How Our Plant-Based Milk Sheet Masks Were Born
Every new product line starts with my current passion, which is plant-based milk. For a few years now, I completely transitioned over to vegan milks, starting with oat milk, then to almond and then experimenting with fun types of nut & fruit milks. Once I began, I never went back to dairy.
Why plant-based milks? Not only do they taste better, but compared to dairy milk, they have a lot of nutritional benefits. Each one is different, but overall they are lower in saturated fat and calories. In addition to the health benefits, the production of plant-based milk is better for the environment than cow’s milk, which requires large amounts of water and causes high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Following the positive feedback of the Raw Juice Sheet Masks, I wanted to create another line of sheet masks that provided a different experience. Similar to the theme, the Raw Juice Sheet Masks has a lighter, “juice-like” serum while the Plant-Based Milk Masks provide a more creamy & viscous texture on the skin.
Once this idea was born in my head, I spent a lot of time researching and learning more about the benefits of plant-based milk on the skin. I learned that:
Coconut Milk boosts collagen production and cell regeneration, which helps to firm and maintain elasticity of your skin
Oat Milk contains Vitamin E, which reduces inflammation and soothes your skin while providing moisture
Almond Milk is a rich source of Vitamin E & other flavonoids, & it provides rejuvenation to your skin which helps brighten your complexion
Banana milk is loaded with potassium and antioxidants, which aids in restoring the skin’s moisture barrier and promotes glowing skin
This confirmed that not only were the ingredients great for your health, but also had amazing benefits for your skin. I spoke with my co-founder and team and they immediately fell in love with the idea! And so the Plant-Based Milk Sheet Masks preparation began.
Our creative team and I continued to spend time researching together as we wanted to become very educated on the various vegan milk options and benefits. We purchased a lot of brands in stores, did some tastings in the office, and finalized our list of four vegan milks. From there, we wanted to add additional elements and came up with a new touch of “flavors” to each milk. We had a bit of a tough time deciding since there were so many potential options and directions but after much back and forth, we settled on: Blueberry Coconut Milk, Vanilla Oat Milk, Matcha Almond Milk, and Avocado Banana Milk.
From here on, there were multiple aspects of product development that occurred simultaneously. With the creative team, I worked on brainstorming concepts for the packaging and went through over 300 drafts with our graphic designer. Throughout the process, we sent surveys to our friends & family to receive feedback.
At the same time, I worked with my co-founder (our COO) and our manufacturers on the formulation and everything that goes inside the packaging. There are two main elements: the serum & sheet mask fabric. We dissected each part that we can improve upon and broke it down. We wanted this line to evoke the experience of putting plant-based milk on your skin so we created a formula that was thicker and more plentiful in serum, 27mL to be exact. It is a more creamy and “milk-like” texture.
The other important element was the fabric, I knew I wanted to create a compostable sheet mask. Our Raw Juice Sheet Masks are biodegradable but I wanted to take an additional step to make this line an even more eco-friendly product. We spent a lot of time researching and at last found a manufacturer that specializes in compostable fabric which can be composted at home or in industrial facilities and is biodegradable in soil and marine environments.
We tried numerous rounds of samples before we settled on the final formula. I went through at least 20 rounds of revisions with our full team testing 5 times. We went through details such as viscosity, level of serum, and scent. After trying a variety of scents, we proceeded with an unscented formulation, it is neutral but does have a light, sweet aroma that resembles the natural plant-based milk scent.
Finally, after a few trips to Korea, hundreds of rounds of sketches, and many sheet mask samples sent back and forth across the world, our final product was completed in May 2022. When I first saw them arrive, I definitely shed some tears– seeing your baby come to life after working tirelessly on perfecting it was such a proud moment for myself and everyone on the team.
Fast forward six months later, we are so excited to finally introduce our Plant-Based Milk Sheet Masks to the world! The journey of creating this line has been incredibly fun and I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks.
You can find them on our website or in stores at Whole Foods Market, Eataly, Free People as of October and more retailers coming soon. Please email me at elina@eswbeauty.com with your thoughts, always looking for feedback to improve <3
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