Well with Arielle Lorre - 25: ALLISON MCNAMARA - The Business of Beauty

Episode Date: October 2, 2019

In this episode I talk to former TV host, digital influencer and founder of the clean algae skincare line, MARA. We discuss everything from her work in front of the camera, leaving a secure job to develop a product, the steps she took to do so, and all things entrepreneurship. Being that she has a skincare line we of course talked ALL THINGS SKIN including what ingredients everyone should be using - and staying away from. Enjoy! If you haven't already, please take a minute to rate, review and subscribe! ❤️ Follow Allison on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allisonmcnamara Follow MARA on Instagram: www.instagram.com/themarabeauty Visit the MARA beauty website: https://themarabeauty.com Follow Arielle on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ariellelorre Follow the podcast on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theblondefilespodcast  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Auto-hue with Sunny Cars feels as if the children not be made. Kiselstramble. Zandvo. Actis forcare. Verdwine. Vacantia can chaotic

be chaotic. But who zorgalose an auto-hurt says, One dos, no stress. No, no longer-verwachted costs. Altight full-ledgiverts. So, footho-hue without your re-soddviseur

or sunnycars. I am recording the intro to today's episode from my floor, of my apartment in New York City. We're really high up, but sound travels, and so I can hear a lot of honks and sirens and all the New York noises. I'm not sure if the mic is picking it up, but if you hear them, that is why. Today, I'm talking to Allison McNamara, who is the founder of the Clean Algae Skincare Line Mara. Allison started her career at Pop Sugar, where she wrote, hosted, and produced the digital media giants' fashion and entertainment content for six years.

From co-hosting the Oscars for ABC and appearing on the Today Show, to co-anchoring Pop Sugar Now, a daily entertainment cable news show, and hosting her own show, Midnight Style, on the FYI Network. Allison then took her experience to Refinery 29 and E.T. Online, where she created, hosted, and produced beauty videos. She drummed up the idea for Mara on a trip, to Istanbul, right around the time she parted ways with pop sugar, which you will hear her talk about. And she began developing the brand, which now consists of two products, the Mara Algae and Maringa universal base oil and the retinal oil. And she has a new product coming as well, which you will hear her talk about. I was just really fascinated to hear about her career and how she went from

working in entertainment to developing her own line and how she created a standout product, especially in a saturated market, and how she created brand recognition in a relatively short amount of time. So this episode is packed with information not only about skin, we talked about all of the things, but also about entrepreneurship and creating products and running your own business. I loved talking to her. This is such a fun episode, so I hope you guys love it. And as always, please rate, review, and subscribe if you haven't already. I know I explained it last time, but iTunes has an algorithm, just like Instagram has an algorithm. There are so many podcasts, 800,000 to be exact, I believe, right now. And I know that I have my loyal listeners,

but in order to get out there to more people, shows have to have a lot of reviews and ratings and all of that. So it would really mean a lot to me if you haven't done that. If you can just head on over to the review section, it takes two seconds and it makes a really big impact on the podcast. So I appreciate you guys and enjoy the episode. I'm Ariel Laurie and this is the Blonde Files podcast where I talk to experts, influencers, and inspirational people in the world of wellness and beyond. So I am so fascinated by your story. I am really excited to hear about Mara, but you have had kind of an interesting journey to where you are now. So can you kind of rewind and talk about what you were doing before you were in beauty and skincare? Of course. So I started

my career wanting to be a television host. And that was like the goal. And my parents were in beauty. So that was something that was always a part of my life. But really when I went to college, I studied journalism, broadcast journalism and political science. I thought I was going to be like a news analyst. And then I went to school at USC here in L.A. And that's when I was really introduced to the world of entertainment. So I'm like, wait, why would I want to talk about boring stuff like the news, important stuff, I should say? But when I could talk about like fashion and celebrity and stuff that like this was at the era of like the Perez Hilton's which wasn't the nicest but this is when celebrity was really at the forefront before Instagram and all of that stuff so

I started pursuing a career in entertainment I was a journalist to start but really was a tape librarian to start at E where I like delivered tapes to producers this is before everything was digitized not to like show my age but so I started out doing that and eventually became a you know a production assistant on live events and then I went to be a writer at Hollywood Life and then I got quickly hired at Pop Sugar as their host and so that was really the first hosting job full-time hosting job that I had had and that's kind of what launched my career and I got to do so many amazing things being there I had my own television show on the FYI network I hosted the Oscars for ABC and that's when I got really burnt out of on-camera work and so I went back to like the basics like what do I love to do and it's always been skincare so I was

I continued doing the hosting thing up until about 2017, because I went to Refinery 29. I did some stuff with E.T. online. But while I was doing that, I was developing Mara. So, and still, like, I still do other jobs. I run Maine Addicts, which is a hair website. I'm the editorial director. And I still do that. And a lot of my other writing jobs in tandem with Mara. So I'm still connected in that way. But it's a journey. I feel like that whole Perez-Hilton era, like, it wasn't that long ago. It was like 10 years. maybe, right? I was in school in like the mid-2000s, and then, you know, I was doing my internships,

like in 2006 and seven, and then graduated right after that. So, yeah, this is like 2008, 2009. But also, this was also the height of the recession. So people didn't, weren't hiring when I graduated, which is why I took the job as the tape librarian. And so, yeah, like, but celebrity was still so popular and really at the forefront of pop culture in a way. I think pop culture is so much different than just celebrity now. Totally. So yeah, it was an interesting time.

