Why Did They Close? The Indie Mineral Makeup Brands We Are Still Mourning

 A love letter to the small brands that finally got it right — and what happened when they disappeared

So I had a horrible realization after I posted that last blog article.

Let me give you all a refresher in case you haven't read it: I was talking about finding a foundation match and referenced similar shades in other (mostly) indie makeup lines like Meow Cosmetics and Everyday Minerals. So when I got curious to see how they were doing, I got a bit of sad news…

Most of those companies have since shut down. 🤯

So if you are like me and have ever typed something like "what happened to Meow Cosmetics" or "Everyday Minerals closed" or "where can I find something like Monave" into a search bar, then this article was written for you. Because I have been in this community a long time —as a customer and as an owner of a mineral makeup brand— I felt it was important to honor what these brands meant to so many of us, and to talk honestly about why they are gone. It’s a question I wanted answered for myself especially if there is a cautionary tale to learn from.

This is not just a list. This is my special tribute to them, especially since they paved the way for indie companies like me. Maybe some of you need a little bit of a healing process to “grieve” what I think is an end to the era of “when mineral makeup ruled!” 😢

Why Was Indie Mineral Makeup So Special?

I started adorned with Grace originally because I had the same problem so many of you have had: I could not find a foundation that matched my skin tone. Not just in terms of depth, but in terms of undertone. If you have yellow-toned skin, olive skin, or that kind of warm-neutral complexion that is neither clearly pink nor clearly golden — you know exactly what I am talking about.

The bigwigs of beauty offered options like “fair,” “medium,” or “tan” — and somehow every single one of them pulled pink or orange, maybe even ashy on you. It was totally frustrating! And for women of Asian descent, women of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern heritage, Latinas, mixed-race women, and so many others, finding a vegan, natural mineral foundation with yellow or olive undertones was like searching for The Holy Grail.

Then here came the indie mineral makeup movement! It was usually started by a one-woman operation that handcrafted loose mineral foundations in sometimes 80 or more shades, with obsessive attention to undertone. They usually left out the bismuth oxychloride causing breakouts and itching you found in the famous brands. They did not include synthetic fragrance. Some left off the talc and stuck with clean, breathable, buildable mineral powder made with integrity. This was perfect for women with sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, rosacea, or autoimmune conditions. So it wasn't even just a preference — they were literally the only skin-safe option. So yes, losing them matters…a lot.

The Beloved Indie Loose Mineral Makeup Brands We Lost

Everyday Minerals

I'll start with the one I personally mourn the most, my favorite: Everyday Minerals. Initially, their foundation shades were set up almost identical to Bare Minerals; what actually got me to stay is their sets were much more affordable AND had no bismuth oxychloride, as I was not fond of the shine it gave. But over time as they grew, they added many new shades, especially yellow and olive tones. I still had to mix two colors to get my perfect match (Winged Butter & Medium Tan). But what happened next is what made me loyal to using theirs alone: when I let them know via email that they should formulate it so I didn't have to mix, would you believe THEY DID!!!! And that's how the color, if some of you remember, Buttered Tan was born. 🌟

Because I wanted to know what happened to the company that was one of my inspirations for even formulating mineral makeup, I had to do some research. Everyday Minerals never gave a “why” statement, but per a Google search (so maybe take with a grain of salt, lol 🙃) it was a combination of things. The market shifted hard towards full-coverage, liquid-foundation aesthetics during the social media boom years — not exactly the natural, skin-like finish that mineral powder was built for. The brand did not invest significantly in evolving its image, marketing, or product innovation to keep pace. And without the financial cushion of retail distribution or investors, there was no buffer when things got hard. Per the reports, the website was simply gone one day with no official goodbye or announcement of closure. I know when I lurk the forums, I still see women asking about replacements for them and wondering what truly happened.

Even now, many women are still searching for a replacement for Everyday Minerals foundation — especially one that offers the same natural finish, avoids irritation, and actually works for yellow or olive undertones.

Meow Cosmetics

Next on the list is worthy of mention as they truly did their best to match EVERY undertone, especially for those with yellow tones: Meow Cosmetics. Tammy Lang, the founder of Meow, had an astonishing 86 shades across multiple coverage levels, all with adorable cat-themed names — for example, Purrfect Puss for light coverage, with shade families named after cat breeds like Siamese and Angora. It was a unique system that made the whole experience feel personal and fun.

That's why when Tammy passed away in 2018 (at only 49 years old), her family did their wonderful best to try to keep the brand alive in her honor. They did for a while, but because her products were so uniquely handcrafted, so bound up in one person's gift and vision, it became too much to carry. Their remaining inventory was put on clearance, and Meow Cosmetics quietly closed.

To this day, many are still trying to figure out what to use instead of Meow Cosmetics — especially those who relied on their incredibly specific undertone matching.

