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

Who run the world?

1. Dots for Spots

Amazon / Via amazon.co.uk

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.

2. Nubian Skin

ASOS

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.

3. Live Better With

Live Better With / Via livebetterwith.com

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!

4. Thinx

ASOS

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.

5. Fenty Beauty

Amazon / Via amazon.co.uk

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.

6. Les Girls Les Boys

Les Girls Les Boys / Via lesgirlslesboys.com

The founder: Serena Rees

A bit about them: They make unisex underwear, loungewear, and streetwear pieces that - in their own words - are "un-filtered, un-pretentious, and honest" – we stan.

Our top pick: The striped pyjama bottoms in Daffodil – they're £70.00, available in XS - XXL, and made from 100% silky soft cotton.

7. Kai Collective

Kai Collective / Via kaicollective.com

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.

8. Not On The High Street

Not on the high street

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.

9. Curlicue

Curlicue / Via curlicue.uk

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.

10. Punky Pins

Etsy

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!

11. JacquelineColley

Etsy

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!