We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Debra and Sinclair a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Debra and Sinclair, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I’m Debra Dupree, a mother, beauty & skin care expert, who has worked as a beauty consultant in the beauty industry for over 2 decades. I’ve always had super sensitive skin, it seemed like everything I used caused a negative reaction. I had tried a ton of the top name brand skin care products on the market, to fix my problem. I would end up breaking out in hives and rashes as a result or using the products. Nothing worked. I was so frustrated and didn’t know where to turn. I was self-conscious and concerned that customers would not buy products from me because of how my skin looked. I did some research on the ingredients in the skincare products I was using and found that not only could I not pronounce any of the ingredients, but they were all loaded with harsh, toxic and harmful chemicals known to cause major health issues including cancer. I was disgusted knowing that consumers spend an estimated 382 billion dollars per year on these products .I became deeply concerned that using them would cause health issues for me as well as billions of women using them, including my daughter who was already entering the world of beauty consumption.
I’m Sinclair Lewis, Debra’s daughter, head of formulation, and art/design director. Growing up as an artist I’ve always been creative. I worked with many mediums such as paint, ceramics and even graphics. I got into the healthy, natural way of living early on in my life and delved into tons of research on plant based ingredients that are beneficial to our skin. Around my first year of high school my mother started a plant based beauty company and I helped out with graphics and testing out product formulations with her. I eventually became an herbalist in order to best help with the formulations of the products.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
We are Debra and Sinclair, co-owners of Veggiface. We are a mother and daughter team. Together we have 53 years of experience in the beauty and personal care industry. We provide plant- based personal care products, with ingredients you can pronounce and recognize. Our products are geared towards women ages 18-34 who are looking for natural solutions to their skin problems.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
We began to use our products and within a weeks time noticed that our skin was looking healthier and clearer. We Then started holding seminars/workshops to gain customers. While at the seminars a few of our customers exclaimed that they tasted the products and had no issues. Our new customers were calling and texting us raving about their results, stating that they also saw clearer and healthier skin in as little as one week.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
We found a mixer to create skin care products using our plant-based and chemical free formulations. The products we provide are so clean and natural that you can eat them. We had no prior experience but we were well versed in natural ingredients and what they do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.veggiface.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/veggi.face
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/veggiface
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzm659uIO33wYnsAd9aFQQw
Image Credits
Sinclair Lewis