Pride Month comes and goes every June, and like clockwork, companies drop Pride collections and collabs and stick their hands out for our dollars. It’s tired, especially at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack. We’re here to remind you that there are so many LGBTQ+ founders out there who are doing the work all year round.
These brands offer products that are made for the queer community, by the queer community, providing solutions that address issues we face every day. Think: gender-affirming underwear, art prints to declare your home a safe space, garments that match your evolving expression, and even some of that rainbow-clad Pride merch, but with historically accurate oomph.
We particularly appreciate all the LGBTQ+ innovation in the beauty market—so much so we dedicated an entire roundup to our favorite LGBTQ+-owned beauty brands, which offer products and tools to help queer folks present their most authentic selves to the world. You've likely heard of many of them without even realizing they were queer-owned, like Solawave, Peace Out Skincare, and Malin + Goetz. And yes, we also have a list of candle brands because gays simply can't live without them.
Turn your attention to these 51 brands when it comes time to shop for Pride and beyond. (Gift ideas? Unmatched!) Many of them have give-back initiatives that are detailed below, and best believe we'll keep this list updated as we try new brands.
Ash & Chess is run by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham. Their greeting cards are hilarious, and their T-shirts show your support of trans youth loud and proud. They are also the authors of Queer Tarot: An Inclusive Deck & Guidebook and they own the brick and mortar Everywhere Shop in Kingston, NY.
Cutesy enamel pin lovers, look no further for your Pride goodies. After tentatively closing her shop, we noticed that Bianca, a queer Latine designer based in Queens, New York, is back. Choose from pins, patches, stickers, and even washi tape for all your stationery needs.
Austin, Texas-based Emily Bryn designs T-shirts (and more) with the goal of “showing the person across the street that they’re safe with you.” That’s a mission we can get behind. Her shirts are sourced secondhand and then screen-printed with her design, so each one is entirely unique.
Your Pride merch should be as sassy as you are. Queerly Designs started in 2018 as an Etsy shop where founder Amanda designed and sold t-shirts that she could see her friends wearing. The response exceeded her expectations, and now she has a full website with pages upon pages of inventory.
For some Pride with a capital “P” merch that’s march-ready and puts $$$ back into the community, turn to The Phluid Project. We’re big fans of this "Them Fatale" shirt and the “Ex-Straight” trucker hat. Your purchase supports The Phluid Foundation, which has raised over $1 million to support front-line workers at LGBTQ+ grassroots organizations.
Al Sandimir, founder of Automic Gold, is a metalsmith and jewelry designer dedicated to making ethical, comfortable, and size-inclusive fine jewelry. All of their pieces are made with real gold and are mostly dainty, minimal styles that you can wear every day.
Brandon Blackwood is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The designer is known for his accessibly priced luxury handbags that have adorned the arms of celebs like Oprah and Kim Kardashian. And that's on range!
Twin sisters, DJ duo, and eyewear designers Coco and Breezy Dotson are a force to be reckoned with. Their brand has been around since 2009, stocking luxury sunglasses that ooze cool factor and individuality. Look no further for your statement sunnies for summer ’26.
London-based Kurt Geiger is known for designing rainbow-hued handbags and footwear all year long. The brand’s summer campaign featuring Emily Ratajkowski shows that a rainbow bag can be fashion-forward and boho, too.
Telfar Clemens needs no introduction. He created the "Bushwick Birkin," the bag that had us all refreshing stock and setting Instagram drop notifications during COVID lockdown. The bag has taken many different forms since, from an Eastpak backpack to an Oprah-approved puffer bag. My favorite of the moment? Telfar's collab with Melissa, easily the most stylish clear bag choice for stadium concerts.
There are so many celebrity beauty brands out there, but Halsey’s About-Face impressed Samantha Olson, assistant news editor. "My rule of thumb for reviewing celeb brands leads back to one question: Would I love and use these products if the A-lister wasn't attached? With About-Face, I 100% would. The Performer Foundation has a gorgeous satin and skin-like finish that lasts me 12+ hour days, and it comes in 45 shades with different undertones. The brand’s Glitter Fix Eye Paints not only stand the test of time, but stun in shifting shades even in the darkest rooms. And the Matte Fix Lip Pencil is one of my all-time favorite liners because of its creamy and easily blendable formula that has minimal transferring."
