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- [00:02]
A
Hey, guys. Welcome back to Skin Anarchy. And I'm so excited because it's our first episode since our name change. And, you know, with that said, it's a brand that I really, really enjoy because they're really focused on the tried and true ingredients that are just very, very good for our skin. And I want to introduce you guys to Keisha Tyrell, who is the founder of Anzuri Beauty. Welcome, Keisha. I'm so excited to host you.
- [00:26]
B
Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
- [00:28]
A
Yeah, it's exciting to talk, finally. I mean, I know that this has been a long time in the making, and I'd love to learn more about you. You know, what really went into creating in Zuri, your background and the vision behind the brand.
- [00:42]
B
Sure. You know what? It's funny. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I just didn't know what it looked like. And for someone who had gotten their first facial at 12 years old and love skincare products, it was amazing that it took me this long to realize skincare is where I wanted to be, and beauty and wellness was my space. So I really wanted to create in Zuri Beauty also because I personally was going through a point in my life where my skin was. It was changing, and I wasn't one that typically had issues with their skin. Growing up, I was very in tune with my body, and if, you know, if I ran out or if I wasn't eating right and I broke out, like, if I had breakouts or anything, I always kind of could pinpoint what was going on. So I always, you know, took very good care of my skin. But I noticed as I was getting older, things were changing, and my skin was. Was doing its own thing. And so I really wanted to look for ingredients or create something that was very targeted in regards to what supported me. I want to clean ingredients. I. I also am a firm believer in keeping it simple, as. As much as I probably have thousands of beauty products in my bathroom, I am a firm believer in just keeping the routine as simple as possible. And on top of that, I also. I kind of also knew I was deserving of taking care of myself. Like, every one of my products, I have these words of affirmation, because while my skin was going through these changes, I, as a person, was going through changes, and I needed a reminder that, wait a minute. You. You need to fall in love with taking care of yourself again. Life is busy enough, and so I just thought, why not use skincare as a way to kind of pause. So first Thing in the morning or at the end of your day, whichever you choose to do or you do both, take a moment to just, just look in the mirror, wash your face, enjoy. Enjoy taking care of your skin. And that's really the essence behind what led to Inzuri beauty. And again, very mindful about ingredients. So, yeah, that's kind of what got us where we are today.
- [03:02]
A
That's very exciting. And I think that that's really cool what you said because, you know, a lot of us have gone down that journey of having the 50 products, you know what I mean? And like, we've all been there. I feel like especially, you know, the more and more I look at just social media consuming habits, I mean, we all go down this path of like trying things till something works. And I always, you know, I always try to figure out like, where is that balance, right? Because I think none of us want to compromise on efficacy. You know, that is like the first and foremost. But then there's this whole self care aspect that is very interesting, you know, from a psychological perspective, because it's like, you know, we want to really feel like we're immersing ourselves in self care and like this is a ritual and this is something that helps you unwind. But there needs to be science there, you know, And I think that's what I love about Missouri is you're really using ingredients. You know, when I looked at your. The ingredient list on a lot of the products, you're seeing things like, you know, retinoid in there. You know, you have like the antioxidants, you have the supporting ingredients. And so I want you to speak a little bit about that of this integration of like self care that founded in science.
- [04:16]
B
Oh, absolutely. And you know, it's, it's interesting that it takes something to happen for you to kind of pay attention to your own wellness. And you know, I am born and raised in Bermuda. I grew up there, so I was very fortunate to know natural remedies, I guess you could say. I was always hip to hibiscus tea and even rose water and just different ingredients and how they can help. And so it's one thing to understand the importance of vitamin C and what this can do for your skin, but it's also equally important not only you're using a product, that you also need to understand which one comes first. How important is it in the supporting products that you use? And I say that to mean, yes, I love a product that has vitamin C in it, but I also know that if I'm using it during the day. I need to follow it with sunscreen as well. So it's making that mindful connection that the products that you use, the ingredients that you use, all they have to perform something. You don't want to just have products in a. In a package that they're just there for decoration. I really wanted to just focus on the ones that work. And yes, you want to combine that with other ingredients that will also help to elevate it. But I didn't want all that extra fluff, if that makes sense. I didn't want. You didn't need all this extra ingredients that don't. First of all, you probably can't even pronounce it or just don't actually do what it is that you need. But it was just trying to understand what ingredients are going to help with eating elasticity, what's going to help with fine lines, what's going to help with hyperpigmentation or dark spots. I want to know how to target that so that. That's what I'm focused on, and that's what's in this bottle of cleanser or my serum. It's very focused on what it is that you actually need to have and that will support your skin.
