The Wisdom of Intentional Skincare with Molly Sims of YSE Beauty

Summary

---

Skin Anarchy: The Wisdom of Intentional Skincare with Molly Sims of YSE Beauty

Podcast: Skin Anarchy
Host: Dr. Ekta
Guest: Molly Sims, Model, Podcaster, Founder of YSE Beauty
Date: December 10, 2025

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Skin Anarchy features a rich, candid conversation between host Dr. Ekta and the multifaceted Molly Sims—model, podcaster (“Lipstick on the Rim”), and founder of YSE Beauty (pronounced “Wise Beauty”). The discussion explores Molly’s lifelong relationship with beauty, cultural perspectives on skincare, the evolution and philosophy behind her brand, and actionable wisdom for navigating both personal skincare and entrepreneurship in the crowded beauty industry.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Molly Sims' Beauty Origin Story

• Influences: Molly’s introduction to beauty stemmed from her mother’s love of self-care and chic style, as well as from reading iconic fashion magazines before the age of digital overload.

  • “My mom was a huge—she just was everything to me. She was so aspirational and she was so chic and she was so fun. Watching her and seeing what she did and how she did it, I definitely think... beauty was her thing, and she embodied it.” (03:03)

• Early Beauty Fandom: She recounts using products like Aussie scrunch spray as a teen and following three-step routines from the Clinique counter.

  • “In your kid years, you'll use two bottles of Aussie scrunch spray to curl your hair after everyone says it looks absolutely ridiculous. But you'll do it anyways because you love it. And now, my friend, is the beginning of my beauty journey.” (02:03)

• Modeling Journey: Molly left a potential law career after Vanderbilt to pursue modeling in New York, which evolved into years spent in Europe—significantly shaping her appreciation for different styles and approaches to beauty.

  • “It was like going to school...I learned how the French girls do the undone done better than anything; the Brits make it a little rock, a little edge; the Italians, it's all very sexy, very easy, very flowy.” (03:27)

---

2. Changing Trends & Philosophies in Skincare

• European vs. American Approaches:

  • Molly admires the European mindset centered on daily self-maintenance and subtler interventions, compared to America’s more aggressive, all-or-nothing approach.
  • “They absolutely do things and take care of themselves. They just do it in a very different way than Americans.” (04:41)

• Reflections on Aesthetic Trends:

  • Both Dr. Ekta and Molly question aggressive trends such as over-exfoliation, extensive use of fillers in young women, and the misconception that women must drastically change their routines after a certain age.
  • “Look at what's happening with filler...It's insane when I see people and this is no shade to anybody. Do you! By all means. But when I see these girls that are 21 years old and their face is filled, I'm just sitting here like, where did we lose the plot?” (06:46)

• Cautions & Lessons:

  • Molly highlights the migration of fillers and long-term dissatisfaction as key issues, and wishes more young women had trusted mentors to guide such decisions.
  • “A lot goes into it. We all, including myself, can't see ourselves at a certain point. And some of the younger girls don't even see it... I just think I wish that you had a really good mentored friend." (08:01)

---

3. Intentionality & Wisdom in Skincare Choices

• The Ethos of YSE Beauty:

  • Founded out of Molly’s personal frustrations with harsh actives and a lack of inclusive, effective, and pleasurable products for women 35+, YSE Beauty emphasizes multitasking, clinically proven, and “cushioning” products over maximalist routines.
  • “If you're stripping and like sandpaper, then you gotta make sure on the other side you are repairing and barrier. And that I think is our superpower.” (17:53)

• Ingredient Education:

  • Both Dr. Ekta and Molly stress the widespread problem of poor consumer education, especially around actives like retinoids.
  • “Think about retinol... every few months will be like, I know I look dry, I know I look red, I know it's a little patchy, but my skin's getting used to.” (12:13)

• Sensible Product Philosophy:

  • Molly talks about preferring minimalist, multitasking products that are a pleasure to use, and designing her line to avoid the need for owning 57 different products.
  • “I just don't like—even my lip balm, which happens to be sitting here. It's a gloss balm mask all in one. It just looks good, right? Then I turned it into a lip... I want my products to multitask like I do.” (16:40)

• Affordability & Efficacy Over Hype:

  • Strong pushback against luxury products priced for packaging rather than real efficacy.
  • “A lot of the $500 is spent in the packaging.” (21:47)
  • “There is absolutely no biotech out there that justifies like a 5, $600 cream.” (21:53)

---

4. Building & Running a Beauty Brand

• The Realities of Foundership:

  • Molly shares the struggles of starting and scaling a brand amid a market crowded with celebrity and influencer startups.
  • “Everyone wants to be a founder. It’s one thing to become a founder, and it’s another thing to remain a successful founder.” (27:44)

• Learning from “No”:

  • “I think the word no fuels me... How do you turn the no into a yes... that has built that resilience, that armor, that muscle that today makes me an extremely good founder.” (28:18–28:41)

• Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:

