The theme of International Women’s Day 2019 is #BalanceforBetter.

Balance starts at home. Better yet, it starts in the bathroom. The 532 billion-dollar beauty industry is dominated by men. Less than 30% of “personal care” companies have women in leadership positions. As of 2017, Coty, the parent company of dozens of fragrances, OPI, Philosophy, Rimmel and many more subsidiaries had zero women on the board and zero women executives. Revlon, whose subsidiaries include Almay, SinfulColors, CND and American Crew, had a board comprised of one-third women. And zero women executives.

This is an industry that is fueled by women. We have the purchasing power. We are buying toner, serums, concealer, dry shampoo, perfumes, lotions and lipsticks at rates that dwarf men. Yet, men are the ones reaping in hundreds of billions of dollars. I won’t even get into the why and the how this industry (a recession-proof one, at that) even exists in the first place but I am happy to tell you how to put your hard-earned money in the hands of smart, talented and brave women-led beauty companies.

Bonus! These companies are cruelty-free, too, because if you’re already making one good choice, go ‘head and make one more. (Fun fact: women-owned cosmetic companies tend to be safer because we are the ones wearing them and don’t want to put weird unknown stuff on OUR FACES.)

The Lip Bar. Super pigmented colors that are vegan, affordable and sold at Target – what more do you want?

H2O+. Face, body and hair care created with the idea that pure water is the most important first step to any product.

Oyin Handmade. Jamyla Bennu runs Oyin with her husband, Pierre, but we’re letting this one in because she started natural hair care line on her own in 2001 – and we love a good business/love story. P.S. if you have a squirmy kid that screams bloody murder when you comb their hair, go buy the Oh my glide! prestyling detangler right now.

Elate. Elate is at the heart of the conscious beauty movement and as they say: “the opposite of kindness is not cruelty, it is inattention.” So, pay attention. And make smart choices that push us to #BalanceforBetter.

At Food Shelter, we believe in balance. We believe in balancing our client roster. We believe that operating a women-owned business and employing other women is a step toward balance and we believe in work/life balance. It may be cliched, but a critical part of leading a balanced life is self-care. So next time you want to treat yourself to a new nail polish or fun lip gloss, remember it starts with us.