New to Clean Beauty Collective is Henné Organics, a luxury lip care brand that combines Scandinavian design with the purest natural and organic ingredients. All Henné lip gems are formulated and lovingly produced in-house in small batches to ensure that each product is as fresh and effective as possible, and they look as luxe as they feel.

We talk to brand founder Laura Xiao about exploring the world, what makes her feel good and importantly, how the beautiful Henné came about…

We read that you were born in Kansas but have moved around a lot – Las Vegas, Stockholm, Melbourne, Mamo… even Auckland! What was happening that meant you travelled so extensively or was it pure wanderlust?

I was actually born in China! We moved to the US when I was two years old. The extensive travelling actually started early on in life. I used to play professional table tennis (wow, feels like another lifetime ago!), so I started travelling a lot nationally when I was nine, and then internationally at age twelve. This resulted in a very early curiosity and desire to see the world. 

I was very fortunate to meet my Swedish now-hubby (also through table tennis) who has an equally strong love for travelling. We started dating in 2006, and the many adventures and trips began shortly after. 

In 2010, we decided to sell almost all our possessions and move to countries on our bucket list that we’d never been to, such as New Zealand and Australia. What followed were years of fun and spontaneity, but not much stability, as we changed our direction and plans so often.

These days, I’m grateful for more stability and focus in my life. But I really miss the pre-COVID life with frequent work-related travelling… and I guess just travelling in general. 

Where are you based now?

We’re based in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Henné HQ is also here now! It’s a charming little coastal city where it looks like the beach runs on forever. After living in large cities for 15+ years, relocating to a smaller, quieter place is exactly what my husband and I both needed. We absolutely love it here. 

How did Henne first come about, from a personal need or life event?

It was from the inspiration I drew from my past travels – especially the extensive time I spent living in Sweden – combined with a large dose of desperation. Launching my own beauty line was something I had been pondering for a few years, but I had put it on the back burner. I had plenty of excuses in my head: “I’m too young and unexperienced… I don’t know anyone in the beauty industry… I don’t have enough money to start my own line!”

Moving to Nevada and getting awful, cracked lips was the kick in the butt I needed to take the leap and launch my own line. It was scary and daunting, and the first two years were filled with lots of moments of frustration and tears, but I’m grateful for the journey and feel so blessed to be able to do what I love and actually support myself financially with this business, something that felt like a pipe dream in the beginning.

Was being a clean solution always a key part of the brief?

Absolutely. I personally started transitioning to natural beauty and skincare products in 2009, so prior to launching Henné in 2015, I tried to buy natural and organic whenever I could. I knew that whatever I launched, the ingredients would be as pure as possible.

What is the product you are most proud of, and why?

Ooh, this is a tough one. All of the products are like my lip babies! I would say our Luxury Lip Balm jar, mainly because it was our first product, and without the success of the lip balm, I wouldn’t have been able to grow my business, and Henné wouldn’t exist today.

What is the biggest learning experience you had to face as a woman creating her own brand?

I think coming from a sports background and having worked in the tech space right before Henné, I’ve become used to sticking out like a sore thumb, and I developed pretty thick skin. 

I would say if anything, the green beauty space has been a lot more welcoming since there are so many female brand founders in our space, which is amazing to see.

Are there any plans to move into full-face skincare, as opposed to just lips and hands?

I won’t give too much away quite yet, but let’s just say that we have some product launches coming up later this year that will be in a totally new category for us. 

What skincare and makeup brands do you use and admire personally?

I admire a lot of my fellow brand founder friends as well as brand founders who I don’t know personally, such as May Lindstrom, RMS Beauty, and Tata Harper. I’m grateful that they had the courage and tenacity to launch their brands at a time when green beauty was virtually unknown.

How do you unwind, do you have any rituals?

Skincare and lip care rituals are some of my favourite ways of unwinding. I love a relaxing PM ritual with some calm background music, and sometimes a glass of red wine!

Another one is quite the opposite, and that’s kickboxing. I love punching things (and only people with their consent in workout classes). With my sports background and having pretty high energy, I think it’s important for me to do something where I can let out that excess energy while also participating in something that has a fun, competitive element to it. 

Also, hugs and cuddles with my hubby. Such a big de-stressor and helps me switch from being stressed to feeling loved.

What advice would you give a woman embarking on the journey to creating her own brand today?

Trust your intuition. Keep the right people close to you. Don’t get discouraged if some people try to deter you from chasing your dreams – even if some of those are your family and friends. As long as you are doing things morally and ethically, you should absolutely fight for your dreams.

Everyone’s journey and background is different. Move forward at your pace, create your story. Don’t let others dictate or pressure you into feeling like you are not doing enough or doing too much.