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- [00:01]
A
This episode is brought to you by Chase for Business.
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B
I'm Josh Christensen, executive producer of Ink Podcasts, and this is from the ground up. Today we have a panel from this past year's Inc. Founders House at South by Southwest, where staff reporter Chloe Aiello sat down with actor, producer, and entrepreneur Lili Reinhart. They discuss how her struggle with acne inspired her to launch a new skincare company called Personal Day. Enjoy.
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A
Hi, everyone. I am so thrilled to introduce our next guest. You all know her and love her. This is Lili Reinhart. She's an actor, a producer, an entrepreneur, and she launched her skincare company Personal Day just last year in October. It was years in the making, and it comes from a very personal place, as the name might suggest. As her 25 million Instagram followers already know, she's been struggling with acne since 12 years old. So this is a personal project. You know, it's, as I said, been years in the making. And I also am going to touch on your acting career and how it's evolved over time. So I'm super excited to get into this conversation. And let's start with talking about Personal Day and just where the inspiration for this company came from.
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C
Yeah, Personal Day. We launched in October, and we kind of were trying to brand ourselves as an acne care skincare line, but we are really inclusive to any and all skincare. I've had acne since I was 12, and when I started doing Riverdale and being in a more public light, I still had acne. So I really tried to be open and honest with my fans as I stepped into that public sphere. And just because I was on TV didn't make my acne go away, it actually made it a lot worse. So I just really wanted to be honest about that experience. And so years later, basically, I was kind of given this opportunity, and it's kind of weird and awkward. When you're in the industry, people want to monetize you and you're like, okay, that makes sense. But I've never really been interested in that. And if I was going to do something like that, I wanted to make sure it made a lot of sense. And so I'd been given opportunities to kind of start random brands. And I was like, no, there's no. That's. I feel like when you see a celebrity brand, including me, I roll my eyes because it's like, okay, well, does that thing actually work? Or do they even care? Or where did it come from? Or how is this an organic story? But, I mean, I have had acne since I was 12. And it's been a very personal, you know, hard experience. And so the idea of a skincare line actually felt really organic and nice and authentic to me. So I said, yeah, let's do it. And this was like three or four years ago and I kind of had to find the right team around me. And at first it didn't really work because I thought, why am I doing this? And why would I put products on the market that already exist and work? Like, why do I need to raise my hand and add something to an already very overcrowded market? So it wasn't until a few years, kind of into the oh, do a skincare line idea that I realized there was actually a big gap in the market when it comes to skincare that doesn't have any triggering ingredients in it. So for very sensitive skin, rosacea, eczema, acne, you can't use a lot. And I think a lot of people use products that they don't know are really, really bad for their skin and really bad for their acne. So it actually, the line started to make a lot more sense when I realized, oh, there's actually a place in the market for a line that's purpose is to not have any acne triggering ingredients in it. So that's where personal day was really founded on that, which was that kind of missing link. But then also bringing in the conversation of mental health, because acne to me has always been my worst nightmare. And my mom is here and she knows. And every time I've had a huge cystic pimple on my face, which is often, I would tell my mom, I don't want to leave the house. I can't do this. I've been crying, you know, in my bed because I don't know what to do with myself because my skin looks so bad. And I really wanted to bring that pillar of mental health into any brand or any that I was going to do, to do and skincare and acne and it just made sense. Like, acne is so hard and you get, you feel left out when you have acne. I see all, you know, these beautiful influencers on TikTok with their glass skin and I'm like, yeah, bitch, you look good without anything on your face. That's not me. I need foundation. And I don't just wake up with that, you know, put an oil on my face and okay, still have acne. So I think I want acne to be inclusive and create fun products for people like me who feel often like Oh, I, you know, my bathroom shelf has to be like dermatology products and not these cute, fun things that everyone else can have. So that was a really long answer to you, just kind of asking generally, but like, so the products that, that my line aims to create are inclusive for anyone and everyone's skin, but that are safe for people like me who have acne prone skin and still want to have fun with skin care.
