Innovator of the Week
Krysta Lewis
CEO of Aisling Organic Cosmetics
Please provide your 30-second pitch about your company.
Aisling Organic Cosmetics is a revolutionary makeup line that prides itself on being both high-performance and natural/organic. Composed of the purest, earth-found botanicals, AOC is beautifully pigmented, vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free to cater to the health conscious but luxurious individual. No longer do you need to sacrifice health for beauty! “Aisling” means “vision” in Irish and it’s our vision that one day every individual will only put the purest ingredients on their skin to promote optimal health!
Who or what was your best resource for starting your company?
The best resource we had for starting Aisling Organic Cosmetics, was the support and guidance of the community. Until you start a small business, it’s hard to relate to the unknown and struggles people face during the first year. We never anticipated the amount of hard work it took to get our company off the ground and without the help of the Alpha Loft, the Small Business Association, SCORE and the local community, we wouldn’t have been as successful as we were. We are incredibly thankful for everyone who believed in us from the beginning!
What was your biggest obstacle in starting your company and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle we have faced would be educating the public on why using organic beauty products is so important. As a society, we are on the verge of a new health era, where people prefer and seek out healthier options for our everyday favorites, including personal care products. But before we get to that point, education is critical because people don’t necessarily understand how toxic our beauty products are. Many of our products contain formaldehyde, flame retardants, paragons, heavy metals like lead and aluminum and synthetic fragrances (which hid hundreds of chemicals); these toxins have been linked to autism, cancer, ADD/ADHD, infertility, hormone disruption and much more. Until people choose to educate themselves on this topic, it will be a huge component to what we do. We have overcome this obstacle by making learning easy and breaking down what people need to know the most, but more importantly, by offering a high-performance, all natural alternative and brand that people can trust without having to know all the details.
What’s the best advice you have received?
The best advice we received was heard over a podcast by Sara Blakely, billionaire CEO if SPANX (and our biggest role model). Blakely stated, “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” We absolutely love this quote because when starting a business, there’s going to be a plethora of things you don’t know. But if you’re intimidated by that and choose to not ask questions or carve your own path, you’ll never reach the success you crave.
What about the NH lifestyle appeals to you?
We love how passionate New Hampshire people are about the small business community! We had a handful of non-makeup wearers purchase from us in the beginning just to support our story and mission. We feel humbled to have started a business in such an incredible state and hope to prove that the big hearts and go-getter attitudes of NH natives can and do create big things!
What does the future look like for your company?
Aisling Organic Cosmetics aims to be the all natural and high-performance option in big name stores such as Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Barney’s and more! We know we will be the trusted and transparent favorite of the clean beauty industry due to our dedication to education, pure but highly pigmented ingredients and giving back to the community! We know one day we will be on the shelves of every household!
Connect with Aisling Organic Cosmetics on Facebook, Instagram, and connect with Krysta on LinkedIn.