How a Quarter-Life Crisis Sparked Sasha Plavsic's Cult-Favorite Beauty Brand

At 30, Sasha Plavsic found herself at a crossroads — searching for clarity, direction and a deeper connection to her everyday choices. "I moved back home to my hometown, Vancouver, trying to find a sense of purpose," she tells Hypebae. It was during this period of transition that her mother, a lifelong advocate for clean living, nudged her to take a closer look at the products she relied on daily. What she uncovered shocked her: "Many of the ingredients in my makeup weren't as safe as I had believed." This became the spark for one of clean beauty's most celebrated brands.

ILIA was born out of the belief that your cosmetics should be as good for your skin as they are for your confidence. "Building [my brand] was my way of turning a difficult period into an opportunity to challenge conventional standards and offer products that truly care for you." Today, ILIA is rewriting the rules of what it means to be in the beauty space, offering skincare-first formulas powered by potent actives without sacrificing payoff or color. Turning personal transformation into purpose, Plavsic continues to challenge an industry that once prioritized looks over long-term health, proving that you don't have to choose between looking good and feeling good.

We caught up with the founder to talk about the early days of ILIA, the ingredients that changed her mind about what it means to be "clean" and how to turn a personal challenge into a bigger mission.

On the brand's mission

When I first started ILIA, I was looking to create a new type of makeup brand that challenged the ideals of conventional beauty by putting the product performance first. Our mission as a brand was and continues to be to protect and revive the skin, to create products that make your skin look and feel alive.

At ILIA, we see skincare and makeup as one. Our potent formulas are designed with active levels of skincare ingredients that work for the skin, both instantly and over time. We strongly believe in SPF, as it is what protects and powers these skincare actives. That being said, we don't believe that the protection and the revival of the skin should come at the expense of vibrant, vivid washes of color — it's possible to have beautiful makeup that makes your skin better.

On her favorite ILIA products

I'm so proud of all of the products that we've created at ILIA, however, there are certainly a few that are my go-to products lately. Our "Limitless Lash" Mascara is an amazing mascara that lifts, lengthens, doesn't flake and washes off easily at the end of the day. I've found myself using it in its new shade, "Before Dawn," because of its rich, warm chocolate brown shade that enhances any eye color with a soft, natural look.

The "Super Serum" Skin Tint SPF 40 is our best-selling collection and is the original skin tint on the market. An all-in-one skincare, makeup and mineral SPF that clinically hydrates and helps improve the quality of your skin over time. It was designed with sensitive skin in mind and will help reduce redness and inflammation when used regularly.

The "Eye Stylus" Shadow Sticks have been such a fun addition to my daily makeup. They were inspired by the luminous colors of Renaissance art and have a versatile range of bronzes, neutrals and pops of color. In addition to shade, we were conscious of being waterproof and crease-resistant. I have hooded lids and most cream eyeshadows always crease on me, so creating an easy-to-apply shadow that stays flexible and comfortable on the skin and looks just as great after 12 hours of wear as it did upon application was very important to me.

On why she loves skincare

I had always struggled with acne and sensitive skin throughout my life. When I returned home to Vancouver in 2009, I started to explore the ingredients behind my skincare and makeup products to help bring context to the health of my skin. It was a lightbulb moment to discover that many of the products and ingredients were causing more of a reaction than a benefit. The journey of creating ILIA has fed my passion for not just skincare and makeup, but beauty products that improve the skin and perform.

On who inspires her

My mom. She is classic, chic and always looks beautiful — usually without any makeup. When it came to ILIA, she was also a major influence on me. During my brief sabbatical, she said, "Hey, you should start paying attention to what you're putting on your skin." I was shocked to discover many of the ingredients were not what I considered to be safe. So, I challenged myself to see if I could create a more conscious and thoughtful version that could rival some of the conventional greats on the market. That's how ILIA was born.

Also, growing up in Vancouver, Canada, there was an awareness of living a healthier lifestyle all around. More so, the fact that my brother was ill as a kid and suffered from food allergies, asthma and dust allergies also played a role. He was admitted to the hospital so many times that they wanted to keep him there for six months. My mother decided she was going to change the whole environment at home – she ripped up the carpets, removed all the curtains and started eating organic food.

This was in the early '80s, before any of it was a trend. It was his life that depended on those changes for him to breathe properly and he introduced this thoughtful lifestyle to my family, including me, at a younger age.

For more, check out our interview with Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy.

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