10 women-owned brands we love

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International Women’s Day (IWD) is today, the perfect time to celebrate the women in your life and those you look up to from afar, who continue to face obstacles and recognize how far we have come. 

Female entrepreneurs continue to face obstacles as entrepreneurs and continue to be underrepresented in the business world. A recent study from the Canadian government found that only 17.7 per cent of businesses in Canada are majority-owned by women. 

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Supporting women-owned businesses is a great way to celebrate IWD by putting your money where your heart is. From solo founders to sisters and even best friends, there are so many incredible female-founded brands to watch out for. Here are some of the brands we love!

Mejuri

A beloved favourite for its simple and classic jewelry designs that range from affordable basics to upscale investments, Mejuri certainly tops the list. The brand mantra only adds to the admiration, encouraging women to “buy yourself the damn diamond,” contrary to an industry that commonly tells us that jewelry must only be a gift. 

The founder, Noura Sakkijha, immigrated from Jordan to complete her MBA in Canada. Starting the brand alongside her husband in 2013, the company now has grown to have a global presence with over 500 employees, of which 77 per cent identify as women.

Cheekbone Beauty 

Supporting women-owned brands is key, but supporting women- and BIPOC-owned brands is the perfect way to celebrate IWD. Cheekbone Beauty is an Indigenous-owned and founded company to help Indigenous Youth see their beauty and value while simultaneously creating sustainable beauty products. Drawing on founder Jenn Harper’s Indigenous roots, paired with Westernized science, the company has worked hard to create incredible formulas that look great, feel amazing and are good for the planet. 

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The brand creates an incredible line of beauty products that are finally getting the full recognition they deserve – including recently being worn by Blake Lively at her Super Bowl appearance alongside bestie, Taylor Swift. 

SmartSweets 

We love a sweet treat. So a founder who can make a sweet treat without so much sugar, but still keep the taste – we’re supporting her! 

SmartSweets founder Tara Bosch claims to always have had a sweet spot for candy but was reaping the negative side effects of her habit. After months of developing the recipe in her kitchen using a gummy bear mould from Amazon, she created an innovation that would truly change the game. SmartSweets candy has up to 92 per cent less sugar per 50g serving versus the leading traditional candy equivalents – creating a world filled with sweeter choices.

What’s more? In 2015, Tara went all-in on her idea and dropped out of college to build this company that has become an empire, selling in thousands of retailers across North America. 

BASMA Beauty

After suffering third-degree burns on her face as an infant, founder Basma Hameed turned to makeup to cover her scars. She recalls constantly feeling neglected by beauty brands where shade ranges were scarce and formulas weren’t great. Desperate to find a better way, she pioneered the Scar Camouflage Procedure, which is a treatment that involves implanting skin tone pigments into scar tissue. Since this discovery, Hameed has opened two clinics and for the last 17 years, has been developing skin tone pigments for thousands of clients with different skin types, textures and conditions. 

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She didn’t stop there, though. She wanted to bring her talents to the beauty world, knowing what an impact the procedure had on her clients’ confidence. In 2021, BASMA Beauty was born, focusing on developing formulas that work for various skin tones and textures, knowing she could never find that. 

Formula Fig 

The famous facial chain was started in Vancouver by JJ Walsh as a way to have wellness be both efficient and effective – in an exceptional space. The London native saw the Green City as the metropolis of wellness and dove in headfirst after relocating there for her husband’s work. 

Known to be the best spot for a girl on the go to get a solid facial treatment, Formula Fig offers a range of best-in-class facial treatments and aesthetic injections tailored by their team of trusted medical professionals with an experience-led, science-forward approach to skincare. 

Not only does the founder – who now has seven locations across North America – want to create a great experience for her guests, but also her staff. She is keen on creating a culture where her team members are happy, healthy and paid fairly, not relying on tips to make a fair income. 

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SMYTHE

Friends who start a business together, succeed together! That surely is the case for SMYTHE, which launched in 2004 in the hands of friends, Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe. Bringing their business backgrounds with them, the two started the company with the mission of having meticulously styled, methodically tailored, impeccably constructed blazers for women, that were each designed to embolden the women who wear them. 

Now in its 20th year, the brand has become the top-tier option and women are aching to get their hands on the beloved blazers, which have been carefully created as the result of two very different styles from each Lenczner and Smythe. As the duo says, “The passion and methodology remain, as does the friendship.”

Mandy’s Salads

Beginning in 2004 with a small counter space in the back of a Montreal clothing store, Mandy’s has become an obsession for salad lovers across the nation, with 10 locations due to the recent opening of The Well. Created by sisters, Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe, the brand started as a create-your-own-salad-bar where they divided and conquered, with Mandy taking over the menu and Rebecca tackling the decor – both aspects that remain key to their brand today. The duo has even gotten into the cookbook scene, with two best-selling cookbooks. 

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Our favourite? Their crave-worthy Tamari dressing can also be brought home to top off your DIY salads. 

Gisou

Last but not least, Gisou is a family-inspired business created with the inspiration from honey bees. Founder Negin Mirsalehi comes from a family of sixth-generation beekeepers, so it’s safe to say that she was born to work with honey. Not only did she create the products with her customers in mind, but also the workers as well – the bees. Gisou is committed to caring for the Mirsalehi Honey Bees in the same way her family always has, putting their well-being paramount in their operations. 

As a hairdresser, her mother inspired her to create the line after discovering the benefits of honey in haircare – having a husband who is a beekeeper will do that to you. In 2013, Mirsalehi decided to share their family secret with the world and thus Gisou was born. 

NUDESTIX

What’s better than one female founder? Three! 

NUDESTIX is the creation of sisters Ally and Taylor Frankel, with the help of their mother who casually happens to be a chemical engineer, no big deal! The trio basically invented the clean girl aesthetic, with the line focusing on barely-there makeup that accentuates your natural features. The products are even beloved by the clean queen herself, Sofia Richie Grainge, who donned many of their creations on her wedding day. 

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Their formulas continue to win awards and with the natural look still going strong, the growth of the Toronto-based brand is anything but “barely there.” 

Mala Candles

While side hustles have become the norm, this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, Mala founder Melody Lim was fired from her job because of her candle-creating side hustle just before the pandemic hit. She gathered her savings and launched headfirst into the brand, giving herself six months to see if it would be viable. 

Soon after, she hired her mom as her first employee and they haven’t looked back since, bringing their candles into customers’ homes. The brand has grown to be a mainstay, creating a wide range of hand-poured eco-friendly scented coconut-soy candles in their infamous tin cans, including their bestselling scent “Cereal.”

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