Chen could easily be mistaken for one of her target customers thanks to her eclectic offbeat style, quick wit and ability to know what’s cool. Born and bred in Hong Kong, the 39-year-old entrepreneur started her career in finance before moving into the consumer tech space (she founded social travel app Spottly). She then worked as a business strategy and marketing consultant. These experiences inspired her to launch something more tangible that spoke to a broader audience: Everyday for Every Body – eventually rechristened Everyday Humans – a brand that embraced inclusivity long before it became a buzzword and marketing tool.
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“Back then sunscreens only spoke to the California beach girl, rich yacht mum or hardcore sports addict. I was a city girl who liked to go in the sun, but there were no brands out there I identified with,” she says.
“I have always been aware of inclusivity, maybe because I’m a third-culture kid. At the time the industry was mainly targeting white people, but truth is, people with different skin tones need sunscreen. No matter how dark you are, you can still get UV damage. I wanted to advertise sun safety for everybody, and I think this differentiated the brand from early on.”After deciding to specialise in sunscreen – “in beauty you have to pick a lane because it’s rare to find a brand that can cross categories at the beginning” – Chen took her idea to a trade show in New York and the line was soon picked up by US retailer Madewell.
She started to roll out more products, including an SPF50 body lotion called Oh My Bod!, which caught the attention of additional retailers like cosmetics giants Ulta in the US and Sephora in Asia. The brand also started to gain momentum across social media thanks to its no-holds-barred messaging, eco-friendly stance and effective products (one of its major selling points is no “white cast”, which is common with many sunscreen brands).
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Chen says the real turning point came when she was accepted into a five-week accelerator programme by mass retailer Target in 2019.
“Every year they offer this sort of mini-MBA programme where they select 10 entrepreneurs from the beauty industry and groom them. We learned everything you need to know about working with big retailers such as sales, marketing and even operations. More importantly, it taught me how to scale. It was a pivotal moment for us as I realised how big the brand could potentially become,” she says.
Today, Everyday Humans is available at over 1,000 doors in North America, which accounts for 95 per cent of its business. It boasts a cult following online and offline thanks to out-of-the-box initiatives such as the Humans Outside campaign, which mobilises and engages like-minded communities ranging from “hot girl” walkers to mushroom foragers. Chen also just launched her seventh product – a sexy body oil called Sun Glaze – which was inspired by her followers.
“I know how to find white space in the market, but I also have access to my community and can see what they are posting and what trend they’re into. I think starting this brand in my late 30s has given me a different perspective. If I started in my 20s I would be moving around in all directions. It’s not about finding fame or promoting myself. At the same time, I am aware of the perils of being slave to the algorithm. That’s what being older is about – you know what you want,” she says.
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While Chen may have conquered the US market, she has yet to create a strong presence in Hong Kong. The brand is available at speciality boutiques in the city and Sephora, but she says that one of the biggest hurdles is the popularity of Japanese and Korean brands, which are already firmly established in the region.
“We’re not local enough in many ways, yet [we’re] not big enough to bring it back. I’ve done the hard part by penetrating the US market but now I want my home market. My vision has always been to build a global brand out of Hong Kong,” she says.
“One thing I am struggling with in Hong Kong in particular is the lack of a start-up ecosystem and community that supports each other. In Singapore there were a lot more founders, but here it’s lonely. You are either really big or really small, and I’m in the messy middle. I don’t know where to find people to share resources with or just exchange ideas,” she says.
Chen has big dreams for the brand, which could include potential investment from a venture capital (she already has a small group of angel investors) or even selling to a conglomerate. That, however, is not her end game.
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“I just want to be able to build a brand that can grow sustainably. I don’t want to chase numbers and build a flash-in-the-pan brand. I want a brand that can last for at least a decade and if I do exit, it will still have the foundation to go beyond what I can personally do. To do this you need heart and authenticity. My mission is not to extract money from customers – it’s to make sure you don’t get cancer,” she says with a smile – not an RBF in sight.
Charlotte Chen’s top three sunscreen tips:
Don’t be fooled by numbers. SPF50 provides only one per cent more coverage than SPF30.
Choose a broad spectrum SPF, which protects against both UVA and reaches deeper layers of the skin to prevent ageing and UVB rays to prevent burns and redness.
Not sure how much to apply? Covering the entire length of your index and middle fingers with strips of sunscreen should give you the ideal amount.
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