Latest / Skin Anarchy / Learning To Love Intimate Skin Care As Much We Love Facial Skin Care Featuring LUNA Daily Founder Katy Cottam

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Learning To Love Intimate Skin Care As Much We Love Facial Skin Care Featuring LUNA Daily Founder Katy Cottam · Skin Anarchy

• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I am so excited about our request today.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I am really loving this brand lately.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have been kind of trying to shine a brighter light on body care um in general.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that there are not enough brands out there, you know, at all, in my honest opinion.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: But the few that are really out there and doing a great job, I really, really applaud them every chance I get.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And this is definitely one of them.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the founder of Luna Daily, Katie Cottum.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, welcome to the show, Katie.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to host you.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Hector.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's an absolute pleasure to be here.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's uh it's my honor to host you.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I, like I said, I'm a huge fan of your brand.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we did feature you guys in the top picks for Skin Kenariki this year, and um I just I I've been really enjoying your products and I can't wait to learn all about them.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I really want to learn um first and foremost about you and and the vision and where it really began uh for the brand, if you could walk us down memory lane.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Of course I can.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so I suppose the brand really starts with my own personal experience.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but jumping forward, I've also spent my whole career, pretty much my whole career, in the beauty walmor space.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I started out at L'Oreal, uh, worked across many categories and many brands uh before specialising in makeup, and I worked at a brand called Maybelline, which is the big brand globally.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: And most recently I was global head of brand at Charlotte Tilbury, um, the not now not so small skincare makeup giant uh based here in London.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but the idea for Luna Daily actually came well before my career.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: I had been studying abroad uh in India and I came home and I was really unwell.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I was put in a course of antibiotics for six weeks, which if you've ever been on antibiotics, even you know, a typical course can be quite intensive.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: And this antibiotic course fundamentally changed my entire microbiome.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: My skin microbiome, my gut microbiome, I was really, really unwell.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it had a profound impact on my whole.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna redo that because my watch made a noise.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it had a profound impact on my skin microbiome, my gut microbiome.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for the first time in my life, I got a yeast infection.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'd never had one before.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I can still today remember the feelings of shame and embarrassment and confusion.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: And importantly for me, from that moment onwards, I wasn't able to use traditional body products, be it shower gels, soaps, other products to care for my intimate skin.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: But I really resented that the only options available to me were these niche use, highly synthetic, highly updated um plethora or lack of plethora, let's say, of brands, which still for the most part today sit in a category we call the feminine hygiene category, uh, with deep-rooted shame, stigma, taboo associated with them.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: And ever since that moment as a teenager, I felt like this is an underserving category for women.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I've always, you know, I've had that thought ever since then.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, the the penny drop aha moment for me was it was pandemic one, so during COVID.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: And by that point, I'd told several friends about, you know, this idea I'd had.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: And the most consistent reaction was that a friend would open up the bathroom cupboard, and they too were hiding an intimate care product in their cupboard, ashamed that they were using one.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I suppose for me, you know, what the pandemic taught me is that life is short and there's never going to be a good time to do anything.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to give, you know, I had to go give it a go.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so to cut a long story short, uh we conducted some pioneering research with a thousand women of all ages, stages, and skin types, which reaffirmed that I was not alone in my feelings and my wants for a change in this category.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I built out the Loon Daily Collective, which is a cohort of wonderful female dermatologists, gynecologists, and other medical professionals such as pulpit floor physiotherapists, and set out to create Luna Daily.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so our strap line is head, vulva, knees and toes.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: And we we are all about microbiome balancing body care for all your skin, even your most intimate, catering to women through every stage of womanhood.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: I love, I mean, I love that you have such a strong um backstory to go with the brand because I think it's a very important topic that you brought up.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I can't tell you how many times, Katie, I I have to like, you know, remind even like my family members.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like my mother was recently on antibiotics, and I have to always like give the preface, you know, I feel like growing up, they always told us eat yogurt.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're on antibiotics, eat yogurt.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it was like, we all knew it, but we didn't really understand why.