Dana Jackson of Beneath Your Mask--
We love a good skincare brand, and find there's a major difference in caring for your skin with the right products containing the right ingredients. When I stumbled upon Beneath Your Mask, I was more than convinced there was something special about this brand. From the unique glass holding the carefully curated products, to the story behind the brand, I keep this as a staple in my bathroom and travel bag. I've shared it with friends, and left my office timely for once to go meet Dana in person at Neiman Marcus in Chicago.
I could go on, and on about this brand, but I'll let Dana tell you about Beneath Your Mask through her own words.
1. What sparked your interest in the beauty and skincare industry? Has it always been a passion of yours? What did you do prior, if not?
I was always a product junkie, but never wanted to be in the skincare industry. I was completely happy being a consumer. I was working as an entertainment business manager, and after being diagnosed with Lupus and Lupus Nephritis, I started paying attention to not only what I was putting in my body, but on my body.
2. How did you decide on the name Beneath Your Mask? How did you decide which product types would be in the collection?
The name, Beneath Your mask, comes from the premise that you cannot truly be healed until you remove the mask you’re presenting to the world. God can’t heal your representative. I wanted to launch with the multi-taskers first, the items that could be used pretty much head to toe, like Heal, Polish, Indulge and Nourish. Then from there, I wanted to start focusing on face and we launched our Illuminate Clarifying Face Mask. It was important to me that our collection to be great for all skin types.
3. What sets Beneath Your Mask apart from other brands?
I think one of the key differentiators of our brand is the mulit-use aspect of our collection as well as the fact that it’s unisex. Our packaging was intentionally designed to appeal to both men and women as men love our products as well.
4. As a fashion and beauty law blog, we always ask, are there any legal issues or challenges you've faced (that you can or want to discuss--no pending litigation, just general bumps in the road)? Infringement issues? Licensing/partnership challenges?
There is so much copying in this industry. I’ve seen brands have photography done that looks exactly like mine, or brands that follow me make ingredient profiles almost exact to mine. It really is prevalent in this industry, but there’s not much you can do about it. These aren’t things you can really pursue legally, but I definitely pay attention.
5. How do you work to protect your brand?
One of the first things I did was file a trademark on my logo, and as soon as we had it in use, I filed the Statement of Use.
6. Which item is your favorite go-to and why?
Our Nourish Skin & Hair Serum. It’s one of our top sellers and for good reason. You can literally use it on face, body and hair. There are tons of uses, and I won't travel without it. My favorite ways to use it are mixed with our face mask, mixed with my conditioner for a deep conditioning treatment, massaged directly onto my edges and rubbed directly on scars and rashes. I was going to name it Everything, because you can use it on everything!
Oh goodness, I love these tips!
7. Tell us about the product containers and unique glass you've chosen:
Beneath Your Mask is packaged in a dark violet Miron glass that energetically activates our botanical formulas. We do NOT package in plastic, and never will! We don’t want plastic getting into your products and subsequently your skin. In addition to being visually beautiful, Miron glass is unsurpassed in preserving the life of products. The technology is simple; the sun emits visible and invisible light parts that enable all plants to grow. It also emits light that accelerates molecular decay. Miron violet glass works like a natural filter that only lets in the sunlight that protects and improves quality, thus lengthening the lifespan and actually increasing the potency of our products. This means that our products will not only be optimally preserved, but will also be energetically enriched. Our packaging protects the ingredients, potency, and naturalness of the products, ensuring they arrive to you with exceptional quality.
8. What do you feel the beauty industry needs most? How are you filling that gap?
Transparency and brands that aren’t willing to compromise for the sake of their bottom line. We’re filling that gap in the way we source our ingredients. All botanicals aren’t created equal, for example, the population lavender essential oil that we source is incredibly expensive. It’s sourced at the highest altitude in France and is the most therapeutic form that we’ve been able to find. It’s nothing like the lavender that will be in most products. We don’t cut costs when it comes to ingredient quality.
Why cut costs when it comes to the only skin and body you have, right?!
9. Tell us about a major moment you won't forget in the Beneath Your Mask journey:
On day 27 of a 30 day fast, I got the call that we’d be going into Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue. It was such a surreal moment for a girl from the south side of Chicago. I was literally in tears!
10. What's next for Beneath Your Mask?
We have a couple of new products launching this year, plus a beauty tool I’m really excited about! That’s all I can share right now. ;)
11. What quote keeps you energized and inspired?
“There’s no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.” This quote just reminds me that nothing worth having is easy, so keep grinding. It will all happen in when it’s supposed to.
Convinced? Of course you are. See more of Dana's story here, and shop for your Beneath Your Mask items here. We know you won't regret it.