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A
That was a great answer.
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C
Thanks.
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A
But when you're starting a company, especially, you know, as your core area of expertise has been acting, it can often be challenging to find the type of support and the right people to provide that expertise that you need, particularly in an area like you're discussing, like skincare, that has a lot of specific ingredients. How did you build a team and who is it that's on your team that has helped ensure that you have the right ingredients for the right skin care? Yeah, also incorporating that mental health element that you mentioned.
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C
Yeah. I mean, again, I tried building this skincare line a few years ago with a completely different team and it didn't work because it just didn't have meaning. So I, again, I was like, I'm not just going to create a brand to create a brand that doesn't make sense. And I started working with an esthetician whose name is Sarah Ford. And you know, she does, she does Megan Fox and Ariana Grande and these beautiful big people. And I started working with her and it was sort of a light bulb moment where she said, you know, I've been on Accutane twice and still the acne came back. And she said, well, have you checked the ingredients of what you're putting on your face? And I was like, oh no. And that seems so obvious, but I wasn't. And so I brought her on board and I have an amazing CEO, Sheila, who is incredibly experienced in this field and we have an amazing, I think she's 24 year old, like social media manager who's incredible and does so well. So I'm surrounded by women, which is lovely. And the founders of Tula actually have helped me create this brand as well. But again, I tried making this skincare line a few years ago with different people and it just didn't work because they weren't scrappy enough. And we didn't have $10 million to just run and go create anything we wanted. We really had to build from the ground up and be scrappy. So I had to find people who were willing to be scrappy with me. So imagery on our website and from Our photo shoot is from my film camera that I bought for $200 and get the film developed in Woodland Hills. You know, like, it's just, it's very, I don't want to say grassroots, but, you know, I had my sister take photos of me today on my film camera wearing this mask that's a part of my skincare line. So I'm just always, we're cheap and we, and we're, you know, we're new and we're new and we're cheap and I'm cheap. Like, I don't like spending money. So also, so far products are under $40, which is great because I don't like spending money on that shit either, so. And I wanted people who are fans of mine that are often young women to be able to, you know, feel included and like, they could spend the money on something that's important and invest in themselves and in their skincare without shelling out, by the way, like these $200 moisturizers that are out there, that shit is full of shea butter and oils that break you out. So I'm, you know, just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. So check your ingredients. That's important. Well, we have on personalday.com an ingredient checker so you can copy and paste your ingredients of like your makeup primers. That's a big one. Or foundations, and put it in the website and make sure it tells you if there's a pore clogging ingredient in there. Because I find that a lot of makeup, a lot of primers, a lot of moisturizers have really bad stuff in them and it's causing breakouts. So good, good thing to check if you're acne prone.
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A
The most expensive stuff doesn't necessarily.
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C
No, I threw that shit away. No, I didn't. I gave it to my people in my life who didn't have acne prone skin and could use it.
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A
Speaking of your product line, can you tell us just one or two of your favorite items and what the core ingredients are that are good for your skin?
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C
Yeah, well, our line has something called mevalonic acid in it, which is, you know, what the hell is that? But it basically repairs your skin on a molecular level. So we've got really like top notch great ingredients in this line. And we are actually, we have Personal Day has that ingredient exclusively for our acne line for two years, which is exciting. And we have that in our moisturizer and in our green mask that we have. But our moisturizer is really great because again, for. I have really dry skin. I've been on Accutane twice and that just dries you out forever. So for someone like me with really dry skin, but, you know, you need that moisture, but you can't have the oils or the butters in it. That's a great one. And we just launched a hypochlorous acid spray and gel, which is antibacterial and you can use it over makeup and it kills. It kills bacteria. So it's good to use when you're traveling throughout the day if you're acne prone or just want, like a little refreshing mist. So, yeah, that's when we just launched. That is really fun, exciting stuff.