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we kind of just did things and um because our doctor told us to, but we're coming into this age now where women are um we're finally, I think, realizing that we have to take our health into our own hands and be more understanding of what's really going on, you know, and and really understand our bodies and and why we do what we do and why we have to take certain precautionary measures versus when we don't have to.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you brought up the antibiotic subject because um, you know, oftentimes, even in this day and age, with all the education out here, I often see a lot of women do suffer from this.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and and it shouldn't have to be like that.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: It shouldn't have to be um in a place anymore where we have to deal with something like a yeast infection or, you know, um something that's just because what antibiotics are doing is they're killing off all of your bacteria.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter where it is.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're taking oral antibiotics systemically, they're gonna kill everything, you know, and especially like broad spectrum.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, oftentimes we have these like, you know, side effects and these like sequelae that results, and we're left in a very awkward position.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a very important topic.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, we're definitely seeing a turn as far as the consumers go in this area where I think we're getting more educated, we're understanding our bodies better, but there's still a huge white space here, I feel like, you know, in terms of educating, in terms of um really kind of shining that light.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that you, you know, you're able to share that as part of your journey because it's a huge area, you know, that needs to be discussed.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I agree with you.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I mean, obviously preaching to the converted here, but you know, the importance of skin barrier health and the importance of the skin microbiome all over our body has really grown in the last few years in terms of people's understanding of it.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and but I still think there's a long way to go in terms of understanding it.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for me, it wasn't until I was on this really intensive course of antibiotics that it presented itself to me.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: But the truth is, all of our bodies would be much better off if we were using products that are gentle, but also that are microbiome balancing.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if you think about a you know, a pH scale, um, you know, water is neutral at pH 7.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Our skin microbiome, or typically people's skin microbiome is around four or five, so it's acidic.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if you think about, you know, typically shampoos, shampoos are anywhere between pH 8 to 10.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Normal soap is pH 12, and bleach is pH 13.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: And irrelevant of whether you have supersensitive skin or you're using products on more sensitive areas like intimate skin, all of our bodies would be better off with more suitable products for our skin microbiome.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: So the lunar daily range is actually between pH 4 or 5, so it's balanced for typical skin microbiome.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: But skin imbalance by the microbiome is one of the leading causes if you suffer from dry skin, flaky skin, redness, eczema, um, you know, and actually all of our skin would be much better off with more suitable microbiome balancing products.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's just that in an area like intimate areas, particularly because it's very close to the vagina, which is even more acidic than the skinny microbiome, although you should never use products or anything inside the vagina because it's completely self-cleaning, because the vulva is near the vagina, it's more likely that you might present issues or sensitivities in that area.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: But really, I want to educate all people about microbiome balance in body care for all of all of their bodies and everywhere on their body, uh, including intimate areas.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I I I love that.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: I love your mission because it's very important, like you said, yeah, you know, it's it's important to understand the pH levels.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's so much more than just I think um, you know, you want to have beautiful skin at this point.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's really about the health.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with pH, it really kind of for me as a scientist, it really rings a bell in so many areas because I think that oftentimes a lot of the things that we experience is really the result of one missing factor, you know, one thing that is out of bounds.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times with a lot of um, you know, facial skin issues, right?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: We deal with, for example, like all of a sudden your eczema um, you know, prone.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: All of a sudden people experience that after a pregnancy, for example, you know, or all of a sudden you're having adult acne breakouts.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes patients will find that it's really coming down to one thing.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times that's things like pH or moisturization, you know, properly, you know, proper moisture in your skin, uh, not destroying your skin barrier.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, these kind of things are just hallmark, you know, left like you have to have them, you know, balanced so that you can thrive overall.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then everything else becomes a peripheral issue.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes peripheral.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so with pH, I completely agree with you.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's such an important topic.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: And especially with, you know, the more intimate areas.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, pH is something we've never really talked about.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I know we're finally coming to the point as, you know, a society where we understand skin pH is the real thing.