Latest / Skin Anarchy / Indie Lee, Founder of Indie Lee Skincare

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Indie Lee, Founder of Indie Lee Skincare · Skin Anarchy

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hi guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is Ekta, and wow, do I have a guest for you guys today?
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: This line is everywhere on Instagram, social media.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have been a huge fan since I first saw it a few years ago.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's so surreal that I get to introduce the founder.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to Indy Lee, who is the founder of Indy Lee Skincare.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome to the show, Indy.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad you're here.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so grateful to be here.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's my honor.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to get started by talking about your uh career and the past and what led to this amazing skincare line.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, most people at this point know I didn't start in beauty.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: My background is actually in finance.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_02: I was very blessed to have an incredible career um with HBO, yes, home box office, back when Sopranos and Sex in the City were all the rage.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_02: And now I've yes, and now I've aged myself.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: But but I left um because I realized I really didn't love finance anymore.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I wanted to spend more time with my children and um really got back to basics.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: I have a very large greenhouse in my backyard and was growing edible flowers and starter plants for um various different schools.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: And in 2008, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: And um realized that a lot of my ailments that I had had were autoimmune and um could no longer work in the greenhouse or the farm that I kind of put under production.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm a type A personality.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: I believe everything happens for a reason.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: And my sister announced she was pregnant, so I started to make some products for her to unveil at her baby shower.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: Never, ever in my wildest dreams did I think that that would be like the start of something.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: And despite everybody said, Oh my gosh, this is what you do, you should do.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, you know, it was 2008.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_02: People weren't really thinking about that.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: They were very interested in organic food and making, you know, where their food source came from, but they really weren't thinking about beauty.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, no, there's no way.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Clean beauty, you know, natural, all natural, you know, for babies.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Come on.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: And um yeah, it's interesting.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: The universe was trying to tell me a sign.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: And so about a month after the baby shower, when I shared all those products that I made for my sister using some of the ingredients I was growing in my backyard, I started to lose my vision and um went immediately to my my internist and said, something is up.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: And he meaningly sent me for an MRI.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: And 45 minutes later, he called and said, You need to come in.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Fine, what is it?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: He said, We'll go through it when you get here.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, You know, Peter, I know that's never a good sign.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: So just tell me what it is before I start Googling, and I'll see you in a few minutes.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, My keys are in my hand, and he said, You have a brain tumor.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: I said, I'll see you in 15 minutes.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, wow.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that was November 4th, 2008.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I will tell you, that was probably the most powerful, impactful day of my life because it was the day that I realized up until that moment, I wasn't, I was really a passenger in my life and I wasn't an active participant.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: I'd like to say I was a check the boxer.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, yeah.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: Really going through my life, checking the boxes, and not really thinking about, you know, what it meant to live.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Well, from this this day forward, I'm gonna live with purpose and passion and really be present.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: But I knew, honestly, I knew that something incredible was going to happen from this.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: And um, by the time I got to the doctor's office, I said, I'm in a great place.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: Don't worry, what is it?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he said, I don't know.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't look like cancer, and it wasn't.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but he sent me to see specialists, went up and down the east coast, was told um I could have as little as six months to live and you know, really spend time getting my affairs in order and spending time with my children who were very young at that point.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, I would say, no, that's not the end.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: That's not how this is gonna go.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: And it's interesting when I went to my neuroendocologist and I said, How is this happening?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: Nobody in my family has anything like this.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_02: That's when he said, We're seeing more and more of these things tied to the environment.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: And like, environment, you know, I eat organic food out of my greenhouse.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_02: I'm in great physical shape.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: What are you talking about?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: And he said, Well, yes, those are all part of your environment.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: He said, Let me ask you a question.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: What do you put on your skin?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: What did your mother put on her skin when she was pregnant?
