RADICAL SELF CARE
“Anyone who is interested in making change in the world, also has to learn how to take care of herself, himself, theirselves… it means that we are able to bring our entire selves into the movement… it means a holistic approach.” – Angela Davis (Afropunk Festival, 2018)
MEET GLORIA
Professional brush holder, beauty formulator, lover of room temp water + 90’s music, Scorpio and rising Capricorn
Gloria Noto is a professional makeup artist and founder of inclusive, minimalist skincare line NOTO Botanics. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, this all-natural line of edited essentials was created with every body in mind.
“It all started after an existential life crisis reflection vacation to Thailand. Sitting on the beach and training Muay Thai boxing. For a month, I thought about nothing other than the ocean and mangos. A deep need for some reflection on what mattered to me most in my world. Towards the end of my trip, I had a vision of what I wanted to do moving into the next chapter of my life.
Working as a fashion and celebrity makeup artist, I had dreamed of starting my own line for years. I finally felt like I was ready to make it come into reality. I came back to California ready and inspired to apply my decade+ expert experience into what I would soon call NOTO Botanics.
Launching NOTO quite literally in my kitchen, I became excited to use all the skills I learned over the years to create a line that celebrated the spectrum of authentic identities I felt I wasn’t seeing in the clean beauty industry at that time. I wanted to hear their stories and celebrate their lives through how we all connect with self-care.
– Gloria Noto
OUR MISSION
Multi-Use | Natural | Universally Sexy
NOTO is a multi-use, gender-inclusive, clean cosmetic line. Packed with uncomplicated yet high-performing ingredients that will change your skin with regular use, NOTO celebrates the authentic and diverse layers of what self-expression and beauty can mean. We are a champion for ferocious individuality, while cultivating a creative and mindful community along the way.
Our mission revolves around:
- Representation
- Customer-reviewed real results
- Simple, yet high-performing clean ingredients
- A deep, give-back philosophy
- Vegan + cruelty-free ingredients
NOTO IS: FOR YOU
Gloria understands the beauty industry deeply due to her extensive background as a fashion and beauty makeup artist and contributor, dating back to 2006, as well as being the founder of the arts and culture print publication, The WORK magazine.
By working first-hand with so many cosmetic brands, Gloria saw all too clearly how the majority of cosmetics were cocktails of chemicals, fillers, and pollutants– and that advertisements were meant to make one feel bad about themselves. Through this, she created her own solution by developing products that reflected the changes she wanted to see in the industry. She wanted to make changes not only in the ingredients, but also in the visual identity and messaging of what wellness and beauty could look and feel like.
WHAT DOES “CLEAN” MEAN?
Clean has taken on many forms over the years (am I right?). But for us, clean means free of ingredients that can harm your body and the environment. We do our best to source the highest quality products from manufacturers who pursue ethical practices and regenerative farming.
CLOSING THE LOOP
We are far from perfect, but we strive to make shifts as we grow to make NOTO an even more thoughtful brand. All of our packaging is biodegradable and made of recycled PCR plastics, glass, or metal. Our shipping materials are made of recycled paper and green cell foam.
GIVE BACK
Through a percentage of DTC sales from our Agender Oil, we strive to create impact through action via support to vulnerable communities, the arts, and the environment. We support organizations such as: Planned Parenthood, The Okra Project, The Transgender Freedom Fund, Black Mama’s Matter, The Love Land Foundation, The Trevor Project, and many more.
“As a business owner, queer person, and a first generation child of immigrants, it’s important for me to connect with my community through my work. Agender Oil is a conduit to pursuing that connection in an authentic and creative way based on our means as a small business. However, I also encourage you to directly put dollars into the pockets of the organizations you wish to support first.” - Gloria Noto
To date, we have raised over $26,000 in charitable funds.
Let’s not just look good– but let us also do good.