It was like everyone was going to Kitsyn and on Robertson and paparazzi everywhere. The Ivy. Yeah. And there were these places. And I remember like I was living on the East Coast then. So I was reading these websites like delisted and like just there were so many of them. Just Jared. And kind of like, yeah, like wrapped up in this world. Yeah. I had my like system that I did every morning. Like I'd get to my my job and I would check like Perez, delisted, just Jerry.

at X-17 online, splash news. Like, I had the whole lineup. And I was, I was obsessed, but I think it kind of, you know, Instagram took the place of that, right? We don't really, at least I don't go to so many websites anymore. I'm really just kind of trolling Instagram for my news. Right. It's bad.

I think we all do it. It's bad. I read in an interview that you said the entertainment industry is filled with comparison and rejection and self-doubt. Was that part of the reason why you wanted to? to leave or were you just kind of always planning on going to skincare? That's a really great question. No, that's not why I left.

I feel like I got really lucky and also coupled with hard work, but I got a really great start into my career. I know that like if you're trying to be a host or an actress or anything that involves auditioning for a role, it can be really hard when you are told no many, many times. I was lucky to secure a job early on, but that didn't come with its own set of hardships where I had to, you know,

look a certain way, do a certain thing, dye my hair a certain color, you know, have people saying really negative things online. I mean, that just is part of the job. So while I think that the entertainment industry is all those things, that's not why I left. I definitely think that I have like a very thick skin and I'm able to put up with that. But I left because I wasn't really, my heart wasn't in it anymore. And I do think that like we're, we're like creative beings. I think doing one thing for your entire life is a really like tall order. And I mean, maybe you find something that you're you're obsessed with that you do forever and ever but this was like the next natural step for me yeah so how did you when did you decide to leave what i would assume was kind of like

security and pursue something totally unknown well it wasn't really a choice actually so what happened in 2005 2015 i think yeah 2015 was when we had a show called pop sugar now and so my job at pop sugar had transformed from doing just digital content to digital and a linear television show that was on TV Guide Network. And the TV show became such a big part of my job that the online portion really wasn't developing as much. So when our TV show got canceled, they kept me on for my retainer of my entire contract that I had that came through like 2016. And I had like that summer and then that fall and winter to kind of figure out what I wanted to do next. And so when the end of that contract came in 2016, I had already started developing Mara, but I wasn't ready to like jump in and

just do that yet. I mean, I still don't. And it's 2019. So I kept pursuing like the things that I was being hired for, but I was really forced to make that choice because what they had offered me to stay wasn't really what I was used to. And I knew I could get better elsewhere. So that's why I chose to leave. And I was forced to leave. But really that I remember crying. I went to Malibu, like the first day that I didn't have to go into an office and I was like oh my god and like for nine years at that point basically I'd gone in every day been in hair and makeup first thing was writing scripts so it was like totally new this like freelancer lifestyle and so I like I cried I went to Malibu so dramatic it's like it's like a music video like play myly Cyrus in the background

I can see it in my head yeah and then like from there though it's like that transition was hard I remember not having that groove, but you're forced to grow. Darkness doesn't last long. Yeah. So what steps did you take then to transition and to start your own company? Well, I've always been really like much as self-starter. So I just went like, hey, I've got all these amazing contacts. I've worked with all these different people or met all these people throughout my career so far. So I started reaching out so I still was working.

And that's how I got the Refinery 29 job, which took me through most of 2016. And same with the Entertainment Tonight job. all producers or you know christine barbric who i met through the industry she's the one that kind of got me the job at refinery she's one of the owners and so i really like tugged on my resources to find work and while i was doing that i was developing mara and so i really think that's the importance of like networking even now like i'm so lazy sometimes i never want to go out and i always have to remind myself like you got to where you are because of the people that you know not because you're better or more talented than anyone else it's really like putting in those those extra

hours of like making friends and mingling and relating with people. So yeah, I just relied on my resource network to kind of continue working. And that's how I got the job ultimately with Maine addicts too, which really helped me have a little bit of job security for a part-time freelancer position that was consistent, which I still do. And it really like allowed me the flexibility to to develop my line. Yeah. Main addicts is huge. Yeah. And we're really small, but we are big. But name recognition. Small but mighty. Yeah, yeah. Totally. I've been there since 20. 2017. Okay. So, how did you come up with Mara? What's, first of all, the name? Yes. It's like a triple entendre. Okay. The name came. We were on a trip in Istanbul, Turkey, and we were on the sea of Marmara.

And I thought, like, oh, Mara, that would be like a beautiful name for a line. And at that time, like, my wheels were already turning. I had that news that, you know, I only had about a half a year left of my contract. That's when I kind of planted the seeds of wanting to come. create skin and I knew I wanted it to be algae-based and so when I had that idea for mara I thought there was no way it was going to be available because why would it be easy right it was surprisingly I know so mara is also the last four letters of my last name which is pronounced McNamara in the US but it's actually McNamara in Ireland and we are Irish and US citizens US first but Irish citizens as well and mara means sea in gaelic which is the old language that no one speaks of

ireland so it had this like beautiful sea meaning really early on and it was one of those moments where i still get chills thinking about it and i got chills when i thought of it like it just felt really right and all of the places were just everything was making so much sense like the fact that the trademark was easy and the name just kind of fell into place like and the packaging really fell into place pretty easily like it all just kind of worked not to say that it wasn't difficult because there were a lot of really challenging moments, but the actual creation and the creativity behind the brand was very effortless. So what came first?

So you had the name, and did you already have a product in mind, or did you explore different products? It was always going to be a face oil. It was always going to be the two Hero SKUs that we launched with. We launched first with the Universal Face Oil, which I actually brought for you here. Thank you. I'm so excited.

