Underground Beauty at Neiman Marcus: Indie Beauty Brands Get Major Mainstream Love From a Surprising Shopping Giant

It’s time to freshen up your makeup bag and venture into the world of unexpected beauty. Items on your shopping list include edible lipstick, diamond dust toothpaste, wildflower tonics and climate-adjusting moisturizer. Where can you purchase these unusual products? A surprisingly familiar place.

Neiman Marcus has partnered with Indie Beauty Expo, the largest professionally curated exposition of independent beauty/wellness/lifestyle brands, to bring 15 of the world’s best under-the-radar brands into the spotlight.

“We set out about a year ago to find brands that are under the radar now, but they’re cutting edge, they’re next,” says Kelly St. John, vice president, divisional merchandise manager for beauty, Neiman Marcus.

Neiman Marcus hosted the featured brands in the NorthPark store over the weekend for ShopTheExpo, where shoppers could meet the brand founders and test out their products first hand.

“It made sense to have a interactive event where we highlight the founders almost like an art gallery,” said IBE co-founder Jillian Wright. “They’re professional, they’re beautiful, they have these incredible stories behind them.”

If you missed the pop-up, you still have a chance to shop these up-and-coming brands on the Neiman Marcus website. The products will be online for the next 90 days – if not more.

“Our hope is that the majority of these brands will really resonate and we’ll end up adding them to our assortment. It’s a little dress rehearsal for the brands and for us,” says St. John.

Indie Beauty

The 15 brands offer a broad range of beauty, skincare and wellness products.

Looking for the royal treatment? Ranavat Botanics is a luxe skincare line inspired by ancient beauty traditions of Indian royals. The products are made using certified organic Ayurvedic botanicals and little else. There are fragrant toniques, facial masques and an exclusive-to-Neiman’s hair serum.

“[Michelle Ranavat] is bringing 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic rituals to the modern woman,” adds Wright.

Perhaps you’d rather get wild with your skincare. In that case, check out Girl Undiscovered, a gentle skincare line made using foraged ingredients.

“It’s not even organic, because it’s not on a farm, they literally go out and harvest the Thanaka and Kanuka Honey,” Wright says.

If you’re looking for a clean beauty brand with a dark side, try Joséphine Cosmetics. The makeup brand is organic, but just as sultry and dramatic as Tom Ford or Dior (look at the packaging).

Well Within is another indie brand you won’t want to miss. Founded by two veterans of La Prairie, the organic, natural skincare line offers products for all skin types and concerns. Its website also includes nutrition, wellness and lifestyle tips.

You can check out the rest of the featured brands on Neiman’s site. They may be unfamiliar now, but they won’t be for long.  

“Indie doesn’t mean DIY. Bringing this to NM it is very high end, luxury, beautiful ingredients – but what you’re doing is you’re connecting with the founder, and you’re connecting with the brand’s story,” says Wright.