Milk Makeup

Milk Makeup is a New York City-based cosmetics and skincare company known for vegan, easy-to-use makeup and a stance built around self-expression. It grew out of Milk Studios, a creative production hub in downtown Manhattan, and launched publicly in February 2016 [2]. Sources differ on the founding year: Wikipedia dates the public launch to 2016, while a 2017 press release describes the company as "founded" in 2015, a difference that likely reflects company formation predating the first product launch [2][4].

Since 2022 the brand has been owned by Waldencast plc, which acquired it alongside the skincare company Obagi [2]. Milk Makeup continues to operate as a distinct, fully active brand under that owner rather than being folded into a larger line.

The line is credited to four founders: Mazdack Rassi, a Milk Studios co-founder; Dianna Ruth, a product developer and the company's COO; Georgie Greville, a creative director; and Zanna Roberts Rassi, a fashion and beauty editor and former E! News correspondent [2]. According to the company, the products are developed in-house at Milk Studios, its downtown headquarters.

The brand traces its character to the studio itself. In a founders' interview, the team described Milk Makeup as growing less from recreating glamorous looks than from how the studio's behind-the-scenes crew wore makeup day to day. The company frames community and self-expression as central to what it does, and the founders have said the clean and vegan approach was set from the outset, with the first product formulation meeting focused on which ingredients the brand would never use.

Milk Makeup launched in February 2016 with 85 products, including lipsticks and blotting papers, distributed through Sephora. In January 2017 it took its first outside capital, a minority growth investment from the equity firm Main Post Partners [4]. In 2019 the company released the Hydro Grip Hydrating Primer, which went on to win an Allure Best of Beauty award and later became a widely shared product on TikTok.

In 2022 Waldencast acquired Milk Makeup together with Obagi in a transaction valued at roughly $1.2 billion, structured as a three-way business combination through a special purpose acquisition company [2][5]. The brand also pursued cultural collaborations, including a 2018 project tied to the Wu-Tang Clan and later limited editions with Reebok and Awake NY in 2023.

The current controlling parent is Waldencast plc, a publicly traded company that acquired Milk Makeup and Obagi in June 2022. The brand's own website footer additionally states that Milk Makeup "is part of the Milk Group Companies," a reference to its original Milk Studios ownership lineage rather than its present public parent [1]. Industry reporting noted that existing leadership was retained after the deal, with Tim Coolican continuing as the brand's chief executive [5].

Milk Makeup describes its product philosophy simply: it says it starts with good ingredients and turns them into effective, easy-to-use formulas. Its stated mission is to "unlock your creativity—no matter who you are, what you do, or where you live," and the brand summarizes its outlook with the line "Live Your Look," which the founders explain as living one's truth in how a person presents themselves. The positioning leans on inclusivity and a clean, vegan formulation standard, and the company emphasizes that beauty is "what you do in it that matters."

The brand spans both makeup and skincare. Its hero ingredients include hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides and cannabis seed oil. The Hydro Grip Hydrating Primer is its best-known product, marketed as a 12-hour hyaluronic primer and makeup base; the related Hydro Grip Hydrating Gel Skin Tint extends the same approach into a tinted formula. The KUSH Mascara, infused with cannabis (hemp) seed oil and promoted as a lash conditioner, is another signature item, alongside the Cooling Water Jelly Tint and the Lip + Cheek Color Stick.

The company states that its makeup is "100% vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free," a claim independently echoed by editorial coverage of the founders [3]. Its products are sold through Sephora, the brand's own website, and retailers including Cult Beauty, Space NK and Amazon.

Milk Makeup products have received several beauty-press awards. The Hydro Grip Primer won an Allure Best of Beauty award in 2019; in 2022 its Bionic Blush won an Essence Best in Black Beauty award and its RISE Mascara won a Glamour Beauty Award. The brand has been featured in publications including Vogue, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair and InStyle, and its Hydro Grip line drew renewed coverage in 2025 after going viral on TikTok [6].

Milk Makeup is an acquired brand that remains active. It has been owned by Waldencast plc since 2022 but continues to trade independently, with a live storefront carrying a 2026 copyright and ongoing sales across multiple markets [1]. The brand also funds an LGBTQIA+ cause: it says it donates 2% of MilkMakeup.com sales, up to $50,000 a year, to The Center; an earlier Wikipedia account recorded a 1% figure dating from March 2021 [1][2].