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you have to keep your acid mantle balanced, you have to keep your skin barrier protected and, you know, in good integrity and all that.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: But I think at the end of the day, the pH, it works on so many levels.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to fight off the bad stuff.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to act as a protection mechanism, you know, for your body.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's going to act as something that's, you know, preventative, you know, for future infections.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's so many roles that are being played by the pH and keeping it stable, you know, day in and day out.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's a huge task.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that you've created products that are really geared at like a major concern, but you've also added in, you know, just something I really want to talk to you about is that usually I don't see like the balancing.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you have the prebiotics in there, you have the vitamin C, the vitamin E, you have all these wonderful ingredients that are also nourishing, you know what I mean, at the same time.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I would love to talk to you and shift gears and focus on the formulation for a little bit.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how was that for you?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: How many iterations were there, you know, when you were coming up with the products?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, because they're very, very, you know, they're beautiful products.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: So uh yeah, of course.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, you make a really good point, um, Hector, that yes, pH is really important, but it's not the only thing we thought about when thinking about the science behind the Ludady products.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I suppose at a broad level, there are a few a few ethoses that were really important to me.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that's partly through my experience developing products most of my career, but also things that I knew that were just really, really important to me.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the first is that we have an ingredients ethos, which is we only include natural and necessary ingredients.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that is not to say we are always 100% natural, because actually being 100% natural is not always the best, it's not always the most sustainable ingredient, it's not always the most efficace effect, uh, it's not always the most sustainable ingredients, and it's not always the ingredient with the highest efficacy, but only natural and necessary.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: So ingredients that really need to be in there.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: No ingredients in there, you know, for commercial shortcuts or to fill it out or for the sake of it.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the second is we developed a trademark-based formulation called Thermobiome Plus.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: And thermobiome plus is made up of three key components, and they are designed to balance, to nourish, and protect the skin.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: And the idea of thermobiome plus really came from a personal gripe, which is in every other area of our body, be it facial skin care, wider body care, hair care, we don't just talk about washing, you know, we don't just talk about cleaning.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: And this category for so long, even the name Feminine Hygiene has been focused on let's clean something that's dirty.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas I really wanted Luna Daly's positioning to be around protecting, balancing, and strengthening the skin microbiome, not just washing, you know, we can just wash anywhere on a body with water if we so please.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so thermobiome plus is made up of thermal water.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: So thermal water has an exceptionally rich mineral content, especially rich in things like selenium and magnesium.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really good at map mirroring the natural moisturization factor of the skin.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Hector, we you could probably name several brands that have built their entire positioning around the benefits of thermal water.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: The second, as you mentioned, is a prebiotic blend.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we have a plant-based prebiotic blend of inolin and lactic acid, and they really help foster the natural, a healthy natural microbiome and the correct pH of the skin.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: And the third is a vitamin complex or vitamins C, E, and F.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: So to your point, well read about, sorry, to your point earlier, um, well documented, you know, the benefits of deep nourishment, moisturization, hydration, and protection.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that base formula, that base formulation runs across all the core Luny products.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the second thing I really wanted to consider is how do we cater for women of all ages, stages, and skin types.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, everyone's womanhood journey is different, and we are all very different in our skin types and our needs.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so we have three curated ranges.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: So we have our original range, uh, which is for all skin types, we have a fragrance-free range, which is suitable for super sensitive or allergy-prone skin, and we have a hydrating range, which is suitable for those with super dry or dehydrated skin, but also it means that we cater for women through different life stages.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: So be it you, you know, you're on your period and you're more sensitive than usual, you're going through approaching or post-motherhood, or your perimenopausal or menopausal.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so really trying to cater for all different ages, stages, and skin types.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, and then I suppose the final thing when thinking about the range, you know, we've talked about them being pH balanced, um, not containing any harsh chemicals, sulfates, etc.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: All of them are soap-free, because as we've discussed, you know, soap by definition is an irritant.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but also really thinking about what we weren't going to put in the products.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Then, really, what was important to me was by format.