  • Know your “why,” understand market fit, and accept that your business needs—and thus your team—will change as you grow.
  • “What advice would I give? I think you have to be very clear. What is your why? What problem are you solving? How does it fit in the market? And where do you see yourself in five years?” (30:51)
  • “Who you start with at a million dollars is not who you can be with at $10 million. At $20 million, your needs change.” (31:37)

• The Importance of Team & Strategy:

  • Letting go of early team members as the business scales, and the shift from direct-to-consumer (D2C) to retail partnerships (e.g., launching with Sephora).
  • “I now have two completely separate strategies. I have a D2C strategy and a Sephora strategy.” (32:21)

• Learning On the Go:

  • “We checked the wrong box and a font cost me, I don’t know, $90,000... I learn along the way.” (34:19)

• Being Socially Led and Responsive:

  • Focus on serving the needs of her real users, not just chasing trends or viral TikTok moments.
  • “I am a socially led company. First. What do my women want? How do I want to deliver it to them?” (36:10)

---

5. Product Highlights and Approach

• Cult Favorites:

  • Exfoliating pads (the “exercise” pads) and the multitasking, hydrating lip glosses received special praise from both Molly and Dr. Ekta.
  • “When I started using the exfoliating pads, the exercise, absolutely fell in love. You really killed it with these.” (19:59)
  • “Even your lip glosses, I love them...It’s become my go-to every day. Like the one in the berry shade. Love it.” (26:24)

• Future Product Development:

  • Sneak peeks of new colors and a desire to create universally flattering shades, particularly for deeper skin tones.
  • “I'm also trying to do one that's a little bit more mocha, a little bit richer...a little bit deeper.” (27:28)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Confidence and “It Girl” Energy:

  • “In your teens, your twenties, your thirties, your forties, and your fifties, you'll make choices. People say you shouldn't; make them anyway, boldly, resiliently, and with your whole heart. That's what it means to be an 'It Girl’.” — Molly Sims (01:39)

• On Skincare Simplicity:

  • “Start with three products, get a good cleanser, a good moisturizer, and then pick your poison on what you want to target.” — Molly Sims (24:49)

• On Beauty Education:

  • “You can still have a proprietary complex...but if you’re going to tell people, yeah, I have a $650 cream and it’s going to completely reverse your aging and hyperpigmentation and... This person just spent their rent money on your cream. You know what I mean?” — Dr. Ekta (22:24)

• Entrepreneurial Honesty:

  • “What I know now, I don't even know if I would start a company.” — Molly Sims (29:00)

• On Consistency:

  • “The magic is the consistency and the consistency will get you the long lasting results.” — Molly Sims (24:33)

---

Key Timestamps

• Molly’s Intro to Beauty & Modeling: 01:04 – 03:40
• European vs. American Skincare Approaches: 03:40 – 05:08
• Discussion on Trends, Fillers, and Maintenance: 05:08 – 09:23
• Intentionality in Skincare & Founding YSE: 12:13 – 19:39
• Cult Product Discussion & Affordability in Beauty: 19:39 – 23:02
• Minimalism, Consistency, & Building a Simple Routine: 23:02 – 25:32
• Product Development Philosophy & Lifestyle Integration: 25:32 – 27:28
• Entrepreneur Advice, Resilience, and Founding Struggles: 27:44 – 35:17
• Scaling, Retail, and Team Strategy: 31:59 – 37:22
• Final Takeaways & Praise: 38:00 – 39:44

---

Episode Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is warm, candid, and practical—mixing industry wisdom with personal stories, humility, and plenty of humor. Molly embodies the ethos of “wise beauty,” advocating for confidence, intentionality, and not chasing trends or quick fixes. Both she and Dr. Ekta emphasize that the secret to beautiful skin—much like to a successful business—is consistency, self-knowledge, and doing what actually feels good and makes sense for you.

---

For Listeners:

• If you want honest talk about the realities of beauty business, what actually works in skincare, and building confidence at any age, this episode is a must-listen.
• Notable soundbites on resisting hype, championing intentionality, and what actually goes into launching and scaling a beauty brand.

---

Follow Skin Anarchy on Instagram, TikTok, and Medium for more science-driven, in-depth beauty discussions.
Follow YSE Beauty and Molly Sims for product launches and authentic industry insights.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, guys. Welcome back to Skin Anarchy.

[B]

Today's episode is very special.

[A]

We have True Icon with us today. I am such a fan of her and her brand and everything she's creating. I've been listening to Lipstick on the Rim for a long time, and I was listening to it before I even started essay. So this is very full circle moment for me. So without further ado, please welcome Molly Sims, who is also the founder of Wise Beauty. Welcome, Molly. I'm so excited.

[C]

I am so excited. I have listened to your podcast for many years, and I honestly have to say you have incredible guests. I know how hard it is as a fellow podcaster, which you get in there with different angles, and I love it. So it's an honor, actually, to just be a part of this.

