Credit: Courtesy of brands
8 min read
Have you ever made the pilgrimage to an Ulta or a CVS to get your hands on beauty products that weren’t available on this side of the Atlantic? Us too. But now, more and more American beauty brands have made their way across the pond. Here, we round up the best ones.
Maybe this has happened to you before: you watch an American YouTuber run through a beauty tutorial and rush to place a huge order only to discover that half of the products aren’t available in the UK. Well, unless you’re willing to pay extortionate shipping and custom fees.
Instead, we had to rely on trips to the US to make beauty pilgrimages to Ulta, CVS and Target, where we could finally get our hands on products that weren’t available back home. Thankfully, over the years, many American brands have finally arrived on our shores and are easily available to purchase from retailers like Cult Beauty, Boots, Space NK and Sephora.
While there’s still a long list of US brands we’re waiting to jump across the pond for (ColourPop Cosmetics and Melt Cosmetics, we’re looking at you), more and more are launching in the UK every month.
Here, we round up our favourite US beauty brands that you can shop in the UK.
Best American brands that are available in the UK
Milk Makeup
Milk Makeup is a New York City-based brand that was born out of the iconic Milk Studios. Community and self-expression are at the heart of everything it does and its hardworking, long-lasting formulas deliver results that last.
We recommend: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer. The lightweight grippy texture helps your foundation go on smoothly and stay locked on all day.
JVN Hair Nourishing Shine Drops
Founded by hairstylist and activist Jonathan Van Ness, JVN Hair is an inclusive, gender-neutral haircare line that nourishes as it styles.
We recommend: JVN Hair Nourishing Shine Drops. Infused with hemisqualane to improve hair health and strength rapidly and over time, these shine drops help to smooth frizz, tame flyaways and leave your hair glossy and soft.
Rare Beauty
Rare Beauty has proved it’s so much more than just another celebrity beauty brand. Founded by Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty has won countless awards and continues to release multi-purpose, brilliant make-up that really delivers.
We recommend: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. This highly pigmented cream blusher diffuses into a beautiful soft wash of colour that lasts all day long.
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
Rooted in Japan and founded in the US, Tatcha blends potent skincare with traditional beauty rituals. Bridging the line between skincare and wellbeing, the brand is a reminder that the skin, brain and body are in constant communication.
We recommend: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream. This lightweight and hydrating moisturiser really works to plump up skin overnight to leave your complexion looking fresh.
Naturium Retinol Body Lotion
Co-founded by skincare influencer Susan Yara, Naturium unlocks the power of natural botanicals and potent actives to help you bolster healthy skin. From XXL-bodycare products to pleasingly affordable actives like vitamin C and retinol, there’s no Naturium product we haven’t really rated.
We recommend: Naturium Retinol Body Lotion. This potent body lotion works to improve the look of skin from head to toe – exfoliating away dry and bumpy areas and revealing the brighter, smoother, softer skin beneath.
Versed
A brand built around skin saviours, Versed offers a curated collection of affordable, results-driven ingredients that are all vegan and cruelty-free.
We recommend: Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum. Combining natural alternatives to retinol (arophira and bakuchiol) alongside encapsulated retinol, this super serum works to stimulate your skin’s collagen and elastin production without the harsh drying side effects.
Danessa Myricks
Starting as a self-taught make-up artist, Danessa Myricks broke into the industry and has worked with numerous celebrities and brands. But after feeling like make-up still wasn’t fully inclusive, she decided to create her own eponymous cosmetics brand and make products that were available to everyone, no matter your race, age, gender or personal style.
We recommend: Danessa Myricks Vision Flush, £18. Available in eight shades, this liquid pigment can be used on eyes, lips and skin for a gorgeous flush of colour.
Supergoop!
When Holly Thaggard’s friend was diagnosed with skin cancer, she began learning all she could about sun damage. While researching, she looked at some of the reasons why people don’t wear sunscreen everyday, from formulas to convenience. Thaggard used this insight to create formulas customers would actually enjoy using and from there, Supergoop! was born.
We recommend: Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF30, £30. Lightweight, non-greasy and completely invisible; this sunscreen ticks all the boxes you could want in sun protection.
Bread Beauty Supply
Bread Beauty Supply aims to simplify your approach to hair care. Created specifically for curly hair types from type three to type four, its products follow a four-step process for wash day: wash, mask, oil, have time to do whatever you want.
We recommend: Bread Beauty Supply hair mask: creamy deep conditioner, £26. Packed full of hydration, this deep conditioner contains kakadu plum oil, which is known for its high concentration of vitamin C, as well as borage oil. Leave it on for five to 10 minutes for hydrated, happy hair.