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how do we cater for women and people with bulbers, not just through different life stages, but through different life moments and different preferences.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh we have products that you can use at home in the bathroom, um, so shower products.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: So we have um an everywhere wash and we have an everywhere no soap bar, so a solid, waterless format.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: We then have a product called the Everything Oil, which is designed, well it's clinically proven to reduce the appearance of redness, ingrown hairs, bumps, dark spots.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it's perfect pre or post-shower, it's perfect pre or post-wax or shave, or even if you don't, you know, if you if you don't shave or wax, it's perfect for hair both intimately and on other areas.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and finally, we developed a product called the spray to wipe.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: And the insight for this product is that we knew from our focus groups and from the data that women wanted to freshen up on the go.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: If you're on your period, if you're after the gym, if you're running between meetings, pre- and post-sex, but we just couldn't sign up to the negative impact of single-use wipes.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Most wipes uh contain microplastics which bioaccumulates in the environment.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Most of them are not biodegradable, flushable, or recyclable.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we invented the spray to wipe, which the idea is you spray it directly onto skin or onto a piece of toilet tissue, and it turns it into an instant cleansing, refreshing wipe that is both flushable, biodegradable, and recyclable.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: And one bottle is the equivalent to 300 wipes.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's the perfect on the go solution for women wanting to freshen up while they're on the go.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: That is so I love how innovative that is.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: I honestly I remember when I first saw that product, it was immediately like a no-brainer for me.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this is going to become a part of my routine, you know, like this is something I'm going to have with me at all times.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's a beautiful idea.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the products, you know, I just want to say, Katie, like they really speak for themselves, honestly.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I have, I, you know, I'm very proud to say these are the products I use on the daily, you know, for just everyday carrots.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously, intimate care is a huge part of what you guys are doing, but it's also just every day, you know, even if you're like, I don't know, in a really sweaty situation, you know what I mean, you want to clean your underarms, you can use the spray for that as well.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: You don't, it doesn't have to be just intimate areas.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I really think is important here for people to realize is that, you know, just products like this that are formulated well, they will be used everywhere.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: They can be used everywhere.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: And there's stuff, there it's stuff that's gonna make your life easier on the go.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with a lot of, you know, brands, past brands that I've, you know, utilized or I've seen or I've kind of shied away from, it is that factor that you had kind of mentioned, right?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's the idea of like, I don't want to put this away in my cupboard and close it and hide it and put it under my, you know, stuff in my bag.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it shouldn't be an issue, right?
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: It shouldn't be something that we're like hiding away from the world because we're so embarrassed that we're using products labeled as feminine care or intimate care.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: It should just blend into our routine.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: It should be like anything else, you know.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: I don't hide my facial serums, you know, I don't hide my uh, you know, wipes for my face.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why should I have to do that with anything else?
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think the idea that what you've created here, I mean, it comes off really, really like strongly for I think most of us that are just looking for something that's going to work, you know, at the end of the day.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's really not about um, I want specifically intimate care.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: Of course we do.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: We're looking for that, but it's also about what is going to make me feel comfortable.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think that a lot of times that becomes your intimate care products.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever products make you feel the most comfortable, make you feel like you're being taken care of and they're well formulated.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I really asked you about the formulations because they're just brilliant.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I mean, they work really, really well.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: The science adds up, you know, it's really good for your skin no matter what.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: That was that was the very first insight behind the brand that, you know, when I've when I whilst I don't agree with what the feminine hygiene industry have marketed to women for years, which is you need specific products for your vulva because it's different, uh, I don't agree with that because um it's not true, you know, vulval skin is just skin.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, it's very similar to the skin we have under our arms, which is why typically people grow pubic hair on their vulva and under their arms.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's just skin.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so, whilst I don't agree with what the feminine hygiene industry has marketed to women for years, I do understand why a woman would want to use a product to cleanse their vulva because I do.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not because I want it to smell like roses or because I believe in industry fads, it's because I see it no different to the skin under my arms.