11 Female-Owned Businesses That You Can Support This International Women's Day

The founder: Sarah O'Connor

A bit about them: Inspired by her own personal experience of adult acne and her travels around Asia (where acne patches have been all the rage for a while), Sarah decided to create her own version using gentle yet highly effective ingredients. They work to fast-track the healing process, while protecting the offending spot from pollution and accidental picking – genius!

Our top pick: The original Dots for Spots acne patches – £5.99 for a pack of 24 patches.

The founder: Ade Hassan

A bit about them: Frustrated with the limited skin tone range in most 'nude' underwear lines, Ade was inspired to launch her own carefully edited collection of lingerie and hosiery to cater to the essential underwear needs of women of colour. They're of a super high quality, and now have expanded to a HUGE range available on ASOS, Amazon, and their website.

Our top pick: The Naked Collection nude bandeau bra – it's £22.00 and available in UK size 6 - 14.

The founder: Tamara Rajah

A bit about them: The website was created to make life a little bit easier for people living with cancer as well as other conditions such as dementia. It allows you to shop based on what symptoms you're experiencing (e.g. 'feeling sick', or 'having difficulty sleeping') for a tailored shopping experience that has helped an online community of over 70,000 people!

Our top pick: Each product is specially handpicked for the person’s particular needs – so they're all amazing in their own way!

The founders: Miki Agrawal, Radha Agrawal, and Antonia Dunbar

A bit about them: Their underwear and swimwear are specially designed for that time of the month. Their designs are all anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, and leak-resistant – so depending on your flow they can be worn either as a replacement for single-use tampons and sanitary towels (hello eco-friendly brownie points) or as extra protection on days when your flow is heavier.

Our top pick: The organic cotton bikini briefs – they're £30.00 and available in size XS - XL.

The founder: Rihanna Fenty

A bit about them: Rihanna's beauty range is known for its focus on being suitable for ALL skin tones – famously releasing 40 shades of foundation when it first launched, and more recently 50 shades of concealer! Combined with her high-quality formulas and exquisite packaging, this has kept her products at the top of all of our wish lists since it first launched!

Our top pick: The Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow – it's £21.75.

The founder: Fisayo Longe

A bit about them: The London-based brand focuses on creating reasonably-priced pieces with a supremely ~luxe~ look and feel. Fisayo is determined that her pieces inspire confidence in every woman that wears them.

Our top pick: The Beebeeta dress in red – it's £80.00 and available in size XS - XXL.

The founder: Holly Tucker

A bit about them: Holly launched the online retailer out of her own frustration at not being able to find small businesses easily online. Today, notonthehighstreet.com brings thousands of carefully chosen pieces from UK-based creatives to millions of happy customers.

Our top pick: This wire word art for your wall – it's £7.50 and you can personalise it with your favourite quote.

The founder: Hema Chauhan

A bit about them: They make affordable and eco-friendly wrapping paper in a range of gorgeous designs. All their paper is 100% recycled and they use vegetable-based ink and a chemical-free printing process – all working towards Hema's aim to keep the company's carbon footprint as low as possible!

Our top pick: This berry pink wrapping paper – it starts at £1.95 for one sheet.

The founder: Claire Whaite

A bit about them: Born from a bit of fun with a kid's badge-making machine, the company has become famous for its quirky and fun designs. Claire's carefree form of self-expression has resonated with people across the globe – and we're pretty obsessed too, TBH.

Our top picks: The feminist witch pin for £5.60 and the snacks pin for £6.00 – they're so tiny that we're allowed to pick two!

The founder: Jacqueline Colley

A bit about them: Available on Etsy, Jacqueline's artwork is made with specialist hand-mixed inks like pastel neons and golds that you don’t usually get in your average print! Her gorgeous designs all have meaningful or fun messages so will brighten up a room in more ways than one!

Our top pick: The 'love is power' tiger print – it's £35.00 and makes you feel powerful just from looking at it!