[A]

Thank you so much. That means a lot to me and I'm very honored to host you. I can't wait to dive in because you are so in touch with the beauty world. I love your line, by the way. I'm just going to throw that out there for everyone listening right now because I've applied. I want to really learn more about you, Molly. You have such an amazing career and you've done so many things. Where did it start in the beauty world for you? What was your first introduction to beauty?

[C]

We just did a launch a few days ago. It was called It Girl. We have a new shade out for the gloss. And the way I launched it on my Instagram was, what is an it girl? Who is that girl? Because in a girl is it. It's not about being a pretty girl. And it took me back in the way that I did it. I started in my teens when I first fell in love with beauty. My mom was a huge. Just total. She just was everything to me. She was so aspirational and she was so chic and she was so fun. I just remember.

I literally launched this yesterday and it was on my Instagram. It says, in your teens, your twenties, your thirties, your forties, and your fifties, you'll make choices. People say you shouldn't make them anyway. Make them boldly, resiliently, and with your whole heart. That's what it means to be an It Girl. And if you look at this picture.

[A]

Yeah, look so cute. I love it.

[C]

In your kid years, you'll use two bottles of Aussie scrunch spray to curl your hair after everyone says it looks absolutely ridiculous. But you'll do it anyways because you love it. And now, my friend, is the beginning of my beauty journey. I loved products. I would watch My mom. I would go to the Clinique counter, I would get my toner, I'd get my moisturizer. I'd do my three steps. I had my Aussie spray. I crunch up to try to be Julia Roberts. I've always just been so interested in art, entertainment, beauty. My mom would walk four miles a day with my German shepherd major. She took very good care of herself. She worked very hard. She had a recycling company, a book company. She was a very hard worker and instilled that in us. But beauty was her thing, and she embodied it. Watching her and seeing what she did and how she did it, I definitely think, listen, I was of the. No phone, no Internet, no nothing. So the days of waiting for Vogue or Harper's or Mary Claire or. Yes, or Mrs. Or Mademoiselle or Lucky or like, that was my bible, right? Those were my. Oh, my God. What's it gonna be? The next slide is leaving Vanderbilt, giving up a law career, taking a ticket to go to New York to try to model. And then from that, going to Europe. I think it's evolved. I have learned so many things. For me, beauty and style. I learned honestly, because I traveled. So I got stuck in New York. Then I went to Germany, and then I went to London, and then I went to Paris and Milan. I learned how the French girls do the undone done better than anything. I learned that the Brits make it a little rock, a little edge, make it a little fun, make it a little dirty. I learned the Italians. It's all very sexy, very easy, very flowy. It was like going to school. I've taken all of that, especially with beauty. I had my dermatologist in France, like, it's a very different approach to skin and how they view it and what they do to take care of themselves. It's not big surgeries. It's not big things like that.

[A]

Maintenance.

[C]

Exactly. Every day. And they do what I think is a big misconception. They absolutely do things and take care of themselves. They just do it in a very different way than Americans.

[A]

I feel like that's such a powerful approach because especially when I look at the skincare space. For so many years, skincare came on the market and we just said, okay, exfoliate the hell out of your skin. That's what we were doing forever. And people were going crazy in one lane.

[C]

Well, look at, like, all the women in 2010 who did the massive Dr. Lancer microbr. Thank God for his product because it's a great product. But, yeah, that hard again. And you saw it a little bit at the end, which I'm glad a lot of people, because microdermabrasion then went into CO2. Yeah, that was. The timeline was very harsh. Then you started having micro dermabrasion being a little bit less. Oh, maybe we don't do one crazy thing every year. Maybe we do it three times a year. Then maybe we do it two, two times a year. And then the same thing with the CO2. My best friend did a massive CO2 where she was put under. She was out for a month. This was close to 10 years ago. And now you're learning. The baby CO2, you're learning. I think we have to be careful. I think trends are trends, because that's what they're called now. We're learning a lot about some of the heated lasers, which, as I've talked a lot about it because I'm so olive, and how it can increase melanin, increase browning of the skin and hyperpigmentation. The melasma can really exasperate that. But again, it's just how you look at beauty, Right. I'm not looking to be 20, and.

[A]

That'S a big misconception. Right. It's like a big misconception that we need to get, like, you turn 35, and this is just my opinion, but like, a lot of us, we get to 35 and we're like, oh, my God, my skin needs something now. And it's like, before then, it was all good and dandy. And then. Yeah, and then you hit that mark and you're like, okay, now I need to go to get everything done. All the aesthetic treatments, all the.

[C]

Look at what's happening with filler. Yeah.

[A]

It's insane when I see people and this is no shade to anybody. Do you? By all means. But when I see these girls that are 21 years old and their face is filled, I'm just sitting here like, where did we lose the plot? Because it is. It's gone. It has left the room.

[C]

At this point, I think we are turning a little bit. I think the new facelift, I think, Dr. Levine, some of the younger surgeons are really trying to say, okay, it's not about pulling it all back. It's not about filling it all up. I think for a long time, as cutting, it's a big thing. It's hard. But I think again, it goes back to that. The fillers, I think people really see things they don't love. After about 10 years of using it.