When I realized my Holy Grail deodorant was queer-owned, I honestly wasn’t surprised. The backstory, however, made me love it even more: AKT London was founded by two West End dancers who struggled to find a natural deo that could hold up to eight shows a week under bright stage lights. Whatever sorcery they put in here has never failed me! It’s super concentrated (read: a little dab will keep you fresh all day), it dries down invisible, doesn’t transfer onto clothes when sweaty, and smells amazing.
Alder New York is a queer- and woman-owned vegan skincare brand that launched in 2016 to offer clean skincare products that work for all gender expressions and skin types. They make everything from serums to face masks and facial tools, but I’m a big fan of the classic body bar soap. It has 1% glycolic acid and crushed jojoba seeds for gentle exfoliation. Alder New York’s products are verified by the EWG (Environmental Working Group).
Introducing my daily hair styling product: Barb pomade. I’ve been using this for years to shape my baby mullet. The brand recently extended its product line to include a salt spray and a styling cream. I used the salt spray for the first time after a Pilates class—it revived my hair for the day and gave me tons of texture.
Fun fact: Beekman 1802 was founded by husbands Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, who have starred in their own reality show and competed on The Amazing Race. The brand has been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things numerous times—she loves the goat milk formulas that are gentle on sensitive skin. 100% of profits from this year’s Pride collection will go to the Ali Forney Center to support at-risk LGBTQ+ youth in New York City.
Byoma’s products are designed to support your oh-so-fragile skin barrier. The price point is accessible, too, which we really appreciate. We named their Moisturizing Gel Cream ($15) as one of the best moisturizers to achieve glass skin.
While not a beauty brand in the ~traditional~ sense, this list would be incomplete without Dame. That’s because it’s a sexual wellness brand founded by queer women, sexologist Alexandra Fine and MIT engineer Janet Lieberman, on a mission to close the pleasure gap. And they work—Dame’s products have earned spots on our lists of the best wand vibrators and best arousal gels.
If you’re ready to experiment with faux freckles, look no further than Freck Beauty. Founder Remi Brixton literally built a brand around her OG freckle pen. Reviewers say their faux freckles look natural and blend well with makeup.
Ghost Democracy was founded by Rex Chou, a beauty industry veteran who, after seeing how things worked behind the scenes, knew he could offer customers a higher standard of clean ingredients at a more affordable price. Beth Gilette, Beauty Editor, is a fan of their Softglow Facial Oil, calling it “the face oil for people who think they hate face oil.” She says it is featherlight, absorbs into skin quickly, and doesn’t feel greasy.
Good Light is a “gender-inclusive” skincare brand. Their bakuchiol serum—a retinol alternative—was named our favorite for sensitive skin. Our writer even pointed out that she “tested this when my skin was going through a bout of major irritation and it didn't exacerbate any of my redness or itchiness one bit.” Their Alphabet Oil has also won a Cosmopolitan Acne Award. Pride Month or not, the brand donates 1% of sales to True Colors United, an organization that works to end youth homelessness.
Queer Eye’s resident beauty expert, Jonathan Van Ness, is, first and foremost, a hairstylist. So it made sense when they launched their haircare brand in 2021. The air dry cream is one of my personal ride-or-die styling products, and our editors named the brand’s hair gloss among the very best hair products of 2026.
Kim Chi’s stamped makeup made her a standout on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8. So, like any smart businesswoman would, she launched a brand. She even manifested it in her season finale. Ten years later, KimChi Chic Beauty is stocked in select CVS stores and on CVS.com. Period! (P.S. She even makes cutesy beauty tools like this light-up handheld mirror.)
You’ve definitely seen Malin + Goetz out in the wild, and probably didn’t even realize it’s LGBTQ+-owned. While the brand is most well-known for its body care, I’m here to put you on to its home fragrance. This tomato scent room spray is insanely accurate: It smells like the residue left on your hands after picking tomatoes off the vine. Tomato girl summer anyone?
Mara has a secret ingredient: clinically tested algae sourced via wild collecting in France and Ireland. Their Sea Sculpt Body Oil won the 2025 Clean Beauty Award for best body oil. “The unique blend of marine actives, like plankton and algae, help to improve skin texture, while antioxidants like moringa and kelp seed oil make skin nice and smooth,” says Corey L. Hartman, MD, founder and medical director of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lauren Gruber, commerce editor and our resident fragrance expert, was impressed by Moodeaux. "From the first time I smelled PunkStar, a smoky rose fragrance with a leathery kick, I knew I was hooked. The brand's ethos is all about self-expression through scent, and it truly shows with its line of mood-boosting eau de parfums and fragrance oils." Best of all, Moodeaux funds grants for emerging Black-owned fragrance brands and Black perfumers—no easy feat for a small brand.