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A
I'm glad you brought up that you have, you know, social media support through personal day. And we've talked a lot about social media. Like we mentioned, you have 25 million followers on your personal account. I think some people might assume that because you're an actor, it just comes naturally to you. But you were telling me about some rather unconventional methods that you use to drive up your audience in order to promote the brand.
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C
Yeah, it's weird and awkward when you're launching a brand. Like, I call myself an actress before anything else. And so when you're launching a brand, they really want you to be an influencer. And which. That word is a bit scary and kind of has a lot of negative connotation around it. Maybe not as much anymore, but it can be kind of a scary word. And it doesn't come naturally to me. But I knew that as the face of this brand, I needed to be one and, like, really lean into that, which is hard and sort of against my nature. And it was kind of a weird. It caused me a lot of anxiety. They were. My team was asking me, do you want a social media manager? And I was like, no, I don't. No offense to those who have that, But I'm like, no. I feel like that would stress me out even more if I had someone trying to tell me exactly what to post and when to post it. I said, let me just try to do this on my own for a minute. And it's worked. But as we were talking about, yeah, when you're launching a brand, you want eyes on the brand. Right? So I was trying to build my TikTok audience because Instagram post Riverdale, the Instagram followers have gone like this when they're like, oh, we realized she's not on the show anymore. We don't care. So I'm like, I like TikTok best anyways, so I'm like, I'm gonna invest my time in TikTok. And one day randomly I thought, I'm seeing all these crumbl cookie reviews that are like, asmr people are eating into a microphone. That seems fun. I'm gonna do that because it's very low effort. I can buy these cookies for $30 and I already have an ASMR microphone. And it was like my most watched TikTok video, which is kind of sad, but so I started doing ASMR and sort of bringing that into my socials because it felt really easy for me and I didn't feel like I had to just talk to a camera and be something that I wasn't, which was forcing something. And asmr, for some reason is something that I enjoy but also just felt easy and natural. So that sort of was like, now my TikTok has. You don't know what you're going to find on there. It's just random lip syncings or me having anxiety or me being very honest and open about mental health. But then I'm also ASMR eating things. And I literally grew my TikTok by like multiple millions from doing ASMR, which is, hey, it worked good for me. I took a chance and it works. So, yeah.
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When we return, Lily Reinhart will share advice with Chloe for entrepreneurs looking to build their audience through social media. But first, a quick break.
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A
Aside from perhaps using ASMR videos, what tips would you give to entrepreneurs looking to build an audience and promote a company or a brand using social media?
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C
Oh, gosh. I mean, I do think it's weird, like, and I've seen people talk about it on TikTok. You wouldn't have thought, you know, 10 years ago. Being an entrepreneur also means being an influencer. Like, those two things maybe shouldn't go hand in hand, but they kind of do now, and they sort of have to. And you really have to be your own advocate. So I, you know, I've seen people say they've had they on TikTok, they had to post 10 times a day before they got a following. And I think consistency is definitely key, you know, to keep people engaged and active. But finding a platform that, I don't know, you get the most response out of. I find I get the most response out of my TikTok following. And so I put a lot of lot more effort into a TikTok than I would an Instagram post. So I think just seeing who's responding to Me and I, you know, reading the comments, which maybe I shouldn't be doing, but I definitely do. I want to know how I'm perceived, which is terrifying, but, you know, I mean, yeah, so I guess just finding your community on socials and seeing which one clicks and then investing your time into that rather than maybe trying to spread yourself too thin across every social media platform.
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A
Now, on your personal social media accounts, you've been very candid about your acne, about your mental health. How are you wrapping conversations about mental health together through personal day?