Monave

Monave was my inspiration to actually make and sell my own mineral line. This company was founded by a makeup artist who was deeply frustrated with the poor quality of products available in the wholesale market, so Monave spent years building their formulas from scratch — by hand — with a fierce commitment to what they described as cleaning up the makeup industry “both socio-politically and literally.” Much like Meow Cosmetics, they offered a large selection of foundation shades (over 40!), sourced from small organic farms, with child-labor-free mineral ingredients, and made with specific attention to inclusivity for white, Latina, Asian, and Black skin tones. They had over 100 shades of vegan eyeshadow and over 80 shades of vegan lipstick and gloss. They also had four foundation formulas, from loose powder to cream. They didn't just sell the makeup, however — they also demonstrated on their website via uploaded videos how to make lipsticks and mineral foundation, with the latter being what convinced me it would be totally doable to make and sell my own!

The disappointing news came in late 2023: Monave announced they were closing their manufacturing operation. On their website, they wrote honestly about trying to find a buyer and not being able to make a complete buyout happen. They chose instead to sell their formulas and intellectual property to trusted wholesale vendors, offering their community whatever continuity they could.

Alima Pure

I actually had to add this section because as soon as I finished writing this article, I checked my email and saw that Alima Pure announced it will be closing its doors on March 30, 2026. Yes, this March! 😳

This company was started by Kate O’Brien, who founded Alima Pure in 2004. She was a kindergarten teacher who started mixing mineral makeup in her attic because she believed women deserved better. (Love that story alone!) She built one of the first truly inclusive, non-toxic mineral makeup lines, eventually earning B Corp status and a reputation for clean beauty done with real integrity.

What I didn’t realize until I researched it is that Kate passed away in October 2019 from complications of ALS. 💔 Much like Meow, she had a family member (her daughter Sara) step up to lead the brand and lovingly carried her mother’s vision forward — allowing it to run for a total of 22 amazing years. No official reason has been given for the closure, but with the circumstances, none is needed.

Alima Pure, like the others, greatly influenced how I wanted to brand my store. Alima always seemed so elegant and classy — colors that were natural and skin-like. I knew I wanted my store to have a similar vibe. I honor the contribution they gave this community for over two decades of clean, inclusive, genuinely good mineral makeup. 🌟

If you were an Alima Pure customer and you are now searching for what comes next — you are not alone. And I want you to know there is a home here for you. 💕

Other Brands Worth Remembering

Other brands worth mentioning are Fusion of Color, Ocean Mist Cosmetics, Dreamworld Cosmetics, Lauress Minerals, Lumiere Cosmetics, and Geek Chic Cosmetics. They are ones I most remember and admire for the uniqueness of their individual style and offerings, and ones I also learned from as I began developing my own store.

So... Why Did They All Close?

I want to answer this honestly, because I think it matters — both for those of us who miss these brands, and for those of us who are still trying to build something good in this space. In my searching for answers, this is the list that gives possible explanations for the downturn in indie mineral makeup companies…

The pandemic accelerated everything that was already fragile. Supply chain disruptions hit small indie brands hardest. Large companies could absorb the shortfalls. Unless they were already doing exceptionally well (which a few have, and that is why they are still around), a one- or two-person operation making handcrafted mineral makeup could not. Raw mineral ingredients, packaging, even shipping boxes — all of it became harder to get and dramatically more expensive, almost overnight. I can speak to this personally when it comes to international shipping. What I once paid as little as $5–$10 to ship a small package internationally now routinely costs $40 or more — and that kind of increase doesn't just hurt the bottom line. It essentially prices your international customers right out of ordering.

The market moved away from what these brands did best. The rise of Instagram and full-coverage, high-definition makeup culture pulled consumer attention toward very different aesthetics. A natural, breathable, skin-like mineral powder finish was suddenly not what the algorithms were celebrating. So without the resources to pivot or to compete for that shifted attention, many small brands simply could not survive the change.

Small-batch handcrafted manufacturing is genuinely unsustainable without scale. I can speak to this personally. Minimum order quantities for raw ingredients are often enormous if you want the best price. One can buy from the suppliers that give you the hobby sizes, but those prices have also gone up as much as 2–3x! The economics of making beautiful, clean, artisan mineral makeup in small batches are punishing. If customers are not willing to pay for the price adjustments, or companies simply keep their prices lower, the profits needed to sustain the business basically disappear…causing many of these companies to disappear themselves.

Founder burnout is real, and it is rarely talked about. If only you knew of the passion, labor, and personal sacrifice one human being puts into keeping up the business! Most owners were the formulator, the customer service team, the shipping department, the social media manager, and the creative director all at once. That is not a long-term sustainable model, especially with growth, and when the founder's health, family circumstances, or energy changes — as Tammy Lang's life so heartbreakingly did — there is often no one to carry the work forward.