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: We know babies are born with a toxic load, and that was like that light bulb, what I we call my awakening.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Oh my gosh, here I was really thinking about what my next step in my life was.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: And everybody's saying I should start a line, you know.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I was thinking, I'm not gonna create a line for children.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: What are you talking about?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that's when I realized this is much bigger and realized the lack of regulation.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, I'm gonna find a doctor who's gonna do surgery.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to create a line that's safe, that's effective, that looks beautiful on a shelf.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm gonna empower people to live their most authentic and healthiest life.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: And um, fortunately for me, I uh found a doctor who said I'll do surgery.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Let's go.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: April 22nd, earth day, walked into the surgical suite, said day is a great day to live.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_02: Put on some kick tush music.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: And uh many hours when I woke up, I was able to see completely, and the doctor said, They got everything, welcome to your life.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: And a month later, I turned on the website and I haven't really turned back.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, talk about inspiration.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, sheesh, wow.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, first of all, uh, you know, massive kudos to you.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot imagine how scary that must have been initially, and then to have the courage to go through it with a positive mind and a positive outlook, that is phenomenal.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, really, you know, hats off for that.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's beautiful.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I and I and I completely agree with you.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's that was such an interesting question that your doctor asked about what you put on your skin.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: That's so, you know, so like actually modern and not the way doctors really thought at that point.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: And just uh, you know, I realized because the reason why I created products for my nephew was because I knew that, you know, there really wasn't a lot of um regulation, let's put it that way, going into it.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I wanted something that I felt safe and comfortable putting on my nephew's soon-to-be tush.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_02: And so I knew what was going on, but I didn't think of it in the grander picture, nor did I think that I could be someone who could start a line.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: Did I think like who am I to do that?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: Talk about imposter syndrome.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like, who am I?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: I'm an accountant.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and I think that's a lot when people said, Oh, that's what you should do.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: When I was creating that little thing to just unveil at my sister's baby shower, that was all.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: And um, I think I just didn't have the courage.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, once I got the diagnosis, and doctor said it could have been something as simple as put on my skin.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: It was like that light bulb.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, oh my gosh, okay, I get the sign, I understand.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: This is what I need to do.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_02: And um, they say ignorance is bliss because I really didn't look back, you know.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: I just said, okay, let's do it.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: So while I was waiting, I while waiting to find a doctor, I was formulating.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, so you know, that's the thing though, you know, I noticed that when people go through things that are like it's true adversity, you know, you don't have anything to lose at that point.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: And in those moments, unfortunate as unfortunate as they are, some of the most, you know, enlightening moments occur, you know.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, that's such a that's such a blessing that you had this like insight coming from this like you know terrible thing that was going on.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's that's that's beautiful.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I, you know, I'm very, very impressed and very inspired um that you've been through this.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, and I want to talk about you know, I want to dive into the line more because your line is, you know, it's so beautiful, it's such a great skincare line.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: I know that every product is designed with so much, like I can just tell you've you've really mastered, you know, the the just being intricate and really focusing on what consumers need.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to talk to you about the whole process of that.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, like where did you like start?
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like where I know, like, you know, there's like formulas and like labs, but where did you really start?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: I am it's interesting, you know.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: The first they say you never forget your first.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: My first was the coconut citrus scrub, which is still in the line today.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, when I was formulating, you know, I was kitchen formulating.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, you know, I wasn't using a lab, I was trying to figure it out on my own.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I had developed RA and I had um, I was taking chemotherapy.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: My skin was so dry, so itchy, and I really wanted something to help combat that dry skin and feel really hydrated and moisturized.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I created the coconut citrus scrub and um, you know, it did the trick and I said, okay, then let's, you know, let's see what else do I need in my routine that I want that I'm not necessarily finding out there.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: So the first parts of our brand were really in the body care.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, once I was able to start working with, I would say, a true chemist um and a lab, uh, that's when I start to go more into the facial products because that's stuff that you know you really need.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: Although, you know, squaling was one of those things where I said, what does our skin produce naturally?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: Recognize it was part of your sebum.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: And that's when I said, Let me come out with a squaline facial oil that's just squaling.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: But otherwise, the rest I really needed.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I, you know, I needed a chemist, but I I started with what was missing out of my routine and how can I get something that's effective and beautiful and kind of took it from there.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I love that you did not leave science behind on this journey because you know, like when I I remember when I first saw your co uh co-Q10 toner, I was so impressed.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, this is awesome! Like I love that, you know, the the line is so focused on science, and I was super like geeking out, you know what I mean?