- [15:58]
C
Well, we have a therapist mental health professional who's on our board. Her name's Dr. Courtney Tracy. She just came out with a lovely book. We knew we wanted a therapist and someone who really was an expert in that field to be on our board. And, you know, because we're a young brand, we're still trying to create our roots and, like, figure out how we really want to show up in the mental health space. Weirdly, you kind of need money to do that, you know, to like start a foundation or to, you know, donate to things. And we're a baby. We just launched in October. But I think mostly for right now, at least with our socials and with what I can do, we really just want to acknowledge and sort of feel like a big sister as a brand that sees you and sees the acne experience and knows that you can feel left out when you have that experience. And we want to make acne not as miserable as it is because it fucking sucks. So let's try to make it maybe a little bit more joyful or have like an aesthetically pleasing calm ASMR cozy TikTok that you can watch for 20 seconds that might lift your spirits a little bit or just make you feel seen. So I think that's for right now, what we're trying to do in our mental health space until we can, you know, be bigger and better and kind of be more influential.
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A
We've been talking a lot about the benefits of social media, but there are also downsides, as you well know. You have a film premiering today at south by Southwest, American Sweatshop, in which you do explore those themes through your character. Can you describe what it was like portraying that and what sorts of conversations about mental health and social media use that you dove into?
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C
Well, so for those who don't know, the movie American Sweatshop is about a girl who works as a content moderator, and that's someone who basically sits at a desk and goes through all of the floor flagged videos that People have flagged on Facebook, Instagram, whatever, and has to watch them and deem if they're actually inappropriate or not. So it's a very traumatizing job for these people. Real people do this because AI, like, computers can't do it. Well, the movie kind of talks about it, but computers and AI can't do it efficiently. So humans have to watch these horrible, horrible things that people post online to make sure that your viewing experience on socials is not graphic, even though certain things slip by and we see horrible things on there. But. So the movie follows a girl who does that as a job and comes across a video that deeply disturbs her and traumatizes her. And I think I really was taken with the script and responded to it because I, along with. I think everyone has seen or watched a video or seen an image online that's really stuck with them in the worst way. And I think it also speaks to how today we're a little unnaturally numb to the imagery we see. I deleted X off my phone. Fuck that app. I'm not having that on my phone. And, you know, we shouldn't be seeing these things and then go about our day. It's weird to see a violent image of, you know, whatever, someone dying right in front of you on your phone as you're eating your breakfast. I think that's not how life was supposed to be and how we were supposed to digest things. And yet we do, and it's kind of normal to us and it shouldn't be. So I think I want. I mean, I wanted to do this movie because it talks about that and that's uncomfortable. And I think that those, you know, movies that talk about things that kind of make you squirm a little bit. I love that.
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A
How, if at all, has portraying your character in American Sweatshop changed your personal social media habits? And how would you. What would you recommend people take away from it once they see it?
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C
I think for me, this last year, I've tried to distance myself a little bit from socials, I think. And I've been saying, like, no one knew what the word algorithm was like. We weren't saying that word the way that we are now. And it's so built into our. If you're in socials and whatever kind of our everyday language now, which is kind of strange. But how you can see a TikTok algorithm, the videos you like and engage with, you get more of. So I think I've tried to engage with the things that make me laugh and make me happy. Or are calming so that I don't keep getting these horrible other things that pop up out of nowhere. So I think I'm not a genius beating the algorithm. I think I'm just trying to go with the app and like and engage and save things that are happier and lighter so that when I do end my day scrolling on TikTok, which I do, I am seeing things that are making me laugh and that are making me happy and not giving me existential dread at the end of the day, which I think can happen. When you do engage and watch those two minute long, horrible videos, TikTok goes, oh, they like this. Let's show them more. So just trying to almost get ahead of that algorithm thinking and maneuver your way around it.
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A
Definitely some actionable tips in there.
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C
Yeah.
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A
I want to talk more about your career. So obviously American Sweatshop is a bit of a departure from Riverdale, which really launched your career, is the reason that so many of us here know you. But we've also been watching your career with anticipation as you sort of grow and evolve as an actor. What's it been like charting that evolution, especially while contending with the challenges of the past few years? Like a pandemic. The writers strike.
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C
Yeah.
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A
What's that been like?
