Milk Makeup

As we look back at 2025, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a year defined by creativity, community, and fearless innovation at Milk Makeup. Product Launches & Milestones Last year, we introduced some of our most exciting launches yet—from Cooling Water Jelly Ice and Watermelon Jelly Glow serum sticks to Balmade Electrolyte Lip Balm, Cooling Water pH Jelly Tint, KUSH Big Hit Volumizing Mascara, and the Hydro Grip 12-Hour Hydrating Gel Skin Tint. We also expanded our footprint in a big way, launching in Ulta Beauty (600+ stores nationwide) and Amazon Premium Beauty, and showing up globally at SEPHORiA Europe and Dubai. 🏆 Award Wins 2025 was a standout year for recognition, with 20+ beauty awards across our lineup, including honors from Allure, Cosmopolitan, Oprah Daily, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Well+Good, Good Housekeeping, VITA, Clin d’œil, Real Simple, and more. From primers and skin tints to blush, brows, and mascara, our products continued to be recognized as best-in-class. Wellness, Learning & Culture Our Wellness Series welcomed 10+ guest speakers across topics including beauty, identity, leadership, mental health, AAPI voices, Disability Pride, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. From industry leaders to creators and advocates, these conversations helped us reflect, learn, and grow together. Community Partnerships We proudly deepened our partnerships with The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center and The Chill Foundation—showing up for Pride events, Trans Day of Visibility, youth programs, galas, creative workshops, and mentoring moments. From skateboards to career conversations, these experiences reminded us why community matters. 🎉 Moments That Brought Us Together From our Ulta launch celebration to Nike’s After Dark Tour LA, SEPHORiA events, and community pop-ups, we showed up everywhere in between. We closed the year with our employee holiday celebration—complete with a gift exchange, hot chocolate bar, cupcake and cookie decorating. None of this would be possible without our incredible Milk Makeup team. Thank you for the passion, heart, and hard work you brought to every launch, event, conversation, and community moment in 2025. We’re proud of what we built together in 2025—and we’re ready to take on 2026 🖤 Nikoletta Shivers, Harmony Boyer, @Dianna Ruth, Diana Briceno, Tyler S., Steve Nguyen, CFA, Vanessa Barretieri, Mazdack Rassi #MilkMakeup #EOYRecap

2025 Clin d’œil Experts’ Choice Beauty Award 🏆 We are excited to share that our KUSH High Roll Mascara has won a 2025 Clin d’œil Experts’ Choice Beauty Award in the Makeup – Classic category — one of the most prestigious beauty awards in Canada! Here’s what Clin d’œil had to say about our High Roll Mascara: “Ce mascara à la formule tube enrichi d’huiles nourrissantes allonge, définit et résiste à tout jusqu'à 24 heures. Il se retire sans effort à l’eau tiède.” “This tubing mascara, enriched with nourishing oils, lengthens, defines, and withstands anything for up to 24 hours. It removes effortlessly with warm water.” A huge thank you to the Clin d’œil team for this recognition, and congratulations to our incredible Milk Makeup team for bringing creative freedom and fearless innovation to life through KUSH High Roll Mascara’s revolutionary tubing technology and clean formula. @Dianna Ruth, Jessica Blanco,@Melissa Melillo, Kali Perez, Jamilah S, Hannah Fitch, Olivia Borrill, Sarah Tustin, Sabrina Benmoha, Bozena Kapalka, Alexandra Roche, Joseph Cusenza, Douglas Kroboth, Istvan Hrichak, Ari Adams, Genesis Yi, Natalie Pilgrim-Allamani, Amber Andrew, Connie Colagrosso, Kesia Ram Here’s why our Kush High Roll Mascara is a makeup bag essential • High definition, natural volume, length • Smudge-proof, water-resistant, flake-free • Clean, conditioning, safe for sensitive eyes • Rolls off easily by soaking in warm water If you haven’t tried our KUSH High Roll Mascara, you can find it at SEPHORA, Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and MilkMakeup.com. Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/ejCjQq6F

Milk Makeup x SEPHORiA Dubai Last week, we had an incredible time at the SEPHORiA Dubai event ✨ Our Co-Founder, Mazdack Rassi, alongside our amazing international team, represented Milk Makeup throughout the three-day celebration and had an incredible time meeting so many of you. With more than 10,000 attendees, SEPHORiA Dubai brought together beauty lovers from across the region for an unforgettable experience. We showcased our award-winning Hydro Grip Gel Tint, along with Hydro Grip Setting + Refresh Spray, Cooling Water Jelly Tints, Lip + Cheek, Balmades, and a lineup of our Milk Makeup favorites. Our team loved shade matching, talking all things beauty, and helping everyone live their look. Guests also had the chance to win Milk Makeup goodies and full-size products throughout the event. A huge thank you to Julie Le Noan, Laura Juncosa Rodríguez, Nursel Tunkusheva, Lovely Irene Quintero, and Mazdack Rassi for bringing this experience to life and representing Milk Makeup throughout the event. A special shoutout as well to our Creative + Visual Merchandising Team for designing such a stunning booth: Tyler S., Stefani Rey, Nicki Irwin, Sarah K., @Melissa Melillo, Sarah Tustin, Sabrina Benmoha, and Bozena Kapalka. Thank you to SEPHORA and to everyone who stopped by to connect with us. We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🖤 #MilkMakeup #SephoriaDubai #LiveYourLook

