Career Diaries: Susie Wang, Founder of Organic Makeup Brand 100% Pure

Natural and organic makeup enthusiasts have surely heard of 100% Pure — or at least some of the indie brand’s most talked about products like Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara, Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream and the Luminous Primer. And as great as these products are, there’s more to 100% Pure than these clean product picks. Ahead, we chat with 100% Pure founder Susie Wang to learn why she founded the brand, what her daily skincare routine looks like and what beauty means to her.

What inspired you to create your brand, 100% Pure?

When I was 18, I purchased a vitamin C serum that started to oxidize and quickly turn from a white color into a brown one. This inspired me to figure out a way to stabilize vitamins from oxidizing in skin care. Once I filed a patent for it, this got the attention of several large cosmetic companies and I accepted a job from one of them to work on formulas in the lab.

One day, I accidentally spilled a chemical that I was using in an eye cream onto the lab table and it began to warp. I was shocked. I wondered what kind of damage these chemicals could do to my skin if they could visibly damage a lab table. From that moment on, it's been my life mission to create safe, healthy products that women can trust. Hence, 100% Pure was born, using only the highest quality natural ingredients and no toxic, harsh chemicals.

Can you tell us about the ingredients in 100% Pure products? What makes them natural and what are the benefits that come with using natural ingredients?

What I'm most proud of is our innovation to use fruit, plant, seed and tea pigments to color our cosmetics. We use healthy fruit pigments that are full of skin beneficial phytonutrients, vitamins and antioxidants.  

What's one of your favorite products from 100% Pure?

There are so many that it's hard to choose one! I use the Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm and one of our new sheet masks around three times a week so I definitely love those. My favorite cosmetic product is our Fruit Pigmented® Ultra Lengthening Mascara, which is in a base of lash conditioners and colored from black tea leaves. I also love our Fruit Pigmented® Cocoa Butter Matte Lipstick in color Cassia.    

Aside from your wallet and phone, what do you keep in your day bag at all times?

I enjoy brushing my teeth and flossing, so I'll usually carry around a dental kit. I also always have 100% Pure's Fruit Pigmented® Lip & Cheek Tint in the color Peach Glow, which gives me a peachy pink flush on my cheeks and lips whenever I need it.   

What does beauty mean to you?

Beauty to me means self-care. I think of it (especially skin care) as an investment for my future. The better I take care of my skin, the better I'll look immediately and in my years to come.

Can you tell us a little about your morning and evening beauty routine?

In the morning, I wash my face with Coconut Oil Moisturize Cleansing Milk to wash away the Vitamin C and retinol I put on the night before because you don't want to wear these ingredients while out in the sun since they make your skin more sensitive to UV rays. I typically wear the Tomato Lycopene SPF 20 Moisturizer alone on bare skin as it's too rich to use with anything else.  At night, I wash my face with the Fermented Rice Water Cleanser and then I usually use a sheet mask. After that, I follow with the Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum and then the Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm (or I alternate that with the Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riché PM Treatment).

What advice would you give to your younger self, if you could?
My advice to my younger self is to stop trying to please everyone and to not stand for mistreatment from anyone. Secondly, my younger self was lazy about skincare and using SPF daily, so I would tell myself to start caring for my skin earlier and be diligent about sunblock.

What's next for 100% Pure?

We're buying a lot of land in central California to start organic farming our own ingredients. Once that happens, I may open up a sanctuary there to house rescue animals. I'm a huge animal lover and do as much as I can to help protect animals from cruelty. In fact, we just finished raising and donating a ton of money to help rescue as many dogs as possible from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival happening in China this month where dogs are tortured and eaten. And later this year, we're hosting a fundraiser for PETA with the founder, Ingrid Newkirk, who will attend and speak. So, apart from more amazing product launches happening this year, the future also includes more philanthropy for animals. This has always been extremely important to me.

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Hero Image Courtesy Susie Wang