[A]

Yeah. Now they're dissolving Them too. That's what I see. A lot of it's like they're all going, wait a minute, I didn't need all of this. And that's extremely painful. And then you go through the whole process of that.

[C]

A friend of mine just did it and it was painful. She looks incredible. I think the problem with filler, I've done very little. I think I've done it maybe once in my life does it doesn't stop stay where I think people think it's. Sometimes.

It migrates. So I think that's part of the problem with your metabolism. A lot goes into it. We all, including myself, can't see ourselves at a certain point. And some of the younger girls don't even see it. I'm not taking up for them. I just think I wish that you had a really good mentored friend. Best friend, mom saying, you don't really need this right now.

[A]

100%. I 100% agree with you.

[C]

Listen, my friend got her lips done the other day and she was like, I love it. I was like, you know what? I love that you love it. She never had an upper lip. It was actually done extremely well. I also. There is the flip side of I can see a lot now. And whatever toss of the coin end up with a lot of my friends.

It has changed them. You think it's about the outside, what you look like so much more about how you feel about how you look. And if you do not feel good about how you look.

It you don't feel like you're a knit girl. And for whatever this has done with addiction, diabetes, perimenopause, menopause, I have actually seen.

A few of my friends come back to life with their confidence.

[A]

I love that. I love that because I feel like that is the whole purpose. And you should feel like whatever you do to yourself, whether that's topically invasive, whatever, if you're not aligned, there's something inside that's going on that you're maybe going through a hard time. Maybe something's just 100 bonkers in your life. You need to stop for a minute and be like, why am I doing what I'm doing? And is it really because I need that facelift or I need that injectable or whatever.

[C]

Best friend who is the co host of Lipstick on the Rim, Emma says she has three girls. She just did her. How do you say, the under eyes, the lower bluff. And she has talked about it for 10 years.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I love that she loves my eye patches. She still uses them Even after, I love it. But she will never look at a picture or wake up and think, I wish I could get my eyes done because she genetically had that like pocket. And finally about six months ago, I'm like, I'm doing it. I go, we are doing it. You are doing it. We got this. And she end up doing Dr. Schwartz out of New York. He's ocular trained under garage. I.

Was so happy. We went to a premiere the night before and they were very puffy and I was so happy because it looked so bad. I'm like, we're not going to be this tomorrow morning when we wake up. And to try to make her go through with it and all that. And it was just, she looks incredible. The point of the story is that she feels incredible. And again, it took her 10 years to get there and doctors to say there's no amount of eye patches, there's no amount of cold plunging, there's no amount of X, Y or Z that's gonna do what the surgery could do for you.

[A]

Right.

[C]

But she looks fantastic. I'm super proud of her and she feels amazing.

[A]

Yeah, I love that she had that experience. It's a thing you've thought about and you've gone through it meaningful way. Speaking of that, I love the name of your brand. Let me just say that Wise Beauty, it's such a powerful name and I think it's so powerful, especially because that's what this industry needs. You need more wisdom, driven decision making when it comes to what you're buying, why you're buying it right now. And Molly, I'm sure you've seen this. There's so many people that are like layering all sorts of stuff. Like I see this in my emails all the time. They're like, I've got the Azalec and I've got the lactic and I've got the retinoid. And I'm like, this is called the chicken. Yeah. Sandwich. It's not their fault. It's more of I put the blame on bad education. Right. Because our education around skin health, skin care, topical use of products is just not where I would hope it would be for the general consumer.

[C]

Think about retinol. The lack of education around retin A Retinol. Retinoid, yes. The every few months will be like, I know I look dry, I know I look red, I know it's a little patchy, but my skin's getting used to.

[A]

Is. Yeah, 100%. Because you can't do the whole justifying adverse reactions or Adverse effects. This is such an important topic. I don't want to go down that road too much because I feel like I'm gonna piss a lot of germs off. But I feel like I've strongly felt this way as well, where it's. If your medication, which is what retinoids are, if you're on a prescription retinoid product and your prescription is not giving you any kind of results, it's giving you adverse effects. You need to go to your dermatologist and be like, yo, I think the dose is too high on this thing, or something's broken, because I'm not seeing it.

[C]

