Where Actives Meet Advocacy

Welcome to a woman-owned, California-crafted skincare brand that puts ethics and effectiveness first. Our name is ACTIVIST because we're not afraid to highlight the very real connection between taking care of yourself and taking care of the world.

Skincare should help you not just look good and feel good — but do good. 

Activist products are about addressing your skin goals with incredible 'activist' ingredients, indulging your senses with gorgeous colors + smells + textures, business practices that prove conscious capitalism is possible, and embracing your inner activist. Skincare can be so powerful.

We believe self care is fuel for activism

Now more than ever, the world needs activists. Our democracy and our planet are in peril.

But activism is draining. Self-care helps replenish our minds, bodies and spirits from the hard work of changing the world.

That's where Activist comes in. We believe it makes a difference when your self-care aligns with your values. A small bottle emblazoned with an activist raising her fist can help transform your moment of self-care into fuel for the impact you’ll make each day.

It also makes a difference that 1% of every Activist Skincare purchase goes to actual activism work, and every aspect of our business is built around doing good for people and planet.

ACTIVISM WE SUPPORT

Ethical business practices and sustainability

Running a business means having influence — and we use ours with intention. We pioneered refillable packaging because being "eco-friendly" just isn't enough.

We're also serious about sourcing clean, safe ingredients; ethical manufacturing; working with sustainably-minded suppliers; prioritizing women and people of color when selecting our partners and vendors; and treating our beloved customers like the smart, informed people they are. (No greenwashing or cleanwashing.)

We invite you to dig into our practices and see how we really run things.

MORE ON ETHICS + SUSTAINABILITY

Proud to be indie

Activist began in Allison's kitchen circa 2016, launched by getting the word out within the eco-conscious community, and continues to grow organically because we walk the walk. So many of our customers find us because their values rule out all other options — from gentle and non-toxic formulas, to ethics and sustainability.

Now we're shipping refill after refill to thousands of loyal returning customers who come back, not just for the products, but for the ethos: taking care of ourselves, each other and our planet.

Every product is still handmade in California — crafted in small batches to keep quality high, production ethical, and the experience personal. Thank you for loving that we're small, woman-owned and a little bit radical.

How a designer came to be a skincare maker

Hi, I’m Allison, the founder of Activist. I think this was meant to be my path.

As a kid, I was deeply affected by things like the shrinking Amazon rainforest and books like 1984. I wanted to be a journalist exposing corruption like in All the President’s Men, but chickened out and became a designer instead. In that career, I became fluent in branding and usability. But working for corporate America didn’t satisfy my desire to do good in the world.

At the same time, I was struggling with decades of acne and a desire to age well, with better skin than I had in my teens and twenties. Skincare became a source of agency for me: a way to take control of a situation instead of just accepting it. But I never really resonated with most of the products available.

I wanted skincare that is effective, with all the essential active ingredients and none of the toxins; that is beautiful and enjoyable to use (and doesn’t feel sterile, boring, or sting); and that is eco-friendly, not packaged in wasteful throwaway materials. I wanted something that truly reflects the values I live by.

It felt like skincare was an area where I could use design thinking to elevate an essential routine into something more aesthetic, science-based, and ethical.

Running Activist lets me live my values every day. My deepest thanks for your support.

Interviews with Allison

  •

    Sustainable Jungle interview

    In this episode, recorded in summer 2025, Allison talks about her background and the process founding Activist and pursuing sustainable business practices.

    Listen on Spotify 

  • The Daily Grind interview

    “Love is my word of the year. Love is essentially positive energy, a force for good. Love is an action word, and it's love — not fear or anger — that drives your most successful work.” — Allison in spring 2024

    Listen on Spotify