Indie Lee sounds like the coolest brand name ever, something hip and fresh that a marketing department came up with. That’s why the last thing you would expect when you hear it is to find out that Indie Lee is an actual living, breathing human being that has learned, the hard way, that skincare is just as important as food.
A survivor’s story
In 2008 Indie Lee, a Canadian accountant, was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor. The doctors gave her just 6 more months to live. The news was, of course, terrible. Something that would leave most people feeling helpless, desperate and just waiting to die. But Indie Lee is not most people.
Rather than sitting around and waiting for Doom’s Day, Indie Lee started researching her tumor. She wanted to know how exactly it could grow inside of her, which were the determining factors and what she could have done differently. The doctors did not have a precise explanation but suggested that the cause could be environmental. From the air that she was breathing to the food that she ate on a daily basis and even the skincare products she was using, anything could have triggered her disease.
This was something totally unexpected and the trigger behind a very big decision: she would completely change her lifestyle. If she managed to survive brain surgery that is.
In 2009, when the world was celebrating Earth Day, Indie Lee came out of her brain surgery and started her recovery. The journey was not going to be easy, she knew that much, but having survived this first step contributed to her belief that she needed to change the world and that she could do it through clean beauty. That is how her brand, Indie Lee, was born.
Behind the brand
Indie Lee is one of the first clean beauty brands on the market. Ever since the beginning, when Indie was creating products in her own kitchen, using ingredients plucked from her own garden, her brand was all about healthy living and she was the first one to test the products.
Time passed, her products became a hit - The Brightening Cleanser and the COQ10 Toner were the first to go mainstream - and changed the face of the industry. Her determination of using only natural, non toxic ingredients in her formula, attracted the right kind of customer: people that were interested in what they were putting on their skin, that read the labels and were searching for something different than what was on the market.
Still, Indie Lee is not one of the most sustainable skincare brands only through its formulas. Everything about each product is designed so that it has the smallest carbon print possible. The packaging is very chic, but minimal. With every product, you get the insta glam while being eco friendly.
Education before marketing
When Indie Lee started her beauty brand, back in 2008, the idea of clean beauty did not exist. Now, on the other hand, almost 15 years later, it’s one of the main topics in the field. Even so the need to educate customers did not diminish, it has actually grown. With so much information at their disposal, there are still people that do not read the labels and reject the idea that what they put on their skin can have a detrimental impact on their lives.
Can beauty brands do something about it? Indie Lee certainly believes so: “When my life got an expiration date, I started seeing things in technicolor. Now I try my best to make the most of every moment and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to develop a platform that allows others to do the same. Education and empowerment are what drives everything I do and my products are my way of sharing my knowledge with the world.”
Inlove with nature
From its first days in Indie Lee’s kitchen, her brand was based exclusively on natural or nature derived, organic ingredients. There were never and there will never be formaldehydes, mineral oils, parabens, silicones, perfumes or any of the other more than 1300 toxic ingredients out there in any of the Indie Lee products.
But love of nature means love for everything in the natural world, animals included. That is why none of Indie Lee’s products are tested on animals. They are very well tested, don’t get us wrong, in the lab, by trained scientists, never on a cute bunny.
Age of passion
A lot of people talk about passion today. Passion for what you do and how it can change everything and Indie Lee is living proof of it. That is why she is the first and probably best brand ambassador for her products.
For example, when asked what are the 3 products she would take with her on a deserted island, Indie mentioned, without hesitation, her own: Indie Lee Stem Cell Serum, Indie Lee Daily Vitamin Infusion and the Indie Lee Superfruit Facial Cream. They are superfoods for the skin, rich in active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane and vegetable oils such as avocado oil or coconut oil.
In another interview, when asked about what product she would use for a little home spa, she named, with no hesitation, the Indie Lee Clearing Mask as essential. Why? Because it is amazing, perfect for mixed skin or prone to acne due to the mix of clay, zinc oxide and three different types of acids that work wonders on the skin.
In the age of passion, there is more to skincare than just the products and Indie Lee is definitely more than a skincare brand. With a clear mission, care for nature and for users and the driving force of Indie herself, this brand focuses more on an evolved lifestyle than on selling. Will you join the ride?
Leave a comment