Related Articles
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
It used to be a running joke how quick corporations were to switch on their rainbow-colored profiles come June 1st and get into the business of a during Pride Month. We’ve come a long way since Absolut introduced their rainbow vodka bottle in 2009 and sparked a wave of Pride-themed items (from appropriately-colored Skittles to, bafflingly, mouthwash). But several businesses set an unnerving precedent this month with their decision to significantly scale back their pride collections after facing far-right backlash, along with only appearing in select stores and online, and with no apparel for children.
As activists gear up for a tense pride month ahead and controversy-shy corporate sponsors start backing out of events, Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign says it’s crucial to support LGBTQ businesses not just during June, but all year round. “Supporting LGBTQ-owned brands is an important way to continue to uplift and advocate for our community beyond Pride month,” he tells Rolling Stone. “When Pride month is over, the fight for LGBTQ equality keeps going.”
But along with supporting small LGBTQ brands, there’s something to be said about how corporations should continue to show their support for the community. “True corporate allies don’t market to our community, they join our movement and incorporate LGBTQ people and issues 365 days a year,” says Rich Ferraro, Chief Communications Officer at GLAAD. “Corporate allyship must continue through the inclusion of LGBTQ people in ads and public brand communications, and by leveraging a brand’s reach and power to pass pro-LGBTQ legislation like the Equality Act.”
Ferraro says that in a year when anti-LGBTQ legislation has been passing through state legislature around the country at a record rate (especially targeting trans youth), brands should also take the time to review their internal policies for LGBTQ employees, as well as end donations to anti-LGBTQ politicians.
What Are the Best LGBT-Owned Businesses in 2025?
What can the average person (i.e. you) do to help? Ferraro says there are always ways to continue the spirit of Pride Month, especially by patronizing LGBTQ-owned restaurants, bars, and small businesses directly as opposed to only purchasing “pink-washed” products. We’ve rounded up some LGBTQ-owned and founded brands that you can support all year. Give back to the community and enjoy some quality products (with or without rainbows).
Hey Sweet Cheeks
shop now on hey sweet cheeks
Hey Sweet Cheeks is a barrier-breaking brand (and we don’t just mean your skin barrier) that’s focused on fully disrupting the binary sexual wellness aisle.
This new-kid-on-block brand was founded by a queer cosmetic executive with 25 years of experience in beauty product development who wanted something better than the traditional and heteronormative products in the pharmacy aisle. What sets Hey Sweet Cheeks apart is their skincare-first approach to sexcare and an emphasis on “prep to play”. So what does that mean?
Well, their products pull double duty as moisturizing skincare, not only keeping your skin plump and hydrated, but helping make the lead-up to intimacy as enjoyable and fulfilling as the moments themselves when you want to stay in. Hey Sweet Cheeks launched in March with three skincare products (a body wash, body serum, and exfoliating body mask) and three sexcare products (two personal lubricants and a self-play lotion).
Dame
shop now on dame
Your orgasm matters,andqueer-owned brandDamewants to make sure you find the ultimate climax tool using their “Find Your Vibe” questionnaire. Their mission is to close the pleasure gap and give people what they deserve…a leg-shaking, body-quivering, “Oh My God” orgasm.
Their most sought-after vibe is theEva, which can be used for solo or couple play. It’s hands-free and waterproof, making for the perfect pleasure party, featuring flexible wings that tuck snuggly under your labia and keep your new sex toy in place. Or, for the “O on-the-go,” check out theZee, featuring a compact design that offers quiet vibrations for a discreet pleasurable experience.
Dame also sells variousSTI kits and condoms, so you can get yourself off with some piece of mind. If that doesn’t get you hot, we don’t know what will.
Bokksu
Bokksu
shop Now on bokksu
Bokksu delivers to your door authentic Japanese snacks, candies, and teas sourced directly from centuries-old family makers. Founder Danny Taing started the monthly subscription box company when he couldn’t find local Japanese snacks and foods in the U.S. after living in Japan.
