In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we want to highlight three innovative women-led brands that are working to benefit the health of people and the planet
Here are three women-led brands that we absolutely love:
Droplet
Celeste Perez co-founded Droplet with Adrienne Borlongan and Talia Jafarkhani back in 2019. Perez is the acting CEO, Borlongan is the Lead Food Scientist and Jafarkhani is the General Manager. Droplet was born as Perez, who is behind the award-winning brand studio Well Fed, was in the midst of a burnout. Searching for ways in which she could improve her health and immune system, as well as cope with stress, she found adaptogens. Adaptogens are ancient herbs and botanicals that aid the body in balancing stress. Perez then joined forces with Borlongan, the food scientist behind L.A.’s famous Wanderlust Creamery.
Together they created Droplet; a sparkling, stress-balancing adaptogen drink.
Perez’s aim has always been to support women and help them find balance through clean and healthy ingredients, while also offsetting as much of their carbon emissions as possible. Droplet offers three delicious flavors: Pretty Balanced, Pretty Bright and Pretty Happy. You won’t regret trying this delicious mood-boosting drink!
Find more information on Droplet here:
Hip City Veg
Founded in 2012 by Nicole Marquis (Also founder of Charlie was a sinner., & Bar Bombon), this plant-based casual restaurant has been pushing the envelope since its inception. The idea was originally developed when Marquis’ father was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, she bought a blender and started crafting delicious, healthy, fruit and veggie smoothies for her father to have (Now a menu item called “The BFG”). After two months of her father adopting a plant-based diet, he lost 25 pounds, got off his blood-pressure medication, and put his type-2 diabetes in remission.
In addition to offering a healthy fast food alternative, Marquis also wanted to reduce the suffering inflicted on animals and take care of the wellbeing of our planet. Today, all of the containers, cutlery and packaging used is compostable.
All of the ingredients used in all of their restaurants are Non-GMO, locally-sourced and organic. Hip City Veg currently offers vegan breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, and wraps. Salads, sides, drinks, specialty shakes and frozen treats are also part of the menu. We urge you to try their delicious food if you find yourself on the East Coast!
Find more information on Hip City Veg here:
KINLÒ
Naomi Osaka is not only the first Asian woman to hold the number 1 spot in the ATP ranking and the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam, but she is also an activist and a designer. Adding to her extraordinary achievements, she founded and is the CEO of the functional protective skincare line KINLÒ.
Founded in 2021, Osaka set out to dispel myths about skin care and bring skin cancer awareness to communities of color. Stating that as a young girl who spent most of her time in sun-soaked tennis courts, she never gave much thought to SPF as she assumed that melanin-rich skin was immune to sun damage. After learning the truth, Osaka decided she wanted to educate people on proper sun protection and set out to create products that enrich and nourish.
Thus KINLÒ was born as a product specifically designed for Black and Brown skin tones and formulated with natural ingredients like jojoba seed oil, hemp seed, and green tea. KINLÒ products are never tested on animals and are made without parabens, gluten or phthalates. Products range from reef-safe, broad-spectrum Sunscreen, to Hydrating Eye Cream; to Coconut Body Oil, among others. Check out the beautiful wonderful collection of products KINLÒ offers!
For more information on KINLÒ:
What are your favorite women-led brands? Which ones should we add to our list next?
Sources:
Create & Cultivate. (2022, March 2). CC100 2022 small business. Create & Cultivate. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.createcultivate.com/cc100-2022-small-business/
Create & Cultivate. (2022, February 22). CC100 2022 Health & Wellness. Create & Cultivate. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.createcultivate.com/cc100-2022-health-and-wellness/
Droplet. (n.d.). Our story – droplet sparkling adaptogen drinks: Self-care in every SIP. Droplet. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://drinkdroplet.com/our-story
From the ground up: Nicole Marquis’ origin story. HipCityVeg. (2019, March 25). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://hipcityveg.com/nicole-marquis-origin-story/ Our story. KINLÒ SKINCARE. (2021, December 14). Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.kinlo.com/our-story/
Philosophy. HipCityVeg. (2017, July 20). Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://hipcityveg.com/philosophy/
Tanenbaum , M. (2021, August 19). HIPCITYVEG plans expansion in Philly and beyond, including Port Richmond location. PhillyVoice. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.phillyvoice.com/hipcityveg-port-richmond-philly-new-york-washington-expansion-vegan-food/
