Founded by Dr. Josh Gordon after he earned his medical degree, noyah makes U.S.-made cosmetics that pair colorful lip care with cleaner ingredients and earth-friendlier packaging. The New York company is especially distinctive for making some products from 100% food in kitchens rather than cosmetic factories, including lip balms and a food-grade lip scrub. Its packaging incorporates materials such as bamboo and 70% post-consumer recycled plastic, and its lip balms and lip scrub are USDA Certified Organic.
USDA Certified Biobased
USDA Certified Organic
Cruelty-Free
Compliance program
USDAORGANIC
Quality certification
Kate McLeodFounded in 2016 by trained pastry chef Kate McLeod, Kate McLeod makes solid, waterless moisturizers that melt into skin like a lotion bar. What began with cocoa butter in Kate’s Brooklyn kitchen is now hand-crafted by local chefs, bakers, and makers at the company’s Hudson Valley workshop. Its Body Stones use plant-based ingredients in plastic-free, refillable packaging, turning everyday skin care into a small self-care ritual.RED HOOK, NY
ILIA BeautyFounded in 2011 after Sasha Plavsic set out to remake her everyday lip balm with safer ingredients, ILIA Beauty creates clean makeup and skincare designed to make skin look and feel better. The brand is distinctive for treating makeup and skincare as one, pairing active skincare ingredients and mineral SPF with color while pursuing packaging that can be kept out of landfills.
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
Honeybee GardensBorn from Melissa J. Buckley’s 1995 kitchen experiments with garden herbs, Honeybee Gardens makes natural cosmetics and personal-care products designed to be effective, trustworthy and gentler on people, animals and the planet. The women-owned Pennsylvania company is known for its botanical formulas, including its long-running Tropical Lip Balm and bestselling alcohol-free hair spray, and sells products through health-food stores, pharmacies and specialty shops. All products are vegan, with cruelty-free certification from PETA and Leaping Bunny.LEESPORT, PA