Founder post-tumor; Leaping Bunny + COSMOS
| Ingredient transparency | Full ingredient list read and categorised |
| Ownership | Founded in 2010 by Indie Lee following a brain tumour diagnosis that prompted her to seek safer personal care products. Ancora Holdings acquired a majority stake in 2017. American Exchange Group, also known as AXNY, acquired the brand from Ancora in July 2024 and has said it plans to expand Indie Lee beyond skincare through licensing and in house lines. American Exchange Group's own team page lists Indie Lee in a founder and brand ambassador capacity, and CEO Alen Mamrout of American Exchange Group has continued to lead the company post acquisition. The brand is still trading in 2026, sold in more than 2,000 doors including Bluemercury and Ulta Beauty. |
| Cruelty free | Yes |
| Vegan | Partial |
| Organic | Partial |
| Certifications | Leaping Bunny certification is confirmed: the certifier's own site hosts a live brand page for Indie Lee and Co under its shopping guide. COSMOS ORGANIC certification was announced by the brand in November 2019 for three named products, Whipped Body Butter, Essential Body Lotion and Gentle Daily Peel, with a stated commitment to formulate future products to the standard where possible; that announcement names the full certified scope at the time. An attempt to query COSMOS's own certified products directory did not surface a matching entry, though that directory relies on dynamic search that a direct page fetch cannot reliably reproduce, so current COSMOS status should be read as unverified rather than disproved. |
| External ratings | Leaping Bunny; COSMOS |
| Reports note | <p>COSMOS on select SKUs; no COAs</p> |
Claims made for this brand that could not be confirmed in a certifier's own register. A brand website is a claim, not a source.
Any blanket claim that all Indie Lee products are COSMOS certified is incorrect. Only three named products were announced as COSMOS ORGANIC certified in 2019, out of a much larger catalogue, and no current confirmation could be retrieved from COSMOS's own register. No B Corp, MADE SAFE, NATRUE or Vegan Society registration was found for the brand.
Founding story https://katiecouric.com/shop/brand/indie-lee/
Founder interview https://www.greenpan.us/blogs/the-cooks-journal/indie-lee-interview
Ancora majority stake, 2017 https://cew.org/beauty_news/clean-beauty-brand-indie-lee-acquired-by-ancora/
American Exchange Group acquisition, July 2024 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-exchange-group-acquires-clean-beauty-brand-indie-lee-302195004.html
Founder's continued brand ambassador role, CEO continuity https://www.beautyindependent.com/new-owner-american-exchange-groups-plans-indie-lee-future/
Leaping Bunny certifier's own brand page https://www.leapingbunny.org/brand/indie-lee-co
COSMOS ORGANIC announcement naming three products, 2019 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indie-lee-secures-cosmos-global-certification-300961378.html
Current retail distribution https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/news/news/22915507/american-exchange-group-acquires-indie-lee-will-expand-beyond-skin-care
Why there is no score: Partial read. No score is published. Ingredient lists were obtained for 27 of 35 products, 77 percent of the catalogue. The other 8 products publish no ingredient list that could be read. A percentage drawn from part of a catalogue is not a figure for the range, so none is shown.
Catalogue 35 products, 27 with an ingredient list, 8 without.
Last checked 22 July 2026.
We analysed 27 Indie Lee products, categorising every listed ingredient by function, origin (raw natural, naturally derived or synthetic) and safety concern. This is not the whole catalogue, so it is reported as a partial read. Percentages show the share of each formula that is natural or naturally derived.
Most common flags: Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Linalyl Acetate, Fragrance / Parfum, Phenethyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Citral, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Parfum / Fragrance, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil, Limonene
Coverage: Partial read: ingredient lists were published for 27 of 35 products, 77 percent of the catalogue. No average is shown, because a figure drawn from part of a catalogue is not the figure for the range.
Analyst note: PARTIAL READ: ingredient lists were found for 27 of 35 products in the catalogue, 77 percent. The remaining products do not publish an ingredient list where it could be read automatically. Any average below is calculated on the 27 products read, and is not a figure for the whole range.
| Product | Natural | Ingredients | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Indie Lee Signature Routine | 93% | 28 | 0 |
| Indie’s Full Routine | 93% | 28 | 0 |
| Barrier Boost Moisture Cream | 93% | 28 | 0 |
| Your Botanicals Routine | 100% | 9 | 0 |
| Nature's Botox | 100% | 35 | 0 |
| Bloom Balance Moisturizer | 90% | 31 | 4 |
| Hydra Petal Facial Toner | 95% | 21 | 4 |
| Morning Dew Gel Cleanser | 96% | 25 | 6 |
| Vital Bloom Serum | 97% | 35 | 4 |
| Lip Remedy Mask | 97% | 30 | 7 |
| Double Cleanse for Balanced & Combo Skin | 96% | 25 | 1 |
| Fan Favorites | 100% | 14 | 0 |
| Restorative Eye Cream | 100% | 35 | 0 |
| Vitamin C Serum | 88% | 24 | 1 |
| Jumbo Brightening Cleanser | 100% | 13 | 0 |
| Brightening Cream | 97% | 29 | 2 |
| Bronzing Drops | 97% | 31 | 1 |
| Botanical Boosting Oil | 100% | 24 | 1 |
| Purifying Face Wash | 100% | 8 | 0 |
| Cleansing Balm | 96% | 25 | 1 |
| Daily SPF 50 Primer | 94% | 32 | 0 |
| Stem Cell Serum | 94% | 18 | 0 |
| Color Balancer | 100% | 31 | 0 |
| Soothing Cleanser | 100% | 17 | 2 |
| Retinol Alternative Cream | 100% | 33 | 0 |
| Daily Vitamin Infusion | 90% | 10 | 0 |
| CoQ-10 Toner | 100% | 13 | 0 |
Full ingredient breakdown
The full ingredient by ingredient breakdown of all 27 Indie Lee products (652 ingredients, each categorised by function, origin and safety concern) is free with an account.
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