Sasha Plavsic on Building ILIA, Self-Doubt, and Makeup That Makes Your Skin Better
Before ILIA became the brand that helped define “clean beauty with actual performance,” Sasha Plavsic was a branding and typography specialist who'd worked across Europe, New York and Laguna Beach. It took questioning the ingredients in her daily makeup to send her down a fifteen-year path that started with a single lip product and grew into one of the most recognisable names in the clean beauty aisle.
Cake The Mag caught up with Sasha Plavsic to talk formula, self-doubt, and what she reaches for in her own makeup bag.
Cake The Mag: You had built a career in branding before ILIA. What's one thing that the world taught you that most beauty founders may not know?
Sasha Plavsic: I graduated from the London College of Printing. I did my fair share of typography and rebranding for brands in Europe and New York, before making my way to Laguna Beach, California, where I worked in branding in the fashion and beauty space.
While I had an entire career before founding ILIA, it all actually began as a very personal journey for me during a transitional time in my life. After turning 30, I moved back home to Vancouver, searching for clarity and a sense of direction. My mom, who has always been an advocate for healthy living, encouraged me to take a closer look at the products I was using daily. What I discovered shocked me – many of the ingredients in my makeup weren’t as safe as I had believed. This realisation was a lightbulb moment that ignited my passion to create something better: a clean beauty brand that combines safe ingredients with exceptional performance. Building ILIA was my way of turning this period into an opportunity to challenge conventional beauty standards and create makeup that makes your skin better.
What did the very first ILIA product look like, and did you have any idea it would become this?
ILIA launched with a lip product that is now Balmy Tint, which was first stocked in Colette Paris and Net-A-Porter.
It took several years to grow the brand to a place where we could actually launch on a bigger scale with partners like Sephora, first in the US. I had time to play with formulas, allowing me to figure out that some of the traditionally organic formulas didn't work and didn't perform. That's when I started introducing a hybrid of safe synthetics, and combining that with skincare active, to see if I could create something in between: makeup that makes your skin better.
What's the hardest year ILIA ever had, and what got you through it?
There are daily challenges that have come up for the past 15 years or so since ILIA’s inception. The biggest challenge overall has been having doubt. It comes and goes depending on what's happening personally or professionally. The more I work to overcome this, the easier things flow within myself, my gut and the brand.
If younger-you could see your success now, what would surprise her most?
That all of this came from the struggles of my younger self. I had always struggled with acne and sensitive skin throughout my life, especially when younger. When I returned home to Vancouver in 2009, I started to explore the ingredients behind my skincare and makeup products to help bring context to the health of my skin. It was a lightbulb moment to discover that many of the products and ingredients were causing more of a reaction than a benefit. The journey of creating ILIA has fed my passion for makeup that makes your skin better.
What are three must-haves in your everyday makeup bag?
I’m so proud of all of the products that we’ve created at ILIA, however there are certainly a few that are my go-to products lately:
Our Limitless Lash Mascara is an amazing mascara that lifts, lengthens, doesn’t flake and washes off easily at the end of the day. I’ve found myself using the new Limitless Lash Mascara in Before Dawn because of its rich, warm chocolate brown shade that enhances any eye color with a soft, natural look.
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 is our best selling collection and is the original Skin Tint on the market. An all-in-one of skincare, makeup and mineral SPF clinically hydrates and helps improve the quality of your skin over time. It was designed with sensitive skin in mind and will help reduce redness and inflammation when used regularly. It’s a true Super Serum
Eye Stylus Shadow Sticks have been such a fun addition to my daily makeup. They were inspired by the luminous colors of Renaissance art and have a versatile range of bronzes, neutrals and pops of color. In addition to shade, we were conscious of being waterproof and crease-resistant. I personally have hooded lids and most cream eyeshadows always crease on me, so creating an easy-to-apply shadow that stays flexible and comfortable on the skin, and looks just as great after 12 hours of wear as it did upon application, was very important to me.
What's the best piece of advice you'd give a woman trying to build her own business?
My advice would be to stay true to your vision and values, and don’t be afraid to be patient. It’s easy to rush in and try to compete with big brands, but true success comes from authenticity. Take the time to get your products right and focus on what makes you unique.