It's amazing. That's the one we launched with. That was kind of like the bread and butter of the brand. But in the back of my mind, there was always this retinol product I wanted to create too. But it was always around face oils. It was finding a unique way to do it. I felt like a lot of the ones I had used, especially being a beauty editor and a personality, I've been sent to everything. And so I hadn't found a face oil that really sunk into the skin that gave the qualities I knew it was capable of delivering. So went through tons of different plant and plant. oils and sea oils and all the different oils and found maringa built that in as a key ingredient of both the first product and the brand as a whole and just it all you know it all just kind of develop slowly but very methodically and everything is very synergistic with each other that's very important like the ingredients have to all balance and work well and be well formulated because I do believe in like simple skin care I don't think you need like 10 things to have great skin. So yeah, it was always a face oil. It was always going to be the universal face oil. I just didn't know what was going to be in it right away. And then the retinal product, I knew it was going to be

a retinal oil. That's like an idea I've had for years. So it was really fun to develop. I want to talk about that one, but I also want to kind of like learn about your process. How did you figure out the formulation and how did you, I mean, did you always know about skincare? I know that you were kind of in the industry. So you had an opportunity to use a lot of different things. But, um, And did you ever struggle with your skin? Like, how did that come to be? So I had a dad. I have a dad.

I think most of us do who are here on this planet in some capacity. My dad worked in skincare. And so I grew up around ingredients, being on commercial sets. You know, he would run by us different ingredients that he was playing with and different products that they were thinking about launching, especially when the brand that he worked at the time was doing a teen, a big teen push. So we've our, my whole family has always been very involved. in this process of creation.

So I kind of approached it the same way. Like what are the things that I'm drawn to? What are the things that are lacking? And from there, that's kind of how the formula took shape. I worked with a leading prestige cosmetic chemist. So I'm not a cosmetic chemist by any means. And I do know some brands start by creating it in your kitchen, in their kitchen. But for me, that was not what I wanted to do.

I wanted to make this like an expertly formulated product. So that's a big investment. You know, it's not cheap to have a, private label formulator. I mean, this is someone that isn't a white label formulator. It's someone that's literally making bespoke products just for you. And then you've got to manufacture it and do all that on your own. So found a formulator that I liked who had actually been a family friend for many years. I auditioned other people as well, but, you know, I already knew I wanted the person who I picked to do it. And so we kind of worked together. The actual

base formula came together very quickly. It was just tweaking it to make it perfect. That took some time. We spent about two years on R&D and the creation of the universal face oil and about two and a half, almost three on the retina oil because we started them almost at the same time. And the retinal came out about, like almost a calendar year later, like eight months later. So can you talk about the universal oil and what it does and why it's so good? It's amazing. So I called it the universal face oil because it really is universal. It's great for all skin types, whether you're oily skin, dry skin, combo, sensitive. and I know that people like don't love blanket statements like that.

It's kind of like a two-and-one shampoo. Like how can it be good for everyone? But really when you find a plant oil that isn't going to clog your pores, that really is great for hydration, that improves like the epidermal water loss of the skin, when it has, you know, really great hydrating nutrient properties, like there are ways to get around that and find something that's great for everyone. And Meringa really is that. It's the most nutrient-dense plant on Earth, 92 nutrients, 46 antioxidants,

seven times the vitamin C of oranges, super sustainable, it's drought resistant, grows in the driest of climates. It's really a miracle tree, which is what it's kind of dubbed or tree for life. And so we built that in as the key ingredient and really it works so well on all different skin types. So if you're oily, you'll notice less oil because I'm sure you guys know this, but if you have oily skin and you're washing your face a ton or using all these matifying products or taking the oil away, just like your hair when you wash it too much, gets oilier, so does your skin. So if you're actually giving it the oil that it wants, it kind of notifies your skin, hey, we're happy. Like, you don't need to make more oil. So you'll notice less

oil if you're an oily skin person for dry. I mean, it's amazing for dry skin. And then the combo skin, it kind of targets both. So that's why it works for everyone. And there's algae as well, right? Can you talk about that a little bit? Oh my gosh. Algae is like my favorite ingredient. I forget about it because that's where it all started. And I had so much focus on that when we launched the brand, but it's been more about like the other ingredients as of late. But the algae blend, we created a proprietary algae blend that we use in all of our products and then we add or subtract if we need, usually just add based on the formula at hand. So the universal face oil has the, you know, base proprietary blend. It's two types of a Lauria Esculenta extract, which are different versions of

brown algae, and which are the large ones that you get tangled on your feet when you walk in the ocean that freak you out. They're amazing. I mean, they help stimulate. natural hyalronic acid synthesis, just like kale or things that are really rich in color, anything that has that is very nutrient dense. So here you're getting phytonutrients, omega-3, 6, and 9. It's just full of minerals too, like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, which is great. And then we use microalgae, which is also known as plankton. It's microscopic in a way.

You really can't see it, but it's the building blocks of the entire universe. It's been around for billions of years. It started out as like, you know, spirulina as a type of that as well. So plankton is the other kind of like secret thing that we use, secret sauce in our formula. And then what about the retinol? I feel like retinol is a trigger word for a lot of people. It is. And that's why, well, we didn't launch with it for a myriad of reasons, but the main, it wasn't ready.

But besides that, it was, it's also a polarizing ingredient, like you said. It's a trigger word. People either love it or hate it. I think they can't use it. I think their skin's too sensitive for it. But really, they just haven't used the right formula. And I think with more modern technology that we've had in more recent years, there's this resurgence of retinol because we know how to manipulate it now in a way where it can be balanced. And that's really what our retinal oil does.

You get that 1.2% clean synthetic retinol. So no dirty ingredients to stabilize it. And then we have four rich natural sources of vitamin A. So it's really more like a 6% multi-retinoid blend. But we have really hydrating plant oils, which is why you're not going to get the drug. or peeling or flakiness that's very commonly associated with retinol, which is why people don't usually like it. So I think it's a very revolutionary product in its category and that amazing results or before

and afters are really cool. And I know you asked earlier if I struggled with my skin. I wasn't one of those people that had cystic acne by any means, but I did go through, like, my teens, it was rough. Like I got into some over, not over the counter, some prescription retinol. My dad had in his bathroom. And I put it all over. I had one massive pimple, but like I put it all over my face because I was so embarrassed by this pimple.

