AAPI culture can be celebrated in many waysfrom art to music to food.
However, many AAPI individuals also choose to express their identity through beauty.
Read their insightful responses below.
@studiotanais,@yayayayoung,@sruthijayadevan,@beautybyjessicalee,@seoulcialite,@jarrylee,@kirinstagram,@neilshibata
Young Yuh, social media creator
Young Yuh
How do you celebrate your culture through beauty?
As a Korean American, I always go back to K-Beauty.
It is the root of all my beauty tips, tricks, and daily habits.
Tanaïs
Knowing that Korea is forward-thinking in the beauty industry makes me proud to celebrate my Korean heritage.
What are your favorite AAPI-owned beauty products?
What issues or challenges do you see in the beauty industry for AAPI people?
Sruthi Jayadevan
I think the biggest issue is the notion that men who love beauty are automatically considered gay.
I know many men who would’ve loved to share their thoughts on beauty-related topics publicly.
But, because of previous experiences, they’ve become nervous or ashamed to speak about it.
Jessica Lee
What are your hopes for the future of the AAPI community?
We can only do so much for a community if we only strive for individual success.
A chain isn’t built with one link.
David Yi
How can we support AAPI beauty creatives?
The most impactful way to support AAPI beauty creatives is to create a community.
I constantly draw from my foremothers' sense of beauty and fashionfrom scent materials to deep black kajal liner.
Robin Black
I use MS Skincare Rosewater Cream and Ranavat Saffron Serum.
They’re gorgeous products that use South Asian skincare secrets and smell divine.
We also cannot ignore the colorism and racism that exists even within our community.
Kirin Bhatty
My deepest hope is that this violence stops.
But, the contexts we create from often reference the histories we’re descended.
I am proudly a Bangladeshi or Muslim, or femme creator.
Neil Shibata,
But this isn’t a niche; it’s a multitude.
I belong to millions of people.
I also love using Ayurvedic hair care practices and rituals like hair oiling to take care of my hair.
One of my favorite AAPI-owned products is the Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool.
It is amazing to use for lifting and smoothing the skin along with practicing self-care every morning.
I also love the Aavrani Glow Activator Exfoliator.
I have very dry skin, and using this exfoliator helps get rid of dullness.
Lack of awareness of AAPI-specific beauty concerns.
For example, there aren’t many products to help treat hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.
For South Asian women, this is one of our biggest skincare concerns.
What are some of your hopes for the future of the AAPI community?
Representation is a huge way to support AAPI creatives.
Seeing others that look like us being represented on large platforms helps make us feel accepted.
We deserve to feel seen and respected like anyone else.
Growing up, I often felt like an outsider.
The glaring differences between my looks and the white American beauty standards surrounding me felt like a shortcoming.
However, I’ve learned to embrace myself fully and celebrate beauty in all its diversity.
Some of my favorite products are the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Dew Drops and Pore-Tight Toner.
The combination creates my perfect glassy-looking skin.
Tower 28 has my favorite lip glosses.
Industry decision-makers should be representative of the population they are targeting.
Representation matters, and I am looking forward to seeing more of it in the future.
Actively make room for AAPI beauty creatives!
Hire us, ask us questions, and get to know us.
When the AAPI community is reeling from anti-Asian hate crimes, use your platform to speak up.
Show us you care about our stories and our community.
Within the beauty industry, I see the same challenges that AAPI individuals face in general.
We are invisible and sometimes forgotten.
We’re told it isn’t our time, stay quiet, and remain still.
But we’re done being silentwe know that has never served us.
We’re speaking up loudly and proudly.
I hope we can come together stronger than ever and understand that AAPI and all Americans are stronger united.
We can support them with our dollars.
If not, repost them on our channels or talk about them more.
Ask retailers to stock them.
Tell influencers to check them out.
Create organic buzzit all helps.
In addition, many of the photographers I work with as a model are also AAPI.
We’ve made some incredibly meaningful, creative, and unique art together.
One of my favorite AAPI-owned brands is Doe Lashes.
I’m also a big fan of skincare products fromGlow Recipe,Peach & Lily, and Journ.
I also love the nail polish from Sundays.
But AAPI faces are so diverse and different.
Also, many AAPI-owned beauty brands are still not reaching the mainstream yet.
People underestimate the importance of visibility.
But the more visible something is, the more accepted and normal it becomes.
Here are a few I love right now: Ranavat’s Hydrating Jasmine Mist.
It is so luxurious and nostalgic.
I feel connected to the beauty rituals of queens before me.
I also use Tower 28’s Sunny Days SPF30 Tinted Sunscreen.
I helped develop the shades for this incredible tinted sunscreen foundationit’s a beautiful product and eczema safe.
Another favorite is Good light’s Moon Glow Milky Toning Lotion.
I always love a dewy, glowy situation.
Changing the narrative that Asians are monolithic is a challenge.
Before all else, I hope for a sense of safety.
I also hope there will be more of us in creative roles behind the scenes while also being front-facing.
Hiring us at all levelsnot just front-facing but behind the scenes is so important.
That’s how you create real equity in the space.
Neil Shibata, social media creator
Neil Shibata,
I celebrate my culture through makeup.
My favorite AAPI-owned products are fromOne/Sizeand Patrick Ta.
Specifically, the One/Size Turn Up The Base Versatile Powder Foundation and Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder.
I also love Patrick Ta’sMajor Beauty Headlines Double-Take Creme & Powder Blush.
These three products are part of my everyday routine and have yet to fail me.
Within the social media community, I find very low visibility when it comes to AAPI creators and artists.
I’ve noticed many AAPI creators' followers are also part of the AAPI community.
I think this creates a strong, niche community.
However, we lack support from other audiences.
