We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hannah Cho a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission was to create lashes that actually fit, and beauty tools that really worked for Asian eyes.

From a young age, I had an interest in beauty and fashion. But growing up here in America, there was no one who looked like me that I could look up to. The lack of representation is a common experience for many Asians. When I discovered YouTube in my early twenties, that’s where I found a community of other Asian females looking for beauty products that worked for us. I’ve spent over a decade in the beauty industry, searching for eyelashes that properly fit my unique Asian eyes, were high-quality, and provided the long-term value I was looking for. After years of trying every brand under the sun, I decided my best option was to design and manufacture a lash that worked for me. With lots of trial and error, R&D, and about 2 years of back-and-forth, I finally created the all-day, morning-to-night comfort, lash of my dreams. That’s where Hannah Cho Beauty began. I’m so proud of what I’ve created, because my products are more than just a cosmetic. I like to call them “Asian-fit” because they’re thoughtfully designed for Asian eyes and our unique eye shapes, like monolids, hooded-lids, and smaller/flatter eyes.

Hannah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Asian representation is priority when it comes to my brand. Even the decision to use the color, which in the past has been used negatively towards Asians. At Hannah Cho Beauty we’re taking the color back and making it something we celebrate.

My product values are simple:

High-quality: Real human hair is simply the highest quality option for a lash. It’s handcrafted, looks and feels natural, and is hypoallergenic for sensitive Asian skin.

Properly Sized: Asian eyes have unique dimensions that require specific products and tools. Everything we design is built around these dimensions. A millimeter here or there can make a huge difference for our eyes.

Great Value: Having custom-fit lashes that Asian women can wear comfortably all day, go anywhere, and do anything in, and are appropriate for every occasion is the value we want to provide.

No Compromise: We recognize that our products aren’t for everyone, but our goal is to never compromise in providing the highest-quality, custom-fit beauty products for Asian women.

Our vision is to continue to service the Asian community with beauty products we believe are made perfectly, just for us.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I am my customer. I created my products based around a need I had personally. I’d spent almost 15 years using cosmetics that weren’t designed for my features. I have monolids, which weren’t always thought to be “beautiful” and definitely weren’t talked about enough.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There’s not one particular story of resilience. Starting and running your own business is a practice in being resilient every single day. I remind myself that if the pros don’t out weigh the cons, then that defeats the purpose of doing this. I have a few quotes or mottos I think about daily: Don’t try to boil the ocean – a great reminder for when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Don’t grow weary in well-doing – Galations 6:9. Be generous – in a world that often feels fast and unfortunately, greedy, I always want to be generous where I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hannahchobeauty.com
• Instagram: @hannahcho_beauty

Image Credits

Photographer: @genesisimagesarizona
Models: Mel @xmel.nguyen, Ariel @jeez.ariel, Grace @desertgracebeauty, Sydney @sydneyxtran