Molly Sims on developing YSE Beauty: 'I didn't want it to be another celebrity or influencer brand'

There are countless ways to launch a celebrity-founded skin-care brand nowadays. One can partner with an incubator (à la Peyton List and Pley Beauty), build a company within the framework of a larger conglomerate (i.e., Fenty Beauty and Rihanna with Kendo, or JVN and Jonathan Van Ness with Amyris) — or, you can build from the ground up. 

Some of the most successful celebrity-founded brands were birthed from the final option. They include Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and Rhode by Hailey Bieber. 

Molly Sims has taken a somewhat hybrid approach to create her new skin-care line, YSE Beauty. She built her own team, tapping veterans from brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Poosh. However, she brought in a partner in the business, too —formulation expert and founder of SOS Beauty Charlene Valledor, who has created products for brands including Shani Darden and Patrick Ta. 

YSE Beauty is launching with six products, all focused on addressing hyperpigmentation, which became a major concern for Sims in her 40s — Sims will turn 50 in May. 

Sims has been working on the brand and its product development for the past three years, but she's been enmeshed in the beauty space for much longer. She has a weekly beauty podcast — "Lipstick On The Rim," which launched in 2021 — plus she's published beauty content on her shoppable blog, Mollysims.com, for the past seven years. Of course, she's also gained valuable beauty experience through her modeling and acting careers.

The latest Pop Edition of the Glossy Beauty Podcast features Sims discussing the development of YSE.