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: And my preference, and you know, for 64% of women that we spoke to in our survey, people want to use products on their internal skin.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: But my gripe was, you know, why is it that we're so confused about an area of our body that is so important?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Why is it that you have to have specific products for your vulva?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, what why has this existed for so long?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: And that has been a really important thread that has run through the formulation of the products because I really see Luna Daily as not revolutionizing an existing category, but creating a new category altogether.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we do that by resolving the tensions which have existed in both categories.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if you think about the intimate care category, yes, there are products that have been formulated to be suitable for intimate skin.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, there is definitely a lack of natural performance-driven options, and whilst they're functional, they're not particularly enjoyable to use.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they work, they're fine, but they're not enjoyable to use.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: You certainly wouldn't want to use them anywhere else.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: And for most people, you certainly wouldn't want to have them out on the bathroom shelf because they're designed in a way where the naming of them is not particularly pleasant, the conventions and the existing stigma and taboo, but also from a formulation perspective, they're not enjoyable.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they they're very functional, very sort of, if I'm honest, quite lazy, cheaply made.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but it's not logical, it's not logical at the end of the day.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: I completely agree with you.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: And on the other side, you've got this huge booming body care category with a plethora of beautiful products, probably very enjoyable.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they all smell amazing, and all but there are lots of options where they smell amazing, they're highly fragranced, um, they're much more enjoyable to use, uh, but unfortunately often not formulated for intimate skin because they're either very high pHs, they're full of very rich fragrances or essential oils or allergens, and therefore, unfortunately, are causing problems for women.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: So 43% of women in our research um had experienced a gynecological problem as a result of their washing routine.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: So nearly one in two women is experiencing a gynecological issue because of their washing routine.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: And therefore, what I really want to do with Luna Daily is create products that are suitable for intimate skin, have been tested on all skin types and all areas of the body, that they work, they're highly efficus, but also they're really enjoyable to use.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: So when you use a lunadaily product, like honestly, you use a lunadily overwear wash and you are converted, not just because it feels so beautiful on the skin, because your skin feels super silky soft, and you don't have that horrible feeling after a bar of soap that is you know tight and dry and almost squeaky clean because soap has literally stripped your body of all bacteria.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but also they they really work and so they're really enjoyable to use, but also you really trust that you can use them everywhere.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's the added benefit of great, I don't have to have separate products for different areas of my body, and I don't have to be embarrassed that I'm hiding this feminine hygiene product in my cupboard.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so that was it, it's been a really important thread, but I have to say, you know, I'm I'm so flattered at you know how much an expert like yourself actor loves the products, but I can't take all credit.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I work with what I believe to be the best formulators and labs in the world.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: I have the Luna Daily Medical Collective who support me from everything from product briefings to through product iteration to product education.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think I think the I think on one product we had 18 versions.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the highest number we have.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, it shows though, it's it's professional.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: The line is beautiful.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I guess 18 iterations, if that's what it took, that's what it took, you know.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: But no, you know, I actually, you know, one one thing really came to mind, Katie, when you're when you're explaining, and it's really the idea of education again for me, because I I kid you not, you know, I'm not an OB and I have so much respect for my colleagues, you know, that are in this um, you know, specialty.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I've had this conversation with some of them, you know, before where we have now things like, for example, um you might be aware of it, like the HPV vaccine is now very readily available to young girls and to women, you know, young women.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we all encourage you as healthcare providers, you know, if you go to your family care doctor, they're going to recommend it in your normal regimen of vaccinations, right?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: Something like that.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, and they're gonna recommend things like, you know, protect yourself while you're having, you know, any kind of sexual intercourse or any kind of, you know, uh sexual acts.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: You need to be protected at all times.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this idea and you know, this idea of preventative care, right, when it comes to women's sexual well-being and just intimate well-being has been very much ingrained in the medical community now, to where we're now recommending things to, right?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: As patients, as people, even you know, our families will recommend things because we've learned it in a book, you know, it's in a textbook now.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: So now it leaves this question unanswered, which is well, what about OTC care?
