Copyright Forbes
Before Saie became a top makeup brand at Sephora — one at the level of legacy cosmetics giants — founder Laney Crowell was simply asking questions. "I started the conversation on my blog about beauty being better, good for you from a 360° POV: good for skin, mind, soul, and planet. Those all mattered to me as a consumer and I didn’t feel they were being addressed.” The blog was called The Moment, a fitting title for what would become a defining one in her career. “The aha moment was when my community said, ‘Here’s what’s missing.’ I asked them why there wasn’t more clean color makeup. Our name and ethos — ‘you say it, we create it’ — came from that. My community was direct about what they wanted and didn’t see.” That ethos — of listening and building with her community — remains the foundation of Saie today, reinforcing its commitment to co-creation and community-led innovation. It’s also the kind of connection that inspired Saie’s Substack, The Saie Office — making it one of the first beauty brands to join the platform. There, the team shares behind-the-scenes content, company news, and reflections on beauty, culture, and sustainability, offering an unfiltered glimpse into how the brand thinks and operates. (Saie’s HQ is in New York City and was featured in Architectural Digest, a testament to Crowell’s refined eye for design and aesthetic detail.) I spoke with Crowell ahead of Saie’s six-year anniversary — which the brand celebrates Friday, November 7 — to talk founder lessons, the power of never settling, the magic of momentum, managing dupes, and the top entrepreneurial lessons she picked up along the way. Saie has since crossed the $100 million sales mark, a milestone that cements its status as one of the fastest-growing clean beauty brands in North America. According to the brand, it has seen growth more than six times its original business. It’s part of a wider movement reshaping the cosmetics industry: the global clean-beauty market is projected to reach $21.29 billion by 2030, growing at nearly 15% annually — proof that transparency, sustainability, and performance now define the new beauty standard. “Our client growth is five times the makeup category average year-to-date, which really speaks to the momentum we’re seeing,” says Crowell. “When we first launched with Sephora in February 2021, we started with just one shelf, and by 2026 we’ll have expanded to a full two-bay space in all doors.” For a brand that moves at the pace of culture — and shapes it in return — Saie’s viral moments have been many. “The original brown Vanity Case started that viral trend,” says Crowell. “Then we launched minis, those sold out too.” The most recent mini vanity case, a limited-edition red version, launched in collaboration with Violet Grey (available exclusively through the retailer). When asked how she navigates sell-outs, dupes, and sustainability trade-offs, Crowell’s answer is pragmatic but philosophical. “We’re very thoughtful with every decision. What keeps us steady is knowing what we’re doing is a set above. Sunglow — our Glowy Super Gel, the #1 highlighter at Sephora — has also been duped, but the innovation and tech behind it are unmatched,” she says. “I try to have blinders on when it comes to dupes, because no one will ever do it good as you. Complacency is something that we don’t ever adhere to. If you copy art, it will never be as good as the original. Saie is my form of art, and we’re intentional about what we’re creating.” And she’s operating in an environment where dupe culture has exploded. Online searches for “dupe + skincare” jumped 123.5%, and for “dupe + makeup” jumped 31% between July 2022 and July 2023, according to NielsenIQ. The surge reflects a consumer fascination with imitation, affordability, and social virality; trends that make true innovation harder to protect, and even more valuable when achieved. At Saie, innovation always begins with the formula, something that is not table stakes for color cosmetics. “If we do our job, you get both: a better formula for your skin and better performance. You see it in our broad community. We don’t only appeal to clean beauty lovers; we appeal to everyone. That’s always been my goal: nobody should have to compromise.” It’s this rigor that’s propelled Saie to the top of Sephora’s rankings. “When we became a top brand at Sephora, we entered a new realm — we’re not just a clean brand, we’re a top brand. That’s why we put so much effort into formulas." And while nearly one-third of beauty products today are labeled ‘clean,’ Saie stands apart for proving that clean can also mean luxurious, high-performance, and artfully designed, showing that the movement has matured well beyond a marketing label. Coming from big beauty (Crowell worked at Estée Lauder for five years), her thesis was that Saie has to compete with the top product in every category. “I’m proud we have 10 products in the top 10 at Sephora — tinted moisturizer, Sun Melt, Dew Bronze, Dew Blush, Glowy Super Gel, and more,” Crowell adds. "It’s unique that we don’t have just one viral SKU. That speaks to how luxurious and innovative our formulas are.” One of those innovations — the Slip Tint Setting Powder — perfectly captures the “you say it, we create it” ethos. The idea came directly from Saie’s community, who had long requested a setting powder that wouldn’t dull their signature glow. Crowell and her team spent years developing a baked formula using Italian technology that blurs fine lines without adding weight or texture. The result is a powder that feels undetectable on the skin — lightweight, luminous, and designed with a custom brush to prevent over-application — setting a new standard for the category. Saie’s commitment to sustainability isn’t a marketing hook, it’s a business pillar. “We did an incredible campaign called Planet Beautiful in July,” says Crowell. “We partnered closely with Sephora on their first climate campaign and collected over a million pounds of plastic with three other brands.” The campaign marked a milestone in Saie’s Climate Initiative, which aims to collect five million pounds of plastic in three years. Crowell’s philosophy is as disciplined as her formulas. “We say no to almost everything so we can focus on doing things really well,” she says. “The special thing about Saie is the feeling you get from the brand: warmth, community, belonging. Anything we say yes to has to support that mission of helping our consumer feel like anything’s possible: you can have makeup that’s good for you, you can change the world, you can do anything — and we’re by your side.” Momentum, to Crowell, isn’t accidental. “Magic of momentum to Saie is a true 360 approach. We never rely on one channel or conversation to keep the conversation going. To us, it also means staying consistent with what’s working, continuing to remain connected with our community and pivoting when it’s right.” Also cementing Saie’s impact? Crowell was named to this year’s TIME100 Next list. “Being as sustainable as we are, it’s a huge investment for the brand,” she says. “Getting this award means that doing the right thing is recognized and valued. It’s such an honor to be the only beauty representation this year.” Before entering her founder era, Crowell worked at Elle magazine — a natural extension of her lifelong love for storytelling. Looking back on the last six years, Crowell distills the experience into lessons that could apply to any entrepreneur: “Fail fast — and cheap. No idea is too crazy.” “Trust your instinct. Be decisive: it’s better to act, learn, and move forward than linger.” “Build with your community, not for it.” “Always talk it through — email and text are the lowest level of communication.” “Being an entrepreneur is about solving problems.” “I feel like my imagination isn’t big enough to see all that’s coming,” says Crowell. “I’m excited about international expansion, making the brand truly global and for everybody, and, when the time is right, category expansion. As a beauty lover, I love every category. Saie is uniquely positioned as a lifestyle brand with a holistic POV — we have the authority. I’ve been saying this a lot: we’re just getting started.”
