This profile is part of the Glossy Pop Guide to Influencer-Founded Brands, covering the fashion, beauty and wellness companies started by people who built their careers on social media. More from the series →
Among the first wave of mid-2000s bloggers, Tina Chen started her blog, BagSnob, in 2005. Her passion for all things fashion and beauty quickly turned into a full-fledged enterprise. Chen has always encouraged a girlfriend-to-girlfriend type of communication between herself and her supporters; in doing so, she’s maintained her following for nearly two decades. As her blog grew, Chen gradually tapped into her love for skin care, and UBeauty was born. UBeauty is known for its proprietary, fast-acting siren capsule technology that delivers anti-aging ingredients to the skin. UBeauty also prides itself on its clean initiatives: Its manufacturing facilities use 100% green energy, plus the brand plants a tree for every product that is bought.
Who: Tina Chen (U Beauty)
What are you known for & how did you get your start?
I started BagSnob in 2005 as a blog inspired by my personal passions, which were fashion and beauty. What started as a blog based on personal passion soon evolved into a far-reaching enterprise that not only gave me a great platform, but also fed my obsession with skin care — I’m still known as BagSnob to some. I have always been a big proponent of girlfriend-to-girlfriend-like communication and used my platform as a place for authenticity, honesty and supporting other brands, all of which I believed helped me grow and maintain my following.
What’s the brand: Skin care
Find it: U Beauty, Net-a-Porter, Violet Grey, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Revolve
Why did you decide to bring a brand into this crowded marketplace?
There were no high-performance, multifunctional products that did the work of several in one science-proven, tech-driven formula. My desire to create U Beauty stemmed from a need to cut down on the excess, or what I call ‘cosmetic confusion,’ and streamline my routine while still improving my skin. If you’re using lots of different products with many different levels and types of ingredients, it’s harder to control what happens to your skin. Our products are designed to work together seamlessly to simplify your life and amplify your skin, and our motivation always starts with seeing an issue and seeking to resolve it simply, so you can ultimately use less and buy less. By that token, we’ll always avoid products that are superfluous or mimic the effects of an already-existing formula in our line.
What makes the brand different?
Our one-of-a-kind technology. Our double-patent-pending SIREN Capsule Technology is the only innovation in the beauty industry that’s strictly activated in the presence of free radicals. Developed at our medical-grade lab in Italy, you won’t see this delivery system in any other skin care, and it’s the reason products that I’d only dreamed of before are now a reality.
Bestseller: Resurfacing Compound
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