Shop Bread Beauty Supply hair-mask: creamy deep conditioner at Space NK, £14
Boy Smells
What started as experimental candle-making in a Los Angeles kitchen has led to one of the biggest candle brands around right now. Founded by partners Matthew Herman and David Kien, the pair creates gorgeous scents that fit into your daily rituals that are then hand-poured into reusable glass vessels.
We recommend: Boy Smells Kush Scented Candle. A brand bestseller, Kush pays homage to the cannabis flower. It contains notes of cannabis, suede, white musk, tulip and amber for a scent that’s warm yet fresh.
Uoma
After more than a decade working in the beauty industry, entrepreneur Sharon Chuter wanted to create a brand that catered to everybody, particularly Black women. Uoma (pronounced ‘oma’) pays homage to Chuter’s heritage and her African culture is celebrated throughout the brand.
We recommend: Uoma Beauty Afro.Dis.Iac Liquid Eyeliner, £16. This ultra-black eyeliner delivers a long-lasting formula that is a dream to apply. The pen-like applicator glides against skin and the pointed tip makes eyeliner flicks easier than ever.
Shop Uoma Beauty Afro.Dis.Iac Liquid Eyeliner in Blackety Black Y’All at Boots, £16
Kristen Ess Hair
You may have come across celebrity hairstylist Kristen Ess on Instagram before. The magic hands behind Lauren Conrad and Lucy Hale’s hair, Ess also has her own line of products. The impressive formulas are a result of Ess’s 22 years of experience in the industry and includes stylers, cleansers, conditioners and accessories.
We recommend: Kristin Ess Hair Dry Finish Working Texture Spray. Not a fan of perfectly sleek hair post-styling? This dry texturising spray gives volume and oomph to the roots of your hair for a lived-in finish.
Shop Kristin Ess Hair Dry Finish Working Texture Spray at Amazon, £25
Live Tinted
After her colour correcting video went viral on YouTube in 2015, Deepica Mutyala created a digital community that focused on inclusive beauty. Mutyala learned about gaps in the beauty market that failed to cater to everybody and that’s how Live Tinted was born.
We recommend: Live Tinted Hueglow. Skincare-meets-make-up in a bottle, this serum-moisturiser contains squalane to hydrate skin but is also packed with micro-shimmer particles for a gorgeous glow.
Drunk Elephant
Founded by Tiffany Masterson on the concept of skincare without ‘fillers’, Drunk Elephant quickly earned cult status in the US, thanks to its careful approach to ingredients.
We recommend: Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial. This clever moisturiser contains niacinamide, sodium PCA, plant squalane, five forms of ceramides, omega fatty acids and antioxidants to keep skin soothed, calm and hydrated.
Shop Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial at Cult Beauty, £47
Honest Beauty
Actor Jessica Alba teamed up with a group of make-up artists and cosmetic chemists to ensure Honest Beauty’s formulas met her requirements. The brand prides itself on transparency when it comes to formulas and has an extensive list of banned ingredients that you’ll never find in its products.
We recommend: Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer, £19. This duo-ended tube has a primer that preps and conditions your lashes, while the other side has a deeply pigmented mascara that adds length and fullness.
Shop Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer at Cult Beauty, £19
Sun Bum
Reef-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan and sulphate-, paraben- and gluten-free; Sun Bum was created to deliver sun protection that doesn’t damage the planet. Its products are made, tested and filled in Florida and, if you ever happen to be in the area, the team will probably take you out for a surf lesson.
We recommend: Sun Bum Original SPF50 Sunscreen Spray. This water-resistant formula is non-greasy, doesn’t leave a white cast and contains vitamin E to protect your skin against free radical damage.
Shop Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray at Feelunique, £19.99
CeraVe
Despite launching in the US in 2006, CeraVe only came to the UK in 2018. Its products are developed with dermatologists for no-frills, effective formulas that focus on healthier skin. While all of CeraVe’s US products aren’t currently available here just yet, they’re slowly trickling over.
We recommend: CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser with Salicylic Acid. An essential among the Stylist beauty team, this gentle gel cleanser is formulated with salicylic acid to gently exfoliate skin while removing dirt and oil.
Shop CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser with Salicylic Acid at Boots, £14
Ouai
When celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin ran her Mane Addicts blog, she was constantly in conversation with people around the world discussing their hair needs and wants. Realising a gap for fun, luxury products that were still affordable, she created Ouai.
We recommend: Ouai Super Dry Shampoo at Cult Beauty. Whether your hair falls flat or you need a refresh between hair wash days, this oil-absorbent formula delivers instant volume with every spritz. Plus, it doesn’t leave that tell-tale white powdery cast along your roots.
Images: courtesy of brands
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