Welcome to our Business Edit, where I ask women I admire that have created amazing businesses to share their advice and tips to inspire and motivate you on your own journey, whether it be in business, your career or navigating life! In this edition, I am interviewing Zena Chami, co-founder of skincare brand Re-Dox Skin Lab.
Hi Zena, thank you for joining me today on The Business Edit. Let's dive straight in, tell me about yourself and your personal and professional background.
Prior to becoming a single mother, I had experience working in a variety of industries including banking, administration, and finance. After welcoming my daughter into the world 6 years ago, I made the decision to take a break from work to provide her with the care she needed. During this time, I also worked part-time at my brother's café to supplement my income while still being able to be there for my daughter. Throughout this journey, my goal has always been to find a sustainable career that would provide for both me and my child. It was during my 30s that I stumbled upon my true passion for brand development. By chance, I discovered an industry that spoke to me, and I grabbed every opportunity to enhance my skills in all aspects of brand development, coaching, and e-commerce. I eventually found myself working as a brand development coach for start-up businesses helping them bring their visions to life and creating successful brand experiences for my clients.
How did the idea for Redox start, was it a lightbulb moment or something that grew over time?
Re-Dox Skin Lab started during the challenging times of COVID. As someone with Lebanese heritage, I was used to being close to my family. In fact, I was living next door to my brother during the period of restrictions. We spent a lot of time together on our respective balconies, sipping coffee and enjoying scones. During one of these conversations, the topic of skincare came up. I had always been passionate about skincare products, and I shared with my brother, Dr. Belal Chami, who is a scientist and Re-Dox biologist, my frustration with the time-consuming and expensive multi-step skincare routine. He was shocked to learn about my extensive 6-step process, and to be honest, I was tired of it too.
Being a busy mother, I often found myself skipping my skincare routine either in the morning or at night due to lack of time or sheer exhaustion. This got us thinking - what if skincare could be simplified? What if we could create a 1-2 step process that addressed all skin concerns, without compromising effectiveness? This is how the idea for Re-Dox Skin Lab was born. Over the last 2.5 years, we worked tirelessly to develop products that are both convenient and effective, without the need for a complicated and expensive routine.
What has your business journey been like so far?
Running a start-up business has its fair share of challenges, and boy, working with my brother adds an extra layer! We're quick to point fingers and play the blame game when things don't go as planned. But hey, it's not all doom and gloom! Working with my brother also brings a lot of joy. We get to combine our strengths and support each other's dreams. Plus, our skillsets are like the yin and yang of business - a perfect balance of science and branding. So, yeah, it's a rollercoaster ride, but hey, at least we never run out of things to laugh about!
Let's chat about the serums, what are they, what they do, how are they different and why do we need them in our skincare routine.
We understand that many women lead busy lives and may not have the time or resources for a complex skincare routine. Our mission is to make skincare simple and effective, without compromising on quality. Our approach is rooted in minimalism, efficacy, and sustainability. We offer personalised solutions to Clinic's, Our range includes a Vitamin C Day Serum, Hydrating Niacinamide Night Gel, and our Regenerating Serum. The personalisation aspect comes from the ability to add boosters to your serum. Instead of using multiple serums to address specific skin conditions, you can achieve all of this with just one serum by incorporating the appropriate boosters. This saves you time and eliminates the need for layering multiple products on your skin. With 15 boosters to choose from, this empowers clinicians and beauty therapists to prescribe serums based on their patients' skin concerns. This allows them to complement any treatment plan and provide personalised skincare solutions to their patients.
If you had one piece of advice to share to inspire and empower our community what would it be?
To all the single mothers and women who may have lost their motivation to pursue their dreams, one of the most valuable investments you can make is in yourself, whether this be hiring a coach or mentor, joining networking groups, or surrounding yourself with positive like-minded individuals. Building a business or making positive changes to your life is not easy and it can often feel like a lonely road, this is why it's so important to have the right people by your side motivating you, supporting you, and celebrating your wins.
What's next for Redox and any future or products you would like to share?We are expanding our range to include a gentle cleanser, the development is complete, and we will launch this product in the early new year. And we're already gearing up for the R&D of sunscreen! It's going to be quite the adventure as it's a product that is respectfully regulated, but hey, we love a good challenge!
Thank you so much Zena for sitting down with me today to talk about your journey, your amazing skincare brand Re-Dox and the incredible work you are doing plus sharing some really valuable advice with our community. I am excited to see the new products, and have been loving the serums as part of my daily skincare and self care ritual.
Get social with Re-Dox Skin Lab on Instagram and find out more about the brand, shop the range and stay in the loop on new products here. Connect with Zena on Instagram here.
Love,
Hayley x