- [06:26]
A
Exactly. And that really kind of brings me to this, I think, discussion about how we do need to cater to different skin types when we, like, not only shopping as consumers, but when brands are crafting products. Right. Because I think that much like the inclusivity conversation in the beauty space around makeup and, like, shades and stuff, there needs to be this equal rigor behind the conversation we're having about, you know, more pigmented skin types and what we need, you know, in terms of, like, where our skin care and our. Our skin health efforts should fall. And so, you know, what are your thoughts around that and what were some of the considerations that you had to have when you were creating your brand and keeping these things in mind?
- [07:10]
B
So my brand speaks to this woman. This woman, she's over 40, first of all. And then because the beauty industry, for one, seems to forget about women once they reach a certain age. It's either you're young and beautiful or you're older. And there's no disrespect. You know, you're older with gray hair. Like, you look a certain way. What about the woman in the middle there? Like, where is that woman? Why isn't anybody speaking to her? And then I also, especially as a woman of color myself, I always find that I have to cater or I have to find Products that can work for me. Like, nobody seems to have been talking to me directly. And yes, now we definitely have an influx of more products on the line that speak to women of color. And so while my products cater to a wide range of skin tones and skin types, because I wanted everything to be very gentle yet still effective from a marketing standpoint or just from a targeted stamp, I wanted to speak to this woman that the beauty industry always seems to just put to the side. This woman over 40 and yes, a woman of color. You know, that's who we're talking to. That is, I want her to know that we got you, we're thinking about you. And science will show that if you can cater to that range of the spectrum, especially when it comes to skin tones, you kind of got everybody covered almost in that versus the other way, where you're looking at your targeted or first and foremost, you're thinking of a more lighter skin tone. And then the darker shades need to be able to fit into that, into that area. I looked at it the other way around. I wanted to think about ingredients that a darker skin tone needed first and foremost. What is it? What, what, what is it that can help her not only target whatever skin condition that she's going, that she's got going on, but also just give her this sun sense of, wow, somebody's actually thinking about me first.
- [09:21]
A
Exactly. That's such an important point too, that you brought up is like, no one really talks about this, like really very. It's kind of a narrow range, I think. Like, I'm 38 years old and I feel like no one talks about 38 year olds. Like, or, you know what I mean, like from like 35 to 40. Like, that is. We have no clue what we should actually be doing for our skin. I mean, that's the truth. Like, I know that when you hit like 50, you know what I mean, or whatever that mark is that where you're, you feel like, now I need more, quote, anti aging, you know, care. That's fine because you have all these clinical brands out there. You have a lot of people focus on collagen, you have a lot of people focus on elasticity. But what do you need to do when you first start seeing signs of aging? And that's where I think it's very important what you said, because, you know, I noticed, like I said earlier, you have very interesting combinations of ingredients because you have the, the retinoid, you have the antioxidants. And I want you to speak a little bit about that because I think that, I mean, I, I personally believe those ingredients apply more to us than anybody else. You know what I mean? Like, we need them more than even somebody who's already seeing severe signs of aging because, you know, so. Yeah, what are your thoughts on that?
- [10:35]
B
And it's, and it's funny that you should mention that because you're right, people seem to think that you're supposed to only consider anti aging products when you reach a certain age. No, you should be talking about this now. In your 30s, you should be thinking about what you want your skin to look like in 10, 20 years from now. And so you may not necessarily need something very specific, but you should at least be considering and thinking about what it is that my skin needs now. So that 20 years from now, you know, I'm looking great, my skin is in its best healthy version that it could possibly be in. And so. Yeah, you're right, I wouldn't, I was, I fell in love with a retinoid, especially this vitamin A1 because I find that it's, it's gentle but still effective. I know sometimes, you know, people can jump right into the, the retinoids and the various ones and you go for the strongest one. But I find that a vitamin A can kind of complement major like a huge spectrum of the of skin tunes and it's still gentle enough, yet it's effective. I think that as far as antioxidants are concerned, I mean I look at antioxidants not only on your skin but in your body. Like what do you need for your overall wellness and health? So it's kind of common sense in those regards. When it comes to whatever my skin needs, my body needs it as well. You know, if I totally get where people are coming from, then they're very. Oh well, I, I just need some vitamin C or I just need. No, you probably need a few other supporting ingred to get your skin to be that healthy that we're trying to get to healthy skin. That's the girl here. It's not about being perfect. It's literally about skin health and the longevity around it.