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: So the science aspect.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: I geek out too.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, you know, it just it made me like as a consumer, not only did I appreciate that you were doing this, you know, um, from uh the brand's perspective, but as a consumer, I felt like wow, this is making me want to look up things, you know, and the research and the yeah, yeah, it can be very confusing.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I think in this, you know, day and age, there's so much confusion, you know, clean, green, natural, derived, you know, what does it mean?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: Is it really worth it?
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: Is it hype?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: Is it fear-mongering?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it's really scary.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: And you know what?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: The truth is, you you do you, you know, I'm an 80-20 gal, but I wanted my skincare to be, you know, to have some of the purest ingredients.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted them to be sourced sustainably.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to make sure that we were manufacturing in a lab that had that same ethos as us.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that's why we went and got Cosmos certified.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: And we think there are 14 products that are now Cosmos and growing.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so for me, it was really about the science.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: How do we take nature and then use science to amplify it and do what's best for consumers and not and and not come from a spheres perspective because you know what?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: There's there's no need.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, this whole thing is are there chemicals in it?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, water is chemical, everything is a chemical, everything, yes, oh my gosh, it draws me.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I mean, that's the that's the knowledge aspect, right?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Andy, I mean, it's like you know, you have to realize that the you know, for me, like when I was an influencer, I actually not lying, like when I was exploring your, like I said, the CoQ10 toner, it actually inspired me to do a post as an influencer about um the science behind it.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, and I realized like people, you know, I got a lot of comments on that post and they were like, oh, I had no idea.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, see, like there's a lot of there's a lot of things in nature that are so untapped and they're so I mean, you know, for God's sakes, we got penicillin from nature, you know what I mean?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly, exactly.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I'm just not like you know, a lot of I have so much respect for dermatologists, I have so much respect for the medical profession.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I'm part of it, and you know, I understand that we want everything that's like you know, proven by like 15 clinical studies, but it's like true innovation happens when someone, you know, like for example, you as an entrepreneur, take that step and say, you know what, we're gonna try this and let's see what happens.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when you get real results, you know.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's just it.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: For me, it's what I'm trying to say to consumers is listen, you don't need to sacrifice anything by having this product, right?
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: You're not losing out on efficacy.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: You can see the ingredients that we're using.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_02: We're we're using science, right?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Science research.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: We're doing it in uh, you know, in a G CGMP um lab.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: Our labs are cosmos, you know, like we're going through this so that you don't need to so you can feel confident, but at the same time, that doesn't mean that you can't mix and match.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: That doesn't mean that I'm afraid to use things that aren't natural or things that are synthetics.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: There's beautiful, clean synthetics out there.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: Listen, I took chemotherapy for years for my rheumatoid arthritis.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: I'm taking medication now.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: And you know what?
