and conservation for threatened species. Moreover, I am so impressed that Shared Planet was founded by such an accomplished teenager who is passionate about animal conservation.
Reviews on the way: Tiger Palette and Polar Bear Glosses
Where to Buy: Shared Planet
Shroud Cosmetics Founder, Chloe! (Photo Credit: Shroud Cosmetics Instagram)
16 | Shroud Cosmetics
About the brand: In 2019 the brand formerly known as Strobe Cosmetics rebranded to Shroud Cosmetics. This Cruelty-Free and Vegan indie makeup brand is known for its edgy color stories and fun with color.
Why the Brand Excites Me: The Creepy Cute Palette is a classic and well-loved pastel palette within the beauty community. After hearing or reading so many people rave about this palette, I knew it was time to try it for myself.
Reviews on the way: Arcana Palette, Creepy Cute Palette
Where to Buy: Shroud Cosmetics
Sugarpill Cosmetics Capsule Collection (Photo Credit: SUGARPill Instagram)
17 | SUGARPILL | 2010
About the brand: Founded by Amy Doan in 2010, SUGARPILL aimed to provide the market with gender-inclusive, colorful, Cruelty-Free makeup that other brands seemed afraid to make.
Why the Brand Excites Me: SUGARPILL has always been a hyped-up and well-loved maker of colorful shadows. I’ve always wanted to try the brand’s shadows – particularly the Fun Sized Palette.
Where to Buy: Sugarpill Cosmetics | Ulta Beauty | Beauty Bay
Sydney Grace Cosmetics Single Shadows (Photo Credit: Sydney Grace Cosmetics Instagram)
18 | Sydney Grace Cosmetics
About the brand: Sydney Grace is a high-quality, California-based indie makeup brand that is best known for its diverse range of eyeshadow singles.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Everyone from Mel Thompson to Jen (Jen Luvs Reviews) raves about the Sydney Grace eyeshadow formula. In fact, shadows from this American indie makeup brand are often used to dupe unique, luxury formulas. Click here to read my review of the Enduring Love Palette.
Where to Buy: Sydney Grace Cosmetics
Thrive Causemetics favorites (Photo Credit: Thrive Causemetics Instagram)
19 | Thrive Causemtics | 2013
About the brand: Thrive Causemetics was founded in 2013 by professional makeup artist, Karissa Bodnar to create beauty with a purpose. Created after the loss of a friend to Cancer, Thrive creates Vegan and Cruelty-Free products. Additionally, the brand donates a portion of all sales to partners who aid women facing cancer, homelessness, and domestic violence.
Why the Brand Excites Me: Not only do I love the brand’s mission, but just looking at Thrive Causemetics’ turquoise packaging makes me feel joyful. So far, I’ve loved everything that I’ve tried from the brand. I like how Thrive Causemtics creates products that create effortless-looking beauty.
Where to Buy: Thrive Causemetics | Ulta Beauty
Uoma Beauty Say What!? Foundation (Photo Credit: Uoma Beauty Instagram)
20 | UOMA Beauty | 2019
About the brand: UOMA Beauty was founded by Sharan Chuter in 2019 to rewrite what it means to be inclusive and diverse. The brand celebrates and accepts people for who they are and not how they look.
Why the Brand Excites Me: UOMA’s mission resonates with me due to its authentic feeling. Everything the brand puts out exudes empowerment and celebrates badass women, particularly women of color. The brand’s high quality, unique formulations continuously impress me – I’ve even reviewed the brand’s Savage Black Magic Palette.
Reviews on the way: Badass Icon Matte Lipsticks, Say What?! Foundation, Stay Woke Concealer, and Double Take Contour & Highlight
Where to Buy: UOMA Beauty | Ulta Beauty | Beauty Bay
Final Thoughts on the 20 American Indie Makeup Brands You NEED to Try in 2020
Technically, I featured 19 American indie makeup brands on this list, since Clionadh Cosmetics is Canadian. However, Canada is still a part of North America, so I had to mention them!
If it wasn’t apparent from this roundup, I love supporting American indie makeup brands. Not only does it make me happy to support a small business owner, but I love seeing people pursuing their creative passions. Many American indie makeup brands are the first to set trends that mainstream brands eventually follow.