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: What about the over-the-counter stuff?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Where why are we not educating our youth about daily habits that are going to keep you healthy?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, these are real questions.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when I look at women's care and I look at intimate care, one of my biggest like cringe points, right, with it for so long had been you make you make it so unapproachable for young women.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: You make it so hard for them to go and you know explore and feel like they're not being like, you know, cringy and they don't have this big bottle sitting on their shelf.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if one of their friends comes over or whatever that might be for them, that's going to embarrass them.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been like that for so long.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I get very, very excited when I see someone creating something so beautiful.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the way that Luna Daily has been created, the packaging, the vibe, the obviously the formulations.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's hitting so many more points than just it's a great product.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: You should try it.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's really hitting uh philosophy, you know, that I personally have been struggling with for a long time.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, as a woman, as a person, as a as an educator, I think it's so important that, you know, we need to bring these kind of products out into the limelight much more now because we are seeing, you know, there is a shift now in consumer habits.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: We do, like you said, want to take care of the intimate areas, but now we also have options and we are able to then pass on those options to our, you know, our nieces or our friends or our, you know, whoever, right?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's like a creating a habit, teaching good habits and teaching the foundation of creating new habits.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: That all of that ties in to products like this.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I'm just I'm very passionate about what you guys are doing, what you're doing.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean, I really applaud your team because this is a really great, you know, white space to fill.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think, you know, you're really paving the path for a lot of brands because it's going to become, I think, easier, you know what I mean, for the generations to come to like not go through what we did, you know what I mean?
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: With like Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's so much of what you said, Ector, there just so rings true for me personally.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, yes, and it's a really important part of the brand's success and the brand focus is on developing truly innovative best in class products, but it's not all we care about or we stand for.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: And normalizing conversations and revolutionising education are two really important pillars of the brand because ultimately the problem stems so much bigger than a lack of good products available and choices for women in terms of the product category.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: And actually, it all starts, unfortunately, with education.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: You know, most of us, 87% of us, were not taught about intimate care at school.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: Most brands that market to women on social channels, which is now, you know, social media is the number four, number two form of education for women, have had ads blocked.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, even using words like vulva and vagina are some of the most blocked ads on platforms like Meta.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and what that means is this lack of education fuels the confusion.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: You know, every every 0.6 seconds, somebody googles how do I wash my vagina?
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: And considering the vagina is the internal self-cleaning mechanism of the VML astomy, that you never need to put any products in even water, what that means is that one in three women are still washing inside the vagina.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: If that was any other body part, you know, somebody was washing incorrectly, we we would have spoken about that, it would have been educated, it would have been talked about.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: But because we're not taught about this and because nobody talks about it, the fact that one in three women are still washing inside the vagina, which is self-cleaning, and nobody really knows the difference between a vagina and a vulva, you know, the word vulva wasn't even was not in my vernacular growing up.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: We really have like a female health crisis that is not being spoken about because no one is talking in general, and so I'm really passionate about trying to revolutionize education, both the education that we can offer through our own platforms, but also how we could work with schools and other other other programs and platforms to try and help education.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: But even along and alongside that, around how we normalize the conversation.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I am yeah, I am proof that I spent now four years talking about this, that I no longer feel like I felt as a teenager.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm no longer embarrassed to say that I had a yeast infection or that I can use the word vulva.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I use vulvas in most conversations these days, and I am proof that if you normalize the conversation and you use anatomically correct language and we normalize it just like any other body part, it's no longer embarrassing.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I want more people to feel like I feel now and less people to feel like I felt like as a teenager, and that's a really important part of my mission that you know we don't just create a new category of products that help reduce stigma and shame and in and mean that women can have happier, healthier lives by their routines, but also prenormalizing conversations and and trying to revolutionize education.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: I really love I love that you were you've put so much thought into it, you know, and I think that's really where um for me products stand out when I see founders have done that.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think it shows very clearly, you know what I mean?
