If there’s anything we’ve learned from the challenges over the past few years, it’s that there’s power in coming together. And that’s especially true for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, which has faced unprecedented levels of hatred in recent years amid coronavirus-fueled racism. That’s why, as an AAPI female-founded and -operated brand, we wanted to go above and beyond for AAPI Heritage Month, which falls every May.
This year, we’re teaming up with some of our favorite skin-care, hair-care, and makeup brands in the industry to bring you the AAPI Bestseller Beauty Collection, which features (as the name implies) best-selling products from Glow Recipe and AAPI-owned brands cocokind, Fable & Mane, Hero, JinSoon, Live Tinted, Mount Lai, and Tower 28. We’ll donate $10 from each box sold, to organizations that support the AAPI community.
To celebrate the launch of this limited-edition collection, we’ve asked each of the founders of the seven brands to share their best beauty tips. We’re glowing with pride.
Glow Recipe is widely known for their range of watermelon-infused skincare products, inspired by co-founders Sarah Lee & Christine Chang’s childhood memories. “I grew up seeing my grandmother rubbing watermelon rinds to soothe and heal my skin rashes during hot summer months in Korea. This was the inspiration for our watermelon-infused products,” says Sarah. Christine says, “I grew up watching my mom purposefully carve out time for her skincare routine, very often incorporating ingredients straight from the fridge and taking a gentle, hydration-first approach to treat her skin needs day by day. A lot of these early skincare tenets still inspire me today.”
Hair care brand Fable & Mane, which is known for its indulgent hair products, has close-to-home inspiration. “Growing up, our grandma used to massage our hair with oils, and this was best coupled with an Indian head massage,” says founders (and siblings) Akash and Niki Mehta. “It’s the best way to promote healthy scalp circulation, hair growth — and it’s just so relaxing.”
Hero Cosmetics founder Ju Rhyu is all about the tea — not to drink, but to mist. “It’s great for when you break out because it’s anti-inflammatory, it has a lot of antioxidants, [and] it’s antimicrobial,” she says. “I steep green tea, let it cool, put it into a mister, and mist my face — like a toner.”
When it comes to makeup, few things are as classic (or ubiquitous) as kajal. “A beauty tradition that is rooted in South Asian culture is kajal, which is why we created the Live Tinted Huestick in Legacy,” says founder Deepica Mutyala. “It works as a waterline kajal, or you can use it for a more smudgy eye look. And as a kid, parents will put a dot behind your ear or on your forehead to signify getting rid of the evil eye.”
Asian skin-care brands are known for their innovative “One of the things about my heritage I really remember is how much I really wanted to hang out and play at the beach and be in the sun, but my parents really wouldn’t let me,” says Tower28 founder Amy Liu, who grew up in California. That’s because Asians are prone to sun spots. So, Liu says, “we created our SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation for just that reason; it has just the right amount of coverage to cover up any sun spots you do have, but it also protects you from getting more.”
While growing up, Mount Lai founder Stephanie Zheng always watched her grandmother incorporate jade rolling and gua sha into her routine. Not surprisingly, then, it’s the crux of the brand. “The Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool is our award-winning, cult-favorite bestseller,” she says. “It’s a tool I love to incorporate into my own skincare routine and, I have found, has provided me with so many incredible benefits for the skin.”
It’s all about the moisture for Cocokind founder Priscilla Tsai. “I grew up seeing my mom really embrace the concept of moisture locking, bringing in hydration and locking it in,” she says. “The way that I do that is I’ll apply our essence and spray it all over my face. Then, I will take our Ceramide Barrier Serum and just apply a couple of drops of that everywhere to really bring in ceramides and lock that in.”
Jin Soon Choi has been a backstage fixture at Fashion Week for years — because she’s the expert. “K-beauty skincare was a big part of my life, even before it became popular. My mother taught me how to scrub my hands and feet with a natural stone and apply a heavy cream or oil. [And] what is good for your face is good for your nails,” she says. “Moisturizing is the best method for cuticles and nails, and oil can penetrate the fastest.” That’s why she created a deeply nourishing cuticle oil, JINsoon Honeysuckle + Prim Rose Cuticle Oil, to smooth cuticles and restore dry, brittle nails.