I couldn't go to school for the rest of the week. I gave myself a chemical peel. I had to go to like the dermatologist three times. They gave me like this crazy stuff to put on my face to heal it. So I've had some like very traumatizing experiences with both acne and retinol. But I think it's an amazing ingredient. And so yes, I have struggled. I'm kind of have like secret sauce with my skin now.

I don't really break out that often. but it really is the products. My texture is like totally changed. Yeah, I was going to say your skin is flawless. I'm sitting right across right here and it's just glowing. So of course, I have to ask you, your skincare routine and I know that you use your products, but how often are you cleansing? What, I mean, what's the order? How do you use them? All the things. So I think one, it's really trial and error. Like what works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you. But what I found for me is I'll start with the morning. It's very simple. I either wash my face or don't. It's kind of like if I'm feeling like there's residue from what I put on the night before, like say I did an

overnight mask or I did something like a lactic the night before, I probably would wash my face with a cleansing oil. Otherwise, I just splash water or, you know, spray my face with a hydrating mist because your skin receives products best when it's damp. You know, when your skin's dry and more closed off, it's harder for the product to penetrate the surface. So I'll damp the face or wash the face. And then I'll use the vitamin C serum. I love drunk elephant. It's probably one of my favorites out there. I'm trying out the new summer Fridays one right now. I haven't tried it long enough. So I'm not sure if I like it yet. But I love the drunk elephant. Have you ever tried Melanie Simon? I haven't. I haven't. She has a serum C that's very potent. Oh, is it? But yeah,

it's kind of like a cult status. I'll have to try it. Yeah, you have to check it out. I'm liking the summer Fridays one so far. I like the scent. But I like a lot. I think I like very active products. So I like things that are really, really strong. And so that's why I love the drunk elephant, and I'll have to try that one because I think that it might be at my alley. Yeah. So for people who don't know, why is vitamin C beneficial for our skin? It's amazing. Well, vitamin C is an amazing antioxidant, so it wards off free radicals. It helps brighten the skin, reduce dark spots, hyperpigmentation. It does help a bit with texture. I'd say retinal or a lactic acid is actually much better for texture, but really helps sun damage, too, which a lot

of us, especially if you're, you know, a California girl. I don't go in the sun that much, but it's great for people who have sun damage, too. And I love it in the mornings. I do think it truly, like, gives your face, like, a brightness to it. So I do that. And then I like to have my skincare sit in between each step. So I'll, like, brush my teeth or, like, make some coffee. And then I'll put on the Mara universal face oil. I let that sink in. And right before I leave the house, because I don't wear makeup that often, I'll put on sunscreen. Got to put on sunscreen. What sunscreen do you like? This is, I feel like, such a struggle for some people.

I really like drunk elephants. They have a physical sunscreen that's great. I use Super Goop's mineral-based sunscreens. I don't like their unseen sunscreen. I don't use anything that's a chemical sunscreen. I think it's really important to use a physical, especially with all of the new research that's come out and the findings on how damaging chemical sunscreens can be,

especially on women and our reproductive systems and endocrine systems. So it's just better to use physical. and which is a zinc or a titanium dioxide. So one of those. And I also like Kula. Do you mention that brand? No. It's Australian brand.

I've heard of it. It's really good. They have a great physical sunscreen that I love. Sunscreen's hard though. I mean, I'll get on one and then I'll get over it. It's kind of like natural deodorant, which I don't think the one I'm using is working right now, so sorry. Yeah. I don't notice anything, so I think it is.

It's a struggle. It's a struggle. I'm trying a new one out. Yeah, I feel like sunscreen and natural deodorant are like the two things, like especially, especially if you're wearing makeup like with sunscreen that can be so hard. I feel like every single one that I use pills up under makeup if I'm wearing it. I hate that. And natural deodorant just sucks.

Yeah, it really does. I had one that really was working for me. It was by a brand called Moon Sisters based in Canada. I've been using it for almost a calendar year, full calendar year, and it like started giving up on me last month. Because our body does kind of, it knows, the bacteria knows. So I'm using a new one and it's not going that well, but. Trial and error trial and error

And then yeah I feel like with some of them Like you actually Have to use them for like consistently In order for it to work I agree with that Like I think you have to get past Your body adapting and then you get to a sweet spot

And then it'll last for a while And then you'll probably have to change Yeah And then go back to it maybe but yeah And then for nighttime It's just as simple So that's what like three or four steps in the morning Mine's the same for at night

So I always wash my face with a cleansing oil At night I love cleansing oils I just find that most cleansers are really really drying. So I love cleansers that kind of provide that hydration as well. I have a cleansing oil that's launching next in Mara's

line. So I use that but I also love biosans and it's a great one. And then after that I always almost use the retinal oil. I use it about four to five nights a week but we always say to start with one to two nights a week. I'm a savage. I can use it like

yeah I use it all the time. So I have that. On alternating nights though I love an acid. I think the best skincare routine has vitamin C, acids, and retinol. There's like the three pillars of a great skincare routine and SPF. And so I love good genes by Sunday Riley on alternating nights of the retinal. Never the same night. Keep one active in your routine.

That's plenty. And then I follow up with the Mara universal face oil. And that's it. So do you always use the oil last? Always. I know people always get confused, myself included, and what order to put things. And I heard it was like most watery first and then is that? That is true.

