When it comes to beauty, Latinas always get it right. The same can be said for turning this passion into a profitable business that goes beyond pretty makeup palettes and hair creams. At the end of the day, it’s not as much about the products (as amazing as they may be), but about the lasting impact Latinx entrepreneurship has on nuestra cultura.
Ahead, a few notable Latinx beauty founders you should definitely know about.
1. Julissa Prado, Rizos Curls
After learning to embrace her vivacious curls with homemade, curl-defining formulations featuring all-natural, clean ingredients, Prado made the decision to bring her quality curl care to the masses. Fast forward six years later — the business launched in 2017 — and Rizos Curls is officially the first Latina-owned curly hair care line available at every Ulta store location. The Latina-founded brand sells texturizing sprays, hair masks, shampoos, and more.
Our product pick: Hairscription Oils Kit
2. & 3. Leslie Valdivia and Joanna Rosario-Rocha, Vive Cosmetics
The co-founders started Vive Cosmetics out of necessity. They launched the makeup destination in 2016, back when the industry made it very difficult for women of color to join the beauty conversation. The pair’s empowering goal remains the same: “to recognize the importance of not just Latinas, but of everyone who’s ever felt undervalued.”
Valdivia and Rosario-Rocha helped to usher in a new energy, thus cementing their business as a go-to destination for liquid lipsticks, lip balms, and brow pencils.
Our product pick: Que Matte Liquid Lipstick in Morenita
4. Regina Merson, Reina Rebelde
Merson can do it all. The Mexican entrepreneur is a lawyer, mom, and founder of Reina Rebelde — the first makeup line to celebrate Latina culture. “Reina Rebelde is the unapologetic woman who embodies and celebrates all her powerful dualities,” writes Merson of her business, which started in 2016 and features powders, brow paint, eye shadow, and more. “She equally celebrates the beauty of her Reina and fierceness of her Rebelde.”
Our product pick: On Your Face Finishing Powder
5. Babba C. Rivera, Ceremonia
Rivera, a Forbes 30 under 30 alum and former CEO of her own marketing agency, is the founder of Ceremonia. Rooted in her Latinx heritage, the clean haircare line, launched in 2020, features shampoos, scalp treatments, styling gel, and more. “Inspired by the rituals I grew up with, alongside a new generation leading the way towards a more sustainable future, Ceremonia provides a new-age perspective to hair care for all,” Rivera has said.
Our product pick: Guava Leave-In Conditioner
6. Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, Chillhouse
Self-care should be attainable and affordable — it’s this thinking that led Ramirez-Fulton to ideate and create what would become Chillhouse, an aesthetically-pleasing, Instagram-famous spa destination with two brick-and-mortar locations in NYC. Being of first-generation, the Colombian-American entrepreneur recognizes how important it is to surround yourself with like-minded women with similar cultural backgrounds.
“My Latina community, they’re so warm and they’re like ride-or-dies,” Ramirez-Fulton told R29 Somos of her business, which launched in 2017. “I don’t know what I would do without them. A goal of mine is to be able to provide more insights into the journey as I get a little older and have more time.”
Can’t make it to Chillhouse? Ramirez-Fulton’s business is now selling press-on nails (available at Target stores!), manicure tools, body oils, and more.
Our product pick: Feel Me Flow Chill Tips
