Beauty, Fashion, Home & Garden, Lifestyle
AAPI Brands to Shop on Rakuten
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and it’s the perfect time to discover your new favorite AAPI-founded stores. Whether you’re looking for new cookware, you want to step up your skin-care routine or you’re finally getting around to spring cleaning, we’ve got you covered with a wide range of AAPI-founded brands to shop.
JINsoon | Founded by Jin Soon Choi
When you want salon-quality nails from the comfort of your own home, look no further than JINsoon’s vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and nontoxic polishes. With over 60 shades to choose from, there’s a polish for every mood. Can’t decide on just one shade? You can customize your own set of three polishes. This set makes an excellent gift for a friend (or for yourself).
Our Place | Founded by Shiza Shahid
You may have seen Our Place all over social media. The cookware comes in an array of aesthetically pleasing colors, and all pieces have a nontoxic, nonstick ceramic coating so you can cook (and clean up!) with ease. This four-piece set includes mini and full sizes of the Perfect Pot and Always Pan 2.0, so consider all your cooking needs covered whether you’re whipping up a four-course meal or you’re in the mood for a simple plate of pasta.
Calpak | Founded by Edward and Judy Kwon
Up your travel game just in time for summer vacation. With Calpak you’ll find sleek suitcases, backpacks, cosmetics cases, belt bags, travel organizers and more. One of our favorite multipurpose products is the Terra 26-liter laptop backpack duffel. Not only is it an excellent travel backpack with ample space and tons of pockets, a luggage trolley sleeve and a padded laptop compartment, but it’s also water resistant — made with 27 recycled plastic bottles! — and can be used for outdoor activities.
Cocofloss | Founded by Catherine Cu
Dental floss isn’t a product that typically excites people, but Cocofloss may change that. It offers a range of floss flavors, from strawberry to mint, in an effort to make flossing a more enjoyable experience. Infused with coconut oil, a natural antimicrobial, Cocofloss is vegan and cruelty-free, as well as free of parabens, sulfates and artificial fragrances. We recommend the travel jet set, which includes a toothbrush, dental floss, an additional refill floss and a responsibly made zippered mesh bag.
Tatcha | Founded by Josie Natori
Tatcha’s award-winning skin-care products are made with clean formulas featuring natural ingredients like twice-fermented rice, green tea and algae. Products range from face masks to cleansers to moisturizers, and there’s even an option to shop by skin type to make sure you choose the perfect product for you and your skin. One of our favorites is the Rice Polish foaming enzyme powder, made from Japanese rice bran that gently exfoliates and leaves skin glowing.
Evolvetogether | Founded by Cynthia Sakai
Evolvetogether seeks to develop quality essentials for your daily life. Think: face wash, lip balm, baseball caps, hand sanitizer and a popular KN95 face mask. We love Evolvetogether’s emphasis on sustainability — working with responsible factories, creating biodegradable products — and its efforts to offset our carbon footprint. At checkout, there’s an option to donate $1 to plant a tree with One Tree Planted.
KonMari | Founded by Marie Kondo
You may recognize Marie Kondo from her hit Netflix show where she shares the KonMari Method — helpful tools to help tidy up. If an item doesn’t spark joy, then it’s time to gently let it go. For the items you choose to keep, consider investing in some organizational products to help keep the clutter at bay. On konmari.com, you can shop organizers, storage bins, cleaning tools and more.
U Beauty | Founded by Tina Chen Craig
If you’re looking for a skin-care routine but you’re overwhelmed by both the number of options and number of steps, U Beauty is a great place to start. Its products, which are cruelty-free and made with nontoxic ingredients, are designed to streamline skin care. Our favorite is the award-winning Super Hydrator, a moisturizer made with organic argan oil and purified oat extract that increases skin hydration while helping with fine lines and wrinkles.
Natori | Founded by Josie Natori
Natori specializes in lingerie, loungewear, sleepwear and more. Its Bliss Perfection contour underwire bra is a fan favorite that comes in several colors. It’s the perfect T-shirt bra for everyday use. Not shopping for undergarments? Check out Natori’s luxurious pajamas and robes that come in both neutral hues and fun and bright prints.
Aavrani | Founded by Rooshy Roy
Aavrani is a skin-care brand inspired by India’s ancient beauty rituals and ingredients, such as turmeric, jasmine and neem oil. The brand’s mission is to provide effective, luxurious and natural skin-care products that celebrate the founders’ Indian culture. Each product is crafted to deliver specific results, such as brightening or hydrating. You can take a skin-care quiz on Aavrani’s website and it will recommend products based on your skin’s needs and concerns.
These are just a few of the many AAPI-founded brands to shop through Rakuten this month and beyond. You can see more AAPI-led and founded stores as well as convenient links to these brands on our Shop with Optimism page. Happy shopping!
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