7 Influential Women in Beauty You Should Follow in 2022

These seven women are redefining beauty standards and pushing the industry forward both for brands and for customers. Here’s how.

The beauty industry is constantly evolving, and that’s in large part thanks to individuals who are brave enough to push the collective forward. We can’t possibly name every influential woman in beauty in this list, but here are seven to get you started in honor of this year’s International Women’s Day.

Lesley Thorton, Klur founder

Lesley Thorton brings decades of experience as an aesthetician, makeup artist, and creator to her very own beauty brand, Klur. With a line of products made using sustainable botanicals, Klur is geared toward the specific skincare needs of Black people and people of color. Thorton’s intention is to bring inclusivity to clean luxury beauty, making long-term sustainable products that give back to people and to the planet.

Nabela Noor, beauty influencer and brand founder

There are so many ways to follow multi-hyphenate beauty influencer Nabela Noor, from her non-profit scholarship fund, Noor House, to her home decor brand, Saara & Begum, and her inclusively sized clothing line, Zeba. All of Noor’s endeavors are focused on encouraging self-love and acceptance for bodies of all shapes and sizes. In addition to posting influencer content about beauty, skincare, fashion, and lifestyle topics, Noor also wrote a children’s book called Beautifully Me in which main character Zubi sees “that we can all make the world a more beautiful place by being beautifully ourselves.”

Abena Boamah, Hanahana Beauty founder and CEO

Abena Boamah is the founder and CEO of Hanahana Beauty, which aims to “increase accessibility, transparency, and sustainability” with a line of consciously clean beauty products. Boamah drew on her Ghanaian roots for the inspiration to create face and body skincare products that highlight natural ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, and avocado oil that are always sustainably sourced. Boamah still works with the Katariga Women in Tamale, Ghana, to source ingredients from the cooperative that first inspired her to start her own brand.

Deepica Mutyala, Live Tinted founder and CEO

Deepica Mutyala is a beauty influencer “on a mission to change beauty standards”. She regularly posts about equity and inclusivity in the beauty industry, principles that her Live Tinted brand strives to embody. In 2015, Mutyala’s video in which she used red lipstick as a concealer around her eyes went viral. Today, Live Tinted offers Huestick, a multi-use product designed to address hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and dark spots while also working as blush, eye shadow, and lipstick. In January 2022, Mutyala announced that Live Tinted’s full-time employees would all receive brand equity in order to encourage POC ownership in the beauty industry.

Charlotte Cho, Then I Met You founder

Charlotte Cho’s Soko Glam website is often credited with helping to bring the K-Beauty craze to the United States. While she still curates Soko Glam’s selections, Cho also runs her own award-winning skincare brand, Then I Met You. The brand takes inspiration from “the Korean concept of jeong: a deep and meaningful connection that one can develop for people, places and things.” Through Soko Glam, Then I Met You, her own influencer account, and two published books, Cho encourages others to use skincare as a starting point for transforming the way we live.

Precious Lee, model

Precious Lee is the model of the moment, according to the fashion and beauty glitterati. She has walked on countless designer runways from Versace to Savage X Fenty and was the first Black plus-size model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Lee was studying to be an attorney in Atlanta when she made the switch to full-time modeling, because she enjoyed “making people feel better by seeing me already feeling good.” In her stunning work across both beauty and fashion, Lee champions self-love and self-acceptance for Black women in particular.