Founded in 2008 by board-certified plastic surgeon Nina S. Naidu, anokha® makes clinical skincare that pairs botanical actives with medical expertise. Based in New York, the company develops its own formulas and produces them by hand in small batches, with products clinically and allergy tested for gentle use. Anokha is also certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny, and donates 5% of each sale to a humanitarian charity.
PETA Cruelty-Free
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Leaping Bunny Certified
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Registered for sale in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom
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Dr. Michelle Copeland Skin CareDr. Michelle Copeland Skin Care grew from a New York plastic surgeon’s effort to formulate better post-surgical skincare for her patients, and now makes physician-developed regimens for everyday skin health. Dr. Copeland, a Harvard-trained biochemist and the first woman plastic surgeon to create a full skincare line, personally develops and tests the formulas, including the long-standing AHA Face Cream and treatments for discoloration and scarring. The line is allergy tested, fragrance free, and made without animal testing.NEW YORK, NY
OY-LFounded by Andrea Pierce-Naymon after her daughter became ill, OY-L makes small-batch, plant-derived skincare for face and body with a “beauty without secrets” approach. The Hudson, Ohio company handcrafts its products without animal testing and builds its formulas around transparent ingredient choices such as hemp seed oil and Manuka honey. OY-L also uses sustainable packaging where possible and donates 15% of bath-salt and body-scrub sales to Dysautonomia International.AKRON, OH
taïla SkincareFounded by New Yorker Shadoh Punnapuzha, taïla Skincare makes Ayurvedic botanical treatments in its private Brooklyn laboratory. Drawing on her family’s agricultural and plant-medicine lineage in Kerala, India, Punnapuzha formulates from raw botanicals rather than pre-made bases, using traditional preparation methods and precise plant combinations. The line includes treatments such as PRANA face oil and MUHKA botanical oil cleanser, and is certified cruelty-free and eco-friendly.BROOKLYN, NY
Violets Are BlueAfter breast cancer treatment left Cynthia Besteman searching for safer beauty products, she founded Violets Are Blue in 2015 to make naturally derived skincare for the face and body. The company pairs its botanical formulations with a direct support mission: 10% of product purchases fund Beloved gift packages for women beginning chemotherapy at Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center in New York City. Its work has earned Best In Show from the Indie Beauty Expo and recognition from the Beauty Shortlist.