There's a place for it, right. And there's a prescription amount. Right. That's why I always say, go to your derm. You're in LA. Go to Dr. B. If you're in New York, go to Dr. Denny, go to Dr. Nussbaum. There's amazing people. It goes back to, like, let's just. The strength of. Let's just get it done.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I think that's been the beauty of wise. I think for me, I had a huge problem. I had cystic acne, Accutane, diacycline, Trysted cyclin, you name it, spirulexone. I did everything right. I finally got through it. I didn't have it until my late 20s, early 30s, probably hormonal for cystic. In my 40s, that kind of went away. It would still wears its ugly head every now and then. And then it turned into hyperpigmentation and melasma. And as for me coming out of modeling, getting married late in life, having a baby very late in life, and then having two more. You can only imagine the roller coaster being that woman who represented the no makeup look. I was dark, splotchy, and even I would do all of these things and go out into the sun. I wasn't. It's what I said about the retin, a retinoid, the whole thing of the hydroquinone. I was dry, red, irritated. I looked older. My skin looked like it was a thirst trap, Right? Like it was thirsty. And then again, I was only making it worse by living and going outside. Like, I can't. I've lived in Southern California now for the most part. And, yeah, it was a definite roller coaster. I felt that everything for me. And I loved all the cool brands. Like, I love lag. I love bomb.com. i love. But that's not gonna have any efficacy on someone like me. And then everything else was. What I was doing was okay. You're gonna use this once every three days, and you're gonna do this once every five days. Everything was so harsh. I've tried everything, I've done everything. Did wise happen? I stopped doing the very heavy actives of tretinoin. Tretinoin, the hydroquinones. I just stopped. And I think what we found through wise, I think the best way to explain it to women 35 and over, sometimes your skin, it's called a skin plateau. It's a benefit plateau. So the more you raise that active. And granted I have three children. I don't have a lot of downtime. So there is a time and a place for a plastic surgeon, there is time and a place for a der. But there is a time and also a place of where you not always being like you having a reaction to something. The actives are too high. And what it does, there's balance of what you have to do to achieve that. So yes, you can have actives, but they have to be balanced with the cushion actives, the beta gluconalactones, the surfactants, the humectants, the things that'll give your skin cushion life. Doingess, the pleasure, clumpy. You've gotta. You've gotta. If you're stripping and like sandpaper, then you gotta make sure on the other side you are repairing and barrier. And that I think is our superpower. Everybody told me not to do it because who needs another celebrity skincare brand? Truly wise is not that it is a clinically backed derm approved brand. I do clinicals on everything. I'm not a chemist. If this had a baby with this and this had a baby, this is how I do things. I want my products to multitask like I do. When I was pitching to everyone, they thought I was nuts because I'm not really gonna do like a clarifying line and an acne line and a dark line and a enzymatic line and a. I don't shop like that. I shop. Holy grail. Colt. What does this amazing product? What can it do in a million different ways? I just don't like even my lip balm, which happens to be sitting here. It's a gloss balm mask all in one. It just looks good, right? Then I turned it into a lip. You know what I mean? How can we make really good products that do a lot of different things? I don't need 57 SKUs. I need the powerhouses that I can use in a simple way. It's like people who are too busy to do skincare. Like you, I don't have time. I'm not my 10 year old. She's got time. She wears the bonnet, she does a double cleanse. She's got time up there. She's got her white, she's got her glazing milk, she's stolen a pad, she's got simplifying it to make it. But having a clinical. Clinicals can be fun. I think. I think that's what my woman like having another chapter. I didn't want a menopausal brand, I didn't want an old brand, I didn't want a grandmother brand. I've got my new packaging for something. I'm like, we can be fine, we can have our glue. It's an ever changing field. I've learned so much. I've never thought I would deal with raws in my entire life. I never even knew what a raw was. But it's exciting. I think I have a really good grasp on who my woman is. My Amy, my Jennifer is. My Lauren's like and how to meet them, where they are with what they want and what they need. Right. Like how can I get them to wear an eye cream? I can make a day cream that's a little bit of a blurring concealer. That's great for dark circles, that's great for giving a little bright under the skin and getting moisture to this area a couple times a day. I look at wise and I look at the products. It's not just what's in them, it's how you do it. How do I get someone to wear Sunscreen? My dermatologist, Dr. Bakshanda always said you're going to use the sunscreen that you want to wear. And that's where skin glow came from. That's why it's so successful, because it doesn't act like a sunscreen, it acts like a primer. It just gives you a little bit of a glow. It's not greasy, it doesn't make you too shiny. But it also gives you just a little bit of look of that kind of, oh, I've got a little bit of a filter on. But yeah, it's not easy. I can't tell you the amount. I've never worked so hard in my life.

[A]

It shows because there are such cult favorite products in your range and I feel like that's really hard for a brand to accomplish. Not even having one, but having multiple. It's one thing to buy it, but then to come back and purchase it again or to really crave it in your routine. Like when I started using the exfoliating pads, the exercise absolutely fell in love. You really killed it with these.

[C]

They're probably three years of developing.

[A]

It shows in that product. And I feel like they don't make.

[C]

You read a little bit, but it goes away in 30 seconds.

[A]

And they also take into account that the toner pad should. It feel like a flimsy little thing. I'm trying to hold on.

[C]

Love a little pocket. Go down to your neck and deck. Ladies, let me tell you, it lasts.

[A]

That's another thing. Somewhere along the line, we lost this idea of sky Skincare can be really great, but you can build luxury into it, too. You don't have to compromise. You don't have to just make a luxury brand and then have no efficacy behind it because it's luxury. You know what I mean? Your cream is 400. It doesn't matter what the hell's in it because you're buying our label. I feel like we did that for so long in the industry where it was either you buy the $400 cream or you go figure out what the efficacious products are. Do your hunting on your own. But I feel like with your brand, I really see that beautiful melding of the two worlds where it's luxury. And if you're in my age bracket or somebody who just wants efficacious skin care, but you don't want it to look like it's a medicine cabinet on your vanity.

