This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

 

Don’t sleep with your makeup on. That’s what you’ve been told. They say it will irritate your skin but if that’s the case, why wear it at all? It took a brand named Youthforia to manufacture makeup so good for your skin that you can sleep with it on.

 

Fiona Chan, the founder of Youthforia, says she had sensitive skin growing up, and it was difficult to find makeup that didn't cause allergic reactions. Part of the problem was that she was sleeping in her makeup - something that's generally discouraged by skincare manufacturers.

 

"I just couldn't understand why we just kind of accept that as consumers," Fiona says. "I want makeup where if I wear it at any time of the day, I don't have to worry."

 

Part of the solution was creating products with better ingredients, she says. It turns out a lot of skin products are made of fossil fuels, while other products contain more plastic than the actual containers, she says.

 

"I kind of decided to reformulate everything that we had already developed to create things that are bio-based," Fiona says. "That was incredibly challenging because no one had been doing it. That skillset didn't exist."

 

The mission became to find a formulator who understood her vision.

 

"For me, it was just finding the right people that understood what I was trying to accomplish. People who believed it could be done and that we could make these skincare make-up hybrids and for me, putting my skin out there and testing it in a very rigorous way," she says.

 

Fiona didn't have a background in the skincare marketplace - she worked in enterprise software. But her career took her to some of the most polluted cities in the world - places where her makeup at the time wouldn't offer any protection.

 

Though the experience helped bring her vision for a new kind of skincare info focus, she also had to deal with skeptics who couldn't comprehend the shift in her career path.

 

"When you're deciding to become an entrepreneur, I think you'll always get that feedback," she says. "When people tell you that feedback, I'm sure it comes from a good place. They just want you not to fail or to do well. But I just didn't listen to any of it."

 

In Part 1, Fiona talks about:

 

* Gratitude to her husband for his support and help as the brand was born - even trying on the products as he slept.
* How her sensitive skin sparked the idea for a sleep-friendly product line.
* Why bio-based products are better than petrol-based products.
* The challenge to find a formulator who understood her vision and requirements.
* How her previous career created a path into the skincare marketplace.
* Dealing with skeptics.

 

Join Ramon Vela and Fiona Chan as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

 

For more on Youthforia, visit: https://youthforia.co/ 

 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

 

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This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

 

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Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story