Since its inception in 2019, Rooki Beauty has been making waves in the industry. With its clean formulation that utilises Japanese superfoods and science, this homegrown brand makes skincare easy breezy without any overcomplications. For Hayley Teo, her personal experience navigating through skincare  products with sensitive skin has kickstarted the launch of Rooki Beauty. We get up close and personal with Hayley Teo as she shares the inspiration behind Rooki Beauty, the idea of its catchy name, and overcoming challenges as a brand founder. 

Interview with Hayley Teo, Founder of Rooki Beauty

Can you tell us a little about your background and what led you to start Rooki Beauty?

My name is Hayley and I’m the founder of Rooki Beauty, a Singaporean skincare brand founded in 2019. Before Rooki, I had a job in advertising but struggled with finding meaning in my work. So when my contract ended, I decided to leave the advertising world and do something that I was really passionate about.

Growing up with sensitive skin meant that I was always highly attuned to what I put on my face. I was dismayed to find out from an early age that most skincare products were filled with ineffective filler ingredients. Starting Rooki gave me the opportunity to start a skincare line that was truly effective and free from questionable ingredients. 

I like to say that the timing was magic. I started Rooki in 2019, one year before Covid hit. I had all the time in the world to travel and try new things. I spoke to labs from Taiwan, Korea and Japan and carefully vetted them. I knew I wanted my products to be developed in a country that truly understood Asian skin.  Eventually, I settled on Japan and was introduced to ingredients that ranged from traditional fermented foods like sake and natto, to the wild and wacky like salmon placenta. It took about a year to launch Rooki, but it was a great learning experience and probably the most enriching time of my life. 

The brand has such a catchy name, what’s the inspiration behind it? 

Rooki is exactly what it stands for, a skincare brand for rookies who are tired of all the smoke and mirrors and overcomplication in skincare. It also tells the story of my journey. I started out as an outsider to the beauty industry, someone who knew nothing about the ins and outs of starting a skincare line. I knocked on lots of doors that led to nowhere, but having a rookie mindset meant that I didn’t easily give up. I didn’t always have the answers but I had persistence.

Rooki Beauty is known for utilising Japanese superfoods and science. Can you tell us more about it and why do they become the core element of the brand? 

Yes, this is actually one of the most unique aspects of Rooki. During my visit to Japan, I was introduced to a whole new world of Japanese superfoods. I was able to learn about how farms supported the cosmetic industry and how this enabled them to produce some of the highest calibre skincare on the planet. The quality of their ingredients, their attention to hygiene and efficacy were all unparalleled. I knew we had to tap into this uniquely Japanese eco-system in order to be successful. For example, for our new Good Egg Skin Recovery Milk, we were able to get access to Eggshell Membrane (ESM) which is an ingredient that is able to increase fibroblasts in skin to promote wound healing. This is an innovative ingredient that not every skincare brand has access to. 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in starting your own business, and how did you overcome it?

Starting a business, like most things in life, requires a track record. If you are completely new to an industry, you are bound to hit roadblocks. For starters, the labs you wish to work with may not wish to work with you, and not everyone is eager to share your vision. Just getting the groundwork done can be a logistics nightmare since there are so many components to a finished skincare product. There are also communication and regulatory issues to grapple with. For example, I wanted to create an acne product using salicylic acid. But did you know that salicylic acid is highly regulated in Japan? You can only use up to 0.2% salicylic acid in cosmetics in Japan, which is not enough to deliver the results I wanted.

The way I managed to overcome this was to keep an open mind, and constantly look for solutions and workarounds. I also made friends with people who knew the industry well and were generous enough to impart their knowledge to me.

Can you walk us through your process for developing new products, from ideation to launch?

It starts with identifying a need, something that is lacking in the market. Skincare may be a saturated industry but you can always find a new angle and new way to help someone. For example, Good Egg Skin Recovery Milk was created because we noticed an uptick of SOS messages from people with irritated, inflamed and dehydrated skin – the result of returning to office after a long period of WFH and overuse of trendy yet harsh ingredients. 

So, we pitched the idea of Good Egg to our lab. We wanted a product that was free of harsh chemicals and fragrance, a gentle emulsion that could strengthen the skin’s lipid barrier and hydrate the skin without triggering it. They thought it was a fantastic idea. It also helped that Japanese skincare formulation and philosophy are already naturally geared towards the needs of sensitive skin. 

The next steps would be ingredient procurement, formulation and reformulation, challenge testing and consumer testing. This can take anywhere from months to years. Only then would the product be ready for launch.

How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and innovations in the beauty world?

Despite my busy schedule, I always take Fridays off to do exploratory work. I call it “Exploratory Fridays” and it’s one of the best decisions ever. I spend the day reading up about skincare trends, the latest buzz in beauty, new ingredients and breakthroughs, and connecting with others in the skincare industry. It’s work that has no KPIs and frankly the most refreshing part of my week. 

How do you balance the creative and business aspects of running your own company?

I’m a naturally creative person, and sometimes my creative side tends to override the business side. However, for the business aspect, I would say sites like Shopee have really helped us by doing most of the heavy lifting. They have a natural pool of users who are hungry for beauty products and have a great ad program that delivers results. Being on Shopee has been instrumental to our success and they even help with logistic challenges like delivery. 

How do you prioritise self-care and wellness while managing a successful business?

The most important thing for any founder is to keep mentally healthy. I often rely on mindfulness practices, like meditation and deep breathing to reduce stress and improve my sleep quality. I also enjoy unwinding with a face mask like Green Pulp Paste Masque twice a week.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting their own beauty brand?

Starting a beauty brand is a marathon, not a sprint. Even if something looks like an overnight success, it usually isn’t. You need to have perseverance and be flexible enough to adjust your approach when necessary.

Are there any upcoming projects or plans for Rooki Beauty that you want to share with our readers?

We recently launched our sister brand Butterkynd which focuses on delivering solutions for underserved and fringe skincare issues like stretch marks and eczema. It currently only has one product, the S1 Stretch Mark Cream, which is a stretch mark cream that doesn’t stain clothes. Unlike most thick and greasy stretch mark creams, Butterkynd is designed for the Asian market which means that it is extremely lightweight and fast-absorbing. It has been selling like hotcakes on Shopee, and is one of the top new entrants in the stretch mark market! 

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