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's a really like it's a bright star almost, you know, in a very, very dark sky when you look at a brand and you know that there's been a lot of love and a lot of thought poured into it, into every detail.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm more, I am so much more about those brands as a consumer than I am just going to any store and picking up whatever I find on the shelves.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, I don't know, call me crazy, but I do a lot of homework into any brand that I really actually incorporate into my routine.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I, and I think as consumers, we're we're getting there.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that we're getting there because that it really comes down to what you said, Katie.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's about this, you know, um, it's a deeper level that we're going into now, you know, is we're thinking deeper, we're understanding, we're doing things that we haven't really been able to do before out of whatever that might have been, you know, societal problems or you know, concerns or whatever.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: But now we're turning that corner.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: And now that we're turning the corner, we need new tools, you know, in our toolbox to be able to utilize and to be able to share and understand and and like you said, use the correct anatomical terms, use the correct language, you know, the correct understanding.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that blows my mind, the statistic that you shared, you know, about cleaning inside of the vagina and why I'm not seeing that, even as in the healthcare field, I'm not seeing that, you know, and for all my listeners out there who are in the healthcare profession, I mean, when's the last time you guys saw it in any of the clinics or hospitals that we work at that you're not supposed to clean inside of the actual vagina?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't seen it, you know, very much.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like in just normal, I mean, obviously when you go to the OB, they're gonna tell you, but otherwise, you're not gonna see it around very often.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to other things, you know, like vaccines, flu, whatever, like we have it plastered on every wall.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: But here's something that we deal with on a daily level and we're not even addressing it.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it just, it blows my mind.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, I'm I'm with you, you know, with the shock factor on that one.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: If it's been but I want to ask you actually, Katie, I know that in, you know, being an entrepreneur is not easy.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I you have such an impressive background.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I really would love to get your, you know, just your perspective on how this journey has been for you, especially coming into this really, you know, clear white space, right, with products and becoming successful.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you guys are already in Sephora, you're you're doing wonderful.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I love the products.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: I I know that for everyone listening out there, if you've tried them, I'm sure you would agree with me.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, how has that been for you, like as an entrepreneur, you know, coming into this on your own and making the brand grow so beautifully?
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I suppose there's sort of three things that come to mind.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and if I try and frame this to being, you know, the most helpful for anyone that's potentially listening, I think the first is I really have had a career setting me up for this.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it really does feel like I haven't quite worked out whether subconsciously I went and pursued a career that meant I was going to be set up to do this, or it's serendipity or a bit of both.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: But if I think about the two, the most what I think are the most important factors when setting up a successful business, the first is having a deep, deep understanding of the category.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, having a career in beauty wellness spanning both you know product development, manufacturing, through brand positioning, marketing, etc.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, all of my experiences in my whole career have been that.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really I I've really had a really you know deep understanding of beauty of the category of ingredients, of formulations, and of what is needed to create the the world's best products, you know, through formulation, uh testing, you know, safety, efficacy, regulatory, all the way through to the stuff that is more magic dust, you know, beautiful packaging and and branding and um storytelling.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so that I think is gonna you know is a critical part of um I I think it would be in I think it would be really difficult to launch a brand without personal experience.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think you have to have as connected experience as my own person experience, uh, but I think that's definitely helped because I am definitely my consumer, and so I think that has definitely helped.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: The second thing I think is having experience of startup life.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: So in between L'Oreal and Charlotte Tilbury, I spent four years at a plant-based food company here in the UK, and I was the fifth founding member and I joined in year one, and those four years were my how you run a business schooling.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if L'Oreal and Charlotte Tilbury were beauty worms, that was my how you run a business.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, everything from you know, scrappy startup scale up to having no money to convince the people to help you, to you know, manufacturing, supply chain, investment, all the rest of it.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: And really those four years were critical.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: I would not be able to be doing this having not spent um those four years and and seeing firsthand, you know.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: I remember when I I left there, I thought to myself, God, I can't do it, it's too hard.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's just too hard.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: But I really, I really had eyes wide open, knowing what what it was going to require, what would be needed.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: And the final thing is you said then, you know, I set this up on my own.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: I really haven't.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: I've had a phenomenal group of people around me from the very beginning, and that doesn't mean you know, a full-time paid team, which hasn't come till much later.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but in those early stages, surrounding myself with the most wonderful minds and expertise.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: So, what I what I basically did is I thought for every function within the business, be it operations, commercial, supply chain, finance, marketing, um, mentorship for me personally, who are the best people I've ever met in my career?
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: And how can I go about and convince them to come on this journey with me and help me?