You want the lightest viscous formula to go first. So if you're someone that does a huge skincare routine, it would be, you know, your rinse off and then a toner or a spray, whatever that is, your pH balance, essence, anything in adapoline, it all falls in that, or amply, whatever that word is, it all falls in that category. And then if you're someone who is using a water-based serum, that would go next. And then, yeah, you go heaviest, which would be the cream and then the face oil. But if you're using our retinal oil, think of it as your treatment. It is not, it should not go on last. Unless you want to dilute it. But it should go on, you know, on clean skin.

And I don't believe really in cream moisturizers, so I don't use any cream. So that's why my routine is just like oil, oil. I just don't find much hydration from them. Yeah, what is your skin like naturally? Because, again, all I see is like, it's so good. It's so sweet. I've got pores and stuff. Like, my pores don't lie.

They like, they are like they are. I promise I have pores. Yeah. They are, like, my nose gets like, it's, it's kind of gnarly over there and like the chin. But I'm dry. I'm dry. I'm dry, I get oily, like, around, like, in all the normal places, we get oily. But I prefer to be oily.

Like, I think it looks great. Yeah, do too. Someone says I'm oily. I'm like, thank you. Yeah. I know. Thank you. I like when I'm reflective.

Yeah. Like, I love that. You love the reflective. Because, like, there's nothing worse than dry, flaky skin. So I'm always just trying to stay hydrated. And if not, I'm misting midday. So. Yeah, I'm dry.

What do you think is most effective for clogged pores? Because, like, yeah, there's what we can do topically. And then, like, also I'm a big proponent of, you know, good skin starting within, being not a professional. But I just know in my own experience, like, if I'm having hormonal issues or gut issues, which I've had really badly for a couple of years, I'm better now. But the first place that they show up are on my skin and, like, even just as clogged pores. So it's like, I can throw everything at it.

topically. But I wonder if there's a product that you found or if your products help that at all. Well, clog pores suck. I think that we, especially as women, it is very much hormonal, as we know. So around that time of the month or maybe the week before, you'll notice, you know, a bit more clogging. And that's normal, but it also can be diet. Like you said, I'm a firm believer in the diet is really a reflection of how your skin looks. So clean eating is important. But for clock pores, there's two things I really love. Retinol is amazing for that because it really helps loosen up and it's chemical exfoliant so it helps sloth away the blackheads. And I think that's why an acid is also so important in your routine. Because an acid really is more, it's more like dissolving that stuff inside your

pores. The retinol is increasing cell turnover. So you're going to get fresher, healthy looking new cells on the surface quicker. And in that kind of sloughing process, you're going to get less clogged pores. But when you're using an acid, that's really what's kind of like sizzling it. So if you're someone who struggles with clog pores, I would say maybe your balance would be more like two to three nights retinol and maybe, you know, you're a three night a week glycolic or a lactic acid person. It's finding that balance. And you know, you can overexfoliate, which is why I like to kind of keep the AHAs on the minimum. And I don't love BHA, which is sal acid unless you're just you have one like place that you're treating because I find it to be really drying. But I think

it's just finding that balance. And I think you will achieve it. Like maybe you're someone who has a really tough skin and you're like a five night a week exfoliant with lactic acid with good genes and that's like what what works for you i i would say do that um and just regular facials help with help with clog pores i try and get one once a month i know they're expensive but i think it's like important it's like preventative also yeah and if clog pores are your thing like i do get them around the chin and the nose and not so much hormonal for me they just get stuck in like the nitty creases a facelist is much better for that than than then then i'm doing it ourselves even though i like to like get in there which you shouldn't you really shouldn't

but i do it's so hard not to it's so fun too you're like just one more bad okay wait i'm curious where does glycolic fall and that is that aHA it's an aHA so i feel like glycolic i was it it kind of changed my life with it's amazing pores yeah it really is amazing i my favorite product besides good genes is i love um the goop instant facial okay it's amazing i've heard about but i haven't credit. It's really, really good. And I love, if you're really struggling with clogged pores, I love a detox mask. I don't mask a ton I've realized. Just don't really love spending money on a rinse off. But I do love a detox mask. And so I think that that's a great thing to incorporate like on your self-care Sunday if you're someone that has clogged pores. Okay, so I want to go into

kind of the business side of it. Oh boy. Pray for me. Well, what you mentioned that you had some struggles in the beginning, like it wasn't all linear. So can you talk about that a little bit, what it was like building a business from the ground up? Of course. I mean, I don't even know where to begin with that, but I mean, look, I made a lot of mistakes that ultimately shaped the business for the better in a way, but because it helped me learn, I think that the biggest thing that you can do in any sort of process is to learn. Like, you have to make mistakes to know how to not make them in the future. So a big one for me was the process of getting our bottles. If you look at them, they are blue and we have gold writing on them. And I had purchased these bottles that were in

Los Angeles prior to finishing the formula, which my dad was like, that's a really not smart move. Thank God the stability worked in their glass. So it's easier for glass for a glass component to work with many different formulas. But I probably shouldn't have done that in hindsight. The real issue that I fell into was trying to get it hot-stamped without a label. So I listened to these different salespeople selling me on things that ultimately they couldn't achieve. So I spent a lot of money sending bottles to different places, you know, sending 10,000 bottles up to San Francisco and having them sent back because they couldn't do it. And then, you know, them wanting to send them back to Korea, which is like, it's so expensive to do that. So that was a big trial and error when I probably

should have just done a little bit more research on my own instead of being so gullible. And I think that that's the hardest thing. A lot of people are going to tell you how to run your business and to do certain things. And your best bet is to, like, do your own research and make your own decision and not listen to all the different voices because I had a gut instinct that, like, it was a problem and it was. That was a big issue. My bottles got lost one time coming back from, coming in from Korea. There was, like, the largest, like, hurricane or something that had hit the coast of Southeast Asia

in, like, a decade. and the boat left like the day before and they hadn't made contact with the boat in two weeks and of course I'm like being selfish I'm also like where who's the who's on the boat like are they okay like you haven't found the boat so that pushed back like deadlines by a lot so it's just stuff like that like knowing to be able

to be flexible like that was the hardest struggle I had was you know trying to keep this deadline that no one even knew I had right because if you're like it's supposed to launch on X, Y and Z like no one else knows that right So it's like learning to be a little more flexible with yourself. Yeah. Yeah.