Gloria Noto founded her eponymous brand when she was ready for a change after working for years as a celebrity and fashion makeup artist. She created minimalist, multi-use, and gender-inclusive products that she wasn’t seeing in the market at the time, like the Agender Oil, which conditions skin and hair. All year long, a portion of DTC sales from this multi-use oil will be donated to organizations like The Okra Project and the Transformative Freedom Fund.
When the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 was asked what setting spray they use, about half of the cast name-checked One/Size Beauty’s On ’Til Dawn setting spray. Oh, and Beyoncé’s makeup artist used it during her tour (rain shows included!). I rest my case.
Look, we love a cute zit sticker as much as anyone, but Peace Out is here to deliver results. Sarah Maberry, fashion and luxury commerce editor, is a fan: “Peace Out's products go beyond cute packaging. The brand's acne healing dots are so effective they've become an essential in my nighttime beauty routine.”
Both Maberry and Gilette were quick to recommend Quickies when I asked for their fave queer-owned brands. “As someone who has tried dozens of press-on nails brands, I say with full certainty that Quickies are some of the best,” says Maberry. “People are always amazed to hear the nails they just complimented are press-ons. Everyone always assumed I spent triple digits at a nail salon to achieve such decorative looks.” Plus, Quickies donates $1 of every order to LGBTQ+ foundations all 12 months of the year.
Viral fragrance brand Snif also impressed Gruber. She says they “create trends instead of following them,” citing the brand’s croissant and maple syrup perfumes. And since every single scent is under $70, they’re a budget-friendly way to get out of your fragrance comfort zone.
You probably already know Solawave’s red light therapy wand, but maybe you didn't know they were part of the fam. I recently tried a red light mask for the first time, and it requires consistency. The magic of the Solawave wand is that you can easily take it—and use it—anywhere. Also, the brand's LED eye mask won a 2025 Holy Grail Award.
The mononymous Tanaïs describes their fragrances as “surreal, psychedelic, sultry scentscapes.” Color me intrigued! Their perfumes are formulated from oils, resins, and raw materials sourced from locations near to the founder’s heart, like their homeland of Bangladesh, and are designed to transcend gender. For instance: Mati (pictured above) captures the essence of a particular monsoon season by distilling rain-soaked clay in sandalwood.
Drag superstar Trixie Mattel is one of the biggest acts to come out of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise. She’s broken through to the mainstream, with a hotel renovation show (Trixie Motel) on HBO Max, a pop culture recap show (I Like To Watch) with Katya Zamolodchikova on Netflix, and four studio albums. Before all of that, she founded her cosmetics company, Trixie Cosmetics, to bring unapologetically bold and fun makeup to the market.
Boy Smells fragrances are designed to combine traditionally masculine and feminine notes for a "genderful" experience. The brand aligns itself with queer culture through its fragrance names and packaging, like the cult-favorite Cowboy Kush and Citrush, which looks like a poppers bottle. They make fragrances for home and body, but we're partial to their candles, which put the brand on the map.
Trans and queer couple Al Rose and Ab Gibson started Queer Candle Co. as an after-work project out of their apartment in 2018. Seven years later, they've got a new space in Philadelphia, and it's a full-time gig. They hand-pour clean fragrances, like orange grove (just launched for summer) or their zodiac collection, and decorate the wax with physical elements of the scent. They also offer soy wax melts for flameless warmers. They contribute 10% of profits to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project all year long.
Pride is heavy this year, as there are hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ (particularly, anti-trans) bills floating through state and federal legislatures. Express your frustration by displaying one of Radiant Light Candle Co.'s vessels in your home, which are emblazoned with slogans like "How am I supposed to Live, Laugh, Lesbian in these conditions?!" After all, Pride is, and always will be, a protest.
Shop at Radiant Light Candle Co.
The New Savant's candles would make a great gift for any queer folk in your life. They have such creative and joy-inducing scents, like Sapphics in the City, a fruity green scent with a hint of spice from chili and juniper, or Mixed Feelings, a mélange of floral and fruit with notes of lychee, jasmine, and steamed rice. The brand was founded by former (and OG) YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen.
Christian Siriano is to Project Runway as Kelly Clarkson is to American Idol. The season 4 winner went on to become the show's biggest success story. He’s been placing people of all genders and body types on his runways for years and has dressed countless LGBTQ+ celebrities for monumental moments, bringing representation to the red carpet. He has collaborated with numerous brands to bring his creations to a wider audience.