[C]

And that's exactly who it's for. I didn't have a lot of options. It's what you said. Granted, yes, I love a great hyaluronic, but I'm not gonna pay 250 for hyaluronic. Are you out of your mind? Everything got so priced out. It's what you just said you could. The 350. Two fifty. There's this brand I love. I love natural B say, and they've actually brought. I think it's from Spain. I'm not for sure. But so expensive, right?

[A]

Here's the thing, Molly. I see this all the time, and I'm sure you get the comments, too, with your customers. And I not try to be mean to any brand out there. They don't have money for a 500 moisturizer. They don't have it, and that's their rent. So you can't isolate people because you feel like your cream is really on.

[C]

But let's be really honest about one thing. A lot of the $500 is spent in the packaging.

[A]

Yeah, it is the Packaging. Let's keep it even more honest and say, okay, you have a super biotech forward brand. I can honestly tell you as a scientist, there is absolutely no biotech out there that justifies like a 5, $600 cream. I've seen the biotech, I've seen the prices on this biotech like crazy encapsulations, the crazy delivery mechanisms, they're cool. But if you're going to tell people, yeah, I have a $650 cream and it's going to completely reverse your aging and hyperpigmentation and.

This person just spent their rent money on your cream. You know what I mean?

[C]

Rent money and be back.

[A]

And then it's like you start having these people like they start trying to justify, oh, we have a proprietary complex. And I'm just like, I'm so over that world now.

[C]

You can still have a proprietary complex. I'm working on something right now on my product roadmap. You can still have your proprietary complex and cost you $250. I mean it's just how you put your Roth together. I think you're better off spending that on your Roth and your clinicals. Because what you don't want to do is deliver something that doesn't deliver right.

[A]

Unless you're fixing my problem in two weeks. Like I don't want to hear it. You know what I mean? I want my skin to be baby smooth. No freaking pigment problems, nothing. Like that's just, I don't know, you.

[C]

Know, I think what you led with too is a lot of it is just education. I think there's a lack because we're. There's so much noise. And I think even for me, I'm like, oh God, what is that? I think women sometimes just don't know where to go. They don't know what to do. They don't know in what order to do it. I love skinceuticals. Right. I think they're a great brand. But I get confused on the chlorophyll, the CN F. Any. I can't remember that. And then there's 30 SKUs. And I don't know what comes first.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And when to do it. I think we've done a really good job with the boyfriend and the girlfriend. Your skin glow, your morning cocktail. If you want to be bright, you gotta have vitamin C. So that's your morning cocktail. Mix it with your skin glow at nighttime. Very simple. Last call problem solver. A little bit of a retinol with a trans examic. It doesn't make you irritated it's in a cream. So I think a lot of for me, if I'm confused and I'm in the business, even when I wasn't in the beauty business, I still rel. I wouldn't say that I was an expert by any means, but I do my shit and I would get confused. And I think living so many years in Europe, especially in France, really helps me keep that dialed down. Too much can be exactly what it is. Too much.

[A]

Right, Right.

[C]

And I always say to women, more does not mean better.

[A]

Yeah, that's true.

[C]

I say, okay, if you don't want to use my vitamin C, use a vitamin C. If you don't want to use my sunscreen, find a sunscreen you're going to use. The magic is the consistency and the consistency will get you the long lasting results. That's why I don't say, oh, I'm going on a diet. Right. Because the moment I say I'm going.

[A]

On a diet, no longer on the diet.

[C]

No longer on the diet. So it's just really trying to set yourself up for success. That's what I always start with. Three products. Start with three products, get a good cleanser, a good moisturizer and then pick your poison on what you want to target. If you're trying a brand, you're never going to do an entire brand with one product with one label, with one company. Right. I don't have a day moisturizer. Right. I'm working on it. I can tell you five that are great. Different things for different. If you want more of a gel, if you want a more of a cream, if you want more of a cushion. So I can break it all down for you, but it's what you're going to use.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think that's where Wise.

Has really I wanted women to feel proud. Product was an out for April. I probably should be showing it, but I don't have it. I'm working on it. What my girl to feel good with how it feels in the hand, how it looks on the vanity. I think she takes pride in that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. No, I think you're absolutely right. I, I just feel like your brand and I've had this, my own personal experience. Right. I can sit here and tell my audience, you guys need to go check out Wise and I can do that ad nauseam. But I can only tell you my experience. I have loved every product that used consistently. Even your lip glosses, I love them. I've not put playing with you when I tell you I love Them. It's become my go to every day. Like the one in the berry shade. Love it. It's so hydrating. It's so nourishing.

[C]

I don't feel like my class act.

[A]

Yeah. The one it's like that. It's a dark berry color. I forget the exact name of it.

[C]

These are all beautiful, dude.

