The Rise of Vegan Beauty

The term vegan is no longer just about a healthy diet. It goes beyond just food, extending to the beauty products we use. This shift arises from individuals’ growing concern about animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and personal health. Hence, with the increasing demands of vegan alternative products, the landscape of the beauty industry changes.

According to a 2023 study by Research and Market, a Dublin-based market research agency, the Vegan Beauty market is expected to grow by 6.31% annually worldwide by 2028. This remarkable growth of the vegan beauty industry is driven not only by the increasing opposition to animal-derived ingredients but also by the potential harm caused by allergies and sensitivities to common ingredients found in non-vegan cosmetics, such as dairy, eggs, and lanolin.

Moreover, alternative plant-based ingredients like coconut, olives, soy, and almonds possess minerals and nutrients that offer their own benefits, such as hydration, moisturisation, and strengthening. These benefits contribute to the enhancement of health and wellness.

Thus, vegan beauty is a reflection of compassion without compromising on luxury.

Introducing ESQA | The first and Leading Vegan Cosmetics Brand in Indonesia

ESQA was established in 2016 by Cindy Angelina and Kezia Thihatmanto, who serve as CEO and Chief Product Officer. With an initial investment of just $40,000, both co-founders quickly sold thousands of products within the first month and have remained profitable since 2017.

Then, what makes ESQA successful?

1) By seeing the unseen

Rooted in the Celtic word ‘Eska,’ ESQA signifies pure beauty. Building on this foundation, ESQA fills a gap in Indonesia’s market for modern and vegan beauty products by being the first and leading vegan beauty company. The brand believes that ‘every woman is naturally beautiful and makeup should enhance a woman’s natural beauty rather than change her look.’ Thus, they successfully embraced this philosophy by

• Creating glamorous cosmetics line through their no harsh ingredients formula (no tested on animals, 100% halal certified, and registered on BPOM/The Indonesian Food and Drug Authority).

• Creating innovative cosmetics lines by incorporating skincare benefits to cosmetics, such as minimalist serum concealer, glow pop serum lip balm, flawless cushion serum with SPF 50+ PA+++, and more. Thus, ESQA creates a 2-in-1 cosmetics line that not only enhances your natural beauty but also promotes healthier skin.

• Being up-to-date with the landscape of international make up, such as introducing face palette, matte lip liquid, liquid blush on, palette blush on, and more.

2) By meeting the needs of the locals through achieving affordability with the art of strategic social media marketing

A 2023 survey of 326 people found that 74% of Indonesians are interested in buying cruelty-free personal care products. Moreover, 77% of individuals in the lower to middle-income range (earning between Rp. 1.5M and Rp.5.5M, or $91.50-$335) expressed interest. However, this willingness drops among higher-income groups, with only 55% of those earning about Rp. 10M ($610) inclined to purchase cruelty-free products. This indicates that affordability plays a crucial role in consumer behaviour, leading ESQA to prioritise offering high quality, affordable products.

Then, how does ESQA achieve this affordability?

By leveraging social media (Instagram and TikTok), e-commerce sites (such as, Tokopedia and Shopee), and tools (such as, live streaming) to promote its cosmetic line. By doing so, they successfully reduced marketing costs to around 20% of their total expenses.

Thus, ESQA is a good case study on how an independent beauty brand can quickly be successful. To give you more insight on how ESQA leverages social media, I will give you an example of TikTok which helped boost ESQA success.

Indonesia has the highest number of TikTok users globally, with an estimated 42% of users aged between 18-24. Capitalising on this, ESQA goes live on TikTok about six times a day for up to three hours per session to promote their products while addressing their customers’ needs. This approach has helped build a strong connection with their audience, and since adopting TikTok in 2022, ESQA’s TikTok growth has increased sixfold in 2023. As of 2025, the brand has gained 539.9K followers.

Hence, ESQA offers ethical makeup and celebrates authentic beauty by enhancing natural features and promoting healthier skin through its vegan ingredients, stays ahead of future beauty trends and innovations, and provides high-quality products at affordable prices to ensure that beauty is for everyone. These key attributes led to their partnership with Unilever Ventures, securing US$6 million in Series A funding in 2022, followed by an additional US$4 million in Series B funding in 2024.

Lessons learned from ESQA

‘Fill up your own cup and let them fall in love with the overflow’

When we drink tea, we add what’s missing, like sugar or perhaps milk. And this is what ESQA did. ESQA saw what was missing in Indonesia’s beauty market, and by recognising this, they successfully established themselves as Indonesia's first and leading vegan beauty cosmetics brand.

However, the art of noticing is not enough—you must maintain it by understanding the needs of the demographic and identifying existing tools that can be leveraged. Be smart, be creative, be innovative, and think outside the box! That’s the key to success.

Hence, just as ESQA successfully fulfills these traits by filling their cup with vegan beauty products, innovative formulas, chic packaging, and affordable prices that ensures beauty is accessible for anyone, they make the audience fall in love.

Here’s to find out more about ESQA vision and beauty:

So, for any indie beauty brands or anyone looking to start one, my advice is to pour love and hard work into your business, and that love will definitely come back to you in ways you never expected. I hope ESQA's strategy inspires you to elevate your business to the next level! Good luck!

#PRontheGO