Makeup artist Pony's favourite South Korean Melixir skincare is now in Sephora
Certified 100% vegan, Melixir's vegan lip butter, green tea moisturiser and reef-safe sunscreen have been getting approval nods all-round.
A beauty playground for beautyholics, Sephora recently introduced a new vegan skincare in their plethora of brands. The South Korean skincare brand is touted as 100% vegan, and cruelty-free, with a reef-safe (yays to ocean lovers!) sunscreen. Founded by a gutsy young female entrepreneur Hana Lee, 33, who endeavours to uphold her promise that Melixir’s products, ingredients, and packaging are as gentle to nature as on our bodies.
That’s not all, South Korea's top makeup celebrity artist Pony, has expressed her love for Melixir vegan lip butter. Yahoo Life Singapore chats with its South Korean CEO and founder Hana Lee on what it means for Melixir to be certified as 100% vegan, her trials and tribulations as a young female entrepreneur in the saturated beauty industry and her top Melixir recommendations for Singapore’s hot and humid weather.
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Yahoo Life Singapore: Melixir is the first South Korean skincare brand to be 100% vegan. What does it mean for a brand/product to be 100% vegan?
Hana Lee: To be 100% vegan, we care about two principles. Firstly, NO animal testing, done for a long time in the beauty industry, and NO animal ingredients to be used.
Please share with us why you decided to start a new skincare brand that is 100% vegan.
I got the inspiration for Melixir in 2014. Back then, I worked for a beauty tech startup in San Francisco, and a client looking for a cruelty-free cosmetic option opened my eyes to how widespread animal testing was in the industry. I decided that someone needed to create a solution, and I went on a journey to create a skincare brand that I promised would be 100% vegan and sustainable. It has been five years, and we have kept our promise.
With zero animal testing, how do you ensure the efficacy of Melixir products?
We do conduct clinical tests to ensure the efficacy of the products. We test on artificial skin and human subjects.
Shouldn’t skincare be as healthy as our diet?According to CEO & founder Hana Lee, Melixir started with this simple question.
You are a very young entrepreneur. Could you share some ups and downs/challenges as a young woman entrepreneur creating a new international brand amidst a saturated beauty industry?
That’s a great question. People often underestimate young female entrepreneurs’ ambitions and achievements, so I needed to validate myself 10 times more than others. I worked closely with my team and listened to what our customers said. Eventually, this led us to focus on our initial mission for years, making us unique and relevant to our customers in their 20s and 30s.
The Melixir Vegan Airfit Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ is certified reef-safe. So what does it take for a product to be reef-safe, and why did you need to include this in the Melixir sunscreen?
I got inspired to create Vegan Airfit Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ by a friend who loves scuba diving and nature. However, the chemicals used in everyday sunscreen threaten the health of coral reefs and other marine life. My friend often goes diving but finds it hard to find sunscreens that don’t harm the ocean and coral, so he asked me to create one that is safe for the ocean. So, I made a reef-safe sunscreen powerful enough for outdoor activities with SPF 50+.
Melixir Vegan Airfit Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++
Which are your favourite Melixir products currently available on Sephora? Why do you love them?
My favourite is Vegan Relief Facial Moisturizer. Skin-soothing routine is something that I am deeply into to keep my skin stay healthy and hydrated. However, under the strong sunlight of Singapore, I immediately feel the heat on my face. To lower the skin temperature of the face, I love to put Vegan Relief Facial Moisturizer. The moisturizer is even better when you keep it in the fridge and put a thick layer on your face, like a sleeping mask. You will feel the surprising cooling effect overnight.
Melixir Vegan Relief Facial Moisturizer
Vegan Airfit Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ by Melixir is perfect for Singapore weather. When I stay in Singapore, the weather is hot and humid, and this sunscreen works perfectly because it is lightweight and doesn't leave any white cast even when I sweat. In addition, it has strong sun protection with SPF 50+ PA++++. It works best for people looking for easy texture with solid sun protection.
Melixir Vegan Airfit Sunscreen Duo SPF 50+ PA++++
How soon will other Melixir products be available in Singapore, and what type of product range can we look out for?
I would love to introduce the latest vegan beauty trends we started in Seoul as soon as possible. Koreans are deeply invested in natural-looking skincare that shows one's true self without masking it. In addition, we are developing high-performance serums and moisturisers made of Asian medicinal plants, so stay tuned until we bring them to Singapore!
Get Melixir from Sephora
Other Melixir products from Sephora
Melixir Vegan Clarifying Foam Cleanser
Melixir Vegan Lip & Hand Care Kit #Untamed Nature
Melixir Vegan Lip Butter
It comes in 12 shades
