BeautyTalks with Susie Wang, Founder and Chief Creative of 100% PURE

What was the inspiration behind launching your product/brand?

Before clean beauty became cool, I launched all natural skincare and fruit pigmented makeup more than 20 years ago!  The inspiration was to create a healthy line of cosmetics free of unhealthy toxins.  

How does your brand differ from other industry brands in the same category? What gives you the competitive edge?

We use fruit, vegetable and other plant pigments to color cosmetics.  Also, we act like a drug company.  We combine the scientific discipline of a pharmaceutical company with the heart of a natural wellness brand. We place a strong emphasis on the science behind our products, similar to the rigor found in pharmaceutical development. Leading our efforts, Dr. Cody Chalker, a PhD chemist and robotics engineer, spearheads a team of other PhDs in both chemistry and robotics engineering. Together, they develop cutting-edge formulas and state-of-the-art equipment to make the best formulas.

“We combine the scientific discipline of a pharmaceutical company with the heart of a natural wellness brand.”

What are your brand values?

Our first and foremost priority is to produce the absolute best formulas that are not only healthy and nourishing but also scientifically optimized for the best results. We are dedicated to using the highest quality ingredients, for example, we use first-pressed, cold-pressed organic oils. These oils maximize the plant's benefits, unlike oils from repeatedly pressed pulp or seeds. Another instance of our commitment to quality is our use of CO2 extraction methods, which preserve the vital fatty acids of the plants—elements often lost in chemical extraction processes.

Sustainability is another cornerstone of our brand values. We use packaging made from post-consumer recycled materials, and our products are designed to be compostable or biodegradable. Our headquarters is entirely powered by solar energy.  Over the past two decades, we have also contributed significantly to reforestation efforts.

Lastly, our love for animals deeply influences our operations. The majority of our products are vegan—except for a few that contain honey—and all are cruelty-free. We are also actively involved in charitable initiatives to support animal welfare. 

“Our first and foremost priority is to produce the absolute best formulas that are not only healthy and nourishing but also scientifically optimized for the best results.”

Walk us through your development process — from ideation to the product we see on the shelf.

A big part of our development process is our testing (never on animals).  

1) purity of the ingredients - testing for traces of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc.

2) cohesiveness - testing ingredients together to make sure they don't have negative reaction with each other

3) hypoallergenic - non allergic (to most) and in the cases we use allergens such as essential oils, we list on our ingredient list

4) efficacy - correct % of actives are added for results, product does what it's supposed to

5) non pore clogging 

6) packaging chemicals to make sure there are no BPA, phthalates, PFA's

7) packaging safety to make sure formulas don't degrade packaging 

8) microbial testing - to make sure formula will be safe from bacterial growth or other microorganisms

9) oxidation testing - to make sure the formula doesn't degrade from oxygen

10) stability testing - to make sure formula will remain stable even in freezing or (reasonably) heated environments

What are your hero ingredients?

Coffee bean eye cream and our lipsticks colored from berries.  

Other than your company, what is something you are passionate about?

I love animals. I'm vegan and have been for most of my life. Not only does our company financially help animals, but I also contribute personally. I once received a postcard from Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, when she was in India. She updated me on how she was using the money I had donated. Saving and helping animals is my life mission and my motivation to work hard so I can generate as much money as possible to help as many animals as I can. Besides saving animals, I have started making dresses, which will launch soon.  

What is one major lesson you learned about running a business?

I love our fans.  I love creating the best formulas for them.  But I actually am not a business woman, I'm terrible at it and don't enjoy the business part of it.  

What are some challenges you have overcome with your brand?

We used to have everything under one roof: our labs, manufacturing, warehousing, offices, etc. At the beginning of 2023, we moved away from handling our own shipments and decided to hire a professional third-party logistics provider (3PL). That 3PL turned out to be a huge nightmare and was entirely negligent. Luckily, we've since moved to a more capable 3PL facility.

What would you say is your most effective marketing channel? Has it changed over time?

For us, the best marketing is education.  

Give us the backstory of your brand’s name. 

Our name represents what we are- truly 100% PURE.  

What do you think is the most prominent concern in the beauty industry? 

Safety.