Cheekbone Beauty

Cheekbone Beauty was founded in 2016 by Jenn Harper, becoming the first Indigenous-owned and founded cosmetics company in Canada. Harper, who is Anishinaabe, started the brand after a vivid dream of Indigenous girls wearing colorful lip gloss — a moment she has cited as the trigger for confronting the near-total absence of Indigenous representation in the beauty industry and the legacy of residential schools her grandmother survived.

The line is fully cruelty-free, formulated for sensitive and mature skin, and packaged in refillable and recyclable cases — sustainability is positioned as inseparable from Indigenous values, not bolted on. Cheekbone donates 10% of profits to Indigenous youth education and has expanded from a digital-native DTC start into Sephora Canada, where it sits alongside legacy prestige brands. Hero products include the Sustain lipstick line, the SUSTAIN cream blush sticks, and the Complexion Stick foundation range, with shade development consultancy from Indigenous communities baked into the product development process.