Welcome back to our founder spotlight series! We're meeting with the founders of your favorite clean beauty brands to learn about the inspiration behind their brand, their favorite products, the clean beauty industry, and their advice for budding beauty entrepreneurs. This week we chatted with Leah Klasovsky, the founder of Leahlani Skincare.
What was the inspiration behind creating Leahlani Skincare?
Through my years as a holistic esthetician, I had the honor of treating hundreds of fabulous faces. Across all ages and skin types, I came to realize that all my clients were seeking essentially the same thing – a way to love their skin. It was my own struggle with severe cystic acne that drew me to the world of holistic beauty, so I was moved by the difficulty my clients expressed in connecting with meaningful routines that supported the complexions they craved.
Inspired, inspirited, and intent, I set off to develop a skincare line that would transform a mundane routine into a treasured ritual. Creating Leahlani has expanded my heart in more ways than I can ever say, connecting me with people all over the world through the extraordinary natural ingredients found on our beloved Hawaii.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs in the beauty space?
Be authentic, stay grounded, and be prepared (for anything and everything!). This applies to any entrepreneur- not just in the realm of beauty. Leahlani evolved on its own. We honestly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we launched our newly rebranded packaging and official website in January of 2016. Within two weeks of our launch, we had to completely move our operation into much larger space miles down the road. At the time- it was just my husband and me who managed everything, and that quickly changed. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine that Leahlani would grow at the rate it did in such a short period. If someone had told me, I would not have believed them- and I think that if I had known what I would be up against, I would have really quickly run in the opposite direction. There is a reason they are called 'growing pains', and in business (especially small businesses), you will encounter many of them. But you stretch, you grow, and you persevere- and if you stay the course, those growing pains can help you flourish. Stay rooted in who you are, be 100% authentic, take care of yourself, and buckle up and enjoy the ride.
If you could only pick one, what is your favorite product that you've created?
That is so hard- but if I had to choose one, it would be Pamplemousse. Nothing compares to her, she delivers all that she promises.
What is your favorite way to practice self-care?
I am about to turn 40 in a few days, and with age comes wisdom. If you had asked me this question a year ago, my answer would have been much different. I have learned that the greatest act of self-care that I can extend to myself is to give myself the grace to move with the ebbs and flows in my life. Somedays, I need a challenging spin class to blow off steam- and other days, I need a long nap at the most inopportune times of the day. There are days of the month where I just cannot sleep and other days where I can cram a week's worth of work in ten hours. For so many years, I have been searching for balance- and the inability to achieve it has left me constantly disappointed in myself. Grace allows me to accept exactly where I am on any given day, recognizing that my needs will shift and change - and that is perfectly okay.