Canadian Makeup Brands

1. Marcelle

Head office in Dorval, QuebecFounded 1874

Marcelle belongs to the Cape family, not to a foreign beauty group. Victor Cape, a Montreal pharmacist, began selling it in Canada in 1949. His grandson David Cape says the company makes makeup, skin care and fragrance in Montreal, and that most of it is made in Quebec. Marcelle says 89 percent of its skin care is made in Canada. It does not give that figure for every makeup item.

2. Annabelle

Head office in Dorval, QuebecFounded 1967

Annabelle is owned in Quebec. Morrie Cohen launched it in Montreal in 1967, and Groupe Marcelle bought it in 1999. The Cape family company says it manufactures Annabelle makeup with Marcelle, Lise Watier and CW Beggs. David Cape says most of those products are made in Quebec, at a plant in Montreal. Annabelle says it leads Canadian drugstores in lip and eye liners. Kohl is the best seller.

3. ATTITUDE

Head office in Montreal, QuebecFounded 2006

ATTITUDE is Canadian-owned and made in Quebec. Groupe Attitude inc., a private Montreal company, formulates, fills and packs the range at its Sherbrooke factory. The official claim is Made in Canada. Ingredient origin is not disclosed, so the brand meets the Made in Canada test, not Product of Canada.

4. Birch Babe

Head office in Northbrook, OntarioFounded 2015

Birch Babe is a women and family-led Canadian company owned by Birch Babe Naturals Inc. Every product is formulated in the brand's Ontario lab and handmade in small batches there. The company sources EcoCert and Fairtrade ingredients, some of which are imported, but manufacturing stays in Ontario.

5. Pure Wash

Head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Pure Wash is Canadian owned and Canadian made. Founder Celeste mixes, pours and packs the house line in a Winnipeg studio at 2082 Ness Avenue, and the shop also stocks pantry goods from other Canadian makers under its Artisan Studio banner.

6. MAC Cosmetics

Founded 1984

MAC is only partly Canadian. Toskan and Angelo started it in Toronto in 1984. Estée Lauder took majority control in 1994 and the rest in 1998. MAC says iconic items such as Retro Matte lipstick and Pro Longwear Paint Pot are still made in Canada. Circana ranked it first in Canadian lip and foundation unit sales for the year ending December 2024.

1. L'Oréal Paris

Head office in Clichy, Hauts-de-SeineFounded 1909

L'Oréal Paris is L'Oréal's own mass beauty brand. Eugène Schueller registered the company in Paris in 1909, and the group is based in Clichy, France. L'Oréal calls L'Oréal Paris the No.1 beauty brand in its consumer division. L'Oréal has sold in Canada since 1958. The Canadian site it published is a distribution centre in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, not a factory.

2. CoverGirl

Head office in AmsterdamFounded 1961

CoverGirl is not Canadian makeup. The brand's own about page calls it an American line born in 1961. Coty lists CoverGirl on its consumer-brand page, and Coty's contact page puts management headquarters in Amsterdam. CoverGirl says it is the largest makeup brand with Leaping Bunny approval from Cruelty Free International. No CoverGirl or Coty page here names a plant in Canada.

3. Maybelline

Head office in New York, New YorkFounded 1917

Maybelline is not Canadian. L'Oréal lists it in its consumer division beside L'Oréal Paris, Garnier and NYX. The brand says it was born in New York, and its about page dates the first mascara to 1917. It calls itself the top makeup brand in the world. Neither page names a Canadian factory.

4. Dioné Cosmetics

Dioné Cosmetics prints "We are Canadian" on its about page. Founder Alisha Anderson says she started the line in her hometown. The page never names that town, a factory, or a parent company. A share of sales goes to animal shelters. The Canadian line is a brand statement, not a plant fact.