Elements of Aliel is a natural skincare brand that focuses on skincare as part of one’s overall wellness journey. Our goal is to help women make the health of their skin the priority without complicating their already busy lives. We operate with the philosophy of less is more in everything from formulation to the routines our products create. BeautyMatter sat down with LaKeisha Entsuah to learn what makes her vegan, nontoxic and eco-friendly brand different.

Who is the consumer target that you created your brand and products for?

I created Elements of Aliel for the woman who is health conscious but not necessarily a beauty enthusiast. For the woman who is not so concerned with what the next trend is and more concerned with how easy the product is to use. We see our target customer as the busy professional, multitasking mom, and overall superwoman who wants to look good and love well while she conquers the world.

What is the formulation philosophy behind your product?

When it comes to products formulation, we take a “less is more” approach. We only use ingredients that have a clear benefit. If we can achieve the same results with seven ingredients that we would with twelve, then we’re going to use seven. The primary goal of our collection is to be functional—if a product is pink, it’s because a key ingredient made it pink, not because we like the color. The same philosophy applies to fragrance—scent is a byproduct of the ingredients we use, not the star of the show.

What is your distribution strategy for the brand?

While we are looking to expand into retail at some point, our primary focus is direct to consumer. Again, our goal is to be part of a woman’s wellness journey, and journeys are very personal. We believe the only way that we can effectively be part of such a personal experience is to have direct contact with those that we serve. The other benefit to focusing on DTC is that it allows us to control the customer experience from start to finish. We can ensure that they have a full understanding of who we are as a brand and how that benefits them as a consumer, from their first encounter with us up to the point that they have product in hand.

Would you share how you’ve funded the business to date?

Elements of Aliel is completely self-funded. Our day-to-day operations are sustained by our sales and growth through personal investments. My goal is to remain self-funded as long as possible, until it becomes a hindrance to our growth.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about launching a beauty brand?

The one piece of advice I would give to an aspiring beauty entrepreneur is to get a coach, mentor, or some type of business group as soon as possible. The thing about this industry or business in general is that you don’t know what you don’t know. My first two years in the beauty business, I struggled to get things right. Within a few months of working with someone, I was able to set a clear path for my brand going forward. Had I not made that choice, I would have either quit or still be struggling today.

Where do you see the brand in five years?

Within the next five years I believe we will have evolved into more of a wellness brand that incorporates beauty. This brand started as part of my own personal wellness journey and so it seems fitting for it to make the transition into serving more the whole woman, mind and body included. Our goal is to create experiences that help women take better care of themselves. We like the idea of retreats and other gatherings that celebrate being well and being beautiful.

What excites you about the future of the beauty/wellness industry?

What excites me most about the future of this industry is how beauty and wellness are beginning to collide. I love the idea behind the ingestible beauty products as well as products that speak to skin health as much as it does appearance. I am also really excited about the creation of more wellness spaces. The intersection of spa, juice bar, and yoga studio really speaks to how people are seeking more of a holistic approach to everything in their life.

Content Created in Partnership with Unfiltered Experience