We’re thrilled to share that our Hydro Grip 12-Hour Hydrating Gel Skin Tint has been awarded Best Complexion Product in VITA’s first-ever Beauty {Bracket} Awards, in collaboration with The T-Zone! This honor marks our 9th award — and we couldn’t be more excited 🏆✨ Here’s what VITA had to say about our skin tint: “The strongest selling feature of this skin tint? No one can ever tell that you’re wearing it—your skin just looks selfie-worthy all day. Lightweight, long-lasting and available in 15 shades, the nourishing gel instantly unifies skin tone with a dewy finish.” A huge thank you to the VITA and T-Zone beauty teams for this recognition and all the love for our Hydro Grip Gel Skin Tint. And huge thank you to our incredible Milk Makeup team — your fearless innovation is what makes this skin tint a true makeup-bag essential. @Dianna Ruth, Jessica Blanco,@Melissa Melillo, Kali Perez, Jamilah S, Hannah Fitch, Olivia Borrill, Sarah Tustin, Sabrina Benmoha, Bozena Kapalka, Alexandra Roche, Joseph Cusenza, Douglas Kroboth, Adriana Autie, Sydney Doyle, Zoey Burger Why it’s a fan favorite: • Lasts up to 12 hours without fading, creasing, or pilling • Non-greasy, non-sticky, lightweight gel texture • Non-comedogenic — won’t clog pores • Clean, vegan, cruelty-free, silicone-free, and fragrance-free If you haven’t tried our Hydro Grip Skin Tint yet, you can find it at SEPHORA, Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and milkmakeup.com Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/esHhTr3k

The Center Women's Event 2025 Last Friday, we had an incredible night at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center’s annual Women’s Event — celebrating the contributions, impact, and leadership of LGBTQ+ women, while raising critical funds to support The Center’s life-changing programs that help uplift and empower our LGBTQ+ community. We are proud to continue our partnership with The Center and to show up for moments that connect us with our community and shine a light on their ongoing work to provide safety, support, and belonging. It was deeply inspiring to hear how The Center continues to make a difference every day. A huge thank you to The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center for an unforgettable evening, and to our Milk Makeup team for joining us. And a special shoutout to Sara Wren, our Director of Artistry, for volunteering her time and talent to glam Dr. Carla Smith, Ed.D., CEO of The Center, along with members of The Center’s leadership team. We’re grateful to be part of this work, and we look forward to continuing to uplift and stand with our community. Nikoletta Shivers, Genise Clark, Olivia C., Kirstie Murillo, Jihan Forbes, Ari Adams, Mimi Sanchez, Genesis Yi, Blossom Brown, Holly Balunas #TheCenter #WomenEvent #Community #MilkMakeup

MMU X The Chill Foundation We had such an incredible time hosting The Chill Foundation at our Milk Makeup HQ on Tuesday for an afternoon full of self-expression, creativity, and collaboration. 🎨🛹 Our CFO, Steve Nguyen, CFA, and Co-Founder, Mazdack Rassi, kicked off the event by welcoming the girls and setting an inspiring tone for the day. Our amazing VP of Visual Merchandising, Sarah Tustin, gave the group a tour of our office and shared her personal journey at Milk. Our team joined the girls in designing and painting skateboards that reflected each participant’s unique story. Our amazing volunteers worked side-by-side with them, encouraging creativity, confidence, and fun — creating custom boards for the Bronx girls to take home. We also enjoyed a pizza party and had great conversations about our career journeys and self-expression. The Chill Foundation is a youth development organization that uses board sports to teach life skills and build confidence among underserved youth. We’re proud to partner with them in empowering the next generation and fostering fearlessness through creativity. A huge thank you to the Chill Foundation team for joining us, our Milk Makeup team for coming together to create a positive impact, and our HR team for organizing such an amazing afternoon 🖤 Genise Clark, Nikoletta Shivers, Olivia C., Kirstie Murillo, Jamilah Spleen, Genesis Yi #MilkMakeup #ChillFoundation #BronxGirlsSkate #SkateBoards #Art #Partnership #Inspiring

We’re excited to share that our KUSH Fiber Brow Gel has been named a 2025 Oprah Daily Editor’s Choice Award winner in the Best Moisturizing Brow Gel category! 🏆✨ These prestigious beauty awards spotlight products that stand out for their effectiveness and credibility, with Oprah Daily’s team of beauty experts dedicated to identifying the best of the best. Here’s what the Oprah team had to say about our KUSH Fiber Brow Gel: “This smooth formula won't dry or flake throughout the day, thanks to nourishing cannabis seed oil that also moisturizes eyebrow hairs to keep them healthy. It also contains tinted fibers that latch onto the brow hairs to boost density, fullness, and volume.” A huge thank you to the Oprah Daily Beauty team for this incredible recognition and all the love for our KUSH Brow Gel. Congratulations to the Milk Makeup team for adding such an essential staple to the KUSH family 🖤 Mazdack Rassi, Dianna Ruth, Harmony Boyer, Nikoletta Shivers, Diana Briceno, Lou Gilgenkrantz, Tyler S., Steve Nguyen, CFA, Adriana Autie, Zoey Burger, Sydney Doyle, If you haven’t tried our KUSH Fiber Brow Gel yet, shop at SEPHORA, Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and MilkMakeup.com Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/eKP4AgU8 #MilkMakeup #OprahDaily #KushBrowGel #AwardWinningBeauty #CleanBeauty