- [12:26]
A
Yeah, I completely, completely agree. And I, it's interesting what you said too because in terms of like for example, vitamin C, a lot of people for a long time, I mean, I'm sure you saw them like the 30 vitamin C serums, you know what I mean? Like ridiculous and you know, it's literally inflammation in a bottle and basically, yeah, it's crazy. But now it's like, you know, I think we're finally coming around the corner and returning the corner and realizing these are molecules that need, they need stability, obviously, but they also need this like, you know, they need other molecules that help them work better, you know, and that's like kind of the, the human physiology puzzle that no one in the skin health industry seems to be putting in the forefront, you know, in terms of conversation. Because, you know, your human physiology, it dictates that there are recept. Are, you know, your cells have receptors on them. So when they get activated by one molecule, it's not just one molecule. It's not like a one key in a keyhole. It's like multiple things have to come together to open that receptor. And so like, that's an actual phenomena. And so when I look at a lot of the products that we have on the market, I think it's great to highlight things like growth factors and vitamin C and, you know, collagen or whatever. But you have to really start thinking now about, well, what do I, what does my vitamin C need with it? For example, you have your. I like, I like this product in your line. It's the powerful serum. And it's, it's got the vitamin C, you have the ferulic acid, which is great, you have the hyaluronic acid, you have the vitamin E. You know, these are all so complementary to that central component, which is that the brightening effects, you know, the antioxidant effects, like they're really, really providing a bigger punch. And so I think with that, my question really is, you know, how, like, what is your advice to any, anyone out there that's like looking for a great serum, right? Like, what do you recommend that they do when it comes to filtering out ingredients and figuring out like, what is a good fit for me?
- [14:27]
B
Exactly. And you're right because I love my vitamin C serum, my powerful serum. I also equally love my Faith Night Serum as well. The Faith Night Serum has the vitamin A, retinoid. It also has alpha arbutin. And I think for me, I was, I'm not going to say I'm a science geek, but I was definitely always been interested in the ingredients that I put on my skin, whether it's face products, hair products, you know, body products. I always want to know, well, what's actually working? You know, I was. Now I totally get where people are all on this. I need to jump on this vitamin C train and I'm just going to go and buy all the vitamin C because that's what my skin needs. No, you actually could use maybe Some vitamin E, you, you know, you might need the alpha arbutin. You might. It, it really just depends on or no, I'm sorry. What I want to say is that it really just takes into account what it is that your skin needs. Like something because it's out there doesn't necessarily mean that it's right for you. And so I tell people all the time when it comes to serums and serums are an investment as far as a really nice, a really good one. It is, it's an investment. So you want to be mind what it is that you're buying. Then I think about, I'm just going to use my Faith Night Serum, for example. When I think about explaining to individuals who are new to serums and have no idea what they should do, they heard you should get vitamin C. They heard you, you need something, a retinoid at night. But they have no clue. I always say start, start. Not necessarily start small, but start at the minimum level. See how your skin is going to react. But also understand that there are different types of serums out there. So my Faith Night Serum, I love it because I tell people it exfoliates your skin overnight. Like it think of that concept of like a scrub almost. This is almost doing the same thing, but it's in a serum because it has the vitamin A, which is a retinoid that helps with, you know, cellular rejuvenation. But it also is partnered with some alpha arbutin, which is what helps to brighten the skin. And then you throw in there some vitamin E and that helps with neutralizing this radical. So you really want to understand what it is that your skin needs and the proportions. I guess, like, no, not everybody is a chemist. But you also need to know, well, I want something that's going to work and maybe not just one simple ingredient is going to do it. How do I find the right balance? How do I know which one is going to give me? And yes, it's that like you said in the beginning, we all get these products. We're overwhelmed, we're trying everything out. But it really, it really means taking some time to understand the ingredients. Go in your bathroom and just read the products that you have and what's in them. Figure out, well, when I use XYZ product, oh, I noticed my skin is doing this well, why is that? What ingredients are highlighted in that product versus something else that you might have in your bathroom? Maybe you're using products that all of your products, let's just say vitamin C, for example, since we're talking about that. Let's just say, for example, you're using a cleanser, a toner or a serum, a moisturizer, and whatever. You could be using five products every day, and every one of these products has vitamin C in it. Your skin might be exposed to too much. Too much vitamin C. But again, you wouldn't know that unless you read the back of that bottle and really understood what's going on with the ingredients that are, you know, are sitting in my bathroom that I'm using every day.