[A]

Like, the details. I think that's my main.

[C]

Look how pretty this one is. It's not out. I don't know. I'm trying to test different ones. But look how pretty this is right here.

[A]

Oh, my God. It's like a beautiful burgundy.

[C]

I know.

[A]

Oh, that's.

[C]

I know. It's a little. It could be.

[A]

When is that coming out? Is that a new release?

[C]

I haven't even pitched it.

[A]

Okay, you should definitely make that a product. I will be buying it.

[C]

I haven't even pitched the color yet. I have wine color. I'm like a diy. So I take all. All my colors that I love and see where they fit in the line. I really want it to be a color, but then I also want it to be if I just wanted to do it over something or by itself.

[A]

Rich girlies will love that. I'm telling you, anyone with my complexion or darker will love that freaking shade. That is a beautiful everyday go to done. Like berry. Yeah, I know.

[C]

And then I'm trying to do. We have our fashion late, which is looking. Oh, love nudie. It's amazing. But I'm also trying to do one that's a little bit more mocha, a little bit more. Just a little bit richer, like, a little bit deeper. It's not for the faint of heart. Starting a company, that's what I want to pivot to.

[A]

Right. Because you've done so many amazing things in the beauty community and the beauty industry. You've started your own brand. You've made a successful brand. That's huge. Especially now, where I feel like everybody wants a beauty brand. Everyone wants to be a founder. It's one thing to become a founder, and it's another thing to remain a successful founder. So, like, where is that balance? I would love for you to give us some wisdom about this journey and going into this world as a career, because so many women are doing that right now.

Like, where do I start?

[C]

I think the word no fuels me. And I know that sounds odd, but if you think about my life, most of what I get told, especially in the beginning, was no. I think that came from my mom and my dad. Like, how do you turn the no into a yes.

And I think that has built that resilience, that armor, that muscle that today makes me an extremely good founder. That is my superpower, I think, for women today. I was.

In the middle of writing my third book when we switched gears into the podcast, but I wanted to name it Unstuck. I think women get stuck. I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do. I want to do something, I'm too old to do something. I can't start over. Like the self sabotage is real. I think for me as a young age, probably had a little bit harder time than your average person going to college. They dealt with different things, but I dealt with people calling me fat, people saying I would just be a catalog girl, people saying, how could you give up going to Vanderbilt? Your calves are too fat, you're too muscular, you're too blonde, you're too brunette, you're too tall, you're not tall enough. You can't do Japan, you can only do Australia. So I think it was very hard to handle as a young adult. I never will put down modeling. There was a time when all the models were going into acting and they were like, can't say you're a model. And I'm like, fuck that. Modeling helped me with so much. I would have never gotten these opportunities. I would have never, ever been where I am today, even mentally. A lot of hills, a lot of bumps, a lot of mountains. But as a founder, I think I have been able to listen what you know, you don't know, and what you don't know, maybe you don't need to know when you're starting a company. Because what I know now, I don't even know if I would start a company. And I've been to op school, I've been back to business school, I've been to marketing, I have a social degree. Now I have a psycho. Like I. Yeah, what advice would I give? I think you have to be very clear.

What is your why? What problem are you solving? How does it fit in the market? And where do you see yourself in five years? Yeah, I actually read a lot of books. I read, remember the ad agency, Red Antler? Her book Emily? That was a great book. I read that and it was interesting. Know your why. Know where you're positioning at. When I started, I was one of five or six celebrity skincare brands that had just launched. Know your why. Know where you fit. I think you have to surround yourself by really good people. And again, at every stage that changes, that has been the Hardest thing for me to stomach as a founder. Who you start with at a million dollars is not who you can be with at $10 million. At $20 million, your needs change. I've been nothing but a D2C brand up until this point. That all changed in August. I went into Sephora. So then that's a different strategy. That's a different group of people. That's a different knowledge, that's a different PDP page, That's a completely different set of ops, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

How many stores, how many gondolas, how many X, Y and Z's? I think that was the hardest part for me to stomach. Like letting people go that I loved. But the needs of the business completely changed. I now have two completely separate strategies. I have a D2C strategy and a Sephora strategy.

[A]

That's huge though. That's a really huge point that you.

[C]

Yeah, I think finance having a really strong fractional.

You know, I do think whatever business. And again, I know the beauty business is just like a.

Consumer, it's all consumer goods.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But I think being careful of having. When you go to someone who, oh, they do it all, they do your packaging, they do your cost of goods, they do everything is like a one stop shop.

In the beginning. It's amazing. But then you've got your cost of goods very high because you're paying a middleman.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So there are things, if I go back, I possibly would have changed. But I do think having a strong fractional who can tell you what EBITDA is and tell you, oh, it's great that you want this to be $37. Right. Like I didn't know any of that. Right. So I have to educate myself. I'm still educating myself. I don't believe that everyone can make. I'm just a snob that way. If I'm going to do mascara, you're going to be the best CM that does mascara.

