Let’s be honest. Have you ever looked at your makeup bag and felt a little… conflicted? You love the vibrant color of a lipstick but hate the drying ingredients. You crave a flawless manicure but know the polish is packed with harsh chemicals that leave your nails feeling brittle and dry. For too long, the beauty industry has been a story of compromise: performance vs. clean ingredients, beautiful packaging vs. sustainability, exclusivity vs. accessibility.

This is the very conflict that Aja Frierson, a former fashion stylist turned beauty entrepreneur, set out to resolve when she founded Habit Cosmetics in 2013. As a woman of color passionate about plant-based wellness, she saw a glaring void in the clean beauty space for products that were not only good for your skin, but also inclusive, affordable, high-performing, and truly joyful to use. Her solution was Habit: a brand built on the idea that your beauty products should look great, feel amazing, and actually care for your skin.

Beauty That’s More Than Skin Deep

Habit Cosmetics’ philosophy begins by transforming everyday cosmetics into potent skincare treatments. Take The Ultimate multi-use colors, for example. These luxuriously creamy pigments for eyes, lips, and cheeks are far more than just makeup. Each swipe delivers a powerful dose of skin-loving ingredients:

  • Peptides to boost natural collagen production.
  • Hyaluronic Acid and Moringa Oil to drench your skin in moisture, leaving it plump and hydrated.
  • Vitamins A, B, and C to provide a powerful shield of antioxidant protection against environmental stressors.

This “beauty as treatment” ethos extends to their revolutionary nail polish. Habit’s new breathable, bio-based formula is designed to heal and strengthen your nails with every application. Enriched with hibiscus and samphire extracts, it’s clinically proven to result in 100% more hydrated, 93% healthier, and 89% stronger nails, all while reducing splitting by 63%. With new shades like the bold Rich Bitch or the tongue-in-cheek Forbidden Fruit, you’re not just painting your nails—you’re nurturing them.

Performance Without Compromise

A common myth in the clean beauty world is that to get rid of toxins, you have to sacrifice performance. Habit Cosmetics is here to debunk that myth entirely.

The brand’s nail polish formula is a testament to this. In comprehensive user trials, the polish remained 97% intact after a full six days of wear. When paired with the brand’s Base and Top coats, that chip-free wear extends to an impressive eight + days. This is long-lasting, durable color that is also 21-toxin free, 75% bio-based, and breathable.

Their newly launched innovative treatments Comeback Queen Gel Rehab, Quick Fix Melt-In Strengthener and Cutie Dew Cuticle Serum propel nail care to the next level by strengthening, fortifying and restoring dry, damaged, and brittle nails fast.

Unlike traditional nail polish removers, Habit’s Clean Sweep Bio-Based Remover and Swipe Right No-Spill Jelly Remover are clinically tested to remove polish quickly and completely without drying or damaging nails – leaving cuticles feeling soft, nourished and hydrated.

That same standard applies to their makeup. The Ultimate multi-use colors—in stunning hues like Lava Flower and Velvet Underground—are extra-pigmented and highly blendable to work on all skintones. It’s proof that you can have vibrant, lasting color from formulas that are 75% organic, 95% natural and 5% safe synthetics – gentle on both your skin and the planet.

Conscious Beauty, From Formula to Finish

Habit’s commitment to a better way of doing things is woven into every aspect of the brand. This is beauty you can feel good about, inside and out. It starts with stress-free ingredients that are always vegan and cruelty-free (certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny).

Habit’s guilt-free packaging is as beautiful as it is sustainable. Products are housed in recyclable and reusable glass, cork and aluminum, with recycled plastic components and a signature biodegradable bamboo overcap. This is packaging designed to be displayed on your counter, not hidden in a landfill.

Finally, the brand’s consciousness extends to the global community. As a member of 1% for the Planet, Habit Cosmetics donates 2% of every purchase to support The Ocean Cleanup’s work in clearing our waterways of plastic and to the Summaeverythang Community Center, which enriches the lives of youth in South Central, Los Angeles.In the end, it all comes back to Aja Frierson’s founding mission. “I believe that the wellness movement is for everyone, and that the core of what I do revolves around helping other people claim their wellness and find their confidence,” she shares. With Habit Cosmetics, she has created more than just a product line; she has created a movement where beauty is harm-free, guilt-free, and a vibrant celebration of you.

Written in partnership with Tom White