- [18:10]
A
Yeah, no, I know. I think that, like, it's interesting because I feel like a lot of these ingredients don't. I mean, they're not similar. You know what I mean? Like, the arbitragen is the brightening. Right. And the retinol turnover. But, like, but that's the, that's the interesting part to me is that cell turnover. That's where I think people don't understand. You know, it's like your cells are turning over. They also need support. I think I made this point like, previous podcast we were talking about, like, for example, nad, you know, and the topic came up where it was like, why do you need products that give cellular energy? And the answer was like, well, when your cells are turning over, they need something to support them. And the same can be said about ingredients like alpha arbutin and then also the vitamin E and adding these supportive ingredients in. Because when your cells turn over, it's a fresh layer, you know, and so that layer needs to be nourished and it needs to be taken care of so that it can properly develop to be the healthy skin layer, you know, that's now your, your new set of, I guess, skin, you could say, you know, Exactly.
- [19:13]
B
And so to that point, people forget that your skin, your skin is shedding, you know, and it turns over, but the older you get, the slower it turns over. So you do need those products that target, you know, cellular rejuvenation.
- [19:29]
A
Yeah.
- [19:30]
B
The skin you had in your 20s you definitely won't have in your 40s if you're not taking care of it.
- [19:35]
A
No, it's so true. And I feel like, you know, when you, it's again, that conversation we were having when you're hitting that age and it doesn't even happen in your 30s. Like, if you're a millennial and you're listening in, like, you know, like, we have, I think, millennials, all of us, like, we are aging very differently than, like, you know, the generation before us and even Gen Z, you know, because for some I have a lot of friends who look like they're 22 years old, you know, and they're literally like almost 40 years old. And it's interesting to see that. But at the same time, you have to understand your skin is still aging. So, you know, you do have to maintain, you do have to get those retinoids in there. You have to get the certain ingredients. You know, it's just a conversation that it needs to be had, you know, in terms of like, well, now I need more products. You know, I. More. Well, not more products, but I need more actually well thought out products.
- [20:29]
B
Yes, the supportive products.
- [20:30]
A
And like, the culture has to shift and I feel like that's where we're kind of stuck. You know, I see a lot of these kids nowadays, and I don't know if you've seen this, but they're the ones using retinoids. It's insane. Like, to me it's insane because I'm like, you're. You're what, 19 years old? Like, why are you using a retinoid? But, you know, it just makes you think, like, they're using it. But then I still see people in our age group and they're not using it, you know, they're like, I can't do it, you know.
- [20:59]
B
Exactly. And I think that this is where. And this is where I kind of preach that whole the wellness piece into it. Because again, you get to a certain age where you've probably taken some things for granted and your body is changing. So your skin is your largest organ first of all. So as your body changes as you get older, you are going to need some sort of different support. And whether that means you're exercising more, you're going to eat differently, you know, maybe you cut back on alcohol, I don't know. Whatever it is, all of that also shows up on your skin. Whether you don't do it or you do, it's going to manifest itself on your skin in some shape or form. So not only tackle, you know, your skin from the outside, but also equally from the inside as well, is really the kind of the. The path I've been on lately is how can I take this holistic approach to caring for my skin to the next level?