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: We've got to get away from this fear mongering.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just giving you options, yeah, and allowing you to make the choice that's best for you.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I like to say I know the risk, I make the choice.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: And that's all I'm trying to do is give consumers another lens to look at beauty through.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then they can make the choice.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it's like, you know, choice is freedom, you know, and the more options we have, that's true freedom.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I absolutely 100% agree with you, you know.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: And another thing, you know, I just want to say, especially with like autoimmune disorders, for anyone listening out there, like, you know, those are extremely difficult disorders to treat.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: The medications are actually very harsh on the body.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a lot of um, there's a lot of debate in the medical community about, you know, um, the standard allopathic approach to treating things like rheumatoid arthritis or Hashimoto's or you know, any autoimmune disorder.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I've noticed in the last few years people are finally understanding that there is value in, you know, a holistic approach to 100%.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: 100%.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: And that doesn't mean that when something doesn't work holistically, I'm not gonna go to conventional, but I'm gonna take a look and see what's available to me.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_02: And when it came into formulating skincare products, I looked and I said, there's so much beautiful, clean green chemistry out there.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: Why not use it?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: Why not harness this?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when you're using you're you're getting salicylic acid and you can have it derived from wintergreen, why not make that choice if it's effective?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, same thing lycolic from caviar lime.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: Why not use that?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not here to say one is right, one is wrong.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just going to share with you why I chose the ingredients that I chose.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah, I mean, honestly, it it makes total sense to me.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that there's a huge debate in the industry right now, especially everyone's talking about clean beauty versus green beauty versus, you know, uh clinical grade skincare.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sitting here thinking, like, you know, in my head, I always think, well, if we want to talk about green beauty, we should focus more on the derivatives of, you know, plant-based products, right?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like the plant-based things.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: And there's no shame in that.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean that it's it's something that's just whipped up in a kitchen and has no medical backing or scientific backing.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, it just means that we're going to nature and saying there must be something that exists in nature that can help us.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's a it's a very interesting conversation.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: And especially, you know, when I see brands such as yours that are so well crafted and that are really doing this the right way, it makes me, you know, it really makes me want to like push, you know, my medical colleagues in the direction of just open your mind.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: Open the mind, think about it in a way that, you know, so many years ago we didn't know about so many therapies that are now approved that once again, you know, reinstating what I said, they came from nature.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, like I love that.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: I really love that.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you know, I want to move on and talk to you about like, um, you know, I know you have a huge range um in your line.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I absolutely I love that.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's great because there's something, yeah, because there's something for everybody.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, one thing um I just want to get your opinion on is right now there's a lot of talk about like minimalism and skincare and like all this stuff.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you like see that, you know, in terms of like a consumer going onto your website and then trying to pick out like a routine from the sure X really great question.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I, by the way, I'm all for it.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I don't think you now need to have the 20 zillion step.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: If that's what you're into, great, but I don't think you necessarily need to, and certainly um age can play a part of it, genetics can play a part into it.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: So for me, when we started to look at the line, we want to make sure that we were addressing different skin focuses, so like concerns.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: So you'll see we have a range that's called face for all.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: And that's really any skin type.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: You know, obviously, if you if you have a sensitivity to say strawberries, our brightening cleanser has strawberry seed oil.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe that's not their one for you, but really it's it's for you know the combination skin.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_02: Some people who have tend to be more acne prone can still use it, etc.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: So then we have a line that is really dedicated to those who have um skin sensitivities.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll give you an example.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_02: I don't, I have normal to combination skin, but I love absolutely love the soothing cleanser.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_02: So that cleanser is what I'm going to use, but it's formulated for those who have sensitivities or actual true sensitive skin so that they can feel comfortable trying that.