Not only will you be supporting an LGBTQ-founded business, you’ll also be supporting local snack-makers across Japan. Like your enthusiastic best friend coming back from a year abroad, you’ll get seasonal and regional picks like Hiroshima Seaweed Tempura Chips to Kyoto Matcha Chocolate Cake, for example. You can always purchase individual snacks and teas (even kitchenware) from the Bokksu market, or get a monthly subscription. Each box is curated for a certain theme, and comes with a booklet that explains where your snacks come from, as well as providing cultural facts.
Couplet Coffee
Couplet Coffee
shop now on couplet coffee
Founded by first-gen immigrant, lesbian, and a lover of all things coffee, Gefen Skolnick, Couplet Coffee asks the question: who says specialty coffee can’t be for everyone? Sustainably-harvested and consciously-produced, you can order bags of their specialty blend, espressos and single-origin beans online. No pretentious tasting notes or coffee snob gatekeeping here — just a deliciously smooth cup. If you have the beans, but not the gear, you can also get yourself a cow-themed “Mooka” pot and “Lovers” French Press on the site.
Purchase 12 ounce or five-pound bags on their own, or save 10% off with a coffee subscription. You can choose how often you want it delivered (weekly or up to every four weeks), then pick one of their popular blends like their single-origin Peaceful Peru. Let your cup of joe come to you, and enjoy the “maximalist”-designed bag, too (it’s holographic!).
Roverlund
shop now on roverlund
Made for commuters, dogs, and commuters who love their dogs, Roverlund is a gear brand founded in 2019 by Vogue alum Jamie Knowles known for their line of popular airline-friendly durable pet carriers.
The Ready-to-Roll Cabin Carry-On bag flips the script with a unique horizontal suitcase that’s easier to maneuver and great for long getaways, commutes, and yes, weekend trips. While these bags aren’t particularly made for camping (they’re TSA compliant, though), they are made with the same kind of outdoorsy sensibility, using skateboard wheels and a quality polycarbonate shell. The designs match with the pet carriers, so you can take your little buddy with you anywhere in style.
Pals Socks
shop now on pals socks
Pals‘ manifeetsto is that they’re the most fun, comfy wholesome and weirdo socks out there — and we’re inclined to agree.
Sized for all ages, ethically-sourced and LGBTQ-owned, all Pals socks come paired as two friends who don’t match, yet go perfectly together. This way, the wearer can flaunt their true colors and show that no matter how different we are, we indeed are better, together. Along with being so darn stinkin’ cute (burger and fries socks, anyone?), their eco-friendly practices also caught our eye, from using mostly recycled packaging, to not using dyes, and staying away from plastic-based synthetic materials.
This month, Pals also joins a number of brands giving back to the community by donating 25% of their web sales in June to Outright International, an organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against LGBTQ individuals.
Cann
shop now on total wine
As the sober curious movement and “zebra striping” trend gain more popularity for Gen Z, Cann is offering a buzzy alternative to the drinking-heavy activities of Pride this month and beyond.
Co-founders Jake Bullock and Luke Anderson said they created Cann because they were “completely over” the harmful effects of alcohol — but not over going out or partying with their friends. So to keep the community vibes going, the two mixed a microdose of cannabis with some tasty, sparkling bevvies (along with a few choice, all natural ingredients) to create a cool, sessionable sipper that makes you feel more than you would drinking a glorified “fancy juice” mocktail. These aren’t trying to replicate specific cocktails either, but their elevated flavors (think Lemon Lavendar and Cranberry Sage) make them stand out from other “high” seltzer fare.
One Cann packs 2mg THC and 4mg CBD, and has a similar effect to a glass of wine or light beer. In our experience, it can take about 10-15 minutes for the “floaty” effects of Cann to kick in, but you can expect it to last for 45 minutes (this can vary by the drinker).
Boy Smells
Buy Now on boy smells
Buy Now on sephora
Fluidity is the key to Boy Smells‘ success. Born from two fashion creatives looking to blur the olfactory lines with their candles, Matthew Herman and David Kien’s cult fragrances have recently received a rebrand that’s been controversial with fragrance fans. But Boy Smells continues to assert they’re still about celebrating a “genderful” lifestyle, combining traditionally “masculine” and “feminine” notes within their blends to express the complexity within all of our identities — who says you have to chose between your space smelling like sweet lilacs and musky leather?
