Saie

Saie is an American cosmetics brand headquartered in New York City and focused on so-called clean makeup. Founded by Laney Crowell, a beauty blogger who previously worked in digital communications at Estée Lauder and StyleCaster, the company launched in November 2019 with a compact opening range that included mascara, brow gel, lip balm, and lavender eyelash curlers. From its beginning, Saie positioned itself around ingredient-conscious formulations, simplified routines, and packaging intended to reduce environmental impact. The brand's clean-beauty proposition includes excluding more than 2,000 ingredients that it classifies as toxic or environmentally unfriendly, including phenoxyethanol and synthetic fragrance. Its products are manufactured in the United States, Canada, and Italy. The assortment has expanded beyond its initial eye and lip products to include highlighters, complexion products, foundation, bronzer, concealer, blush, lip gloss, makeup bags, and other makeup accessories. Saie presents these products as approachable, everyday cosmetics rather than highly technical or heavily theatrical makeup. Saie initially operated primarily through direct-to-consumer sales. By 2020, it had also entered curated retail and brand ecosystems including Goop and Follain, and it later expanded into Sephora and other retailers. In 2024, the brand extended its Sephora presence to the Middle East, launching in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This retail development broadened Saie's access beyond its original U.S.-centered distribution model. The company has also connected its brand identity to social and environmental initiatives. In 2021, it introduced Saie Vintage, a merchandise collection made from vintage clothing. Following the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, Saie organized the Every Body campaign, bringing together 63 beauty brands to raise awareness of reproductive rights and benefit SisterSong. It also worked with SEEN Library on a New York pop-up library featuring books related to reproductive rights, feminism, and women's experiences. Environmental messaging is another central part of Saie's public positioning. The company participates in One Percent for the Planet and states that it is climate-neutral certified and plastic-negative certified. On Earth Day 2024, it released The Saie Way, a climate-focused documentary web series about the company's sustainability efforts. It also announced the Saie Climate Initiative in partnership with rePurpose Global. The initiative targets the collection of 5 million pounds of plastic waste by 2027 from coastlines in India, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Colombia, alongside a stated goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2039 and creating an all-female board of experts for the effort. Saie has remained privately held. Early reported backers included Unilever Ventures, TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie, LearnVest founder Alexa von Tobel, Vintner's Daughter founder April Gargiulo, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The available reference material does not establish a parent company, public listing, current chief executive, or current ownership structure.

Saie was founded by Laney Crowell, a beauty blogger with prior digital communications experience at Estée Lauder and StyleCaster. The company launched in November 2019 as a focused clean-makeup business. Its initial product assortment consisted of mascara, brow gel, lip balm, and lavender eyelash curlers. The early proposition combined ingredient restrictions with packaging and product choices presented as more environmentally responsible than conventional beauty products. The company began with a direct-to-consumer model. During 2020, it broadened distribution through Goop and Follain and later entered Sephora and other retail channels. This transition gave Saie a route from digitally native beauty into established specialty and prestige retail. In 2024, its Sephora presence expanded to the Middle East, covering Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saie's product range grew into a broader makeup portfolio. In addition to its launch products, the brand became associated with lip gloss, highlighters, foundation, bronzer, concealer, blush, and makeup bags. Saie describes its formulas as excluding more than 2,000 toxic or environmentally unfriendly ingredients, including phenoxyethanol and synthetic fragrance. Manufacturing takes place in the United States, Canada, and Italy. The available sources do not identify a single manufacturing site or provide detailed production volumes. The brand has also used limited merchandise and public initiatives to reinforce its identity. In 2021, Saie introduced Saie Vintage, a collection made from vintage clothing. In 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade, it launched the Every Body campaign. The effort brought together 63 beauty brands to support awareness of reproductive rights and benefit SisterSong. Saie additionally partnered with SEEN Library on an Every Body Library pop-up in New York City, where visitors could access books concerning reproductive rights, feminism, and women's experiences. Sustainability became increasingly prominent in the company's communications. Saie participates in One Percent for the Planet and reports climate-neutral and plastic-negative certifications. On Earth Day 2024, it published The Saie Way, a climate-focused web docuseries. The same year, it announced the Saie Climate Initiative with rePurpose Global. The initiative set a target of collecting 5 million pounds of plastic waste by 2027 from coastlines in India, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Colombia. Saie also announced an intention to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2039 and to establish an all-female board of experts for the climate program. Saie received early backing from Unilever Ventures and several individual consumer and beauty investors, including Blake Mycoskie, Alexa von Tobel, April Gargiulo, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The available reference material identifies no public listing, ticker, parent company, or confirmed current executive leadership beyond the founding role of Crowell. Saie is therefore best characterized as an active, privately held cosmetics brand with a U.S. base, international retail expansion, and a positioning built around clean makeup and environmental activism.

1. 2024Middle East Sephora launch

   Saie entered Sephora Middle East markets including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

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2. 2024Climate programming announced

   Saie released The Saie Way climate docuseries and announced its climate initiative with rePurpose Global.

   Source
3. 2022Every Body reproductive-rights initiative

   Saie launched the Every Body campaign and partnered with SEEN Library on a related New York pop-up.

   Source
4. 2021Saie Vintage launches

   The brand introduced merchandise made using vintage clothing.

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5. 2020Seed financing and early retail expansion

   Saie was reported to have raised seed funding and expanded from direct-to-consumer sales into Goop, Follain, and later Sephora.

