Meet Selene C Chaves | Developer & Owner of Skin Reign my Skincare line

We had the good fortune of connecting with Selene C Chaves and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Selene C, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
This is the greatest part, I didn’t create my products to build a business. I have low thyroid and one of the consequences of this condition is very dry skin, after trying everything in the market and getting no improvement I decided to put it into practice with the few years of chemistry I studied. I made a list of the benefits I wanted my lotion to provide my skin with and got started with the research phase for ingredients. It was a trial and error process, mixing different things until I got to my perfect formula. My skin was now healthy, nourished, protected and glowy!

Then the unexpected happened, every time someone complained about dry skin, I would give them a bit of my lotion because I knew it would help them. They began asking where they could buy this magic lotion and my answer was “You can’t because it is my own formula and I make it only for myself.”

It took me a few years to make the decision to start a business but here I am today! Happy and excited to be able to share my amazing formulas with the world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My company is my childhood dream come true! As a little girl I used to mix things to play with. I always loved skin care and was intrigued by it to the point of applying white glue to my face as an anti-aging mask (please don’t try this at home, I was only 5 years old haha. This isn’t skincare advice!). I feel like what I do now is my calling because although I do research, many of my product ideas just come to me! I am very proud and excited to share my line with the world because each of my products is made with love, passion, and assurance that results will be seen. It hasn’t been easy, I had a great job at a clinic that I loved and leaving was a difficult decision to make not just because of the emotional attachment but also the financial stability. It was a very scary moment in my life but I have the certainty in my heart that I am doing the right thing, I am realizing more that I don’t want Skin Reign to be only a Skincare brand, I want it to be a lifestyle. A safe place where nobody is going to be judged and where complete wellness, happiness, vulnerability, and support will be our green flags. I want it to be a place to learn about things that make us better people. Lastly, taking care of your skin is really important here as well because it is self love- just like eating nourishing food or drinking water. I want to paint the message that “You are loved, You are worthy, I want to help you to be happy in your own skin”. Skin Reign is proudly Latina-Owned.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

She just came so this one is easy! Gym first, I love sweat 440 not just for the amazing workout, but it has a great ambiance and outstanding coaches (yes in my book, people workout on vacation too! haha). Next, I will take her to Kraken Crudos which has amazing sushi in a very cozy place with great service (or Hiyakawa for an Omakase experience).  Afterwards, walking around Wynwood is pretty interesting and entertaining (if my bff visits at the beginning of December, Art Basel is for sure added to the list!) I would even take her to The Van Gogh Experience even though I already went 3 times! For dinner and some fun music, Salvaje in Midtown!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Just when the idea of starting my own brand began to form in my mind, I ran into the “How I Built This” podcast. Every story on there was so inspiring at that moment, I felt like I wasn’t crazy and I could actually do it. I bought everything I needed and turned one of my spare rooms into my “lab”- creating and dreaming. Then, I spoke with my closest family and they supported me right away. My family constantly assured me how much they trusted and believed in me.

Also, reading how the amazing Lisa Bilyeu began “Quest” was very inspiring as well. I guess when you see how successful people began in the same place as you, you no longer feel like it’s impossible.

Last but not least, God. I truly believe he put getting very sick and hospitalized in my path just to make me realize what I needed it to do to be happier. Pursuing my dream and giving 100% of myself to my company was one of those things to make me happier. Now, I am happier than ever and feel at peace in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I have the certainty that what I am doing is the right thing to do!

Website: www.skinreign.com

Instagram: @skin.reign

Linkedin: Selene Chaves

Facebook: Skin Reign

Youtube: Skin Reign

Other: TikTok @skinreign

Image Credits
MSP Photography