10 Latina-Owned Beauty Brands Worth Trying

A woman smiles in front of the mirror while applying a beauty product to her face

Latina entrepreneurs are making waves in the beauty industry, bringing rich cultural heritage, innovation, and inclusivity to the forefront. According to a 2022 State of Latino Entrepreneurship report, Latino-owned businesses are the "fastest-growing segment of the U.S. small business ecosystem." Over the past decade, the number of Latino-owned businesses has surged by 34%, compared to just 1% for other small businesses. To celebrate the success of Latinas in entrepreneurship, particularly in the beauty industry, here are 10 must-try Latina-owned beauty brands that not only offer amazing products but also celebrate Latino culture:


Reina Rebelde

Promotional image spotlighting 'Reina Rebelde' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by reinarebelde on Instagram

Reina Rebelde, founded by Mexican Regina Merson, is a bold, unapologetically vibrant, Latina-owned makeup brand that celebrates Latino culture. Merson’s mission with Reina Rebelde is to empower women to embrace their multifaceted beauty. Reina Rebelde's products are designed to help women embrace their versatility and share their authentic essence with the world through makeup and self-expression. They offer a wide range of makeup products, including black and color eyeliners, lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes, blush, finishing powder, and everything else you could possibly need to create great looks and feel empowered when you step out of your home.

Rizos Curls

Promotional image featuring standout curly hair care product from 'Rizos Curls' cosmetic brand.

Photo by rizoscurls on Instagram

Rizos Curls was created by Mexican Julissa Prado and it offers a range of haircare products that cater to curly-haired women. Growing up with curly hair, Prado is familiar with the challenges of finding the right products, so she founded this brand to simplify curly hair care. Rizos Curls provides curl education and offers high-quality products for all types of curls, including detangle spray, curl-defining cream, curl-defining muse, shampoos and conditioners, hair oils, and more. One of their most popular products is “The Complete Rizos Curls 4-Step Bundle”, a 4-step system designed to detangle, hydrate, and define curls to avoid bad hair days and have healthy curls.

Bésame Cosmetics

Promotional image spotlighting 'B\u00e9same Cosmetics' brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by besamecosmetics on Instagram

Founded by Argentinian Gabriela Hernandez, Bésame Cosmetics pays homage to the golden age of Hollywood glamour with its vintage-inspired makeup collections. Inspired by her grandmother's beauty rituals in Argentina, Hernandez has created luxurious and historically accurate makeup to celebrate timeless beauty and help women feel more empowered. Hernandez was also inspired by the suffragettes and how they wore red lips in defiance of the patriarchy, highlighting the power of makeup. Bésame Cosmetics is known for the beautiful vintage design of its products and its high-quality formulas. They offer a wide range of makeup products, including lipsticks, eyeshadows, highlighters, blushes, compacts, and more. One of their top best sellers is the “Bésame Red Lipstick - 1920”, which is one of the first shades the brand revived and it offers a classic bright red lipstick for unabashed confidence.

Vive Cosmetics

Promotional image spotlighting 'Vive Cosmetics' brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by vivecosmetics on Instagram

Mexican Puerto Rican Joanna Rosario-Rocha and Mexican Leslie Valdivia co-founded Vive Cosmetics to celebrate Latino culture through vibrant, inclusive makeup. Vive Cosmetics was born out of frustration with the beauty industry's lack of representation and its mission is to make beauty accessible and affirming for everyone. The founders recognize Latinas and everyone who has ever felt undervalued, offering products that can help them fully embrace their beauty. They specialize in matte lipsticks, lipsticks, lip gloss, lip care, and brow pencils. One of their best-selling products is the “Amor Eterno” a deep red liquid lipstick that provides full coverage, is highly pigmented, and will stay on no matter what.

Alamar Cosmetics

Promotional image spotlighting 'Alamar Cosmetics' brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by alamarcosmetics on Instagram

Alamar Cosmetics was created by Cuban Gabriela Trujillo, drawing inspiration from Cuba’s vibrant colors and textures. The name of the brand is a homage to Trujillo’s hometown in Cuba, Alamar, and her journey from dreaming about making her own makeup products to having a successful makeup business is nothing short of inspiring. Alamar Cosmetics offers all the makeup products you could need to put your face on and some of their best sellers include their DesNUDEAs lip liners, blush trios, and brighten and bronze trios. All the products are cruelty-free, affordable, high-quality, and richly pigmented to make everyone’s beauty pop.

