IN GROOV Founder Shani Hillian on Creating A Skin Wellness Brand So Consumers Can Create Peaceful, Intentional Routines
“Beauty Deskside” is a series celebrating Black and Brown founders and their beauty companies or brands.
Shani Hillian is a trusted esthetician and skincare expert among clients and beauty editors for care and guidance on how to glow, both inward and outward. She’s poured her 17 years of experience into IN GROOV, a skin wellness brand with an award-winning cleansing oil/moisturizer, that has undoubtedly transformed the health and condition of my skin.
I packed EVERY MOOD for a recent trip home to South Carolina, where mosquitoes left my body bumpy and inflamed. However, the soreness and redness went away after using the cleansing oil for five days straight. And I also have the plant-derived formula to thank for the slew of compliments I’ve received from people who are shocked when I tell them my age.
In this exclusive Q&A, Shani shares what it’s like to self-fund a business as a Black woman in the beauty industry and debunks the skincare myth that people with oily or acne-prone complexions can’t use oil cleansers.
Beauty for Breakfast: What is your first beauty memory?
Shani Hillian: My first memory was seeing my grandma and my mom get plants and herbs from the garden to heal ailments. They’ve always taken care of their skin with oils and oiling the hair. I remember, specifically, getting aloe if there was a rash, heat rash or something like that. My grandma would cut the plant, open it, and put it onto the skin.
What was the impetus behind IN GROOV?
When it comes to skincare, your skin isn’t always going to behave properly. You’ll always have some sort of skincare woe — whether it’s a monthly blemish or mosquito bite.
I wanted to create a skin wellness brand where I can get your skin “into a groove” so that you know how to maneuver these skincare woes. It’s a cycle. You just have to ride the wave. Get in a groove and know how to take care of your skin when it’s not its best.
Let’s talk a bit about the early days of your business/brand. How did you go about taking this idea of creating a cleansing oil with plant-derived ingredients and producing a high-quality product that stands out in a saturated skincare industry?
I was a little nervous actually, and it was an idea that I had for years. It wasn’t until COVID hit and I was pregnant with my daughter that I was like, “OK, my skin is freaking out!” And my skin had never freaked out before. I think it was the dry heat in the house, quarantine, and the stress of being locked inside. I have a true issue with being confined. I would break out into rashes. So I was like it could be pregnancy, quarantine, anything. Why don’t I create a product.
I had a facial studio that I had to close during COVID. So I asked myself, “What can I create and get Shani and her clients a product that can be use at home?” The multipurpose part of it was simplifying the routine. And from traveling often, I didn’t want to put all of this stuff in my bag.
I was definitely nervous. I didn’t know where to find a manufacturer. I tapped just a couple of beauty founders. The two people who helped me the most: Karen [Young] from Oui the People and Chaneve [Jeanniton] from epi.logic. Those two women single handleldy helped me along my way. I didn’t know anything. I took a leap of faith and self-funded. I’m still bootstrapping.
What are the key things you want people using EVERY MOOD to keep top of mind?
When you’re cleansing, make sure that you’re cleansing on dry skin. It’s very important because oil and water do not mix. So it won’t penetrate and get to the dirt. One to two pumps [of product to cleanse] will suffice. You massage your skin for about 60 seconds minimum. Wipe away with cotton rounds or a towel that is warm. Next, apply a water-based serum, toner, or essence. Then I like to apply five drops of the cleanser as a moisturizer. I think that’s the sweet spot. The main thing is you want to apply a water-based product before using it as a moisturizer. That’s how you hydrate the skin.
Make sure you’re using [EVERY MOOD] consistently and you will see results. Your skin is going to balance itself out. Your skin will feel cleansed. I specifically wanted to use milk thistle as an ingredient because it caters to acne- and blemish-prone skin. It will definitely calm the inflammation and get rid of the blemishes in a few weeks.
What would you say was the most challenging lesson you’ve learned so far?
That you are going to spend money and make mistakes. It’s going to happen. I was not prepared for a lot of the ups and downs with just creating the product. Even before it launched. So the sampling, ingredients, this is late, and the delivery. You just don’t expect any of that to happen. You really blindly think that it’s going to happen smoothly.
Can you expand on how your platform not only helps to educate people on being more conscious with their skincare choices, but living with more intention?
It’s something I’m really passionate and conscious about. My whole family is Jamican, and coming to America was definitely a challenge for my grandma and mom because of the overconsumption. They’re from the country side. Everything is simple. Just being raised that way i’ts natural for me to want to keep it minimal, simple. I’m very intentional about what I consume. Not just food-wise, socially, too. I’m not a scroller. I ‘m very intentional with what I watch. And that coincides with mental health. I think being a mom helps with that also. You have to be in the moment. They will teach you you have to stay here. It’s beautiful and I want that for people, too. I want to create a world like that for people where they can create peace and intention.
I love that you honor your Jamaican lineage, and it’s evident how rooted you are in daily practices that are harmonious. Can you speak to how you may tackle challenges of staying grounded as a brand founder/entrepreneur?
It’s hard! It’s very, very, very difficult. And I won’t shy away from it. It was definitely my choice to have a business and do this. And when you don’t have a baby or child to come home to and cater to, you have the time. You can take care of business. I have to wait until she’s asleep. I’m up until 12, 1am. And then you’re back up to get them ready for school. I don’t have that time, so I’m very intentional with how I spend it. It’s hard to balance and I don’t always have the best grounding tools. I’m in therapy every week and that is very important to me. I try to get out in nature as much as possible. I go out into the park, take off my shoes, and ground myself.
What are the lessons that your elders/ancestors have instilled in you that you hope to pass on to your daughter?
What I try to instill in Anaïs is patience. I din’t grow up with patient parents. I definitely try to slow down. Living in New York, everything is rushed. I really try to slow down. A lot of the ways I grew up was important to me. The balance between city life and country life was important to me. Growing up in Philly, I did have the city life. But my grandmother grew big gardens in the back. I want [ Anaïs] to have that in life, too.
How do you hope ingroov makes an impact on the lives of consumers, as well as, estheticians?
Being an esthetician, being in the treatment room… that is what helped me a lot. It’s been 17 years. I just found that people weren’t using the right products for their skin. A lot of people are afraid of oils. And I get it. There’s this whole thing that oils are going to clog my skin. If you’re using the proper oil, it won’t and it’s extremely beneficial.