With supercool collaborations from artists like Grace Jones and Kacey Musgraves, to undeniably queer releases like their bold Citrush fragrance based on poppers bottles, their scent empire isn’t burning out anytime soon. Their bestselling Hinoki Fantôme fragrance recently topped our list of the best scented candles, with notes of spicy black pepper and cardamom, Williams pear, fir balsam, smoked amber, and floral jasmine. With complex and unique scent profiles, spark one up for yourself and smell the difference.
Pink House Alchemy
shop now on amazon
Emily Lawson foundedPink House Alchemyfor the love of food and flavor. Developed in a 100+ year old pink house, theLGBTQ+ women-ownedand run company produces “farm to bottle” simple syrups, bitters and shrubs that you can mix into a cocktail or get creative and cook with. Inspired by complementary flavors from barks, fruits, herbs, and botanicals, Pink House Alchemy works with all-natural ingredients to put those connections to the test and create some seriously stellar flavor bombs.
While you can find some of these sips in restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in nearly all 50 states, you don’t have to spend a night on the town to try your hand at shaking up some cocktails of your own — you can buy bottles like the sweet-tart-creamy Dark Cherry Grenadine and the charmingly zesty Ginger Syrup on Amazon and Walmart.com.
Xula
Xula Herbs
shop now on xula herbs
Xula Herbs is a not only LGBTQ-owned, but Latina and Black-owned hemp brand founded by Karina Primelles and Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey. Born out of Mexico City, their mission is to utilize the ancestral knowledge of plant-based healing practices and combine it with modern CBD science to uplift “all bodies left out of our society’s gaze”.
Their herb shop features tinctures, sprays, and salves with the one-two bunch of soothing relief: organically-grown botanicals combined with full-spectrum CBD and CBG blends (or just adaptogens). There’s also a line dedicated to people menstrual cycles, with tinctures and gels curated to help ease discomforts from period cramps, PMS, menopause, and hormonal imbalances. It’snever been a better time to throw some coin to support an LGBTQ-owned brand, since they’re also partnered with the Floret Coalition, an anti-racist collective of small businesses in the cannabis and cannabis-adjacent industry that provide support and donations to Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities.
Alder New York
Buy Now on amazon
Looking for vegan-formulated skincare that’ll also get the job done? Alder New York is a queer and woman-owned independent skincare brand making products that give a plant-powered clean to all skin types, no matter your age, gender, or ethnicity. David J. Krause and Nina Zilka passion for wellness lead them to create an uncomplicated, unfussy skincare that we honestly can’t get enough of.
Besides having some seriously soothing face masks that’ll give Lush a run for their money, if you’re looking for a basic routine (or don’t know where to start), you can’t go wrong with their their Everyday Cleanser. Get maximum results in as few steps as possible too with their brightening face mask, hydrating oil, and nourishing cream that you can mix and match. Bonus: if you travel a lot, most of these picks are TSA-compliant and can fit easily into a carry-on bag for high-quality skincare on the go.
More LGBTQ-Owned Brands to Support
In addition to highlighting some of our favorite products from LGBTQ-owned brands, we’ve rounded up other businesses we think deserve a shout-out across categories like apparel, beauty and food. While it’s not an exhaustive list, each of these brands are at least 51% LGBTQ-owned or founded.
LGBTQ-Owned Apparel and Accessories Brands
Ality Designs
Andie Swim
Cincha
Fang
Flipstik
Highland Duds
Moolah Kicks
Telfar
TomboyX
Urbody
Wildfang
Woxer
LGBTQ-Owned Beauty and Skincare Brands
Atwater
Byoma
Good Light
Isle of Paradise
KimChi Chic Beauty
Malin + Goetz
Noto Botanics
Peace Out Skincare
Tan Luxe
Thicc Organics
LGBTQ-Owned Home and Lifestyle Brands
Cocofloss
Hum Nutrition
Maev
West & Willow
LGBTQ-Owned Food and Beverage Brands
Compartés
Dream Tea
Equator Coffees
Explorer Cold Brew
GoodOnya
Mason Dixie Foods
Neatly Spiked
Omsom
Pika Pika
Saint Luna
Scout Seafood Snacks
Still Austin Whiskey Co.
Supergay Vodka
Tribini Espresso Martinis