Luna Magic

Promotional image spotlighting 'Luna Magic' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by lunamagicbeauty on Instagram

Luna Magic was founded by Dominican American sisters Mabel and Shaira Frias, and it’s a celebration of Afro-Latinidad and Latino culture. The brand offers colorful and playful makeup collections inspired by the sisters’ Dominican heritage, and every product reflects the joy of Afro-Latino and Latino culture. One of the main focuses of Luna Magic is to help Afro-Latinas and Latinas embrace their own beauty instead of unrealistic beauty standards defined by celebrities and the media. Luna Magic offers eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, and much more. One of their best-selling products is the “Soft Perfection Foundation Powder,” which is vegan and offers a soft matte finish for a “no makeup” makeup look.

Dezi Skin

Promotional image spotlighting 'Dezi Skin' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by deziskin on Instagram

Founded by Mexican Desi Perkins, a former freelance makeup artist turned beauty influencer, Dezi Skin offers high-quality skincare solutions for all skin types. Dezi Skin has a proprietary blend of natural Mexican extracts, including Mexican plum fruit and dragon fruit, that makes their products nourishing and rejuvenating. Their best-selling product is the “Agua Fresca,” a refreshing gel-crème moisturizer packed with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and fruit antioxidants, which provides long-lasting hydration and makes the skin look radiant. Of course, they also offer other skincare products, including serums, body lotions, moisturizers, face mists, cleansing gels, cleansing balms, and more.

Shaina B. Miami

Promotional image spotlighting 'Shaina B. Miami' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by shainabmiami on Instagram

Shaina B. Miami was founded by Mexican-Puerto Rican Shaina Bassan and it’s a one-stop shop for everything makeup. As a young girl, Bassan fell in love with makeup because she discovered how it boosted her confidence. As she got older, she noticed that she had to buy from multiple brands to suit all her needs, so it became her dream to create a makeup brand that would offer everything in one place. That’s exactly what Shaina B. Miami is and it’s inspired by Miami’s multicultural vibrancy. Some of the best-selling products include the “Lip Gloss in Heatwave,” which is glossy and hydrating but not sticky, and the “Carnaval Pressed Pigment Palette,” which offers vibrant eyeshadow colors for bold, highly pigmented looks.

Glamlite

Promotional image spotlighting 'Glamlite' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by glamlite on Instagram

Founded by Dominican Gisselle Hernandez, Glamlite is inspired by her childhood experiences and her love of food. As someone who experienced bullying and fat-shaming growing up, Hernandez wanted to create a cosmetics line that makes everyone feel represented and accepted. Glamlite is known for its themed eyeshadow palettes, which are fun and offer a great variety of shades to create many different looks. Fun fact: the brand went viral in 2018 for its “Pizza Palette,” which was the first food-inspired product they launched.

Valdé Beauty

Promotional image spotlighting 'Vald\u00e9 Beauty' cosmetic brand, highlighting standout products.

Photo by valdebeauty on Instagram

Last but certainly not least, Valdé Beauty offers luxurious, refillable lipsticks and lip balms with stunning packaging. It was created by Peruvian American Margarita Arriagada, who was inspired by her mother and the fact that even with dementia, she remembered her love of lipstick, and applying it always made her happy. Valdé Beauty is known not only for its high-quality lipsticks but also for its Valdé Armor cases. They’re collectible and each design is beautifully unique. Valdé Beauty's formulas contain adaptive pigments, jojoba and sunflower complex, shea butter, and castor seed oil, so they offer personalized colors and promote soft, smooth lips.

hands holding up yellow protest signs that say Hands Off Our Bodies
Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

Originally published in Common Dreams. Reprinted with permission.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

In November, abortion rights measures will appear on ballots across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New York, where Latinos make up a significant portion of the electorate. For decades, pundits and politicians have recycled long-held misconceptions about Latino voters and abortion access, citing our conservative and religious beliefs.

Anti-abortion extremists have long fueled these misconceptions through misinformation and disinformation campaigns targeting Latino communities with egregious lies and inflammatory rhetoric about abortion. Yet, polling, focus groups, and direct interactions with Latino communities have debunked these outdated tropes.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

For Latinos, the freedom to decide, a pillar of our American democracy, is critical. Meanwhile, Latinos are being hit directly with anti-abortion efforts that take away that freedom such as the six-week abortion ban put into effect by the Florida Supreme Court and the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, people of color and Latinas have felt the impact of a lack of abortion access, an element of basic healthcare.

A 2023 report by the National Partnership for Women and Families estimated that nearly 6.5 million Latinas, or 42% of all Latinas of reproductive age in the country, live in a state that either had or was likely to ban abortion. Ironically, it will be abortion access and anti-choice efforts to restrict freedom of choice that will mobilize Latino voters this election.