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so, very early on, I had a group of advisors who have now formed you know our advisory board who have been supporting me.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: And both through my own networks, through my experience in you know in this field, uh, but also their networks, um, I've been phenomenally well supported.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: The I think the beauty space is one of the most amazing spaces to work in, but particularly when I have had this female focused founder-led lens on it, it's been the most supportive, um, the most supportive community I've ever been around.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so really I I've been fortunate that I feel like I've had that since the very beginning, even though if, you know, on paper, I'm a sole founder.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: No, I mean I love that though.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you're, you know, you are surrounded by such supporting, you know, um, team members and and colleagues.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I I love, I think that's very important because it does take a village, you know, with everything.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: It definitely takes a village.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'm just so grateful that you guys did what you did and you're you're doing what you're doing because this is really for me, you know, as a consumer, it's a huge, I think, leap forward, you know, in this category.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I just I'm so excited to see where the brand goes and you know, just all the beautiful expansions that you guys might have coming up.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you can give us a little insight.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: What is coming up for Luna Daily?
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, do we have any new products on the horizon or what's next?
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: So our big mission is to connect women of all ages and stages to each other and their entire bodies, and therefore, you will see, without revealing too much, you will see the Luna Daily range expand into those different life stages, you know, daily care through motherhood and menopause.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: And the beauty of the Loon Daily brand of positioning is that we can extend into multiple categories and multiple stages of life, and honestly, there are so many underserving categories and subcategories for women.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, that same stigma, shame, confusion exists at every life stage for women, and the lack of high performance, enjoyable products that you can use, multi-functional, multi-symptom, also is lacking.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so, I really feel the opportunity for us to expand into adjacent subcategories that are underserving for women, the opportunity is so right for us.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you'll definitely see a plethora of innovation within those subcategories, um, or with our overarching members of microbiomass and body care for all skin, even intimate skin.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um in terms of um our kind of wider expansion plans, you know, we are we're a British race brand, but we're we're a big omni-channel vision, omni-channel global vision.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so Sephora is our US partner.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so Sephora is our partner in the US.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: You'll also see us expand on Home Turf in the UK as well as other key global markets, because really this is a global, a global trend that um that is a global trend that continues to grow, and that that consumer needs state exists globally, and therefore it's really important that we show up in those environments.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, absolutely.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is a global, definitely a global concern in the sense that you know you're really making an impact.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: You really are, you know, at the end of the day, you know, you know, in the US we have the whole debacle with the Roe v.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: Wade and all that, it has brought up so many issues, you know what I mean?
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: Outside of just reproductive health, it's brought up so many concerns around intimate care and stuff, around everything.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we in the US are always like, I think, right now, as consumers, at least the the ones I speak to and myself included, we're very, very keen on products that are, you know, really hitting the sore spot, you know, in a way and showing us that there are brands out here that care, you know, about women's health.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like they really care and they're here to make a difference.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: And they're, you know, we are going through some transitions, but there's a lot of people that you can lean on.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of brands you can lean on for to get good care, you know, OTC.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's huge for us.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think as a US market, I mean, what from from what I've heard through friends, colleagues, whatnot, it's huge, you know, right now.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'm just so glad that you guys are doing it and you're doing it right.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a global, the global impact.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that's so important.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I just I applaud you for all the efforts and all of the beautiful vision that you have because it's so needed.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see what you guys do next.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for for sharing with us, for coming on the show.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's been such a lovely, you know, time chatting with you.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love to hear about all of your new um, you know, product launches or what, you know, whatnot in the future.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you ever so much yourself, actually.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's been an absolute pleasure.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, likewise.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_00: And for everyone listening, if you have not already, please check out Luna Daily.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: You can um, you know, definitely catch them and everything tagged in the concept art for this episode.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I really, really encourage you guys.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think, you know, especially all of our female listeners out there, um, the majority of our listeners are female, so you guys get it.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's a really tough category.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the better options we have, the better our life feels, and it's easier to go about your day to day.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I really encourage you guys to check out the brand.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I'll be tagging them if you have any questions, concerns, comments, leave them, email us, you know, let us know.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you so much for tuning in.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_00: I will be back.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 39:02
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• 39:07
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• 39:09
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• 39:24
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• 40:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.