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Shanina Shaik (3.3 million Instagram followers) is partnering with incubator Beaubble to launch her first, but not only, venture in beauty. The new brand is called Sala, meaning “island” in Lithuanian, and will launch around September, starting with a single mascara.
When Beaubble reached out to Shaik, she was already familiar with the company, which has incubated several influencer- and model-founded brands. For example, it had launched products with Shaik’s friend and fellow model Elsa Hosk. Hosk and Beaubble have a small collection called BBxElsa, which includes a lip contour wand, cushion blushes and nail polishes. All of Beaubble’s brands are sold DTC, and Shaik’s mascara will be priced between $20-$30 when it launches.
“Shanina has been frequently interviewed and featured for her beauty routines, which showcase her long-accumulated knowledge and expertise in the field,” said HeeKyeong Seo, Beaubble’s co-founder. “So we thought partnering with her to launch a beauty brand would be a natural fit. We were confident that her insights would be valuable in creating high-quality, authentic beauty products that meet the needs and desires of consumers.”
A hallmark of Beaubble is that it will not send a product into final production until it’s vetted by a group of 15 consumers. Seo said the consumer selection happens via an open call where community members can sign up on the website. Beaubble typically goes through three to four rounds of sampling with the community before finalizing the formula, but in some cases, its testing period has lasted six rounds. Beaubble has done this, to great success, with its brand co-created with influencer Teni Panosian, Monday Born. Monday Born has around a 50% return customer rate, for example.
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“For me, it was a great time to do this. I’m a mom now. … I was ready to take this on, have my own brand and build a community [with] fans who have been with me throughout my career. And I’ve always been asked when I’m going to come out with a product line,” Shaik said. She was particularly attracted to Beaubble because it’s a K-beauty company. “Korea is advanced with their ingredients and formulas,” she said.
Shaik’s been working on the brand’s first few products for over a year. The debut mascara is infused with biotin and conditioning ingredients like panthenol and camellia oil. It has been put to supermodel-worthy tests such as Shaik wear-testing it in the sauna. She said mascara is one of her true “can’t-live-without” makeup products, and that the same is true of many of her friends.
“I wanted to do something that’s approachable and easy to apply for the busy mom or the off-duty girl that wants to look and feel good in a quick moment,” Shaik said.
She added, “Many women use fake eyelashes, [which can be damaging]. With every wear of the mascara, it’s nurturing your lashes, so it creates growth, as well. It’s healing for your lashes, you feel good about wearing it, and it looks amazing and intense.”
Sala is not Shaik’s only venture in the beauty space right now. Separate from her partnership with Beaubble, she is also working on a skin-care line, which she said will launch in 2024.
“I’ve always wanted to start my own skin-care line. I’m very passionate about taking care of my skin, especially [considering] my personal experiences of being in front of the camera all the time and also diving into the wellness realm. I’ve had a lot of issues with my skin, even though I have great skin. I’ve learned a lot about it. [Now], I want to help others with their skin,” Shaik said.
Shaik attempted to start developing the skin-care brand during trips to Korea and Japan before Covid-19. She then became pregnant, before refocusing on it stateside during her pregnancy. “My skin-care line is Korean skin care. I believe Korean skin care and formula ingredients are 10-25 years ahead of everywhere [else].”
“[My forthcoming skin-care line] is my baby. I consider [Sala] my baby, too,” she said.
