“As soon as I was old enough to walk, I was taught to always pack a bag to pick up trash and ‘leave the path cleaner than you found it.’. It’s always been a part of who I am and how I was raised.” says Laney Crowell, Founder and CEO of clean beauty cult favourite, Saie.

After spending years working in big beauty at brands like Estée Lauder, Crowell launched herself into the clean beauty industry with Saie. Encouraged by her community built from her blog The Moment, Crowell filled a gap in the industry for not only a brand that has exceptional products – but a community that takes fierce initiative in important causes like climate change and women’s rights.

Following the launch of Saie’s new Lip Liners 101 and Glossybounce™, Laney shared her fall favourites, holiday party glam and secret to ethereal skin.

Ahead, Laney shared more about going to bat for her brand, her passion for sustainability, and how her own skincare struggles inspired some of Saie’s best creations.

SG: Tell us a bit about how you started Saie

Laney Crowell: “My experience in big beauty showed me that there was whitespace in the market for clean and effective makeup. I founded Saie in 2019, to set a new industry standard with high-performance formulas, sustainable packaging and practices, and a promise to create positive change. Saie’s name comes from its highly engaged community: ‘You Saie it, we create it.’ I wanted to offer our community superior, yet fun products that ‘dew good’ for people and the planet and are effortless, elevated and easy to use. Through Saie, l wanted to create not just a beauty brand, but an entire community centered around wellness – clean ingredients that feel good.”

What challenges did you face when breaking into the beauty industry?

“When starting, I learned firsthand how hard it was to fundraise. It was an unexpected challenge initially. Given that only 4% of Venture Capitalist dollars go to women, my biggest obstacle was having to go to bat for my brand and secure those investments. Even when the statistics told me to give up.”

When did you discover clean beauty? What makes it important to you?

“When I was a toddler my parents would take me and my sister hiking in Colorado. As soon as I was old enough to walk, I was taught to always pack a bag to pick up trash and ‘leave the path cleaner than you found it.’ It’s always been a part of who I am and how I was raised. When I launched Saie it was my love letter to nature. I’m so proud of the work we do as a partner of 1% for the Planet and Plastic Negative. Over Climate Week we announced The Saie Climate Initiative, which is our commitment to net zero by 2039, a three-year partnership with rePurpose to collect 5 million pounds of plastic, and an all-female board to support the initiative. This is a passion project of mine and I look forward to seeing it evolve.”

Skincare and makeup often go hand-in-hand, what inspired you to formulate Saie products to include ingredients which are typically found in skincare?

“I’ve struggled with acne and dry, sensitive skin since I was in high school. That was when I first started wearing makeup and playing around with skincare. I’ll never forget when in junior high, I bought a face mask from CVS and it spilled onto my marble countertop overnight. It burned through the marble finish! Looking back I can’t believe I was putting that stuff on my skin. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I started educating myself on clean beauty and the skin biome. This served as a huge inspiration for me when I was creating Saie. I wanted to make products that not only worked for sensitive skin but were GOOD for the skin. That’s why we always say, ‘Good on you, good for you!'”

Who are some of your beauty inspirations?

“My community inspired me to start Saie. They were the ones who said, if I were to make a makeup brand, here’s what I would want. They told me what the market was missing and gave me the courage to start Saie.”

“Now my inspiration comes from my daughters. They are the ones that push me to do what I do and show women and girls that they can do things that they’re passionate about and still be CEOs and Founders.”

If you could only use one Saie product for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

“The Glowy Super Gel is such a powerhouse and works wonders whether I want to wear it underneath makeup or go makeup-free. It just gives the skin a little extra glow.”

How does the community positively impact your brand? Why do you think it is so important?

“The Saie community is the engine that inspires us to do what we do. Consistently engaging with our community in new and exciting ways and activations is just as important as any other business goal.”