20 Top Beauty Companies Innovating the Space

Beauty companies are working hard to catch the eye of their customers. 

In recent years, many beauty companies have turned to ethically sourced and sustainable ingredients to develop their products — which not only helps their customers look good, but feel good about their purchases. Increasingly, many beauty companies are taking it a step further by turning to science and technology, like artificial intelligence and extended or augmented reality, to innovate the industry, doing everything from enabling potential customers to virtually try on new makeup, nails and lashes to formulating special shampoo blends based on proprietary algorithms. 

 

20 Top Beauty Companies

These are some of the beauty companies leading innovation in the industry.

 

Agora is a social video platform where users post videos related to their beauty routines and the products they use. Followers are able to shop for the same products tagged in the searchable posts, which are anywhere from 15 seconds to three minutes long, while creators earn “coins” based on engagement that they can use to purchase other beauty products through the site.

 

Atticus develops skincare products like night creams, moisturizers and cleansers especially for men. New customers can join Atticus’s membership program, taking a quiz to determine which one of the 27 daily skincare routines is best for them. Its products aren’t tested on animals and the ingredients Atticus uses, such as alpine willowherb, bentonite clay and kakadu plum, are all ethically sourced. 

 

Founded in 1978, Aveda offers vegan haircare and skincare, like tonics and scrubs, as well as products for the whole body, like lotions. For 10 or so years, the company has been working with scientists researching how to use plant stem cells in their products to increase efficacy, according to an innovation report on Aveda’s website. In 2016, the company incorporated stem cells from raspberries into its Tulsara line of beauty products. 

 

Boy Smells is a fragrance company launched in 2015 as a “side job hustle” in the kitchen of its two founders. Today, the company’s line of products, which include washes, lotions, travel sprays and scents like Woodphoria and Tantrum, are available in more than 750 retail locations in 35 countries. But for the company, it’s not just about creating a global beauty brand — it’s also creating fragrances, like its Genderful Fine Fragrances line, which are “embracing masculine and feminine simultaneously in a simple and straightforward way” according to Boy Smells’ website. 

 

Bubble Skin Care is a beauty company that offers vegan products like serums, toner mists, moisturizers, cleansers and exfoliating masks. The company develops its products by transforming flowers, plants and extracts cultivated from the sea into a plant-based glycerin, which eliminates side effects, according to its website.

 

By Humankind’s goal is to reduce the use of single-use plastics. The beauty company’s products include deodorant, body wash and toothpaste, and rely on refillable containers to eliminate plastic waste. Its toothpaste, for example, comes in tablet form and customers simply crush it in their mouths before brushing, eliminating the plastic tube toothpaste typically comes in. Its shampoo also comes in bar form, forgoing the traditional plastic bottle. 

 

The fashion brand Dior offers an extensive line of perfumes, makeup and skincare products. The company, which was founded in 1946, takes a science-first approach to developing its beauty products, relying on 400 researchers specializing in molecular biology, dermatology, chemistry, genomics and ethnobotany, across labs in France, China and Japan. Dior’s researchers also work with universities like Stanford and the University of Modena in Italy, and their work has led to more than 300 patents, according to Dior’s website. Through its research, Dior has explored areas like epigenetics, and proteins such as proteasomes and aquaporins to protect and hydrate skin cells.

 

Eadem developslike serums, moisturizers and cleansing balms for women of color. The beauty company uses a mix of natural and synthetic ingredients and all its products are vegan and clinically tested. Its smart melanin technology, which is used in its serums with ingredients like amber algae and niacinamide, is able to make dark spots left from pimples or bug bites disappear. The company also publishes essays and stories related to beauty and wellness. 

 

Founded in 2010, FabFitFun offers a seasonal subscription service. Four times a year, the company’s more than 1 million subscribers receive a box filled with items from fashion, wellness and beauty brands like Michael Kors and Fenty Beauty. The membership also includes access to FabFitFunTV, which features workout and product how-to videos, as well as a community platform to connect with other subscribers to share beauty tips and healthy recipes.

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Function of Beauty relies on an algorithm to create specialized hair products like shampoos and conditioners and other beauty products tailored to meet its customers’ hair needs. The company has created more than 15 million different products, according to its website, where users answer a series of questions to feed Function of Beauty’s algorithm. Its shampoos are also customizable by color for specific benefits. Customers can also name their bottle and choose a fragrance ranging in scents from peach to rose. All of the ingredients the company uses, which include acai oil, hemp seed oil and molasses, are vegan and cruelty free. 

 

GlossGenius is a technology company that’s developed software for salons and spas, specifically related to day-to-day operations like client management, finance and analytics. Its software helps hairdressers, estheticians, nail artists and others working in the beauty industry develop fully customizable websites for booking appointments. It also creates calendars for scheduling and staff management, along with inventory management systems. 

 

K18 Hair specializes in hair masks and shampoos rooted in biomimetic hairscience, which models nature to reconnect keratin chains, or proteins, in hair. The company’s leave-in treatments like its hair mask are able to repair hair damaged by bleach, color, chemicals and heat in four minutes, according to K18 Hair’s website. 

 

Lash Star specializes in false eyelashes and eyelash extensions. The company has also developed a rechargeable heated eyelash curler and straightener so customers can style their lashes. It also offers mascara and other makeup products like eyeliner, as well as beauty tools like lash scissors, adhesives and applicators. 

 

One of the most famous beauty companies, L’Oréal offers a line of beauty products ranging from makeup and skincare to shampoos and serums. Recently, the company unveiled a makeup applicator dubbed HAPTA for people with limited motor skills in their hands and arms. The tool pairs “built-in smart motion controls” with attachments to improve range of motion and provide more stability when applying makeup. 

 

ManiMe specializes in stick-on gel manicures that are made to order based on nail shape, size and design preferences. The company uses 3D modeling — based on photos of customers’ hands — to create its products, which are more affordable than traditional manicures and less time consuming, according to the company’s website. 

 

NuFace is a skincare company offering a line of creams, serums and facial toning devices, which build up muscles in a user’s face and smooth wrinkles. The company’s devices, which are designed to be used at home, rely on microcurrent technology, which shocks the skin with electric currents to bolster cell growth. 

 

Nutrafol specializes in hair growth and restoration products and supplements for different stages of a person’s life. Its offerings are tailored to men and women and rely on natural ingredients like ashwagandha, curcumin and marine collagen that target barriers to hair growth, such as stress, hormones, metabolism and aging. Subscribers can also work with naturopathic doctors who provide support and analyze potential causes of hair loss.

 

Perfect is a technology company that helps beauty brands like Estée Lauder and Clinique integrate artificial intelligence and augmented reality into their websites, services and products. The company offers virtual try-on tools for makeup, nails and eyewear using augmented reality as well as face diagnostic tools like skin and face analyzers and a face reshape simulator that uses AI to preview plastic surgery results. For individual users, the company has developed a series of mobile applications, such as YouCam makeup and YouCam Nails, for virtual try-on experiences. 

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Quip is an electric toothbrush company that also offers water flossers and refillable gum and mouthwash dispensers. The company’s smart electric toothbrush connects via bluetooth to an app that tracks a user’s brushing habits, provides tips for better oral health and motivates users with points that can be redeemed for credits, gift cards and other items.

 

By offering a scheduling and operations platform for barber shops and salons, Squire is helping people in the beauty industry run their businesses more efficiently. Its system features flexible checkout with online or in-person point-of-sale options, an earnings dashboard that’s updated in real time and email marketing. It also allows clients to book appointments straight from search engines, third-party websites and social media. More than 3,000 barbershops use Squire, according to the company’s website. It also offers options to create branded apps and websites.