Skin Anarchy: Creating Iconic Products and Intentional Beauty with Jaimee Holmes of Fel Beauty

Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Dr. Ekta
Guest: Jaimee Holmes, Founder of Fel Beauty

Episode Overview

This episode of Skin Anarchy dives into the world of color cosmetics, focusing particularly on lipstick innovation and the intentional creation of iconic beauty products. Dr. Ekta welcomes back beauty industry trailblazer Jaimee Holmes, now founder of Fel Beauty, to discuss her impressive career, philosophies on innovation, the development of her new brand, and the responsibility of creating products with meaning—especially for younger consumers. The conversation bridges nostalgia, technical mastery, and industry insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jaimee Holmes' Career and Defining Beauty Products

• Early Sephora Days:
  • Started with no beauty experience in color merchandising.
  • Inspired by being around founders of brands like Urban Decay, Stila, and Tarte (01:37).
• Brand-Side Career:
  • Worked at Benefit Cosmetics and Perricone MD.
  • Pivotal experience at Too Faced Cosmetics: Instrumental in developing Better Than Sex Mascara (“It took probably eight months of convincing Sephora to get into it... within the first, you know, month or two, we became that number one mascara” – Jaimee, 04:54).
  • Led rebranding and product innovation at Ole Henriksen (Banana Bright Eye Cream origin story, 06:38).
• Kendo Brands & GOOP:
  • Built Kaja, a K-beauty color brand.
  • Managed brand and merchandising at GOOP, overseeing hundreds of brands.
  • Observed increased repetition in new product pitches, prompting reflection on her impact and purpose after her father's death (07:53).
  • “...it left an impression on me where I took a step back and just really started to think about what that meant for the industry, what my own impact on that even was.” – Jaimee (08:08).

The State of Beauty Innovation

• On Innovation:

  • Significant noise in the beauty community makes authentic innovation difficult:

    "To innovate and to create change is not easy... there's noise in the world for so many reasons... Even within the beauty community, there's a lot of noise." – Jaimee (10:35)

  • True innovation requires conviction and embracing ambiguity.

• Nostalgia & Emotional Resonance:

  • Effective brands connect deeply, evoking nostalgia and personal memories.
  • Dr. Ekta notes, "No brand can spend enough ad dollars to create that [feeling]... it has to be built in from the beginning." (11:34)

Creating Fel Beauty and "Kissy Lips"

• Inspiration & Intention:

  • Jaimee rooted Fel Beauty's core in emotional memories, especially moments of love and connection, aiming for products that physically evoke special memories (12:27).

    "Kissy Lips is the first collection... the inspiration was really coming from how special a kiss is—your first kiss, your favorite kiss, your most unforgettable kiss..." – Jaimee (13:06)

• Packaging & Design:

  • Packaging evokes childhood stationery, sparking nostalgia and across-generational resonance (14:13).
  • Multi-generational appeal: designed for both first-time makeup wearers and those longing for a sense of the past (16:58).
  • Application flexibility: works both as a traditional lipstick and with a brush, ensuring usability for both novices and pros (17:32).

• Balancing Trends and Authenticity:

  • Fel Beauty avoids launching products purely for trend; all development is custom and rooted in unique, authentic inspiration (15:13).

    "Everything that we pursue in development has to have a reason for being... has to deliver a new experience for consumers..." – Jaimee (15:22)

Product Development & Formulation

• Skincare-Grade Lip Color:

  • Emphasizes health and performance:
    • Vegan, cruelty-free, globally compliant with clean standards (19:13).
    • Custom sensorial texture—"cushion and a bounce," lightweight and buildable.
  • Innovative ingredient:
    • Feel Good Complex (trademarked), naturally derived from the South of France, rich in petroselinic acid (20:10).
    • Studied to support endorphin and oxytocin production, enhancing well-being.

    "It's been studied to support production of endorphins and oxytocin, also known as the happy and love hormones." – Jaimee (20:38)

  • Practical hydration and barrier support with raspberry seed oil and rice bran wax.

• Custom Lip Bullet & Application Experience:

  • 56 trials to create a universal lip shape for all users, from thin to full lips (23:22).
  • Bullet serves as a visual and application guide, ideal for first-time and younger users (24:21).

Responsibility & Ethical Considerations

• Ethics in Beauty Creation:
  • Deep responsibility to younger consumers and transparency about safety (25:53).

    "Our development cycle is usually two years or more... But it comes from a place of responsibility and from a desire for me to want to create a safer, better product." – Jaimee (26:05)

  • Must build products for the intended audience from inception, not as an afterthought.

    "You can't pretend like they're meant for a younger audience... you've got to build this in, guys. From the beginning, you gotta think about this stuff." – Ekta (27:10)

Looking Forward: Brand Expansion & Vision

• Product Line Plans:
  • Kissy Lips will remain the brand’s hero product, expanding to new categories and markets by late 2026 (28:40).
  • Upcoming campaigns capturing community stories, especially around Valentine's Day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On conviction in product development:

  "I just remember having a ton of conviction behind what we were doing... and saying, I know this is going to be your number one mascara. I know it."
  — Jaimee Holmes (04:25)

• On innovation and noise:

  "To innovate and to create change is not easy...there's more noise than there's ever been."
  — Jaimee Holmes (10:35)

• On product inspiration:

  "What I really hoped to bring in all of this was that multi-generational connection."
  — Jaimee Holmes (16:58)

• On responsibility in product creation:

  "It comes with responsibility to create and introduce anything out into the world."
  — Jaimee Holmes (25:53)

• On being brave in beauty:

  "When you step out and do something on your own, it feels different... It does take courage, for sure. It’s not the faint of heart."
  — Jaimee Holmes (30:08)

Timestamps: Key Segments

• 01:37 – 08:50: Jaimee Holmes recounts her career journey and pivotal product launches
• 10:35 – 12:27: The challenge of authentic innovation in a noisy beauty industry
• 13:06 – 16:18: The emotional inspiration and nostalgic design behind Fel Beauty and Kissy Lips
• 19:13 – 23:22: Detailed exploration of formulation science, ingredient choices, and product benefits
• 23:22 – 25:53: Technical challenges of bullet design; role in teaching makeup technique
• 25:53 – 28:23: Ethical obligations to young consumers and brand responsibility
• 28:40 – 30:08: Fel Beauty’s future: product expansion, community, and sustaining courage

Tone & Style

The conversation is enthusiastic, warm, and thoughtful—balancing technical expertise with emotion and nostalgia. Both Dr. Ekta and Jaimee Holmes speak candidly about the evolution and responsibilities of the beauty industry, showing passion for meaningful, inclusive innovation.

For more details or to connect with Fel Beauty, check the episode notes for links and further community engagement.