USA
Grace Robinson November 9, 2020
Indie Lee was inspired to develop a safe and clean beauty brand after receiving a shocking diagnosis: a life-threatening brain tumor. She did not think to attribute her health crisis to the skincare products she used daily. Indie had been living a healthy lifestyle, so when her doctor told her the tumor might have been environmentally derived, she questioned the cause. She discovered that the skincare products she was using were made with toxic ingredients. Her research taught her that the ingredients she put on her face were just as important to her health as the food she ate.
Indie Lee’s process to create a safe and clean beauty brand meant avoiding over 1300 conventional ingredients often used in beauty products. She carefully selects clean ingredients for all of her products including Squalane Oil, which Indie tells us our body naturally produces until our mid-twenties and is beneficial to continue implementing in our everyday skincare products. With the help of some of the world’s leading chemists, Indie Lee is dedicated to educating the beauty community about the harmful ingredients that appear in conventional skincare products, and why clean and sustainable beauty should be the standard.
Mood of Living: Where did you grow up?
Indie Lee: East Setauket, NY
MoL: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
IL: I went to State University of New York College at Oswego and studied Accounting, Finance, and Economics.
MoL: What was your profession before starting Indie Lee?
IL: I’m a CPA so I worked at a Big 4 Accounting firm then went to HBO and managed their International finance division – very different from what I do now!
MoL: What influenced you to start your own skincare line?
IL: In 2008, after losing vision in my left eye, I was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor and given as little as six months to live. It stopped me in my tracks – I had been living a healthy life and at the time I was growing edible flowers in the greenhouse in my backyard and selling them to Whole Foods. I was eating healthily and exercising, plus there was no history of this in my family. When I asked how this was possible, my doctor asked me a life-changing question – “What do you put on your skin?” That was my awakening. The truth was I had no idea what I was putting on my skin. I started researching and the more I learned, the more I knew that I had to make a change in the industry. After successfully surviving surgery, I started creating clean products dedicated to educating and empowering others to live the healthiest version of their life. I haven’t stopped since.
MoL: How did you have the courage to form your own business? Were you prepared?
IL: I would say it was less about courage and more about a deep desire to create change. After my diagnosis, I began researching the personal care industry and was floored by what I found – suspect ingredients and little regulation. I knew I had to make it my mission to educate and empower. The journey was mine to forge.
MoL: What does “clean” beauty mean for the Indie Lee company? What SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) do you implement in your business that are helping in the positive transformation of our world?
IL: We as a brand believe in ingredients that come from nature — from our fields, mountains, and oceans — and using science to amplify their benefits without harming animals or the planet in the process. We’re also taking measures to have our products COSMOS certified, which is one of the leading third-party global certification processes. It’s regulated by leaders in biodiversity safety and sustainability. As there is little regulation in the US personal care industry, we believe that COSMOS was the right global certification to seek. It’s an ever-changing certification, meaning we will continuously hold ourselves accountable to the highest standard. It means our third-party partners are held to these standards as well.
MoL: What are the benefits of using clean beauty products? What is Squalane Oil and what are the benefits of using it in your products?
IL: One of the most commonly asked questions is, ‘Do you think that clean beauty is as effective as its less natural counterparts?’ My answer to this is 100% yes. I believe that the clean products available in today’s market are competitive with, if not superior to, conventional products. It may be a more rigorous process in terms of getting the product to market, but that’s what we’re committed to and we don’t cut corners. Clean beauty is not a fad or a trend, it’s the new standard.
Squalane Oil, of course, is one of my favorites – it’s such a magic ingredient. Our body naturally produces it until our mid-twenties and then production begins to drop off, which is why using it in skincare products is so beneficial. It absorbs so easily and effectively into the skin. For this reason, it has amazing intensive moisturizing benefits and works well for all skin.
MoL: With over 1300 banned ingredients, have you found it difficult to create products that avoid them?
IL: Finding and using the right clean ingredients vs. conventional ingredients will always be more challenging, as they are not as readily available. That being said, clean technology has come so far. It’s not what it was 11 years ago, or even 5 years ago. With every product, we carefully select the ingredients with intention, each one has a purpose. We source the finest ingredients from our mountains, fields, and oceans without harming animals – some are tried and true that have been used for thousands of years and others that are newer and cutting edge. Mainly, we are looking for botanicals that are known for high-performance within the category.
MoL: Where do you manufacture your products? Do you own your manufacturing company or do you outsource?
IL: When I first started the brand 11 years ago, I was creating the products in my home lab with ingredients from my greenhouse. Needless to say, we’ve come a long way! We are now able to work with some of the world’s leading chemists and formulators to bring clean, efficacious products to the market.
MoL: What have been your biggest challenges creating this beauty brand, and what have you learned from them?
IL: Starting the brand was challenging – I had no beauty experience and no industry connections, but I was on a mission and I found my way. I’m incredibly grateful for that journey and where it has brought me today. I learned that the clean beauty space is such a supportive community. When one of us rises, we all rise. The community I’ve found was something I was not expecting and has been one of my favorite parts of creating this company.
MoL: What advice can you give anyone interested in starting their own sustainable beauty business?
IL: Always believe in yourself and what you are creating. There will be ups and downs, but don’t let a few closed doors derail you from following your dreams. Being an entrepreneur is a lot of late nights and long hours, but again if you love what you do, those times evolve from difficult moments into rewarding lessons. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Knowing what you don’t know and asking others to help can be a superpower.
MoL: Do you live a sustainable life, and if so how?
IL: Sustainability is something that is very important to me, I truly believe we need to live as stewards of the earth. I also think the little things can really add up – carrying a reusable water bottle, refusing single-use straws.
MoL: What other projects are you working on that you would like to tell us about?
IL: We’re continuing to push the envelope of clean technology and expand internationally – stay tuned!
Photography courtesy of Indie Lee
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