Last week, my colleague Allyson and I had the chance to speak to female founder, Sinyoung Cohan, along with her husband West. The duo founded and formulated a natural, vegan and cruelty-free skincare line, Lémore Beauty. Not only is the story fascinating, but the products are incredible (I’ve tried them myself!). With that being said, if you’re looking for an inspirational, authentic story, look no further and read our interview below!
Allyson:
How did you reach out to Mei and what prompted you to start your own business?
Sinyoung:
We heard Mei on “How I Built This” and we were inspired by her grit and her story of how she built her brand and got a hold into Target. I reached out to Mei Xu personally through social media and from there, we connected.
When we started our business, we had no intention of being where we are today.
I worked in biotech and pharmaceuticals and I have always had skin problems. I grew up with eczema which got worse when I moved from Korea to Southern California because the air is drier, so my flare ups got much worse. A lot of people living in humid places develop eczema when they move to drier climates.
I was struggling with acne as well. As I got older, I was more concerned with hyper pigmentations. I was in the sun a lot so in my 20’s I noticed a lot of dark spots along with my eczema and acne so I became a skincare junkie. Also a cosmetic junkie - I was going to all the beauty stores buying countless products and kept returning them because I wasn't happy with the results, I was still getting reactions.
This became a cycle of wearing more coverup and foundation to hide my skin issues. I used these concealers, tinted moisturizers and powders on a regular basis because I wasn't feeling comfortable with my skin.
One day I was fed up with what I was using, it was a vicious cycle of bad skin, feeling insecure, and wearing even more products that just irritated my skin more - this cycle kept going in circles. Finally, my husband said, “Hey, why don't you just make something for yourself, you do have a background in science.”
So I did.
Literally within a few months of using what I made, my skin transformed. People that I knew noticed my skin had changed. Even strangers were wondering what I was using for my skin. I said I’m using what I made.
I unintentionally came about this brand because I was trying to solve my own skin problems and now it's helping other women.
Lémore = less is more.
Our goal is to help women go #FoundationFree. We want to help them minimize their makeup use and streamline their skincare routine so they only use what is essential.
Allyson:
What was the first product you created in the line?
Sinyoung:
It was the Rejuvenating Facial Serum, which is now the Illuminating Facial Serum. People have been able to go foundation free using this product. Most of our ingredients are organic, cold-pressed, unrefined botanical oils. We also use essential oils and absolutes in dilutions for aroma. All comes down to the formulation and we limit the number of the ingredients to 10 or fewer. The Illuminating Facial Serum is our top selling product with amazing reviews.
Allyson:
Do you work with any influencers or digital ads?
Sinyoung:
Currently, we don’t work with any influencers and have zero paid marketing, our customer base is all through word of mouth and referrals through our current customers. We also receive a lot of new customers via our YouTube channel.
Allyson:
What are your sales channels?
Sinyoung:
I first started selling through people I knew already or have met through work. Then we ventured out into the farmers’ markets and craft shows. That is where we got consistent live feedback. After using these events for a year, we decided we needed to expand our online presence.
We gained popularity on YouTube with a video that we posted showing people how to do a Gua Sha Facial Massage. Since then we’ve been launching a bunch of videos and we have a lot more videos coming out soon. We’re realizing that social media specifically How To Videos are really powerful because people get to see how the products are used and incorporated into daily life. We also believe that you can improve your skin by living a holistic lifestyle with adequate sleep, healthy foods, exercise, meditation, and yoga so we try to incorporate these lifestyle tips into our videos and social media posts.
Most importantly, we want to show videos that incorporate gentle and nourishing skincare products. Skin is our largest organ. If you care about what you put inside your body, it makes sense to care about what you put on your body.
Allyson:
It’s great to talk to people like yourself, women who are so passionate about their development.
Sinyoung:
Thank you - it’s been a challenge to find mentors as a woman, that’s why we reached out to Mei Xu. What you guys are doing is much needed!
Final Thoughts
It was a pleasure to hear Sinyoung and her husband West share their story. I can see why they have such an organic following - I’ve tried the Lémore Illuminating Facial Serum myself and I have to say, it is magic in a bottle! Check out their channels here: YouTube, Instagram, Website.