Kinship is on a mission to make the world a better place. And we’re not just talking about giving people better skin, but of course the clean skincare line does that too. Kinship was created by two industry vets—Alison Haljun and Christin Powell, the former vice president of marketing at Benefit Cosmetics and co-founder of Juice Beauty, respectively—to address the white space they saw in the beauty world. “Kinship is at its heart all about connection and self-care,” Haljun says. “Christin and I created Kinship because we felt the values of today’s generation were not being represented in a meaningful and conscious way.”     Specifically, they wanted to bring sustainability and wellness to the forefront, as well as other values. “We were tired of seeing blonde, blue-eyed girls—we didn’t feel that was representative of the population and certainly not today’s generation,” Powell says. “We didn’t see the beauty industry keeping up with the changing cultural values of today, so we felt like we needed to create it. When we came together, we had 16-plus years in the industry; we had seen and done a lot of it.”   A mutual industry friend set Haljun and Powell up on a blind 30-minute coffee date, which turned into breakfast and then lunch. “I had five meetings that day, but I kept pushing them back because I felt so connected to Alison,” Powell says. “We had to keep putting money in the parking meter because we couldn’t stop talking.” They instantly bonded over everything from being moms to realizing they had complementary skill sets in the beauty industry.       “I wanted to buy products for myself and my family that were that were clean and formulated more consciously and so my intention was to go to this meeting to get a bunch of production recommendations for myself and my kids because I knew Christin was also a mom,” Haljun says. But when Powell revealed that was struggling with the same mission for her daughter. “I don’t want to use [cheap] products because I know what’s in them and I don’t trust it, but I don’t want to spend $50 on an acne serum because she’s 12,” Powell recalls. That essentially sparked the creation of Kinship.   “As we reflected on our experience and our personal journey with our own skin, we had this moment of if we don’t do it who will?” Haljun says. “I remember Christin saying she could formulate it and I could market it. It was this really palpable connection that she and I had that was all built upon this premise that everyone deserves healthy skin and there is an undeniable connection between inner and outer health. Kinship is really a love letter to the next generation because it’s everything we’ve learned and know and we’re wanting to share it and have an impact on people’s health and the health of the planet.”     Kinship launched in November 2019 with five core products that cover the essentials: The Supermello Hydrating Gel Cream Moisturizer, Insta Swipe Lemon AHA Pads, Naked Papaya Gentle Enzyme Face Cleanser, Pimple Potion Retinal + Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment and Self Reflect Probiotic Moisturizing Sunscreen Zinc Oxide SPF 32. The line took two and a half years to formulate, since they had to walk the fine line of being luxurious and efficacious from an ingredient standpoint, but at an accessible price. The entire range features their exclusive Kinbiome complex, which boosts the skin barrier and microbiome. “With the skin barrier and probiotics we saw a tremendous difference in how skin looked, felt and behaved,” Powell says. “We started experimenting with pre and probiotics and were amazed with how well they work, alongside tried and true ingredients like AHAs, retinal and vitamin C. I think they will become part of the toolbox for formulation from here on. You have this ecosystem that lives on your skin and is constantly changing because of your environment and the products you use, so it’s important to keep it balanced and protected.”   But Kinship goes much further than skin deep. “We felt to be authentic, this brand needed to reflect the values of the founders throughout the organization,” Powell says. “We really wanted to express this was missing in the beauty industry because we feel there’s a lot of superficiality in beauty. There’s not anything wrong with that, but I think people—especially Gen Z—want something with a meaning and purpose behind it. Gen Z doesn’t like to be marketed to—they can see through all that. This was our chance to express our own values authentically and honestly.”   That’s why Kinship uses Ocean Waste Plastic (OWP) for their jars and lids. Every year, 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean. OWP works with local fisherman and volunteers to collect that plastic waste in and around the Java Sea and beaches of Bali, then it’s recycled into new, sustainable packaging. Kinship is the first clean skincare brand in the US to be using OWP. “It just seemed insurmountable from a cost perspective to invest in but I went to a conference and learned about how bad the problem is when I heard biologists talk about it having such a detrimental effect on the ocean,” Powell says. “Alison and I said we have to do this. We can’t develop a product that contributes to the plastic problem in ocean. We saw this opportunity as a way to lead in sustainability, especially as a startup, to show other brands you can do it. Yes, it’s more expensive, but our investors were aligned with us. And it’s really setting you apart in doing the right thing.” Clients can even trace where the plastic from their product came from on Kinship’s app.       To reduce their carbon footprint, Kinship uses the minimal amount of outer packaging—only two of their products have an actual box, which was legally necessary to list all of the drug information. “Those boxes are made using FSC paper and all shipping material is also made from 100% recycled FSC paper,” Haljun says. “There is no bubble wrap or any plastic used in shipping. It’s really important to us that we’re thinking it through and realizing there are so many different ways and so much more we can do to be earth conscious.” They are currently working on explaining what each material is made out of and how it can be recycled on their website. Since curbside recycling varies from city to city, they are developing a program to pay for customers to send Kinship empties to be recycled with TerraCycle.   Ultimately, as Kinship expands and launches new products, all of them will meet their exacting standards of products with purpose. Haljun says, “We really only want to create something if it can improve people’s lives and move the industry forward.”