Adaptable. So important. I mean, I still miss every deadline. I mean, not by me though. I'm like always like, he needs to be here. And then it's like, it's not. So how many people are in your company now? Well, it depends.

Like if you count the contractors, it's a lot bigger. But we have a PR team who's amazing. There are three women that work on that. There is myself, my assistant who are really on the brand every day. And then my dad is not like, he's, yeah, he's one of the owner. and he's also my advisor. And he's really involved, but he also does his own thing. So that's kind of like the base.

And then we have like contract manufacturers that do the manufacturing. We're not like labeling it at home. So we have a lot of different vendors that we use and then graphic designers that we use and web designers. But on the brand every day, it's just really my assistant and I. And we just put a lease in hopefully for an office space. So we'll be able to grow because we operate out of my guest house. And I wasn't comfortable with that many people being in my,

guest house. So I think we'll be able to grow more now. Well, you've had a lot of success in a short amount of time. So what do you attribute that to? Oh, man. Well, thank you. You know, it's, it's easy to feel like you're not being successful, even though, you know, from the outside it might seem that way. I think the biggest, the biggest successes I've had have been from the relationships I'd already created because I was able to get Mara into some pretty impressive retailers very early on, which I know there's a model that is the DTC model, direct to consumer, which isn't something that I wanted to do fully. I always knew I wanted to be in, you know, of physical retailers and larger, you know, mega tailors because I just think that like that's the platform and that's where I shop for

skincare. So that's kind of where I wanted to be. I really thought about like, where do I shop. So I was able to get Mara into a place called Credo Beauty. It was our first main retailer. And I attribute a lot of our success to that because they've been so wonderful with just brand awareness and supporting me as a, you know, a young new founder. And I am so grateful to them. So I think that has been a big part of the success. And then just my personal relationships, you know, I haven't paid an ounce in marketing or Instagram sponsored posts, which I actually make a big portion of my personal salary off of sponsored posts. So it was a hard decision, but I think it was the best decision for Mara. And, you know, everyone who's posted has been totally organic. I'm so grateful to

people like Jen Atkin who's posted my product and been such a mentor to me in so many ways, more than she knows. And so yeah, I think that it was really about that. Yeah. So I was curious, like you have, you have the company obviously and then you have your Instagram. How do you balance the two? Because you're an influencer as well. Yeah. It's honestly like people ask this and it's really like how you would do any job. Like everything that I do is like one job to me in a way. I know that it's like a bunch of different hats, but like it's all towards like the same goal, which is, you know, the more I get to work with brands for me, the more awareness I can build for myself and ultimately build for my company. So I used to be very dedicated with time. I'm sure you know this.

You know, anyone who has their own job, whether it's a side hustle, a freelance job, or you're truly like a contractor that works for yourself. You know, you have to be very diligent with your timeline. So every Tuesday is like the day I fully carve out for Maine addicts. And that really helps me structure my week. So like Monday, Wednesday, Friday are like full Mara in the office doing the grind. I try and do Tuesdays outside the office, which is a really nice refresh from being on my brand all the time. And then Thursdays are the day that I kind of reserve for things like photo shoots or shooting content for other brands, being out on the field, lunch meetings, dinner meetings. I try and like, I mean, look, if someone has to meet on a Monday,

you know, you're not going to say no, but being kind of diligent with a schedule has helped. And I also work Saturdays. So I only take off one day, really, a week, which is fine. I was going to say that's still impressive to take off one day because I feel like when you're a when you have your own business like and a product I can't even imagine but also um being in the Instagram social media world I mean there's no hours there are no boundaries really it's so hard I know for me it's something I really struggle with because even on Sunday I feel like I'm supposed to be posting stories and you know different it's just it it never really has an off button it doesn't so I still do that on Sundays. But like I enjoy I enjoy doing social media. It's more like some days I just don't have

fun things to share and that to me is frustrating because I'll be, you know, working on behind the scenes. But I also love doing that too. But it is a hard balance because you want to be active on social. So I actually find that like I'm the most active like on Sundays on social because it doesn't feel like work to me when it's when I'm doing fun things. You know like yesterday was at a friend's house and we did brunch and like it was fun to share that. I get stressed out when I don't have stuff to post. Yeah. Oh my God. Le Miz. Oh my God. It keeps me up at night. I'm like, I have not shot content in it. Like, I haven't really shot content since I was on my trip. And it's just been like regurgitating. And I'm trying to be more in the moment now. Like,

take a picture of me here. And I'm just going to post it. So I used to do very curated stuff. And I can't, I don't have time to do that anymore. So yeah. Do you struggle? Do you use Planoly or any, or like, unum or anything? Yeah, unum. I use for Mara. Honestly, I don't use it for myself anymore. I've tried to like let it go. But then I'll post one photo that's really bad. And then like I have to see it on that nine grid until it leaves. And then it's like I haven't died until it's gone. Sometimes I archive it and then bring it back.

Relatable. Yeah. I normally don't plan my content. I like I try to be really in the moment too. I think it's what people relate to most is, you know, real life stuff versus curated stuff. But I looked at my plenoli and I was like, I have a whole week done. I don't have to think about it. proud of you. She's my super millennial. She taught me how to do it's amazing. But I was like, wait, I don't have to

like even think about what I'm posting this week. That's like freedom. It is freedom. Yeah. I plan out content like sometimes like 20 days in advance. For yourself. Yeah. Wow. You're fired. And like she was like, I remember like one of our first, it was like our first month working together. I was like, do you know what anam is? And she's like, no idea. And I was like, I cannot wait to teach you about this. So that actually makes me so proud for you. I had an Instagram for three years before I turned it into a business. I had another job. And then last fall, I was like, okay, this is like too much to try to have like a day job and then do this as well.

