Launch Date: November 2016
Geography: St. Catharines, Canada
Founder: Jenn Harper, Founder + CEO
Executive Team:
Board Members:
Notable Investor: Raven Capital
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: $2M - $5M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Makeup
Other Category: Skincare
Funding: Venture Capital
Primary Distribution Channel: DTC
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partners:
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 419
Cheekbone Beauty was founded on the belief that Indigenous wisdom has something to teach the beauty industry—and the world. As an Indigenous-owned brand, we draw inspiration from teachings that remind us to think beyond ourselves, consider future generations, and live in balance with the land.
What began as a mission to increase Indigenous representation in beauty has grown into a commitment to creating high-performance products with sustainability at their core. We believe beauty should not come at the expense of people or the planet.
Our vision is simple: Indigenous beauty is more than representation. It's a way of thinking. If more brands embraced Indigenous values like stewardship, respect for resources, and long-term responsibility, we'd create a better future for consumers, communities, and the environment alike.
At Cheekbone Beauty, we're proving that beauty can be both impactful and responsible.
Insights: Jenn Harper, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
The beauty industry is at a turning point. Consumers are asking harder questions about sustainability, ingredient sourcing, waste, and the values behind the brands they support. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that Indigenous knowledge offers solutions to many of these challenges because it is rooted in stewardship, responsibility, and thinking beyond the next quarter.
Why now? Because the industry needs new perspectives. The old model of endless consumption and short-term thinking is no longer enough.
Why us? Because Indigenous values aren't a marketing strategy for Cheekbone Beauty—they're our foundation. As an Indigenous-owned company, we've been building our brand around these principles from the beginning. We have the opportunity and responsibility to show that beauty can be innovative, high-performing, and profitable while still respecting people, communities, and the planet. That's the future we're working toward every day.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Our competitive advantage comes from building Cheekbone Beauty through a lens that is fundamentally different from most beauty brands. Indigenous teachings encourage us to think long-term, consider our impact on future generations, and create products that work in harmony with people and the planet.
That perspective influences everything we do—from product development and packaging decisions to ingredient sourcing and company culture. While many brands are now trying to retrofit sustainability into their business, it has been part of our foundation from the beginning.
We also occupy a unique space where representation, performance, and sustainability intersect. Consumers don't have to choose between products that work and products that align with their values. We offer both.
Ultimately, our advantage is authenticity. Our Indigenous worldview isn't a trend or a marketing campaign; it's who we are. That creates a deeper connection with consumers and allows us to build a brand that is differentiated, resilient, and positioned for the future.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
What I'm most proud of isn't a product launch, a retailer partnership, or a revenue milestone. It's the impact we've been able to create for Indigenous youth. Through our For Future Generations initiative, we've provided 50 scholarships to deserving Indigenous students pursuing their education and dreams. For me, that's what success looks like.
Education has the power to change the trajectory of a person's life, and Indigenous youth deserve every opportunity to pursue their goals while remaining connected to who they are and where they come from. Knowing that Cheekbone Beauty has played even a small role in helping those students move forward is incredibly meaningful.
From the beginning, the vision was always bigger than beauty. It was about representation, opportunity, and creating pathways for future generations. Seeing that vision come to life through 50 scholarships is something I carry with immense pride and gratitude. It's a reminder that business can be a force for positive change when it's built with purpose.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
I wish someone had told me that building a business is much more about becoming the person capable of leading it than it is about the business itself.
In the beginning, I thought success would come from having the right product, the right strategy, or the right opportunity. What I've learned is that every stage of growth requires a different version of you. The skills, mindset, and confidence that get you started are not the same ones that help you scale.
I also wish someone had told me that you don't have to know everything on day one. Curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to keep learning are far more valuable than having all the answers. Most importantly, I wish someone had told me that growth isn't always comfortable. The challenges, mistakes, and setbacks often become your greatest teachers. Looking back, the moments that felt the hardest at the time were often the moments that prepared me for what came next.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
I would tell myself to spend less time looking for shortcuts and more time understanding the details. Early on, I thought working with white-label manufacturers would help me move faster, but what I really needed was a deeper understanding of formulation, ingredients, sourcing, and how products are actually made.
