A rising star, cosmetic maverick and advocate for social justice, Christal Leung of Skin Need is the beauty industry’s next sensation. Eleven years ago, she envisioned a wholly new concept of combining skincare with makeup, returning the power of choice back to the consumer and finding personalised makeup solutions that cared for both the people and the planet.  Today we celebrate Leung’s recent new store opening of sister company Woke Up Like This (WULT) at Times Square, while she graciously shares her insights into her success, and her future vision.

Humble origins

Christal Leung’s calling came to her at a young age. ‘I’m very fortunate to have a mother I look up to’ she says, recalling how she watched her mother blend fresh ingredients into her treatment products and tailored facial treatments for her clients based on their skin behavior at the family’s health salon. This cemented in her a belief that skin care should be a highly personalized experience - one where skincare must continuously evolve to meet the changing needs of the skin’s varying conditions.

Taking a stand.

 ‘Every skin is unique which requires an attentive and customized approach to meet its needs so it can thrive’ 

The emerging popularity of indie beauty brands in 2015 allowed Christal Leung to venture into private label manufacturing.  Yet despite her recent success, she never forgot the inspiration and ideals her mother had taught her. While the beauty industry had traditionally gone with the standardized beauty and ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, Christal Leung instead headed in the opposite direction. 

Christal sums up the Skin Need with the company’s tagline ‘Your private formula’. At Skin Need, customers can find formulations that are blended as per professional instructions in accordance with the skin's everyday conditions. Things like hormone cycle, lifestyle, genetics, and the weather can affect skin. Every product at Skin Need is an artfully calculated formula that can be customized to match different skin types and needs, allowing for customers to find the perfect personalised solution to maintain their youthfulness and wellness.

 ‘We strongly believe that as great as a product can be, it is just as important that it offers the flexibility to be adjusted based on the changing nature of the skin’s surrounding environments.’

Future of Skin Need

‘To call ourselves Skin Need but only offering love to the skin on the face simply will not do – as there is still the rest of the body to take care of!’

Today Christal Leung is both the vibrant, maverick face of the Skin Need brand, as well as the company’s enthusiastic chemist exploring and crafting new personalised skincare solutions. Yet Christal’s journey does not end here. Skin Need is diversifying into body care and other products. 

Tales of Bodies  is Skin Need’s newest initiative. It is a vegan and cruelty-free series of body-loving formulas enriched with phytonutrients from the land and sea. It is composed of fair trade, non-GMO and USDA certified organic ingredients to love your body while loving earth. Skin Need has also released a limited edition product line- a Tales of Bodies gift box called A Lover’s Chest that includes best-sellers, completed with visuals, creative literature, a Spotify playlist and linen bathrobe to enhance the tranquilizing experience when users enjoy our lovingly created body care. 

New formulas are also in the works at Skin Need. `Statistics have shown the staggering increase of eczema and contact dermatitis cases all around the world, due in part to diet, pollution, and lifestyle, as well as heightened sensitivity of the skin towards normally unprovoking ingredients, including essential oils,'' says Christal. She vows to further enhance user safety by eliminating all use of essential oils in our best-selling moisturizers. This ensures that users with sensitive-prone skin can use our formulas with utmost confidence and reassurance that our products will not trigger any irritation. 

Skin Need will also target younger clientele who may not have much experience and knowledge when it comes to skin care. Christal is hard at work launching 6 new formulas for her BYOB (Blend Your Own Beauty) line that is made in her GMP lab in Hong Kong, through globally sourced high quality ingredients. This line aims to use product blending to educate younger consumers the importance of a personalised formula.

Skincare tips

We concluded our time with Crystal sharing some advice that beauty enthusiasts can use. ‘Concept, not routine’ she says. ‘Your skin is surrounded by an ever-changing environment, so it is important to know your skin type before jumping into using any product that seems to be trending’. 

          Christal also stressed that surrounding yourself with positivity is key to one wellbeing, and success. ‘I owe all that has been accomplished to a loving family, a committed team, and supportive customers,’ concludes Christal with a smile. ‘Passion for female empowerment, believer of individuality and social responsibility’, ‘that’s why Skin Need is taking a human centered approach to skin care, empowering users to have the choice and freedom to blend products based on their unique skin and their most personal needs.’