Christopher John Rogers, or CJR, is one of the most prolific American designers of his generation (and he’s got CFDA awards—plural!—to prove it). He launched his brand through his senior thesis at Savannah College of Art and Design in 2016, and quickly became a force in fashion thanks to his unmistakably bold (often rainbow-hued) prints and dramatic silhouettes. He's dressed Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, and Kamala Harris—some of the most powerful women in the world. This spring, he collaborated with Old Navy for a capsule collection.
Shop at Christopher John Rogers
Collina Strada is, in its own words, "a platform for climate awareness, social awareness, change, and self-expression." The brand was founded by Hillary Taymour, who has said in interviews that Collina is her alter ego. Taymour is a leader in sustainable fashion and her brand has experienced organic customer growth and awareness as a result. Her exuberant, fluid collections are inspired by animals and nature—the Spring/Summer 2025 runway show was titled "Touch Grass."
Conner Ives, a 2020 Central Saint Martins graduate, has been cutting his teeth in fashion for more than a decade (Adwoa Aboah wore one of his gowns to the Met Gala in 2017). He is also the mastermind behind that “protect the dolls” T-shirt that went viral. It’s $75, and all proceeds from the shirt are donated to Trans Lifeline.
Kingsley Gbadegesin is a Nigerian-born designer based out of New York. After stints at Versace and Loewe, he founded his own brand to recalibrate his creations around the "Black, Queer, Femme body."
Kirrin Finch makes menswear-inspired apparel designed for a range of female, androgynous, and nonbinary bodies. The brand was born out of Brooklyn-based couple Laura Moffat and Kelly Sanders Moffat's struggle to find well-fitting clothes that aligned with their personal style. Shop suits, button-down shirts, ties, pants, and wedding attire.
Brooklyn-based Luar was founded by Raul Lopez in 2011 (Luar is Raul spelled backward—you're welcome), garnering due acclaim in the past few years thanks in part to its focused effort on handbags. Beyoncé attended the brand's FW24 show wearing a metallic silver Ana bag to watch her nephew Julez (Daniel J. Smith Jr.) make his runway debut. Beyond accessories, the label's roots are in subverting classic sportswear styles.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin is one of the burgeoning queer designers of our generation. He first went viral for his lace-up swim briefs (in my feed, anyway) and sexy eyelet dresses. He has slowly but surely been cementing his place on the red carpet and among our fave pop stars like Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, Miley Cyrus, and Charli XCX. He even designed one of the looks for Ari’s Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Shop at Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Marc Jacobs is reaching living legend status. The designer and fashion icon has been a trailblazer throughout his many eras, from being one of the first to send grunge down the runway in the ’90s, to his 16-year tenure as creative director at Louis Vuitton, to his larger-than-life silhouettes of recent memory (like Cardi B’s look at the 2026 Met Gala). And to fun makeup lovers’ delight everywhere, his cult-favorite Marc Jacobs Beauty relaunched earlier this year.
I’ve been obsessing over Palomo Spain’s subversive collections for years (and recently, finally purchased my first piece). The house pulls inspiration from designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo's native region of southern Spain, where it is based today, and London, where he studied fashion. His collections often convey a queer narrative. "All of Heaven's Parties," the Spring/Summer 2025 collection, asked why intrinsic emotions like lust and desire are so often deemed sinful, and imagined what they might look like in divine paradise, staging the show in a cathedral.
Patrick Church is a multimedia artist who reinterprets his paintings onto clothing (you might recognize his “All Over You” print, which had a chokehold on gay Instagram for a minute). I’m personally a big fan of his swimwear.
When I dream up my queer wedding day, Tanner Fletcher is involved. Along with their perfectly coquettish ready-to-wear collections, they’re known for bespoke suits, gowns, and creative garments somewhere in-between that put queer couples at the forefront.
TomBoyX makes underwear that anyone can feel comfortable in, regardless of gender expression. From the beginning, they've dedicated special attention to the waistband, to make sure it's silky soft and won't roll or dig in. The brand was founded in 2013 and they've expanded their line to accommodate customers' needs since, including safer alternatives to binders.
Wildfang is one of the most accessible and reliable gender-neutral clothing brands that I’ve found. I love the workwear-inspired pieces, like these jumpsuits or this utility skirt.
Woxer creates gender-affirming swimwear, underwear, and base layers for queer bodies. Essential work! They focus on perfecting fabric blends to meet customer needs, like their signature modal for comfort and breathability or flex active for confidence at the gym. The brand launched its first swim collection including a bike-short silhouette, and, fun fact: Most models on the site are real customers.
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