So I was way behind in terms of all of that. So I was like, I need me a millennial. You are still a millennial. I'm 10 years older than you though. Yeah, but I'm a millennial. And I'm an old millennial. You're like a millennial until you're like 30. Like my fiance is a millennial and she's 36.

Okay. She's barely hanging on by red. No, I'm a millennial. How old are you? I'm 24. I'm still a millennial. You are? You're like very end though.

And you like grew up with the internet. Oh, you are. My sister's 26 and she's like mid-millennial. So you're actually like a solid millennial. Yeah, you're still a millennial. And I think if you're 21 right now, your generation fee. Bye. No, I'm kidding.

We welcome them because they're going to know how to do everything. Yeah, exactly. So how do you stand out among other beauty brands? and when it seems like the market is probably so saturated because you have a recognizable brand. Thank you. You know, it's something that like when I launched my brand, I was so like I come from this world. So like I don't know why I thought like it would be easy. But like I never really thought about the competition when I was making my product.

So I truly think that the products are like me in a bottle. Like it really is me like made into a beauty product. And so like I like I picked out every part of it from. you know, the box to the design. I didn't hire a third party company, and there's so many of them. They're expensive, but they do a great job, and they will design the look and feel, name, slogans, all of that for your brand. But I truly, like, created my brand from the ground up. I picked out every color, every, you know, all of the tops on our boxes are created by different female artists. So I picked, I, like, source them all from different painters and, you know, got the rights.

So we did all of that, kind of all those exercises myself. And the point of that, of me telling you that is, I think that that's what makes the brand stand out. You know, you can go to one of those places that makes beautiful products, and they're known for their track record of creating gorgeous branded products that people love. But, you know, no one's going to be you. So if you really create something without, you know, keeping your blinders on and not trying to compare yourself, I think you'll create a really standout unique product. And that's kind of what I think what happened with Mara.

At least that's what I hope would happen with Mara. And I do think ours does stand out. It'll be interesting to see if people like, you know, copy us. But, you know, we haven't had that, knock on wood. We're still really young. That was the other thing I wanted to ask you. How do you not compare where you are with other brands and compare your product to other products? The part of not comparing yourself to like where other brands are is definitely something that like I do deal with because, you know, you see other brands growing really quickly or expanding in a certain way or doing something that you might want to do.

And that's, that is challenging. But I like do believe in timing. and I did want to make sure that people actually liked the product. Like I didn't want to launch like, okay, we could have done a crazy launch and just put like everything in and just like gone balls to the wall and spent everything. But we've been profitable since we launched. And so it was important to me to really like gain a trusted small following and just grow it slowly because that also makes it so it's self-funded.

We haven't taken outside investment from anyone. It's family funded between myself and my dad. And so, yeah, I think that like, It is hard to not compare yourself. Product-wise, honestly, I think we make the best products. I'm very much a stickler for beauty products. I'm usually unsatisfied with things that I use. And I feel confident in my ability to deliver an amazing product in tandem with my chemists.

I think I have a good pulse on what people want and what people like. So I think that I've used that kind of my intuition to guide that. And so I don't really feel, I don't really compare our products to other people's, which I don't know. Maybe talk to me in five years and I'll be like, oh my God, I'm trying to do this. But I don't want to be a trendy brand either. So I'm not trying to like make a matcha product. Right. It's cool.

Yeah. You know? Even though I'd buy it. Yeah. I mean, most people would. But I'm trying to like not do that. You know, like what are the brands that have stuck around for like years and years? Like it's brands that aren't trying to like hop off and make like an avocado.

Right. And not that there's anything wrong with avocado. I just use that as an example. But avocado is not even that trendy. But you know what I mean? Yeah. A macha. Or redoing your brand.

with like only CBD because it's like CBD now and you're like but then that's not going to even be cool in a year. Yeah. No, I love that. I usually, well, I love macha, but I usually am not like a trend person even when it comes to like fashion. Like I'm going to buy things that are going to transcend seasons and trends and and all of that. I'm like a hybrid. Now that I like I don't spend as much money on clothes because I'm a business owner. I'm so adult. I know. I like buy classic. because that shit lasts longer. Yeah. But I love trends.

I'm like a fashion girl at heart. I got my start. My real start was at Who What Wear? And I worked for a woman named Catherine Power and Hillary Kerr. And they're like two of the smartest women that I know. And I just have loved, I've always loved trends. So it's really hard when I see like everyone's wearing square toe shoes now. So I want to wear a square toe shoe.

But I'm trying to like not do that. But it's hard. Like quilted open toe. I love. Oh my God. Need. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. But it's still kind of classic. Like that's a trend. Like when I think of trends, I think of like. Gucci sweatsuits. Dad sneakers. Don't talk bad about dad sneakers. Oh, I love dad sneakers.

I mean, like, if you would have told me four years ago that people were wearing dad sneakers, I would have literally been repulsed. And now I'm like, they're so cute. What's funny is I've been wearing them ever since I was in high school, and now they're finally cool. See, then that's authentic to you, though. I love that. The closest I've come are my Chanel ones, but those aren't really dad. You're Louis ones, too.

Oh, yeah. I bought the arch light, arc lights. I don't know how to pronounce it. I bought them just to have them. Yeah, maybe once. I tried doing the dad sneakers. Like, I look so crazy in them. Me too.

It's just not me. I tried them on and I was like, no. Like, it looks so cute on other people. I feel naked without them. Really? I'm in normal sneakers today and I'm like a little. Because you're a young millennial. Yeah, you like, you've been wearing them like your whole life though.