• 18:34
  unknown: Right.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: So you have clarity line.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Clarity is for, let's face it, people who are trying trying to get to a more clear complexion.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's really things that are addressing imperfections, maybe people who tend to have more breakouts, etc.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: So the way the line is, we have a lot of different, like say we'll have three cleansers, but they're their focus is for different skin concerns.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_02: So you can just say, wow, you know, I have more sensitive skin.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_02: We have three products.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: We have a moisturizer, we have a serum, and we have a cleanser.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: And that plus the coQ10 could be all you need.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it's kind of addressed like that.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_02: And then we have the wellness products and the body products, and that is using aromatherapy, uh aromatherapy.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_02: Try saying that five times fast.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, using those practices, and that's the scent pattern that you will have in those practice in those products.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, for example, the sleep collection, the scent is you know, vetivere, lavender, lavendulin.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: So again, you're taking the properties of those botanical extracts to kind of um, I would say, give a nod.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, obviously we have an olefactory gland, and how do we use the time and tried practices of aromatherapy into the products?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you have three different um body washes, but there are three different scent profiles, depending if you're looking for energize, right?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: Or which might have citrus or sleep or de stress, which might have some eucalyptus.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_02: So just using those scent profiles um for those products.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a little bit different the way we're looking at it, but um, I think once you you spend some time looking at your line, you're like, oh, that now makes sense.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I'm not saying you need 50 different products.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: I just want to make sure that somebody who has, you know, struggled with, you know, maintaining a clear complexion, we're giving them the tools that they can use.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: If somebody is like myself who's, you know, closer to 50, um, you know, I'm going to look towards things that are gonna boost radiance.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so going to use the products from that line.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's kind of how we've broken it out.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I love that.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I also love that you brought up um the body care um, you know, products, because I I recently have been like very much geeking out over like, you know, the value of aromatherapy in terms of just neuronal, um, just neuronal plasticity and just how our brain works.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I found so much research actually that's linking because, you know, for example, like we know a lot about our pituitary gland, you know, and this is very linked to autoimmune diseases.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, you know, we know about our pituitary gland, we know it, but we know very little about the hypothalamus.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: So there were some studies, and they they're really talking about how, you know, um, there are like, you know, there are certain things that are um elicited in terms of like, you know, smell elicits like an upregulation of certain hormonal secretions.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: It's fascinating.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_02: Very, and for someone who, I mean, listen, I autoimmune, you're speaking my language.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm proud to be a member, um, a board member for the Autoimmune Association, um, ARTA.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: I and you know, my brain tumor was coming off of my hypothalamus.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: So I took your you and I are right in line, a hundred percent.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, the other thing we've done is really taken those all you know, this.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: routine and giving you four steps where you're gonna prep your skin, you're going to you know perfect your skin.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like the the cleanser, the toner slash exfoliation, then your serums, which are like targeted, and then a moisturizer.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: We've given you that so you can say, okay, complete the ritual.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: Here's four steps.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: You can buy products that way too.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: So really trying to make it very user friendly and not so overcomplicated.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that you know one thing that I want to just point out to everyone listening is that, you know, I know there's a lot of conversation around like clinical trials and you know just like medically based research when it comes to skincare.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: But like one of my biggest arguments you know towards my colleagues who are on the other side of it is that, you know, what do you what do you prefer?
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: A study done on mice or a or something that's so organic where a brand is putting out products and then you have real people reaching out giving reviews on those products telling you that this worked for me.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: This helped me this helped clear up my acne this helped you know clear up my hyperpigmentation.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: I value that a lot you know what I mean as a medical professional because part of our training is you have to listen to the patient.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think every consumer you know there's a patient aspect to every consumer that you know indulges everybody's different 100% everybody's different.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: You know the way I'm going to react to an ingredient, a product is going to be different than how somebody else does.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I and I completely agree with you about the you know testing on mice.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: That's why we're cruelty free because I am like there are different ways to test ingredients and products these days.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's no longer necessary for us to do trials like that.