Tenacity. You will want to give up so many times. That is what separates everything and is the difference between success and failure. It’s ok if some days you don’t want to get out of bed, we’re all human, but you better squeeze in the work and time somewhere else. You are your destiny and no one is ever going to care about you or your company as much as you.
Asa part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Malea Rose.
Malea was born and raised on the North Shore of Kauai where she hosted a local radio show, acted in community theatre, and was a competitive surfer. She moved to California to continue pursuing acting and received her BFA from Chapman University. Her acting career has been incredibly successful as she has had the opportunity to work on popular productions like New Girl, Two and A Half Men, Hello Ladies, and Entourage. She also has experience with writing and producing, being a showrunner and Casting Director for Fight Club, a live 65-camera PPV Boxing series, and a docuseries about Jake Paul called Prblm Child. With her bust scheduling of traveling for work, long days on set, and the pollution in LA, Malea developed some skin issues ranging from allergic reactions and dryness to sensitivity and hyperpigmentation. As a die-hard product junkie, she tried everything to get her skin back on track, but it seemed like it was all just making it worse. That’s when Vie En Rose was born!
Made in USA, Vie En Rose was built from the ground up by Malea herself as a female-founded, female-led company. Malea was exposed to the world of clean skincare at an early age, making organic skincare elixirs and other products with her mom. All of her products contain luxury ingredients, and high-end carrier oils and are sustainably sourced. Malea has spent over two years developing her products, making sure the formula is perfect for all skin types. Each and every ingredient is handpicked and made in small batches for this Vegan, Clean, Cruelty-free brand.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Imust have a constant need for mental stimulation because finding myself at this career path has been one non-stop learning curve and will continue to be, probably forever. I have had a background in the entertainment business for 15 years; it is truly a passion of mine, and I still dabble. I wanted something of my own, something else I was passionate about that wasn’t tied to entertainment, something fresh where I could take a little more control. My mom has been making her own organic skincare for us my entire life, and I love everything about it. When I moved to LA from Kauai, I started to develop terrible skin issues and sensitivities. Skincare started out as a hobby — I was just trying to fix my own skin and couldn’t find anything on the market, then sure enough I created something incredible. Being the meticulous person I am, I formulated for two years, then built this beautiful brand story for Vie En Rose to go along with the best products I’ve ever used. I still look back and can’t believe I figured any of this out. The products are incredible. I can’t wait until the world also gets educated about CBD as a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-aging beauty/skincare ingredient. Even though the government makes it nearly impossible to market, it’s still the best ingredient on the market.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Probably my favorite was bringing Snoop Dogg my products as a gift. He was actually the first person I ever gave them to in the box and everything. It was in the height of the pandemic and craziest time in the world. Getting to see his reaction loving the products and saying the mist, “smells like you were freshly fucked” on a bed of roses…it was pure organic Snoop being him, and I felt pretty damn proud. I did a music video with him a decade ago, and multiple projects since then over the years, and he’s been this amazing mentor and solid human in my career and life since I got to LA. So that was a pretty special moment, in hindsight.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
It is a very hard life lesson in a lot of ways, but one must always appreciate the tiny victories and wins. There is so much hard work and so many times you question your sanity for taking it on, willingly. I think the first really exciting moment was when I got to send it out to all my amazing friends and see all of the creative and beautiful posts they made for me including mist videos! It was also such a treat, during the height of the pandemic, that my makeup artist girlfriends Rebecca Hickey and Gia Marie had Vie En Rose sponsor the makeup trailer while they were shooting The White Lotus in Hawaii. All of those beautiful and incredibly talented actresses were using my products, promoting them, and behind the scenes we were keeping them hydrated and glowing. Britttany O’Grady got Vie En Rose its first big press, a write-up in GLAMOUR. That was a pretty exciting moment where I was like, okay, this is becoming real. A constant lesson is to always be open to creative ideas and collaborating at a moment’s notice, you never know what magic will come.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My family and friends. Especially my assistants Monroe (Pomsky) and Elvis (big black cat) who helped keep me going and pushed me forward. I’ve had some really amazing unofficial advisors who’ve helped my company along the way, helped me build out financial models, kept me focused, and are available for me when I call them with questions which is EVERYTHING to a new entrepreneur — you know who you are, thank you. Half the time you want to face plant, and the generosity of others can be so energizing and surprising. Vie En Rose just brought on its first official advisor Metta World Peace and AMG, and they are doing really big things. I get to be their first female-owned beauty company as they’re growing. It’s an exciting time.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?
Ultra-lean beauty, backed by science, actually works and shows proven visible results. I also have the holistic added benefit of CBD which is a potent anti-inflammatory, preventing basically most skin issues. Transparency, each ingredient was meticulously handpicked. Also, I’m not some actress who just decided to put my name on something. I did the work from the ground up, formulating, design, branding, marketing, everything. That is a refined, luxurious approach to skincare and wellness, because I am my harshest critic and my favorite customer.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?
I love packaging! Total packaging and ingredient nerd when I see new innovative eco-conscious packaging, colors, etc. When I learn about and try new ingredients that are amazing, people are starting to focus more on natural skincare as well as caring about what they put on their bodies. Vie En Rose is for all genders, ethnicities, skin types, and ages, and I am so proud of that.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to improve the industry, what would you suggest?
Overdone-filled lips, plastic surgery overdone, Kardashian culture, contoured faces, too much makeup, what that does to your pores…so many things. The filtered faces, and pressure that puts on women to look unrealistically perfect. I think less is more. I like natural makeup, letting my skin breathe, and applying my Mile High Mist all day. I would love to tackle natural cosmetics. That industry still has a long way to go in cleaning up their ingredients.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share a few ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?
Beauty only works from the inside out. It sounds cliche, but it’s the truth. Only you can fix what’s going on the inside, but if you’re in need of upgrading your skincare regime, I’ve got you. How we look is how we feel. Vie En Rose makes you feel good while smelling divine, keeping you hydrated all day, calming, and boosting collagen. Eat or drink your greens and alkalize your body. Smile more. Smiling people are the prettiest, as are the confident ones. I feel most beautiful when I feel content, loved, healthy, and safe. I also think forcing yourself to get ready everyday can make a huge difference, I work from home a lot so I am guilty of this, but getting ready puts you in such a better headspace…however much I love my jammies.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”. Please share a story or an example, for each.
1. Find a great lab.
2. Have a purpose, don’t do what everyone else is doing or else it’s a waste of time.
3. Do it better than everyone else, and you better believe in your product, because if you don’t, who else will?
4. You can never have too many allies in life or business. Surround yourself with good people you genuinely like and trust.
5. Tenacity. You will want to give up so many times. That is what separates everything and is the difference between success and failure. It’s ok if some days you don’t want to get out of bed, we’re all human, but you better squeeze in the work and time somewhere else. You are your destiny and no one is ever going to care about you or your company as much as you.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Getting the ERA actually written into the Constitution. Equal pay? Getting paid as a woman at all sometimes, ha. I think it’s time that we start looking into these companies where men are in power (I hate to sound like a broken record) but it’s beyond Hollywood, Silicon Valley, VC worlds…we need more women in these positions of power. The system is broken.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The pen stings worse than the arrow”. It’s in a Yiddish proverb book my late Grandma gave to me. I love it so much, as a writer, I see everything. I always laugh when people end up in my stories, but I also love thinking, if you didn’t want to be held accountable then you shouldn’t have misbehaved. Creative justice is the best.
Also my favorite of all time, “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee.” It relates to everything. Muhammad Ali.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram and TikTok @lovemalearose @vieenrosebeauty
Twitter @malearose
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.