We’re excited to share that our Balmade Electrolyte Lip Balm has been recognized in the 2025 Women’s Health Skincare Awards 🏆✨ We’re incredibly proud to be among this year’s winners, selected by the Women’s Health team as part of their curated list of 77 smart, effective formulas. Here’s what the Women's Health beauty team had to say about Balmade: “The colors: flattering and subtle. The texture: a moisture dream. The packaging: fun and covetable. What’s not to love here?” A huge thank you to the Women's Health team for this recognition, to our community for the love, and to our incredible Milk Makeup team for their fearless innovation in creating this hydrating must-have. Mazdack Rassi, @Dianna Ruth, Harmony Boyer, Nikoletta Shivers, Tyler S., Diana Briceno, Lou Gilgenkrantz, Steve Nguyen, CFA, Kate Ingram, Jihan Forbes, Stefani Rey, Nicki Irwin, Shruti Dube, Sarah K. Balmade is fueled by electrolytes to: ✚ Draw moisture back into dry lips ✚ Push hydration deeper into your skin ✚ Help lips look plumper + smoother for longer If you haven’t tried our award-winning Balmade Electrolyte Lip Balm yet, shop at AmazonBeauty, SEPHORA, Ulta Beauty, and milkmakeup.com Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/gSTfyaA8 #MilkMakeup #BalmadeElectrolyteLipBalm #Balmade #WomensHealthSkincareAwards

We’re beyond excited to share that our Hydro Grip + Glow Primer has been named a 2025 Allure Best of Beauty winner! 🏆✨ Among just 25 clean beauty winners, this recognition follows months of rigorous testing by the Allure beauty team to identify the best clean beauty products of 2025.  Here’s what the Allure beauty team said about Hydro Grip + Glow Primer: “This glowy formula is so long-lasting, we scanned the ingredient list for superglue, only to find lots of plant extracts and good-for-your-skin ingredients. Alongside blue agave extract—which grips your makeup, helping it stay put all day long—there’s aloe water, niacinamide, hemp seed extract, and hyaluronic acid that leave skin feeling soothed and moisturized.” A huge thank-you to Allure Magazine for this incredible recognition and to our amazing Milk Makeup team for their fearless innovation in creating clean, high-performance essentials 👏 Tim Coolican, Harmony Boyer, @Dianna Ruth, Tyler S., Nikoletta Shivers, Lou Gilgenkrantz, Steve Nguyen, CFA, Diana Briceno, Adriana Autie, Sydney Doyle, Zoey Burger If you haven’t tried Hydro Grip + Glow Primer yet, you can find it at Ulta Beauty, SEPHORA, and milkmakeup.com. Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/dCQQQfmP #MilkMakeup #AllureBeauty #AllureBestofBeautyAwards2025 #HydroGrip+GlowPrimer

We’re thrilled to share that Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Hydrating Gel Skin Tint is one of the winners of the Beauty Icon Award by Harper’s Bazaar. The Harper’s Bazaar beauty team tested hundreds of products to spotlight those that embody ease, comfort, and innovation—and we’re proud to be named among the most innovative launches of 2025. Here’s what the Harper’s Bazaar beauty team had to say: “Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Hydrating Gel Skin Tint transformed our makeup routines. A savior for dry skin, the medium-coverage tint leaves skin looking dewy, fresh, and hydrated for up to 12 hours.” A huge thank-you to the Harper's Bazaar beauty team for this incredible recognition, to our amazing Milk Makeup team for their fearless innovation, and to our community for the continued love and support. Hydro Grip Gel Skin Tint has truly become a must-have in every makeup bag. @Dianna Ruth, Jessica Blanco,@Melissa Melillo, Kali Perez, Jamilah S, Hannah Fitch, Olivia Borrill, Sarah Tustin, Sabrina Benmoha, Bozena Kapalka, Alexandra Roche, Joseph Cusenza, Douglas Kroboth, Dawn Taitt, susan collins, Brittany Aliota, Tiara Jean-Charles, Gloria Sagredo, Gillian Smith, Kristina Thani, Michelle Chavez, Ally Min, Amandine Mossaz, Holly Balunas If you haven’t tried our award-winning Hydro Grip Gel Skin Tint yet, this is your sign—shop now at Ulta Beauty, SEPHORA, and milkmakeup.com. Read more about our win here: https://lnkd.in/eYKRqsa5 #MilkMakeup #HarpersBazaar #HarpersBazaarBeautyIconAwards #HydroGripGelTint #AwardWinner