In a poll conducted by three national reproductive justice organizations, 87% of Latinas named abortion and women’s rights as one of their top priorities as they head to the polls. Another battleground poll conducted by Somos PAC and BSP Research found that 61% of Latino registered voters expressed a more positive/favorable view of Kamala Harris after hearing that she will protect abortion rights, versus only 19% of Latinos who said they had a more negative view of Harris after hearing that.

In key states to secure the White House and both chambers, Latinos make up large chunks of the electorate: Arizona (25%), Colorado (15%), Florida (20%), Nevada (20%), and New York (12%). In the face of unprecedented attacks on basic healthcare access and targeted attempts by extremists to mislead and divide our community on this issue, this November Latinos will be key deciders on abortion access across the country.

Mari Urbina, Managing Director of Indivisible, Battleground Arizona Lead and former Harry Reid advisor.

Héctor Sánchez Barba is president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota (MFV).

This Viral Video Game Is Changing the Face of Voter Outreach

In 2024, voting campaigns have evolved greatly, to say the least. Creativity is now the name of the game and tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly leveraged to drive action. One example of that is Bop the Bigot, a revival of a viral game created in 2016 by Bazta Arpaio, an Arizona activist group, as part of a campaign to unseat Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio lost his re-election to Paul Penzone that year.

The game has now been updated for the current election cycle and relaunched by On Point Studios, with new features added to enable players to find out what’s on their ballot, confirm voter status, and register to vote.

Much like its former 2016 version, the game allows users to take out their political frustrations by virtually “bopping” GOP candidates in the head. It’s very similar to whack-a-mole, except the mole is replaced by former President Donald Trump, Ohio’s Senator J. D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading Project 2025.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

B. Loewe, Director of On Point Studios, came up with the concept for this game when working as the Communications Director at Bazta Arpaio in 2016, and is the executive producer of this revamped version. In the first version of the game, Bop the Bigot players used a chancla (flip flop) to “bop” the characters, tapping into Latino culture by leaning on the childhood experience of being set right by a flying chancla from a fed-up mother or grandmother.

This year, the chancla is replaced by a more current element, a green coconut, referencing Kamala Harris’ coconut tree meme. There are also side characters like “the couch,” cat ladies, and more coconuts. All references to jokes about Vice-Presidential candidate Vance, or insults Vance has made about women on the campaign trail.

Another new addition is that Harris’ laugh is immortalized as the game-over sound effect, an unexpected detail that adds even more humor and levity to the game.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump, Kevin Roberts, and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

Bop the Bigot, which is playable on desktop and mobile, is intended not just as a way to vent political frustrations, but also as a tool for activism and securing voter engagement.

For example, the game supports the work of Mexican Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Founding Executive Director of the non-profit organization Organized Power in Numbers by using the “game over” screen to prompt players to donate to it and support their efforts.

Organized Power in Numbers is focused on empowering workers in the South and Southwest of the U.S. through collective action and comprehensive campaigns. Their mission is to create a large-scale movement that challenges the status quo and advocates for workers' rights, and racial and economic justice.

Currently, Dominguez Zamorano is leading worker outreach to 2 million working-class voters in the South and Southwest through doorknocking, texting, and calls with the help of local groups in North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and more.

“We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter. We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness every day,” Dominguez Zamorano shared with Luz Media via email.

“Our people are gente trabajadora and we deserve to feel uplifted even in our toughest moments. We are deeply involved in the South and Southwest so we know what’s at stake in this election and we’re happy this can be a resource to mobilize, raise spirits, and get out the vote," she concluded.

Dominguez Zamorano is a committed activist for immigrants and workers' rights, known for her strategist skills and expertise. She played a key role in the campaign to win DACA and has also held roles in major campaigns, including as Deputy National States Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to her work with Organized Power in Numbers, Dominguez Zamorano is serving as a Senior Advisor to Mijente’s Fuera Trump Initiative.

Grassroots efforts like these have taken on new life in 2024, with Bop the Bigot adding to the larger, ongoing fight against political apathy and disinformation. Just as it did during the 2016 race, the video game uses humor to soften the serious task at hand—getting people to the polls.

"We want the game to be a fun and comical outlet for anyone who’s been insulted, frustrated, or harmed by Trump in the past and everyone who is ready to move forward as a country after election day," explained Loewe in a press release. "The proposals in Project 2025 and the beliefs of Trump and Vance aren’t just weird, they’re truly harmful. We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down their racism and sexism. We hope it makes people laugh and also feel empowered and motivated to get to the polls on or before election day."

With a mix of satire, sharp political critique, and nostalgia, the game is a call to action. The upcoming election, which is getting closer by the minute, has sparked fierce activism and creative yet grounded initiatives like these aim to ensure voters are engaged, especially young Latinos and disenfranchised groups.