The Pride events in 2022 were bigger than ever this year due to the UK marking 50 years of the Pride movement 🎉 Yet, every year we have many significant events that we raise awareness for, so why is Pride the only one whose message is diluted with a shower of rainbows, glitter and sparkles?

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Although as fun as the festivities are to celebrate identities, love and community. We do not wish to ignore the deep rooted message behind the true meaning of P.R.I.D.E. It is about LGBTQ+ rights and equality and supporting that movement … which still has a lot more to accomplish. 

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So what can you do alongside a shimmying in your favourite sequin dress to support LGBTQ+ owned businesses? Well, first you can tag your favourite LGBTQ+ owned business in our instagram post here as we will be giving away a free photoshoot with the Wholehearted creative team next month to LGBTQ+ owned businesses to show our own appreciation and support for the community. 

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Next, you can actively shop at LGBTQ+ owned businesses to show your support to these businesses. Here are our top ten for you to choose from: 

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1. Dr Botanicals 

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Dr Botanicals is a natural and vegan skincare brand, who pride themselves on being ethical whilst still harnessing vitamins and goodness to deliver the best results to the consumer.

To celebrate Pride month Dr Botanicals have taken their own twist on what Pride means to them, and they are selling a pride edition of their best-selling superfood rescue butter in order to raise $100,000 for LGBTQ+ charities.

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2. Trixie Cosmetics
   
   

Trixie Mattel, Season 3 winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, created her own beauty line to evoke nostalgia and to give everyone their “Trixie moment” regardless of their level of makeup experience or skillset. The range matches her bright and bubbly character and is filled with all things glitz, glam and sparkle.  

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3. Noto Botanics 

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Noto Botanics champions “ferocious individuality” through their gender-neutral and clean cosmetic line. Their mission is to celebrate diversity and creativity through self-expression, whilst still remaining biodegradable and plant-based. They are also keen on supporting charities with a percentage of their sales from the Agender oil giving back to a variety of charities including The Trevor Project and The Transgender Freedom Fund.

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4. Malin and Goetz
   
   

Created by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz, Malin and Goetz is a luxury and gender neutral skincare brand that combines both technology and natural ingredients to help you achieve the best results. Malin and Goetz also champion that they are cruelty free and always striving for “more sustainable formulation and packaging practices”. This brand is the perfect combination of effective skincare with gentle solutions. 

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5. Common Heir
   
   

This clean, plastic-free and high performing skincare line, is not only kind and gentle to the skin but also to the environment around us too. Owned by women of colour, Angela Ubias and Cary Lin wanted to formulate products that help you transform your skincare routine, whilst keeping the impact low environmentally which means they are silicone and plastic free, biodegradable and cruelty free. Common Heir are also members of the 1% for the Planet and Ocean Blue Project, donating $1 from every email signup which is equivalent to removing one pound of micro-plastics from the ocean - impressive!!

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6. Leota
   
   

Not only is Leota a size inclusive, female led brand, but it is also owned by Sarah Carason - a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. Sarah’s mission with Leota  is to create an inclusive space for individuals, regardless of size, race, gender or sexuality. Leota pride themselves on delivering figure-flattering garments whilst still maintaining comfort and being easy to care for. 

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7. Xula
   
   

Xula Herbs is Queer Latina and Black-Owned CBD brand aiming to deliver high-quality products to “dignify, amplify, and revive menopausal bodies, trans bodies, differently-abled bodies, nonbinary bodies, and all bodies left out of our society’s gaze”. Xula focuses on using hemp to create products helping to alleviate period pains and troubles as well as menopausal troubles. They have products catered for all needs, infused with CBD, hemp and other cannabinoids. All of the hemp used within their products is grown in their own pesticide-free farm, whilst using drip tapes to reduce water waste. 

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8. Flower Beauty
   
   

Flower beauty is a cruelty free beauty brand that creates and sells a whole range of cosmetics. Drew Barrymore, who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community herself, founded Flower beauty as a way to bring her passion to life whilst keeping it ethically safe and affordable to consumers. The brand ethos is all about having fun and just expressing yourself in a fun and innovative way. 

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9. Freck Beauty
   
   

Freck made its big debut in 2017 by creator and founder Remi, who herself is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Unlike many other beauty brands that are made to traditionally conceal or disguise freckles, Remi wanted to create something unconventional to do the opposite. The idea behind this brand is to rebel against “normal” beauty standards and to embrace the beauty you have got, to have fun with self-expression but not in a conventional way and to “respect the process”. To stand out from the crowd Freck emphasises on celebrating individuality and differences. Just when you thought this brand couldn’t be any better …. it is also vegan and cruelty free!!

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10. Automatic Gold
    
    

Automatic Gold is a fine jewellery brand made to fit all people, regardless of sexuality, race, size, gender or age. This brand is particularly special because alongside it having recyclable packaging and being made from reclaimed gold, they are also advocates for NOT photoshopping any campaign images to help promote body positivity. Being in a world where photoshop is a huge part of our society this is a huge move in the right direction for beauty brands. They are diverse and size inclusive too!! 

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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and don’t forget that we are offering one LGBTQ+ owned business the chance to win a FREE photoshoot with the Wholehearted team of creatives. Head to our instagram page and tag your fave LGBTQ+ owned business in the comment section HERE. 

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It ends 30th June! Best of luck and get tagging!

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