Sephora's new beauty brand wants to rethink inclusive skincare
Sephora has a powerful new initiative.
Founded by ex-Googler Madhu Punjabi and finance veteran Nisha Phatak, the brand of Lion Pose skincare launches Monday on the Sephora app with its Unspotted 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum.
Priced at $79, the serum is powered by a 15% blend of lactic, glycolic, tranexamic and azelaic acids, and aims to fight hyperpigmentation for darker skin types.
On July 25, the brand (and Sephora Accelerate 2022 graduate) will also debut in all the doors of Sephora.
Related Articles"There is a huge lack of published research on different skin tones, and the tone of skin matters when it comes to deciding which ingredients to use on your skin – there is no one size fits all,” Phatak said.
To help bridge the research gap, Lion Pose enlisted the help of dermatologist Tia Paul and Laura Scott to inform the development of the serum, also conducting third-party clinical trials on various skin types to ensure its effectiveness.
"We tested on all skin types, but with special emphasis on skin types Fitzpatrick III to VI — basically medium to deep skin tones,” Phatak said.
For Punjabi, who has struggled with acne for a long time and has tried everything from chemical peels to punch excision to address skin discoloration, the Lion Pose mission is personal.
The founders of Lion Pose, Madhu Punjabi and Nisha Phatak. Darius"My first attempt at scar resolution was bleach," said Punjabi, who was 10 years old at the time. It wasn't until she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis a few years ago that she quit.
"I realized how toxic bleach could be after doing the research , and I was shocked - no one had told me all this. I needed safer and more effective solutions for myself, and I just felt lost,” Punjabi said.
>Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Punjabi enlisted his friend and former colleague Phatak to embark on Lion Pose, named after the yoga pose believed to relieve tension in the chest and strengthen the voice.
"That's why we chose this name: we're pushing restrictions in the care industry skin tone and bring the voice of underrepresented skin tones,” Punjabi said. "There are still people who think lighter skin is better skin. We believe even skin is better skin."
To date, Lion Pose has raised $3 million from investors including Ignite XL, LH Capital by actor Rob Lowe, and comedian Mindy Kaling, who said in an email to Beauty Inc that after testing samples she immediately knew she wanted to join the brand as an investor . "It's like what I found as a pr...
Sephora has a powerful new initiative.
Founded by ex-Googler Madhu Punjabi and finance veteran Nisha Phatak, the brand of Lion Pose skincare launches Monday on the Sephora app with its Unspotted 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum.
Priced at $79, the serum is powered by a 15% blend of lactic, glycolic, tranexamic and azelaic acids, and aims to fight hyperpigmentation for darker skin types.
On July 25, the brand (and Sephora Accelerate 2022 graduate) will also debut in all the doors of Sephora.
Related Articles"There is a huge lack of published research on different skin tones, and the tone of skin matters when it comes to deciding which ingredients to use on your skin – there is no one size fits all,” Phatak said.
To help bridge the research gap, Lion Pose enlisted the help of dermatologist Tia Paul and Laura Scott to inform the development of the serum, also conducting third-party clinical trials on various skin types to ensure its effectiveness.
"We tested on all skin types, but with special emphasis on skin types Fitzpatrick III to VI — basically medium to deep skin tones,” Phatak said.
For Punjabi, who has struggled with acne for a long time and has tried everything from chemical peels to punch excision to address skin discoloration, the Lion Pose mission is personal.
The founders of Lion Pose, Madhu Punjabi and Nisha Phatak. Darius"My first attempt at scar resolution was bleach," said Punjabi, who was 10 years old at the time. It wasn't until she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis a few years ago that she quit.
"I realized how toxic bleach could be after doing the research , and I was shocked - no one had told me all this. I needed safer and more effective solutions for myself, and I just felt lost,” Punjabi said.
>Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Punjabi enlisted his friend and former colleague Phatak to embark on Lion Pose, named after the yoga pose believed to relieve tension in the chest and strengthen the voice.
"That's why we chose this name: we're pushing restrictions in the care industry skin tone and bring the voice of underrepresented skin tones,” Punjabi said. "There are still people who think lighter skin is better skin. We believe even skin is better skin."
To date, Lion Pose has raised $3 million from investors including Ignite XL, LH Capital by actor Rob Lowe, and comedian Mindy Kaling, who said in an email to Beauty Inc that after testing samples she immediately knew she wanted to join the brand as an investor . "It's like what I found as a pr...
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