- [22:02]
A
Yeah, absolutely. Now, I do want to get your advice because I think there's a lot of people that do fall into the more melanin rich category. And it's very difficult. I think it can be a scary place. You know what I mean? In terms of like finding what products work for you, the skin Care space can be scary, you know, so what is your advice in terms of where to start? You know, like, where can we really go to. To figure out what products do we need versus not need? Are there any ingredients that you came across in your journey of like, creating the brand and the formulas that you were like, you know what? I don't think we should include this, you know, for more skin types. Any advice you have?
- [22:38]
B
Sure. You know, it's. It's one of those things where for so long, the industry never spoke to women of color. So just even creating a routine was. Was a struggle for some women with darker skin tones because they weren't depicted in. In the marketing. The products were not created for them. So even creating a routine in itself is foreign to some women. Even, you know, even women of an older age creating a routine because it just. That wasn't something that they did or thought was for them. So when I. Again, this is coming back to just keeping it simple has. Is part of my messaging, you know, and keeping it simple. Wash your face and moisturize it. Yes. There's toners and there's serums and there's face masks. Find the basics that work for you, just the basic steps. Find a great cleanser. And especially for my women that wear makeup all the time, you may want to have two different types of cleansers, because you may want to have some when you necessarily aren't wearing makeup or maybe you want something just a little bit strong. I know that some women tend to think the more soapy something gets, the more work it's doing. So, you know, find a cleanser that works for you. And especially for women of color, moisturize. Our skin needs moisture. I mean, our parents have told us this from the beginning of time. Our skin needs moisture. And so I always say, start simple, get yourself, get comfortable, especially if you're going from 0 to 100. Get a great cleanser and a moisturizer and find something that works. And then when you want to be adventurous, yeah, I don't want a toner. Some people don't even understand, especially like I said, because it was in marketing, wasn't targeted to us. Some people don't even know what to do with a toner. Some people don't even have a clue what an exfoliating product can actually do for them. And so instead of buying everything all at once, get your basic products, get into a routine, and again, whether it's the morning or night or both, completely up to you and your schedules. But get in, make it A habit. Make skincare habit in the first instance and take. Just take steps, but take steps forward, for sure.
- [25:03]
A
Yeah, I agree. I like that. And I think that's really solid advice for anyone listening that you're kind of in that transition zone or where you feel like the products you were using, like, eight years ago or like, even five years ago are not really doing it for you anymore. That it might be that you just don't have the right combination, you know, it might just be. Exactly, you know, that, like, hydration might not be addressed adequately. You know, it's simple as that. I mean, I. I've seen that in my own life where it's like, you know, I used to have really oily skin, and so I was like, I'm not going to use hydrating products. You know, like, it's just going to be like an oil show everywhere. My face is going to be like grease. And so I shied away. But, like, I noticed, like, after the age of 35, it's not drastic, but you definitely notice, like, your skin is getting drier, you know, like, you're able to tolerate more hydrating products. And, yeah, I think a lot of consumers kind of miss that. You know, we kind of don't notice.
- [25:58]
B
Exactly. And like you said, if they had a product, they probably use the same product 20 years ago and they still think, oh, well, I've been using it and nothing's happened. Well, imagine if you actually got a product that actually did something more for your skin as it's changing what it would look like.
- [26:16]
A
Exactly. And I completely agree. And, you know, I hope that, you know, I hope the industry kind of evolves a little bit because we need more education around, like, where, like, these products are better for you in this age group. You know what I mean? These are better in this age. Like, I really would love to see that where it's like, kind of like demarcated, you know what I mean? Of, like, this is the age group you should be hit. And if you're using that, like, yeah. But for everyone listening, I hope you guys definitely check out Zuri Skincare. Like, they have a great range. I think there's definitely a great variety of products here. Nothing's redundant. Which I really love in a brand is that there's no redundancies. Everything's really serving a purpose. Every product has a purpose. So check them out. Definitely leave us some comments about what you think you know, and if you have any questions about the brand or want more information, we will link everything in the show. Notes so definitely scroll down and check that out. But thank you so much. This has been such a wonderful conversation. Keisha, thank you.
- [27:14]
B
No, I'm glad that I was able to join you on the show, so thanks for having me.
- [27:19]
A
Absolutely.