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: And and the other thing is you're absolutely right you know that's why we have reviews you you know go look at it.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: Now there are products like our eye wake and eye serum where we've had clinicals done and we made sure that they were using like tool testing so people understand you know okay is it really doing anything I'm you know so we had clinicals where like for our eye wake and eye serum 100% of the consumers over four weeks saw the tool test corneometer test saw an improvement in moisture levels.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so giving people that knowledge but for me again it comes down to personal preference and really looking at how people who have similar skin concerns as you how what are they saying?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: What are they seeing?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah exactly no I I completely agree and I think that you know just it it's beautiful that you guys have such a good range and that it's so I find it to be very very inclusive you know I think your skin your line is very inclusive.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and you know that's also a topic I know that comes up a lot in the beauty industry is inclusivity.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you know I think skincare is one of those places where it's like yeah you know inclusivity is just something that is naturally done right so it's like you know when I look at a line like yours I'm like there's something here for everybody.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: And you know that that's a beautiful thing.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's something that you know it gives you a good feeling to be able to say oh I can go on to Indie Lee's website and find exactly what I need you know and that's yeah and that's so important to me.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_02: This was never just meant for products for myself.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: This was for men, women trans.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: This is for you know every skin tone you know I really wanted people to feel that this was a line that was formulated for them and with them in mind and realizing that not everybody's skin is the same.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: So let's do it by concern and focus.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: Right exactly and you know I just want to I want to tell this story actually and I think you'll appreciate it because like you know my for example my parents are you know they're raised in rural India.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: So you know there there's very little medicine like allopathic medicine available on those you know on those levels.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so I remember my mother had a story you know she had something with her eyes that was happening.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was like dryness or you know it's a skin concern right and and at that time someone some foolish person like the village medic or something gave her something that was actually a a pesticide and she put it on her eyes and she was so lucky to not like lose her eyesight.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you know and I think about things like that because I'm like you know I've seen what happens when you you know like when there are not options available for small things.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: It can cause a lot of problems and you know to be able to live in a world where we do have products like this I think that's a privilege.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know that's a huge privilege I agree.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: A hundred percent I mean I I realize that I'm so lucky to be able to have and put out what we have and I understand there's a price the price point you know sometimes it can be more expensive and that's why we can do sales and things like that.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah um but I agree it's we live in we live in a time and a place where there's such a plethora of products out there for every price range which is so incredible.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: We are so blessed to be able to have access to all these different products these days and that's why I'm always saying it's not my products versus somebody else's we can all rise with the tide my my personal hope is that people are just going to do the research and read what's in their you know read what's in their products just like they would read what's in their food that they're eating.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly no I totally agree and I think that's that's very logical of you you know that's very logical and I hope that you know all the consumers out there all of you listening like you know you've you got to do your research you know you've got to do your research you got to figure out what your body needs and and go with you know go with the options that suit you.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean if you like you mentioned earlier if you're allergic to strawberries don't go buy a cleanser that has strawberry seed oil in it you know it's the reason why I you know it's so funny it's the reason why I've always you know said don't use the word non-toxic I understand what people are trying to get at but what's toxic for me might not be toxic for you.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're allergic to peanuts and you're eating peanuts that's toxic exactly I don't have that so I can go ahead and either way but you know what I mean it's ever it's so personal.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_02: You cannot put this blanket statement I mean yes okay maybe arsenic poisonous but you know what I mean like toxic first not toxic.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: I just I that's another thing where we're again we've got to stop with the fear mongering.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and toxicity is the it's it's a it's a pharmaceutical term that implies you know a a whole different idea than I think what people understand.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know you can't you can't just throw words out there.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean go you know open a pharmacy book like a you know a farm book they're gonna tell you exactly what toxicity means you know and exactly oh so I have my physician's desk reference behind me.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's the conversations we need to start having and stop using these these terms that scare people and make them question their choices.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I think we need to be honest about it.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I do think that you know a lot of listen I know myself and I know other brands conventional and and clean we're still getting tests done you know like we have patch tests done and stuff to make sure that you feel comfortable putting it on your skin etc so I I think there's also that thought that perhaps cleaner or maybe independent beauty brands aren't necessarily having those tests done.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I just that's not necessarily the case.