Legal pressures quietly devastated many. California's Proposition 65 regulations around ingredients like titanium dioxide — a standard component in mineral makeup formulas — led to a wave of lawsuits targeting indie and mid-size beauty brands. For a small operation, even receiving a legal notice could mean thousands of dollars in attorney fees before any settlement was reached. Several brands cited this pressure as a significant factor in their decisions to close.

Of course, none of these reasons make the losses easier to accept. It does give us some understanding, though. These were not failures of quality or love or commitment. These were small, genuine, beautiful businesses undone by forces far bigger than any one founder could fight alone.

To my reader, I want to speak directly to you for a moment, because I know who you are:

You are the woman with yellow-toned or olive skin who finally found a foundation that matched — really matched — and then had it taken away. You spent years before that finding your match, and you are not interested in starting over with brands that will pull pink or orange on you again.

You are the woman with sensitive, reactive, or acne-prone skin for whom liquid foundation was never really an option. Loose mineral powder was not just a preference — it was the thing that finally let you feel comfortable in your own skin. Clean ingredients, no bismuth oxychloride, no synthetic fragrance, no hidden irritants.

You are the woman who cares deeply about vegan, cruelty-free, natural makeup and who is not willing to compromise those values just because the shade range has expanded. You want both — the ethics and the match.

You may also be someone with celiac disease, multiple chemical sensitivities, an autoimmune condition, or other health challenges that make ingredient transparency not a preference but a necessity. You trusted these small-batch brands because they answered your emails, they listed every ingredient clearly, and they cared.

You deserve products that see all of that. You deserve more than what the mainstream market has offered you. And the search for healthy, vegan, natural mineral makeup in yellow-based and olive foundation shades should not feel like an impossible quest in 2026.

So Where Do You Go From Here?

Here is what I can tell you: the values that made these brands matter have not disappeared. The community that loved them is still here. And there are still people making truly natural, vegan-friendly, clean mineral makeup with the same care and integrity.

A few currently operating brands that the community trusts:

• Aromaleigh — A one-woman artisan brand that has been handcrafting mineral cosmetics since 1998, based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. When Everyday Minerals closed, Aromaleigh's founder even published a shade-matching guide to help displaced customers find comparable shades in her line. That is the kind of community spirit that the indie mineral world was always built on.
• Silk Naturals — Frequently called the unsung hero of the indie world, Silk Naturals is offers foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushes, and more — all formulated with clean ingredients many vegan.
• Simple Beauty Minerals — They actually reached out specifically to displaced Everyday Minerals customers after that brand's closure, offering shade-matching help and comparable formulas. That kind of intentional care says a lot about who they are.

And not to be left out 😉💕 I want to say something about my company, adorned with Grace, because I do not think it is a coincidence that you are reading this here.

I started adorned with Grace the first time around because I had olive and yellow-toned skin and I could not find a foundation that truly matched me. I formulated specifically for those skin tones that the big brands kept getting wrong. If you were a longtime user of Everyday Minerals or Meow Cosmetics, you are exactly who I had in mind when I created adorned with Grace — especially if you struggled to find a true match for yellow or olive undertones.

Over the years, customers came back again and again — especially women of Asian descent who told me adorned with Grace was one of the only brands that had ever truly matched them. (As an aside, I even had MANY orders from Eastern Europe where customers said my colors made their skin look great 😊) That meant the world to me, and it still does.

Adorned with Grace is built on the belief that beauty should reveal who you are, not cover you up — that what goes on your skin matters, that clean and vegan ingredients are non-negotiable, and that every skin tone deserves to feel seen. Those are not marketing words. They are the reason this brand exists.

Our product line, including our carefully formulated lip care and our mineral-based cosmetics, is made with that same spirit the best indie mineral brands always carried — integrity, transparency, and genuine care for the woman on the other end. You can visit us at www.adornedwithgrace.com.

Final Words of Thanks

To Tammy Lang, who built Meow Cosmetics because she believed every woman deserved to find her perfect shade — and who built 86 of them just to make sure AND to Kate O’Brien, founder of Alima Pure for making mineral makeup so elegant and simple and just so graceful, we remember you, and we are grateful. 💝

To the founders of Everyday Minerals, Monave, Lauress, Lumiere, and Geek Chic, and every other small-batch mineral brand that poured their heart into their work: your impact did not disappear when your websites did. The women who finally found their match because of you have not forgotten. 💚

The indie mineral makeup community was never really about loose powder in little glass jars. It was about being truly seen — about someone caring enough to make something specifically for your skin, your values, your health, your whole self. And that need — for natural, vegan mineral makeup that works on yellow skin, olive skin, warm skin, sensitive skin, real skin — is absolutely not going away.

To whoever is still out there making it with love: we will find you. And we will be loyal to you in the way that only mineral makeup customers know how to be. ❤️

Blessings to all of you. 🥰

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