Beyond my love of supporting small business, I enjoy seeing how so many American indie brands are Cruelty-Free and 100% Vegan or Vegan-friendly. I hope that more brands follow along with this trend to create inclusive makeup for all to enjoy.
Let’s connect on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin’ | Influenster
Enjoy reading about these dope American indie makeup brands? Check out this post featuring dope European indie makeup brands!
Have you tried any of these 20 dope American Indie Makeup brands before? Do any of these indie makeup brands interest you? Please let me know in the comments below.
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oliveunicorn says
May 21, 2020 at 7:05 amI still have a long list I need to try. Of the two I’ve tried I really like Sugarpill , but Juvia’s is my second favorite. I think next I want to try Dose of Colors, Menagerie. The pastel Seal pup palette of theirs looks so cute💕
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:20 pmSeeing your photos of the new Sugar Pill Palettes really made me want to pick them up!! I still want their pastel palette, too!
I really want to try the Feral Palette and Killer Purr Palette from Menagerie, too. All the Pastel Pup reviews that I’ve seen have been so positive!
jennifertarheelreader says
May 21, 2020 at 11:46 amI don’t think I’ve tried any of these, LP, so I loved this list and look at all the colorful products! So many fun things to try and such a variety!
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:21 pmDef such a growing market of indie brands with something for everyone!
Mimi says
May 21, 2020 at 11:54 amYay, there are actually some I can get here, I’d love to try Sydney Grace and Persona ( I love Sona too) but those aren’t available here. I really really don’t like Sugar Pill’s packaging, it looks like kids makeup, it doesn’t matter the quality, is not the vibe I like to go for ahhaah
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:23 pmI am like such a Persona *stan* LOL! Everything Sona creates is so high quality and well-thought. I hope her products become more widely available in Europe.
Sugarpill’s packaging is def a vibe – the aesthetic fits perfectly to the founder’s babydoll punk style though!
Mimi says
May 30, 2020 at 7:51 amYeah but it’s not something I like ahahha I’m more of Nars-Marc Jacobs-Chanel girl 😉
PoojaG says
May 21, 2020 at 3:28 pmI wasn’t even aware of some of these brands so thank you for this post! I always prefer Indie brands because as you mentioned many of them are cruelty free/vegan and have cleaner ingredients. Plus, supporting a smaller brand is always a good thing because they may not always have the capital/budget that larger brands are able to have.
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:25 pmI completely agree with you! So many of these brands are self-funded and I love the focus on clean ingredients and vegan/cruelty free products. It is more inclusive!!
The Style of Laura Jane says
May 22, 2020 at 11:19 amIt’s always nice to see what other beauty brands are out there. When I first started in makeup, everyone really only used the big department store cosmetics. I love that picture of the eye shadows by Clionadh Cosmetics. https://thestyleoflaurajane.com/
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:29 pmThat’s so try – so crazy how the market has evolved! Now many big retailers are so focused on growing relationships with indie brands!!
Nancy says
May 22, 2020 at 11:33 pmI am so bad with branching out to other makeup brands. I just stick to one @__@. I love all of these different options with indie brands. Love that they’re also on the rise to. So much potential in this market. Oooh the Give Me Glow palette is so cute. Love the blossom shimmer color! Wow, JD glow REALLY GLOWS!! Thanks for sharing all of these brands!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
The Newbury Girl says
May 29, 2020 at 9:28 pmIf you’re looking to try new brands but within the luxury space you enjoy, you should def check out content from Michele Wang, Alycia Archer (Kinky Sweat on YouTube), Mel Thompson or Morgan Tuner!! They review a ton of luxury brands – some of which are less well known!
Angelilie says
June 19, 2020 at 4:56 pmI really like your beautiful blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A great discovery and a very interesting blog. I will come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. See you soon.
marsybun says
August 30, 2020 at 12:15 amLovely post! I love seeing new brands and especially small indie brands!
🌿 Marissa Belle × marsybun.com 🌿
The Newbury Girl says
September 10, 2020 at 1:42 pmMe too – I LOVE supporting indie brands – particularly brands that are self-funded and founded by BIPOC!
Heidi Schulte says
December 28, 2020 at 7:42 pmGreat review compilation. I’m a small spa in Sonoma County, and starting the process in expanding to offering makeup as a retail item. I’d love some of your favorite mascara finds. (I wear lash extensions and Loreal was my “go-to”. Many thanks
Heidi