So that makes it makes you feel more comfortable. Yeah, totally. And now there's the whole visco trend to be heard of that. Oh, the visco girls? I don't like. The visco girls. That's a new term. Like, I've been using Visco forever.

Is that mean? I'm a Visco girl. No, it's like a style. I know. It's like basic. I saw it in the New York Times style section. I was like, it was in a New York Times style. No, it was on the cut.

It was on the cut too. Yeah, that's the. Yeah, we saw the same article. Yeah, it's definitely. I read it. I don't really, yeah, I don't really like get it though. It's like Nike Air Force ones with like acid wash jeans and like a striped t-shirt from urban outfiters.

Like it's like what everyone in high school wears right now. Okay. So it's like not. But it's visco girls. That's what it's called. It's so weird. I'm not against it, but like I use visco. So I've been using visco since like I really took Instagram seriously.

So I think of visco girls more as like everyone uses it. So is everyone a visco girl? We're all visco girls. Yeah. We'll use the hashtag. That's going to be the name of this episode. Visco girls. Not all of the knowledge we've received about skincare.

I am literally just like I need to pick your brain about skincare, but visco girls. But visco girls, yeah. So is there any speaking of skincare? I could talk all day on it. Bring it back here. Is there anything that you won't use? Yes. I have like about a thousand ingredients I won't use.

I think that the clean beauty space, I'm so happy where it's headed, but I think that we have a long way to go. And just because something is natural, doesn't mean it's good for you and something has chemicals, doesn't mean it's bad for you. Water is a chemical.

People forget that. But I believe in like clean beauty. And so I think that like there needs to be a little bit more knowledge and transparency around what that word means, more definition by whether it's the federal government. I think it should be the federal government, but I think there needs to be more control around that because I don't use anything with pegs. So anything that's petroleum base. So PEG, you can see like PEG 100, 108, PEG 400, 4G. There's a million thousands of them, honestly. I don't use those. BHT, BHA, you know, parabins, phthalates, all of those.

I mean, there's thousands of ingredients that I won't use. I don't like. anything with dyes in it. No added fragrance, I think is no synthetic fragrance, I think is really important, which can be like perfume, aroma or fragrance on the back of an ingredient list. What else don't I use? I mean, I think the big one we talked about earlier was the sunscreen, which is hard because it's a double reason why I don't like chemical sunscreens. One, they're really bad for the ocean. You know, a lot of brands are now using avobenzone instead of oxybenzones. They're saying, oh, it's like more safe. But it's, it's, It's being proved to be just as harmful for our coral reefs and for our oceans.

So that's a reason. And then also it's not good for your body. So I'd say that's a big no-no ingredient. What else don't I use? I don't use a lot of acids, to be honest. I use that lactic acid, but I don't use a lot of glycolic because it's a little harsh for me. But that's really it. Do you have any tips for somebody who might be wanting to start their own product or their own business?

Ooh, well, product, I think, like, the biggest thing is you have to have some sort of cash flow coming into yourself besides this product that you're making because it's going to take years before it's out. So don't like, I think my biggest thing was like, don't just quit your job and say, I'm going to do this now. Like, I still work full-time schedule of other jobs. So I think, like, being realistic with that with your cash flow is important. I think it's really spending a lot of time to kind of do market research and see. like is there anything else out there? Is this filling in a white space for people? Beauty is one of the most wasteful industries next to fashion

and two of my favorite things, which is sad because I love the planet. And if it's not adding to a category or really being a game changer, I don't believe in creating products just to create products. So my big thing to any new business owner is like, is this, do you need to make this? And if you need, like you need to answer the need, why and how.

I think it's really important. And then just like take your time. I think that a lot of people want to rush things. Like, okay, I'm going to do this now. You get excited. You want to launch in a year. I was supposed to launch in September of 2017 and didn't launch until like almost March of 2018 because it just wasn't ready.

And I could have pushed it to be ready, but I didn't. I think like listening to timing and just not pushing things too fast is important. We put so much like extra pressure on ourselves for no reason. And I think this would be like the main tips. That's so helpful. I think we're kind of in a time now, especially. with like the influencer industry and um just where everybody wants to make a product and everybody has a fashion line and everybody has a beauty line and and you're right it is really wasteful um and there

is a way it seems to do it with intention so yeah totally it's you know it's everything from transporting goods you know that's CO2 emissions it's like how do you reduce your carbon footprint you know one of the ways that we did it is i actually found bottles that were here in LA that the components manufacturer had already purchased. They were unlabeled, but I had the option to purchase new product that would be, you know, hot stamped with Mara on it or just buy them here and figure them out. And it was, it's a lot of bottles they had here, like, you know, 30,000 of them. So I ended up buying them here and not doing the extra step of getting, you know, the exact

same thing made brand new with the Mara stamp. I instead, I labeled them. Just because like, why would I, no one else is going to use them after I launched my brand. so why not just use these? So trying to make as smart of decisions as you can as you go along. I love that. And so you mentioned that you have a cleansing oil coming soon. That's so exciting.

You're like the second person I've told. So it's like very, yeah, it's very like still under wraps. But yeah, it comes out. I'm going to say like late fall, maybe early winter of either this year or the top of next year. Again, I'm not putting any dates on anything because you just never know. But it's done and ready. So I'm really excited. That's exciting.

So where can everybody find you? So they can find me at Allison McNamara, and Mara is at the Mara Beauty. And you can shop us at the Mara Beauty. Or at any of our amazing retailers like Credo Beauty. We're going to be in Blue Mercury very soon, which is exciting. That's huge. Yeah. And then Colt Beauty internationally.

Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming. Thanks for having me. This was so fun. You're so good to talk skin with. Thank you.