The biggest shift for Cheekbone Beauty happened when we stopped asking "What can we put our name on?" and started asking "What should we create?" Those are very different questions.
Learning how ingredients are sourced, how formulas are developed, and how manufacturing decisions impact both people and the planet gave us the ability to build products that truly reflect our values. It also gave us control over quality, innovation, and differentiation.
If I could go back, I would tell myself that understanding the science and supply chain isn't a distraction from building a brand—it's one of the most important parts of it. The more you understand what you're making and why you're making it, the stronger your business becomes.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
Success in the next 3-5 years looks like proving that Indigenous values can help shape the future of beauty. Of course, we want to continue growing financially, but growth for its own sake isn't the goal.
I want Cheekbone Beauty to be recognized as a brand that helped move the industry away from overconsumption and toward more thoughtful innovation—creating products that genuinely solve problems, reduce waste, and earn a place in people's routines.
I also hope to deepen our impact through initiatives like our scholarships for Indigenous youth, because representation without opportunity isn't enough.
Ultimately, success would be seeing more brands adopt principles rooted in stewardship, responsibility, and long-term thinking. If Cheekbone Beauty can demonstrate that it's possible to build a profitable, culturally relevant business while creating positive impact for people and the planet, that would be success.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
One trend I think is overhyped is the constant push for newness. The industry has become very good at creating excitement around launches, limited editions, and the next big thing, but too often the innovation doesn't match the marketing. Consumers are being encouraged to buy more, faster, without a meaningful improvement in performance, sustainability, or experience.
What's being overlooked is thoughtful innovation. Products that genuinely solve problems, simplify routines, reduce waste, or improve how we source and manufacture beauty products don't always generate the same headlines, but they're the changes that matter most.
I think consumers are becoming increasingly aware of this. They're looking for products they can trust, products they actually finish, and brands that are created with intention rather than simply adding to the noise.
From my perspective, the future of beauty isn't about creating more. It's about creating better. Better formulas, better packaging, better sourcing, and a better understanding of the impact our industry has on people and the planet. That's where I think the real opportunity lies.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
I think the beauty industry needs to evolve away from the idea that newness alone is innovation. Consumers are constantly being presented with new launches, limited editions, and trends, but too often they're simply variations of products that already exist. More shades, new packaging, a different name—but not necessarily a better solution. That creates a cycle of overconsumption that isn't serving people or the planet.
I'd like to see the industry become more intentional. Before launching something new, brands should be asking: Does this solve a real problem? Is it meaningfully better? Is there a reason for this product to exist beyond generating another purchase?
Innovation should be measured by impact, not volume. Better formulas, more sustainable packaging, multifunctional products, responsible sourcing, and products that people actually finish and repurchase—those are the kinds of innovations that move the industry forward.
From an Indigenous perspective, we're taught to think about our decisions in relation to future generations. If the beauty industry embraced more of that mindset, I think we'd see fewer products created for the sake of novelty and more products created with purpose. Ultimately, consumers don't need more choices; they need better ones.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
If I could wave a magic wand, I would help more people understand that Indigenous wisdom isn't just relevant to Indigenous communities—it's relevant to everyone. Indigenous ways of thinking are rooted in stewardship, balance, reciprocity, and making decisions with future generations in mind. Imagine if every business operated that way.
For Cheekbone Beauty, the dream isn't simply to build a larger beauty brand. It's to help demonstrate that Indigenous values can create better outcomes for people, communities, and the planet. If more brands embraced those principles, I believe we'd see less waste, more thoughtful consumption, and businesses that measure success not only by profit but by impact.
My wish would be for Indigenous perspectives to be recognized as a source of innovation and leadership. Because when Indigenous wisdom is part of the conversation, everyone benefits.