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: Now I can't speak for you know every brand etc but I can speak for mine.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: I know the amount of stability testing I know the patch testing that goes in for it to make sure before we ever bring it out that it has been tested for safety.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that's that's you know that's all you can do at this point.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know there's a lot of and you know I think that's another point you know it's interesting that you you say that because a lot of people are like well you know it's not it's not proven in this way or that way.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well I'm like well the FDA has a lot of things on their plate.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: They're not going to be able to go through every skincare product and be like this is approved and this is approved but they're not disapproving either.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly exactly the onus is on the brand really it's which is very different than Europe where you know consumers actually have a say you know if if uh you know okay you're not allowed to have that ingredient you know there's so many bands and they'll have to be pulled from the shelf it's very different here in the US and that's why I want people to be mindful and understand what the process is so they can make the decisions that they feel the most comfortable with it's never been for me about telling you what you can and cannot should and should not do who am I to say that for anybody other than my own self.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: Right any of us you know that applies to all of us.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: One question I do have though is you know your decision to partner up with Sephora because that's where I actually really discovered your line with Sephora and um you know what led to that well how did you decide to go with Sephora and um you know what all the things that led up to that.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know for us again it's about allowing our brands or I would say giving people availability for those and access to the products.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_02: And let's face it Sephora is fantastic.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: They have such a wide distribution and so this allows us to get our products into people's hands that they might not be able necessarily to find a lot of people like to try a product before they do it.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_02: So you know making sure we have access um to the public whether it's here in the US or our you know Sephora overseas as well has been a wonderful partnership where you know we how I don't know that we would have had such a wide distribution in um in Australia and in Singapore and Indonesia and Malaysia and it's just been incredible that Sephora would take a chance on you know an indie brand like mine overseas as well as domestically so for us it was really about finding right partners and this is how we work with all retailers is making sure it's a great partnership for both sides um and it's the right fit and um and then finding ways to support them as well.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah for us it was an amazing opportunity.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I mean I think it's a great business decision and I I you know I'm so glad because that's how I discovered you so you know I love Sephora I love uh Indy Lee I love everything about your brand and I you know I really really want to say like you know job well done you know oh my gosh thank you no truly and truly and you know I think you know if credit needs to be given where it's due and your line is definitely one that's always stood out to me you know in terms of the ingredients in terms of the packaging every aspect I mean it's just like I said earlier it's very well crafted.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: So you know I love what I do and I love the community that we're building as a result.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_02: I mean I've always said for me part of it was obviously to create this option of a line but it was also to empower people to go out there and live their healthiest life and be present and be passionate and not be like myself learning at 37 that it could all be over and really going out and grabbing life.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: And um I guess I I really do think I'm the luckiest person that I get to do that every day.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_02: And you know it's not just me.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: I would never be able to do what we've done without this incredible team that I have that are really my family.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean really the kudos go to them for continuing to support me and my dreams.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: I love that that's so beautiful I love that they're amazing.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: So everyone listening I know you've already heard of Indie Lee skincare but if you have not I really urge you check them out um leave us some feedback some comments um if you have any questions for my for me or Indy's team leave them in the comment section we'd love to hear from you and uh yeah thank you so much for this opportunity this has been so lovely thank you I greatly appreciate it I love talking about this stuff so this is amazing we'll have to do it in part two then I would love it I would absolutely honor that love that okay guys I will be back next time.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys this is Ecta I just wanted to pop in before the episode and give a huge shout out to all the listeners out there that have given me some amazing feedback when it comes to um the career advice that they've gotten from her show.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: This is so warming for my heart because this is what one of the biggest goals I had was to provide a resource for not only um beauty lovers and skincare lovers, but also for young and aspiring um professionals in this industry.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that you guys get a lot from this episode and all of our other episodes keep sending us the feedback keep sending us your comments we love hearing from you and yeah I'll let you enjoy this next one coming up thanks guys hey guys so I hope you love that episode please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: We are available on so many different platforms so wherever it is that you're tuning in just go hit subscribe you will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes this way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts brand founders industry leaders authors all the wonderful people that we host and that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of.
• 35:29
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• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: We also have a blog on Medium so if you're a reader and you love medium blogs check us out on Medium.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast and it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: So check us out leave us a comment leave us a review and we'll be back next time with another episode.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.