[A]

I don't know how, how you can possibly have just one place making everything. There's no way people do. That's crazy. I love that though. You gave some serious gems there. Because I feel like in the founder world there's so many. I'm not even, I'm not going to speak like I've been through it. But what I see is a lot of people being BSing and I think this is why every single person wants to be a founder now. And I think a lot of them want to. They think there's this world of I'm my own boss and I get to make all the decisions. And I'm like, you don't. I don't think you've done your homework. Because I went to business school, I got an mba, and let me tell you, it scared the living out of me to think about what goes behind launching your business, creating a product, getting it out, all of that. You know what I mean?

[C]

So that's why trademark. We checked the wrong box and a font cost me, I don't know, $90,000.

[A]

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, that's okay.

[C]

It's okay. You.

I learn along the way. Yeah, I learn along the way. I think you have to have a very strong point of view, but you also have to have people who can go against you. You have to be like, okay, that's great that you want that. That is so amazing. And we love the. But you can't do it. It's not speed to market. You're looking at it more trying to feed different verticals. I know brands who just do TikTok things, so it looks good on TikTok. That's not my brand, but that's okay. The experience of what it look like, how it feels. I love all that, but I can't just do it for a TikTok. But yeah, I think that's been like, just team, I think is really important. Probably the most important sometimes you feel.

I think that's why I took a little bit of strategic money after my second year, because we grew so fast. Bringing Willow, Deb Benton, and Amanda Should Spank Inn really helped me because I felt like I was on an island by myself. I love my husband, but he doesn't really. We're not the most well educated in beauty. And I think the other thing I would say is.

Being strategic, being highly strategic. And I think for so long.

There was a playbook.

You went into a certain retailer, they would make your brand, they would spend time nurturing you, they would spend time building you. They would bring your brand awareness.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That is up to the brand to do that. I am a socially led company. First. What do my women want? How do I want to deliver it to them? For them to feel good about their skin, ultimately is my goal. Now, how you get there, A lot of recipes that you can make in a different world. You can cut that pie a million different ways. It's where you want to put your monies into different verticals.

[A]

Yeah, that's huge because I think that's. That was the understanding for so long, especially with Sephora. Congratulations on Sephora.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

That's so huge. And I think for a long time, that's what everybody thought, right? You land in Sephora, everything goes right. At that point, you're good. You've made it at that point where it's. I don't think people realize even after that, you have so much work ahead of you and there's so much other stuff that goes into it. And I feel like now we are getting a little bit more awareness around it, learning about your perspective and having you educate on these, like, principles of entrepreneurship. I think that's important because I listen.

[C]

Your retail partner should be your partner nation. You like, let's hold hands. Let's go. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

On the flip side of that partnership, you also have to do real D2C business.

[A]

Right.

[C]

I have that strategic. So I would never just go in and be like, okay, I'm just going to get. That is what I think is a danger. I think having all your eggs in one basket. Sephora has been amazing to me, but I've been amazing to them. Right. I'm in it to win it. What do you need? How can I serve you? How is your positioning? I have to say, I have a voice. I have a point of view. I have been Cindy, Daly, Priya, Millie, Caroline. Like, they have been great.

But again, you have to also.

[A]

No.

[C]

I don't like this. Or, oh, no. I think this should be a certain. This isn't going to work for us. You also have to have a really strong point of view, and you have to be like, nope, that's good. But I'm going to keep going on this way. So it's a balance. I've met some wonderful founders. Allison from Poppy Power 28, Linda Berkowitz. Like, I just met some incredible Don Hefner Summer Friday. Like Mariana and Laura. I feel so lucky to be in the same sandbox as them because truly, I'm just really lucky in that way. If I'm freaking out, I can call. I love that 91 1. I need to ask a question.

[A]

No, that's wonderful. And I love it. Molly, I'm so excited for you. I love Wise. I really do. I think I'm always gonna love the brand.

[C]

Like I said, you're gonna eat some new goodies. You got some.

[A]

Oh, my God, I can't wait. Yes, please send me whatever you can. I can't wait to try all your new good goodness.

[C]

So thank you for having me on. I am a big fan. You are. So what I love about you are you just know your. Like, I love it. I love it so much. I love that you are so knowledgeable and able to explain it in such a simple, easy way. I think that's why your listeners love your podcast. You have bits of takeaway, the way you edit and the way you ask your questions. I love it. And I've had a great time this past hour with you.

[A]

It was such a pleasure and I'd love to do it again if you have time.

[C]

I love it. Done. Love. Awesome.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

All right. Thank you. Really, you are amazing, doctor. I love you. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything.

[A]

Thank you for coming on. I'm just so happy that you did and you said yes. We really should do a part two. I would love to have you anytime.

[C]

I'll do it at the beginning of the year. All right.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

All right. Thank you.

[A]

Take care of.

[B]

Hey, guys. So I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms, so wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go, hit subscribe. You'll be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way, you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important. Important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium, so if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast. And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets. So check us out, leave us a comment, leave us a review, and we'll be back next time with another episode.

[A]

Thank you.