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

Noelle, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

Corporate America for as long as we know have been filtrating our beauty products that are readily available with harsh chemicals and man made chemicals. Driving us further and further away from botanical essences. Our skin is living and breathing. Its the largest organ on our body. We commonly mistreat it due to lack of knowledge and education about our skin. This is at the fault of corporate America for feeding us false marketing and advertising encouraging us to purchase products that are cheap ingredients and non beneficial but they dress it up and cute fun packaging and make millions off of the publics insecurities and desire to heal the skin.

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 back background and context?

I’ve been a Licensed Master Esthetician for about 8 years. I’ve worked in Spas across Utah and California and noted one main thing about the spa industry. It’s foundation is built on white supremacy and capitalism like most things in this country. When I first started my brand, I actually wasnt even starting a business or brand. I was just posting on Instagram about skincare and educating folks who follow me about how to care for their skin during the pandemic. My community started to inquire about the products I was recommending and loved the info I was giving out. There was a heavy need to support BIPOC owned brands during this time and I was right in line with that need because I saw it too my whole career and wanted that for us. My community encouraged me to start a skincare shop and sell all the brands I love and recommend. I listened to the needs of my community and built De La Derma based off of my desire to shake up the beauty industry.

Now, De La Derma has transformed into a whole skincare community of misfits. We represent the skin that is often ignored. We are one of the first and only ALL Womxn of Color owned marketplaces.

My brand is a disruption to the white capitalist supremacy that happenes in the industry. I have a high standard for botanical ingredients and have studied how ingredients penetrate the skin for almost a decade. With my knowledge, research and first hand experience treating clients I created my own standard for products in my shop that every single product must fall under to be carried by us. We only carry the purest, richest botanical formulations.

I’m bringing back true plant care for our skin into community and teaching folks how to understand their skin and use their, what I like to call… “SKINTUITION”

All In all, I just want everyone to feel comfortable in the skin they are in. I want folks to save their money from contributing to brands owned by the 1%. I want them to re invest their hard earned money into brands and people who are deserving of our dollar. I want the money to circulate in our own community and stress the importance of buying small and using small batch made products. Im sick to my stomach of capitalism and how it damages our communities.

This is why I say De La Derma is a disruption to society because we challenge the beauty industry and give the power back to the people to feel confident in their skin and not buy into these traps set up by our society.

We use our platform to educate other estheticians about this phenomenon we are creating and encourage them to stand with us on our values. We want estheticians to use their buying power for good and think outside of the box we’ve been conditioned to work in.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The best advice I had when first starting my social media was.. “Post like you have a million followers, even if you don’t.” I really understood that advice and put it to use. I started posting every day. I started posting everything that was important to me and just experimenting. I think growing my audience came natural because I love sharing information and I love teaching. I believe everyone should have access to knowledge about their skin and I try my best to answer DMs , comments and reply to EVERYONE! Honestly, fuck being perceived on social media.. the advice I want to give to folks who are just starting to grow an audience is to not worry about how you look or what you’re posting. We spend so much time over thinking!! I promise there is someone out there who is watching. Someone who is interested and loves your content. Just POST. Just let creative ideas flow. Social media fame or attraction doesn’t USUALLY happen over night. Don’t expect to make one post and you’ll blow up in 12 hours. Just stay consistent and true to your brand core values. Progress will happen. Trust the process.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I first started as a solo esthetician, I felt the need to create something that wasn’t offered In most spa settings. It was a force that was moving me energetically and physically. The lesson I had to unlearn was that this “conventional” way of spa culture wasn’t me. I had to unlearn that I had to fit in a box to have success. I started offering facials from my home for folks in community. I saw that folks were more comfortable coming to me in my home and the healing space I provide. At first, I felt insecure and I felt that my business wasn’t “professional” enough.

As time has passed, my clients and community have showed me that its not about how the business looks. It’s not about having a cookie cutter offering or space. It’s about the services you provide. They showed me its about the energy you show up with and the healing you provide. Ive learned that everyone goes through so much individually in life and that 60 minute treatment may be the only time of your day, week, or month that you have for yourself for self care. I really do. my best to give my clients my all during that hour and give them the space to just relax and enjoy themselves and feel whatever needs to be felt.

Fuck the conventional spa industry and the standard of being perfect. No one is perfect and we all struggle and suffer. Its about coming together, providing healing, empathy and love to our communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deladerma.com
• Instagram: @deladerma
• Tik Tok: @deladerma

Image Credits
Photographers: @abigailsylvesterphotography @lzhuuu