Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Beane
From Molly With Love is an all-natural “clean” skincare line with a unique mission to end “beauty shaming” and encourage radical self-care.
Molly started the company to address whitespace in the beauty industry. “Companies in the beauty industry are missing a vital opportunity in today’s cultural climate,” explains Molly. “The modern woman no longer wants to be treated like an object. She is sick of being made to feel like she doesn’t measure up to impossible beauty standards. She demands more from the companies she shops from. We’re here to give her what she’s asking for.
Today, From Molly With Love uses inclusive, empowering, and feminist messaging to help women identify and resist toxic beauty messaging. The brand does not use terms like “anti-aging,” features extremely diverse models in their marketing (including trans people, old people, fat people, and more), and publishes empowering feminist content.
Molly also felt that all-natural and “clean” beauty products were too expensive. “60 percent of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes,” Molly added. “I wanted to make skincare products that were healthy (free of parabens and other toxic ingredients), but much of what of what was already on the market was priced well into the luxury category. I think healthy, clean skincare should be accessible to as many people as possible.”
From Molly With Love’s 40 SKU product line is affordably priced between $8.99 – $46.99, but with the look, feel, and quality of luxury products. From Molly With Love started from the kitchen of my 500-square-foot apartment in Pacific Beach in Aug 2016. I’d been a skincare geek since I was a teenager and had been experimenting with my own products and formulations for years, but I didn’t actually think I could turn it into a business.
But at that time, I was fresh out of rehab and jobless after a decade-long career in tech/energy PR and marketing. I had to do SOMETHING for a living and I didn’t think going back to a stressful PR career would be good for my sobriety. So I took a chance and started From Molly With Love on Etsy. We had barely any capital, and I started selling at craft fairs before we even had proper labeling or a website.
Today, less than three years later, From Molly With Love sells in hundreds of retailers across the nation and in four other countries, including at big retailers like Urban Outfitters, Francesca’s, The Detox Market, and the Cosmopolitan Resort in Las Vegas. From Molly With Love also sells on Amazon (and was featured in a 2018 holiday campaign for Amazon Handmade) and on frommollywithlove.com.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I am so glad I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started because I would never have taken the leap if I had! Starting a business from scratch and building it from nothing with hardly any money is tough.
Our branding, product line, price point, and messaging has resonated well with our audience and with retailers, which has led to extremely fast growth. We made multiple six figures in revenue in Year 1! Which sounds great until you realize that the faster the business grows, the more money it needs.
We’ve been talking to angel investors and VC firms but haven’t found the right fit yet. So we’re taking matters into our own hands by launching an IndieGoGo campaign on January 7. You can find it at https://igg.me/at/fmwl. The goal of the IndieGoGo campaign is to raise $50K, so we can stock up on inventory, speed shipping times, and better serve our customers.
Our ongoing challenge is simply that demand is greater than supply, which means that sometimes our customers have had to wait a little longer to receive their products than we’d like. This can be solved with an infusion of capital, which we’re hoping to secure during the IndieGoGo campaign.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Our two main differentiators are our brand narrative and price. I love skincare and beauty products but I’m also a feminist, and I have been really turned off by how beauty marketing tends to play towards women’s’ insecurities, negatively impacts self-esteem, and reinforces a toxic and unrealistic beauty standard. I wanted to do things differently with my company and today’s cultural and political climate makes now a potent time for more empowering messaging.
Allure Magazine (the beauty magazine of record) has stopped using terms like “anti-aging,” there is a budding body positivity movement on social media, and companies in a number of industries are starting to strive for more inclusive marketing. As a part of my desire for inclusivity, I knew the products had to be affordably priced compared to competitors.
Our product line has a large range. We have:
– facial products (face wash, toners, serums, masks, moisturizers, and more)
– bath & body (deodorant, bath salts, body scrubs, etc.)
– aromatherapy
Our product line works for a variety of skin types, and many of the products are “multitaskers.” For example, our beauty oil can be used on the face, body, hair, and cuticles.
We also have some unique products that you can’t find anywhere else. Our probiotic natural deodorant has rave reviews and is extremely effective because of the inclusion of probiotics. We have a line of chakra-themed aromatherapy sprays that are popular with yogis and meditators. And our #1 best-seller, our white sage smudge spray can be used to help clear & reset the energy of a space.
What were you like growing up?
I had a rough upbringing. In my early childhood, there were times that I didn’t have enough food to eat. I suffered from abuse and bullying and later developed a PTSD diagnosis as a result. However, I used these challenges to motivate me and became the first person in my family to graduate from college.
Because of my early trauma, I developed a taste for alcohol to escape from my emotions, which is why I checked myself into rehab in 2016. I have been sober since May 21, 2016.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://frommollywithlove.com
- Email: molly@frommollywithlove.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/frommollywithlove
- Facebook: facebook.com/frommollywithlove
- Twitter: twitter.com/heymollyb
- Other: igg.me/at/fmwl
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
