Why this beauty brand has people all over the world saying 'Oui!'

Karen Young is the founder and CEO of We The People. Launched in 2017, the beauty brand promises a higher standard of body care products made for all. The entrepreneur lived in the Caribbean for some of her childhood. It's where she was first taught to embrace the skin that she's in. My family is actually from Guyana, South America. And I grew up there from the age of 2 months to about 7 or 8 years old. And my grandmother would literally slather me every single day in coconut oil. What I realized later on is that that was our culture's way of showing love. Karen says the way her uncles practiced their own grooming rituals also left a lasting impression. My uncles every morning would shave with a single blade razor. And their skin was impeccable. Not an ingrown hair to be seen. She eventually moved back to New York to be with her mother. As an adult, Karen landed executive jobs at fashion houses and a major beauty manufacturer. I was working in beauty and I was at Estee Lauder. I had such a terrible time shaving. And that was the very first light bulb that went out and said, I really think there might be something there. So what did you do? Because a lot of people think there might be something there. But they don't invent a razor. I really had to do quite a bit of research on how razors were made. The reaction that I was having to shaving, which was the ingrown hairs and the razor burn and all of that, didn't actually need to be so. I learned that the single blade can actually be much better for skin that's sensitive. I assume it would be expensive to try to make a razor. So did you have funding? I literally started with a couple hundred. I took my savings, which wasn't very much. I built my own little website. I worked with a good friend who was a designer. We started doing the logo and the mockups. And then I just sold one at a time until the business funded itself. How long did that take? That took about a year. And I will never forget the first order that came through that wasn't a family member. You were like, somebody likes it. Who, where, how? And in late 2017, I won $180,000 from a WeWork Creator Award. And then we funneled that into over $5 million in investor capital. Karen's ultimate goal? To further elevate women's daily routines while improving the health of their skin. Karen built her brand to include a body wash, a serum that exfoliates, and her hero item, the Featherweight Hydrating Body Gloss scented with orange blossom. I went back to this feeling that my grandmother imparted on me. Your skin is just gleaming. You look expensive. You look wonderful. You feel good. And so we built this incredible formula that has squalane. And then we added avocado, rosehip, and pomegranate oils to it. How did you get the word out? Really, Instagram. And also, we had quite a good reputation with editors, I will say. I think that was truly fundamental for the brand. We are actually now in over 400 Sephora doors. So what does it mean to you when you walk into a Sephora store and you see your brand? Oh, my goodness. First of all, one of the Sephora stores that we're in over in downtown Brooklyn is not far from where I grew up. And so I just get shivers. This brand that came to life in these very humble beginnings being sold at the largest beauty retailer. It's just sometimes I can't put it into words. And we, the people, will be found in Nordstrom's stores by the end of the year. And Karen's Featherweight Hydrating Body Gloss recently made Allure's Best of Beauty Award winners. And she's preparing to launch a fragrance, too. Which, by the way, I wanted to tell you how to use this because I've been doing it every night. So her ritual in order to feel beautiful growing up was she was doused in coconut oil. And then she created this oil, which I'm now obsessed with. Because when you put it on, wait a second, the tissue test, she calls it, and it won't get on your clothes. Well, the thing is, I put this on when this thing started, and it's not greasy right now. But I feel hydrated. You look hydrated. I feel like, habitually, when I put it on to go to bed and in the morning, it's sort of like a ritual now. Since I did this interview, like, a week and a half ago, two weeks ago. So, yeah, I love the product. So that's why I said I became a new customer. So does now it make sense? Don't use it on the weekend. Do you prefer putting it on at night or in the morning? So I do it both. And she suggests 10 minutes with, thank God Roker's not here, 10 minutes by her coming out of the shower. You put it on is the best time because it absorbs the best. Hey, thanks for watching. Don't miss the Today Show every weekday at 11 a.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific, on our streaming channel, Today All Day. To watch, head to today.com slash all day or click the link right here.