Growing up, Hong Kong-raised Indian make-up artist Natasha Moor struggled with feelings of insecurity about her appearance. It was through being becoming a bridal make-up artist that she discovered how it could positively impact one’s confidence. “Working with [women] globally was so much more than giving them a look for their wedding day—it was about supporting them through their journey,” says Moor.

In 2013, she launched Facetools, which in 2018 rebranded to Natasha Moor Cosmetics. It offers a lineup of concealers and lip products, which have names like “freedom”, “gratitude” and “unstoppable”—a reflection of Moor’s ethos to empower women through the use of make-up. The brand is available at Sephora Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as various US online retailers. In her spare time, Moor gives makeovers to victims of human trafficking.

“I work with women who have been through the worst to try and help build back their confidence and to empower them,” she says. “Through that experience, I found so much joy in bringing them happiness, and the joy that it brings them is priceless.”

On a trip to the Himalayas in 1998, Indian-born, Hong Kong-based Kavita Khosa discovered the agriculture and beauty rituals of the area. The trip also inspired her to reconnect with her Indian heritage. She quit her job as a lawyer to learn about Ayurveda and advanced cosmetic science.

In 2012, Khosa founded beauty brand Purearth, which offers products that incorporate ingredients like Himalayan sea buckthorn berry, Indian senna and nigella, with the goal of raising awareness of Ayurveda and bringing it into the mainstream beauty space. Purearth also operates as a social enterprise in support of marginalised communities in India. The brand’s initiatives include Afforestation Drive, an environmental conservation project that enlists members of women’s communities in India to plant medicinal herbs, which are used in Purearth products; the Eco-Pot Project, which provides safe sanitation to women and girls in India; and Project Red, which raises awareness of sustainable sanitary waste.

“With every Purearth purchase, you make a conscious choice of what you are buying and who benefits from it,” says Khosa.

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Filipino Stefanie Walmsley launched Prim Botanicals in the US in 2015, using ingredients sourced from the Philippines.

The brand works with charitable organisations in the Philippines, including Tiny Blessings in Manila, whose mission is to support homeless children by providing a nurturing environment and essential resources. It previously partnered with Yellow Boat of Hope, an organisation that helps children in flood-affected areas get to school, and collaborated with Glory Reborn to support underprivileged pregnant women. 

The company’s mission to give back to the community comes from the entrepreneur’s personal experiences. Walmsley’s brother was born with Down’s syndrome. In 1991, her father established the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines. 

“I remember my father telling me that once you were in a position of privilege...you had to share it,” Walmsley says. “This lesson has really stayed with me—can I help? If so, I must.”

Glow Recipe, which offers products inspired by Korean beauty routines and employs environmentally friendly production practices and packaging, was founded in the US in 2014 by Korean Americans Sarah Lee and Christine Chang. The two met while working at L’Oreal and bonded over their love of K-beauty.

The majority of the brand’s award-winning lineup of watermelon and avocado products come in packaging created with 20 per cent recycled glass and FSC-certified paper. The packaging is recyclable through a partnership with TerraCycle, an organisation that recycles waste that would usually end up in landfill. “We believe we have an immense responsibility to do our part in creating a better planet for future generations to come,” says Lee.

In April 2022, Glow Recipe became carbon neutral certified through a certification programme operated by the US-based non-profit Climate Neutral. Efforts towards creating a greener future will continue, says Chang. “We plan to continue to reduce our emissions year after year, with the goal of ultimately becoming a carbon positive company.”

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