Between the COVID-19 face masks and quarantine carbs, my skin is out of control. And with the world opening up faster than my mouth when I see a piece chocolate cake, I’m ready to start doubling down on giving my body — and pores — a little TLC. Luckily, international supermodel Sanne Vloet is here to save the day with her new sustainable skincare line Izé.
Despite her motto “less is more,” Vloet spent the majority of her career caking on make-up for photo shoots and fashion shows. After years of trying hundreds of skincare products, the Dutch model was adamant to get back to a simple and effective alternative that would protect and improve the overall quality of her skin. In 2017, Vloet teamed up with co-founder Benny Bakar and for over two years the duo has been working tirelessly to come up with a solution. In May 2020, they successfully launched the skincare line Izé.
During a recent interview with WrapWomen, Vloet opened up about her journey from supermodel to entrepreneur and what we can expect from her new product line.
Congratulations on the launch of Izé! Can you tell us about the brand?
We started izé skincare with ease and convenience in mind. We are a brand that celebrates simplicity in a market overrun with excess. In our eyes, an effective skincare routine doesn’t have to be so complicated, with so many steps. As a model I’m constantly traveling, and I wanted something with me at all times that was quick and easy that I could feel good about using on my skin. I didn’t want to worry about whether it was going to make me break out or if it was clean and organic. I wanted to know what ingredients were inside.
Before launching izé what made you realize, “I need to do this!”
That’s actually a funny story! In 2017 I was training for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai and my skin wasn’t happy. I was fighting breakouts, irritation, and the cold weather wasn’t helping at all. I thought maybe I needed to try out some new products, so my agents sent me to a beauty PR agency in New York to visit their closet and test out new skincare. It’s actually there where I first met my co-founder, Benny! We talked a little bit and she told me she thought I was using too many products on my skin, and she was right! At the time I was using a 10-step system that was clogging my pores and not allowing my skin to breath. I looked to see if there was a simple skincare regiment out there but could only find product lines with multiple steps. So in 2019 we decided to create the first simple, clean beauty skincare line with just three options — hydrating, brightening, and calming with CBD.
What sets Izé apart from other skincare brands/products?
We are a skincare community that values transparency and awareness. We want our consumers to feel confident about what they are using on their skin whether they are new to skincare or skincare experts. We educate them about skin health by showing them how we made the product from beginning to end, making them feel like they had a piece of making Izé. We bring them on the entire journey with us from ingredient sourcing to bottle and everything in between. We say what we do and do what we say.
You’ve been working to launch this brand for over two years. What was the most challenging part of this experience? What have you learned along the way?
That’s a great question. There have been so many challenges and we’ve had to learn so much. For me the challenging part was shifting my brain from being a fashion model to an entrepreneur. Up until 2019 I was traveling almost every three days for shoots and I had no business expertise — so the learning curve was steep. I was lucky to have such a supportive partner in Benny, she taught me so much and together we were able to tackle issues with supply chain, product sourcing, etc. and through all of our struggles I discovered my passion for creative direction. I never considered myself to be creative and I never imagined I’d be a businesswoman, but the one thing I have learned over these past two years, is that anyone with a strong work ethic and a great idea can build a brand from start to finish if they are willing to put in the hours, overcome the adversity, and completely believe in themselves.
What’s next for the company?
What’s next? Well we are currently working on expanding our product range for skincare and our goal is to educate women and men that when it comes to skincare, less is more. An exciting step that we are undertaking is opening up international shipping to allow people from all over the world to experience Izé’s clean skincare products. We are currently shipping to five countries outside the US and we have plans to expand into new territories as soon as the option becomes available to us.
What skincare advice do you have for women (in quarantine)?
The advice I have for other women applies to out of quarantine as well. I think it’s so important to be conscious of not only what you put on your body, but also what you put inside it. During quarantine I cooked almost every night which helped me nourish my skin from the inside so that I wasn’t just relying on Izé. I noticed that when I stopped using harsh chemicals on my skin and instead turned to wholesome plant-based ingredients my skin was a lot happier. Just like how my body is happier when I eat clean!
What advice do you have for women looking to start their own company? What advise do you have for women looking to start their own YouTube Channel?
From the start Benny and I wanted Izé to inspire other young women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams like we did. If you have an idea, something you are really passionate about, then I recommend you read a few books that will give you a framework to build your business. Three books I recommend are “The Lean Start-Up”, “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell, and a book I just finished “Start Something That Matter’s” written by Tom’s founder Blake Mycoskie!
For any women who are thinking about starting a YouTube channel the best piece of advice I can give is be yourself and create content that you are passionate about! I’ve seen so many people start and stop because they created content that they thought people wanted, but what I think people don’t realize is that YouTube is a place where you can inspire, learn, and connect with people from all over the world – so always be yourself and never give up!
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