   Source
6. 2019Saie launches

   Laney Crowell launched Saie in November with mascara, brow gel, lip balm, and lavender eyelash curlers.

   Source

Clean, ingredient-conscious, environmentally oriented everyday makeup with a modern direct-to-consumer and specialty-retail identity.

• MascaraEye makeup2019

  Mascara was part of Saie's original November 2019 launch assortment. It represents the brand's early emphasis on practical, everyday makeup and ingredient-conscious formulation rather than a large color-cosmetics range.

• Brow GelEye and brow makeup2019

  Saie's brow gel was introduced with the brand's first products in 2019. The product sits within the company's streamlined approach to routine makeup, complementing its mascara and other low-complexity eye products.

• Lip Balm and Lip GlossLip makeup2019

  Lip products form one of Saie's principal makeup categories. Lip balm was included at launch, while the later assortment expanded to lip gloss, supporting the brand's focus on easy, wearable color and conditioning-oriented everyday use.

• Complexion MakeupFace makeup

  Saie's complexion range includes foundation, bronzer, concealer, blush, and highlighters. These products broadened the brand from a small eye-and-lip launch into a fuller face-makeup assortment while retaining its clean-makeup and ingredient-exclusion positioning.

• Lavender Eyelash CurlerBeauty accessory2019

  The lavender eyelash curler was one of the distinctive accessories in Saie's initial 2019 assortment. It accompanied the brand's mascara and helped establish a visually recognizable, lifestyle-oriented presentation beyond formula products.

• Saie VintageMerchandise2021

  Saie Vintage is a merchandise collection introduced in 2021 using vintage clothing. It extended the company's sustainability narrative into apparel and branded goods rather than being a conventional cosmetics product line.

• 2024The Saie Way

  International

  Saie released a climate-focused web docuseries on Earth Day 2024 to communicate its sustainability commitments and environmental work.

  Source
• 2024Saie Climate Initiative

  India · Indonesia · Cameroon · Colombia · International

  In partnership with rePurpose Global, Saie announced a program targeting the collection of 5 million pounds of plastic waste from coastlines by 2027.

  Outcome. Saie also announced a net-zero carbon emissions goal for 2039 and plans for an all-female expert board for the initiative.

  Source
• 2022Every Body

  United States

  Saie created the Every Body campaign after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The initiative brought together 63 beauty brands to raise awareness of reproductive rights and support SisterSong.

  Outcome. The campaign supported SisterSong and expanded into a related Every Body Library pop-up in New York City with SEEN Library.

  Source
• 2022Every Body Library

  United States

  Saie and SEEN Library operated a New York City pop-up centered on books about reproductive rights, feminism, and women's experiences.

  Outcome. The initiative provided a physical educational and cultural extension of the Every Body reproductive-rights campaign.

  Source

• 2024Set longer-term climate and plastic-recovery targetsStrategy

  Saie continued to develop sustainability initiatives alongside its clean-makeup proposition.

  What changed. Through the Saie Climate Initiative with rePurpose Global, the company set a 2027 plastic-waste collection target and announced a 2039 net-zero ambition.

  Aftermath. The announcement made environmental impact reduction a formal, long-term element of Saie's public strategy.

  Source
• 2020Move from direct-to-consumer sales into retailStrategy

  Saie initially sold directly to consumers but sought wider access through established beauty and lifestyle retailers.

  What changed. The brand added Goop and Follain distribution and later expanded to Sephora and other retailers.

  Aftermath. The move increased Saie's presence in curated and prestige retail beyond its original online channel.

  Source
• 2019Launch with a focused clean-makeup assortmentProduct launch

  Saie entered the market as a digitally oriented cosmetics brand centered on clean formulations and environmentally conscious packaging.

  What changed. The company launched mascara, brow gel, lip balm, and lavender eyelash curlers in November 2019.

  Aftermath. The initial range established Saie's everyday-makeup and clean-beauty positioning before later expansion into complexion and cheek products.

  Source

• 2024Saie expands Sephora distribution to the Middle East

  Saie launched at Sephora Middle East in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

  Product launch
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• 2024Saie releases The Saie Way climate docuseries

  On Earth Day, Saie released a web documentary series focused on its sustainability commitments and environmental approach.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2024Saie announces the Saie Climate Initiative

  In partnership with rePurpose Global, Saie announced a goal to collect 5 million pounds of plastic waste by 2027 and stated a net-zero emissions target for 2039.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2022Saie launches the Every Body reproductive-rights campaign

  Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Saie organized a campaign involving 63 beauty brands to raise awareness of reproductive rights and benefit SisterSong.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2022Saie and SEEN Library open the Every Body Library

  The partners created a New York City pop-up featuring books about reproductive rights, feminism, and women's experiences.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2021Saie introduces Saie Vintage

  Saie launched a merchandise collection made from vintage clothing, extending the brand's sustainability-oriented identity beyond cosmetics.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2020Saie raises seed funding from beauty and consumer investors

  The company was reported to have raised a seed round involving investors including Gwyneth Paltrow; other early backers included Unilever Ventures, Blake Mycoskie, Alexa von Tobel, and April Gargiulo.

  Other
  Source
• 2020Saie expands from direct-to-consumer sales into retail

  After beginning as a direct-to-consumer brand, Saie added distribution through Goop and Follain and subsequently expanded to Sephora and other retailers.

  Other
  Source
• 2019Saie launches its clean makeup brand

  Saie launched in November 2019 with mascara, brow gel, lip balm, and lavender eyelash curlers.

  Product launch
  Source

1. Saie
2. Saie official website