The Quality Makers: Fiona Co Chan of Youthforia
Founder Fiona Co Chan; Credit: Youthforia
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Raised in San Francisco, but currently based in Miami, Fiona Co Chan is the founder of Youthforia: the brand known for creating clean, fun makeup you can sleep in. Youthforia believes that makeup is an extension of your skincare. With a mix of elevated playfulness and high quality unique formulas, you’ll get your daily dose of fun without compromising on performance or skin health. As a clean and sustainable makeup company with skin-friendly ingredients, the team tests all of their makeup by sleeping in it. Not only will their products make you look and feel beautiful, you’ll also wake up looking better than you did when you went to sleep!
What have you learned about the connection between makeup as skincare and fun?
I test everything by sleeping in it for about two months. I make my husband sleep in it too. We won't launch anything that doesn't make our skin better. I started working on the brand back in 2020 – my true pandemic baby. We officially launched when I moved back to the US in 2021. The brand name, Youthforia, refers to those happy moments in your adult life, where you're reminded of your favorite childhood memories. When I’m on my way to a concert or a festival, I’m reminded of my core memories: first time at Disneyland, buying my first lipgloss or having a meal with my grandparents. Those memories are sparked by moments in which I feel like a kid again. I really wanted to incorporate that feeling into our brand. There's this unexpected surprise and delight element to both our packaging and our products.
Credit: Youthforia
You know that meme that's like: ‘getting ready is a lot more fun than actually going out.’ That is so me. I love the act of getting ready and the anticipation of making new memories on a great night out with my friends. For me, putting on makeup means starting your night off with the main event. It’s also my creative outlet. I kept coming back to this idea that the best part of wearing makeup is going out with your friends and sometimes that means forgetting to take your makeup off. That’s what led me to view makeup as an extension of skincare.
What led you to start Youthforia?
Prior to Youthforia, I had no experience in beauty. I used to work at a tech company that required me to travel to some of the most polluted cities in Asia. I was sleeping in my makeup all the time on these long flights. When the pandemic hit, I realized that was the first time in years where I wasn’t putting on makeup everyday. As someone who has been wearing makeup since I was very young, I couldn’t believe how much better my skin was. I'm someone who will fall asleep in my makeup – I’ve done it a million times. So I started thinking: what if we could sleep in our makeup? And more importantly, what if our makeup would leave us waking up with better skin?
Credit: Youthforia
I'd love to hear about the products that you offer. What is your creation process like?
One of the first products we launched, now a bestseller, is our Color Changing Blush Oil ($36): a green liquid blush that changes colors as it reacts with your skin’s natural PH. The beauty of it is that it’s a slightly different color on everyone. I remember thinking: I really want a blush that’s universally flattering, something that's nourishing for my skin and super lightweight. I've tried so many blush shades in my past that claim to be a universal color, and most of them were never my color. When I was creating this product during the pandemic, I tried it on my husband who has a much deeper complexion than me, a super different skin type and undertone, and it ended up being a completely different color on him, but that’s what made it so cool. I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable sleeping in it, and next morning we woke up with such beautiful natural cheek tints, no breakouts. That’s why sleeping in the products has become an essential part of our testing process.
It’s not easy to invent something completely new, but whenever I’m creating new products, I want to make sure they’re really different and really fun. Most recently we launched our Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation ($48). It's a foundation you can sleep in. For that, I wanted something easy to blend, easy to use, but also something with skincare actives that gives your skin great texture and benefits. Something I can't find elsewhere.
Credit: Youthforia
I'm curious about your audience. Is the brand geared towards people that use makeup as a creative tool or maybe people that are really into skincare?
Probably both, but it's dependent on the product line and product function. For example, we have a Pregame Primer ($38) and its ingredients basically stop the skin's inflammatory response. I’m someone who has had multiple trips to the hospital because I’m so allergic to makeup, so the primer is really good for people with sensitive skin who’ve had similar experiences in their past. In terms of age, I think the audience differs depending on the products as well, but I’m always thinking about young and aged skin alike. If there’s a 13-year-old girl who’s dealing with hormonal acne, will this product work for her? But what about my mom (my toughest critic)? I also want to create something that makes her look and feel beautiful. From a product, texture and ingredient standpoint, I want everyone to reach this feeling of youthforia. I always like to say this is the brand for your inner child. And I think everyone has that – no matter what age.
How do you foster inclusivity in your products?
Our product development is actually just testing out our products on real people, with a wide variety of skin types, skin tones and ages. That’s the best way to see if our shades are matching, and it helps us get a wider range of undertones as well. We make adjustments based on what we see after trying it on because for every shade that we do launch, we want it to look as much like real skin as possible. You can find the Find Your Shade guide on our website, which helps you match your skin to the best shade possible.
Credit: Youthforia
What about accessibility and affordability?
I’m very inspired by luxury formulas from established beauty companies, I’m talking $200 foundations. I remember thinking: I wish I could’ve afforded these in my early 20s because I would’ve felt so much more confident in my own skin. That’s why I wanted to sell our products at an accessible and affordable price point.
What differentiates you from other brands in the industry?
Makeup you can sleep in is definitely what sets us apart from others. I get reviews saying: “I don’t know what it is, but everytime I wear your primer, my acne calms down,” and that makes me feel so proud because growing up, as soon as I discovered makeup, my skin became so bad. I went through several rounds of accutane, so knowing that I can help others going through similar experiences makes me so happy. There's so many products that I want to create. In my head, I’m envisioning a full face of Youthforia products, so stay tuned.