In celebration of the amazing women in our industry, we asked the women in charge of some of our favorite brands to answer questions about their journey as a woman in the beauty industry. If you didn’t get the chance to yet, click the links to read Day 1 and Day 2.
Bethany McDaniel, Founder & CEO, Primally Pure
What inspired you to start your business?
Having used all sorts of harsh prescription creams and pills to treat my acne as a teenager and young adult (and dealing with red, raw, irritated skin as a result), I was blown away by the effects I eventually experienced after ditching the harsh chemicals and replacing them with simple & natural ingredients. My journey inspired me to start Primally Pure (with an initial $250 order for ingredients & supplies) to help others experience the benefits of using clean products.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is a time to rally around one another as women and celebrate each other. IWD serves as a reminder for all of us women to encourage one another and find inspiration in each other’s successes.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
Whenever we face a challenge as a team, it always helps to bring our “why” back to the forefront. For us, that means empowering and inspiring people to take better care of their skin and whole self in a holistic way. Keeping this in mind is helpful in bringing us together and getting everyone into a creative, solution-oriented headspace to overcome challenges.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
I’m proud of starting Primally Pure from an initial investment of only $250 which went towards an order of a few simple ingredients and packaging. I don’t consider myself to be “special” or more talented than anyone else — but I am proud of how hard I’ve worked over the years!
Janis Covey, Founder, Kosmatology
What inspired you to start your business?
Kosmatology started when my youngest daughter, Cameron, developed eczema at 3 months old and was prescribed topical steroids. With my doctorate in pharmacy and my background as a compounding pharmacist I knew I could do better; I set out to create a product to help soothe her skin and keep the eczema under control. I ended up creating what is now our popular Goody-Goody Grapefruit lotion bar, and Cameron has been eczema free for 9 years!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
As a mother to daughters, I love that there is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
I am fortunate to have a small group of women on my team that believe in the Kosmatology mission. From Day 1, I believe that each of them has felt like a valued member of the group. I think my confidence in their ability to handle issues, while being available to talk things through, has resulted in an empowered team.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
I am most proud of being able to show my daughters that hard work can accomplish amazing things, and that it’s never too late to start something new! I started my career as a compounding pharmacist with no idea that I would ever become an entrepreneur, but the last 7 years with Kosmatology have been an incredible journey.
Ada Polla, CEO, Alchimie Forever
What inspired you to start your business?
Our brand was inspired by the need to heal the skin of children post-procedure. From this medical heritage, we have developed “clean-ical” products (clean and clinical) to prevent and correct signs of skin aging. Self-care through skincare!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is a reminder to celebrate women everywhere, across industries and geographies, and to remind girls that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
Any success is the team’s, any failure is mine.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
I create jobs and have never missed payroll!
Susie Ma, Founder & CEO, Tropic Skincare
What inspired you to start your business?
I drew inspiration for Tropic from two places. The first was my Grandma, a medicinal chemist and toxicologist, who taught me that our skin needs nourishing with healthy ingredients just as much as our bodies. The second is from my upbringing in Cairns, Tropical North Queensland, Australia, where fresh aloe vera plants and exotic fruit trees grew on my doorstep. At thirteen, Mum and I moved to London. To pay off household bills, aged fifteen, I borrowed £200 from my mum and invested in ingredients to whip up a batch of body scrubs using a family recipe, which I then sold at Greenwich Market, and that really was the start of Tropic Skincare!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is an opportunity for us to appreciate women and acknowledge the achievements we can accomplish together, united. It’s also about remembering all the women who made sacrifices and fought for our rights, enabling so many of us to have the opportunities we have today. It also acts as a reminder that there’s still more progress to be made and more work to be done because today, and every day, all women deserve the chance to reach their full potential.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
There are absolutely no raised voices at Tropic, we deal with any issues together, as a team. My door is always open to everyone in the company for anything they need (I actually have a desk in the middle of the office, so that the team can chat to me as they walk past). We’ve recently empowered the team leaders with Mental Health First Aid training to ensure the welfare of our incredible staff.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
The early days of Tropic, standing at the market stalls and being resilient in the face of rejection, which eventually enabled me to become financially stable and to afford a deposit for a home for my mum and myself.
Holly Eve, Founder & CEO, Madame Lemy
What inspired you to start your business?
Having worked for years as a makeup artist, I know most high-end products are toxic and even carcinogenic. After years of not being able to find a good natural deodorant, I developed a powder based on lemons. That’s when Madame Lemy was born. Our products are non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free, plastic-free, and refillable.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is a great celebratory day for all women and a reminder of how far we have come. It is also a great reminder that women should be celebrated every day, and it is a human right for women to have equality in every country. There is still work needed to be done.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
I always try to give praise for work well done and show appreciation for everyone who works for me. I believe in building people up because at the end of the day it’s my company and my business challenges. By encouraging people, they feel more empowered to find solutions to the problems I am facing. If I’m winning, my team wins too.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
My public speaking platform advocating for suicide prevention and mental health resources.
Jen Carlson, Founder, Thirsty Naturals
What inspired you to start your business?
As a mom, it’s important to know that what my teenagers are using on their skin is not only effective but safe. That’s why I created Thirsty Naturals, a brand dedicated to serving these young adults with 100% natural products to address all the common issues they face on a daily basis. Safe products, without harmful ingredients, that you can trust.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
A day that reflects on the accomplishments, struggle, and road ahead for womankind is important. When we empower and celebrate the woman of the world, we better our overall humanity.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
Thirsty Naturals is a 100% female-led and owned company. I empower my team to trust their decision-making capabilities and lead with integrity.
Ali Perry-Hatch, Founder & CEO, Earth Harbor Naturals
What inspired you to start your business?
During my career as a humanitarian engineer, I specialized in global environmental health and toxicology. While I was in grad school, my husband and I chose to live in an off-the-grid treehouse we built as we began practicing a mindful lifestyle. A short time later, I was in a near-fatal car accident. Recovery was slow, painful, and anxiety-ridden as I suffered from both physical and mental injuries. A time came when healing seemed to completely stop, and I thought I would never regain my pre-accident self. At this time, I also found out I was pregnant with my miracle baby boy! The culmination of these life-altering experiences is when I knew I had to take clean living to the next level by being more critical of what I was putting both in and on my body, as well as its effects on the environment and humanity. My biggest struggle with having a natural lifestyle was finding premium natural beauty products that lived up to my strict standards of being effective, ethical, purely natural, rooted in science, and all-around indulgent (while not breaking the bank!). That’s when I started making my own right out of my tiny treehouse kitchen — and Earth Harbor Naturals was born!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It is a symbol of progress towards gender equity and a celebration of womanhood because as women we are the ultimate stewards of the human family, the Earth, and promoting a more loving existence.
How do you empower your team when facing an issue?
Coming alongside my team, showing compassion, and taking a walk in their shoes is all any servant leader needs to do to overcome trials and hardships.
Please share the one accomplishment you are most proud of.
Being a mom to my soon-to-be three children.
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2021: Day 3 was originally published in Think Dirty on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.