- [22:02]
C
Horrible. In the best way. I mean, yes, I was on a show for seven years and could only do so much when I was on that show. When you have two months off and you kind of want to have a life, but you're also like, I need to keep going and further my career. So post Riverdale, I shot a miniseries that was at Sundance this year that will hopefully be out this year or next soon. And then I'm here with American Sweatshop. But I did and have realized I do really enjoy my life outside of acting. And so I think, like, I love being home in LA and I love my personal day venture. It's been really lovely and acting is definitely still my number one passion. But I'm very selective about the things that I do and I have the. It's a great privilege to be selective in a world post strike, post Covid, there's just like nothing that's shooting right now. And I've done only indie projects post Riverdale and those are a bitch to make and get made. So I'm like, right now, not right this second, but after this, shooting a movie in Toronto that I've been attached to for two years because it took two years to get the money. And it's just like indie film is where my heart Is. But it also breaks my heart because it's so hard. But that, that it's definitely. I think I've kind of dealt with post Riverdale. People are like, where are you? Where have you been? Your career's fallen away. It's like, well, sure, but, but I also. Doing it, you know, at post Riverdale, anything you do after that, unless you do another YA show, is it going to be a big, big pivot. It's a big career pivot and that takes time. And so I've just been taking my time. And also indies take a lot of time. So it's like I've been working, you just haven't seen it, but they're slowly but surely coming out. But I also, you know, have a production company, so I've been working on developing a lot of things and personal day also was, you know, a big passion of mine, so that was taking up a lot of time as well. But that. So I feel happy to be here. I was happy to be at Sundance to kind of be like, hey, still an actor, still here. But, you know, I don't really, I'm kind of. You really do feel this pressure of be relevant, stay relevant, keep going, be in these commercial things, be in people's faces. And when you love, when you love indie film, that's just not going to happen. So I've sort of just been experiencing that the last few years. But, but, you know, I want to do this until the day I die. So I really just am not in a rush. I'm not in a rush and I want to film things that matter and mean something to me.
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A
Yeah, great answer.
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C
Yeah, thanks.
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A
Speaking of projects, are there any recent or upcoming projects that you're excited about just coming down the line for you?
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C
I have a lot that I'm a lot of indies that we'll see. But I am shooting in Toronto right now. My attachment hasn't been announced to it yet, but it's a really fun genre movie and I love genre, so that's really exciting for me. And then actually I do have a horror that was announced called Bad Boy that is a horror that will film later this year. So I've got, I've got this year will be busy and I'm really excited, but I'm like, I've got so many other things they're just not announced yet. And actually, who knows if they'll even happen? So we'll see.
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A
Well, we'll be waiting within to see.
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C
Thank you.
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A
And when you're an entrepreneur, you always have to Think about what's next. So what's ahead in the future for Personal Day? Where are you trying to or aiming to take this project?
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C
Well, for Personal Day, we wanted to make sure we launched with people knowing that we were really acne safe and at kind of like acne focused. But now we want people who don't have acne to feel also included because anyone can use our products and see a lot of comments where they're like, well, if I don't have acne, can I use this? It's yes, it's safe and clean for anyone. And so I think for Personal Day specifically, just with our product launches in 2025 and 2026, trying to be more, I guess, inclusive to any and all skincare types and making sure people know that you don't need to have acne to use our line. So it's open arms to anyone and yeah, just making sure our products are great. We are also not rushing anything to market with those as well because we want to get it right. And again, I don't want to just put a product out there that already exists or someone can buy already. We want to make sure we do the better version or the best version of that. So, so just taking our time, equality over quantity and not rushing anything just for the sake of rushing.
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A
Lily, thank you so much. This was such a wonderful conversation. That's actor, producer, entrepreneur, Lili Reinhart.
- [27:15]
C
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.
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B
That's all for this episode of from the Ground Up. Our producers are Blake Odom and Avery Miles, with help from Sam, Sam Gabauer and Hawa Ottori. Editing by Matt Toder. Mix and sound design by Nicholas Torres. If you haven't already, subscribe to all Ink podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you.