Show Your Pride by Supporting These LGBTQ-Owned Vegan Brands

The colored flags are being raised this month in honor of Pride, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ community and the progress it has made.

Though the parades and parties may not be back to their fullest capacity again this year, there are many other ways you can show your support for the cause, including supporting businesses that strive to amplify LGBTQ voices or give back in meaningful ways. There are also countless queer-owned businesses to support directly during Pride month and beyond. If you’re shopping for beauty items that are not only vegan and cruelty-free, but also LGBTQ-owned, we’ve got you covered. Ahead are seven brands that check all the boxes.

1. NOTO Botanics

Formulated by beauty industry expert Gloria Noto, NOTO embraces all the notions you’d want in a beauty brand: vegan, cruelty-free, inclusive, and sustainable.

Its line of products were created to be genderless with a multi-function use, and includes items such as Multi-Benne Stick for lips and cheeks, Agender Oil for the body and hair, and Hydra Highlighter Pot for shine and subtle shimmer. In addition to being queer-owned, NOTO has raised more than $20,000 for dozens of organizations that serve the community, such as Planned Parenthood and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

2. Dragun Beauty

Trans-owned brand Dragun Beauty was created to empower people of all shapes, skin tones, and sexualities to express their authentic selves—just as founder Nikita Dragun did.

The brand is certified vegan and cruelty-free and offers colorful makeup products such as Late Bloomer Full Fantasy Lip Gloss, TRANSlucent Setting Powder, and Fantasy Palette Vol. 1 with five rich eyeshadows.

3. We are Fluide 

This mission-driven beauty brand aims to evolve the mainstream conception of beauty and support self-expression by amplifying queer and gender-expansive identities and showcasing their beauty.

In addition to its multi-use makeup, We are Fluide also carries nail polish, biodegradable glitter, and merch such as candles, face masks, and makeup bags. Its brand ambassadors and ad campaigns feature faces such as gender non-comforming writer Jacob Tobia and child drag performer Desmond Napoles, and it regularly donates products to fundraisers supporting LGBTQ+ organizations such as Callen-Lorde and the True Colors Fund.

4. Kiss My Face

Well-known in the vegan community, Kiss My Face is a worldwide brand with more than 200 vegan products, from olive oil bar soap to lavender shea body lotion.

What you may not know is that the brand is the product of a queer romance of more than 40 years. Founders Bob MacLeod and Steve Byckiewicz started out by making homemade soap at their 200-acre farm in Upstate New York that they sold to local shops, and that hobby eventually grew into the successful Kiss My Face personal-care brand it is today.

5. Jecca Blac

Jecca Blac founder Jessica Blackler started out as a makeup artist working in film and television before opening her own studio, where she taught people from all walks of life how to apply makeup.

She soon realized and filled a gap in the industry, specifically a safe space for trans women to experiment with makeup. The brand has since expanded to retail products, its first of which was the Correct & Conceal Palette designed to cover blemishes and beard shadows. Jecca Blak’s mission is all about inclusivity—catering its products to all skin tones, sizes, genders, identities, and expressions. 

6. Alder New York

A genderless skin- and hair-care brand that was founded by longtime friends and designers Nina Zilka and David Krause, Alder New York offers products designed to work for all skin types, from bar soup to face masks.

The brand offers minimalist, genderless product packaging because their core philosophy is that effective skincare products have to do with your skin’s unique needs—and nothing at all to do with your age, gender, or ethnicity.

7. Sappho New Paradigm

Founded by Emmy-nominated, queer makeup artist JoAnn Fowler in 2016, when she was head of the makeup department for the cult TV series The L Word, Sappho New Paradigm is the result of her own research to create products free of nasty ingredients that were suspected toxins, carcinogens, or hormone disruptors.

Sappho New Paradigm offers an organic, natural makeup line that values transparency of ingredients and sustainability first and foremost. Its diverse range of shades are available in products such as foundations, concealers, compacts, and refillable eyeshadows. 

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For the month of June, a portion of the profits of the Pride-themed Kinder Beauty Marketplace will benefit the Ali Forney Center.

Sign up for Kinder Beauty today!

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Nicole Axworthy is a Toronto-based writer and author of the vegan cookbook DIY Vegan.