In celebration of International Women’s Month, we want to feature women who are making a difference in their industries and community. Today, we put the spotlight on Xenia Wong, Founder and CEO of the skincare brand Sigi Skin.
In this article, you’ll read:
- What got Xenia Wong interested in skincare
- Why Sigi Skin only uses vegan and sustainable products
- Xenia Wong recommends Sigi Skin products for every kind of mum
As mums, most of our time is spent looking after our family. With all of our tasks that need to be accomplished at home and at work, we have put self-care at the least of our priorities.
While there’s nothing wrong with taking care of our family’s needs, looking after ourselves is also essential. For one, how can you teach your child the importance of feeling confident in one’s skin if you are not confident in yours?
Yes, how we take care of ourselves can influence our child’s outlook in the future.
As a child, Xenia Wong, the Chief Executive Officer of Xenia Wong, learned the importance of taking care of the skin from her own mum.
“My mum always told us the importance of applying sunscreen since young, but I did not listen as I hated the feeling of sunscreen on my skin – it was always very greasy and oily,” she recalled.
Despite her mother’s warning, Xenia skipped sunscreen one beach day and had to learn her lesson the hard way.
“When I was 10, I went to a water amusement park and my skin was scorched badly by the sun, resulting in blisters and my skin was raw for a week. It was a very painful experience that taught me that I had to apply sunscreen no matter what,” she said.
That experience stayed with Xenia that when she grew up, she decided that she wanted to create a sunscreen that is lightweight, non-greasy and comfortable on the skin – that’s how Morning Glow, their best seller physical sunscreen was born!
On supporting advocacies through business practices
Xenia Wong, founder of Sigi Skin
Like a true girl boss, Xenia Wong studied how her business can contribute to helping the planet thrive instead of wasting its resources.
“Resources are finite and they will eventually run out. What we can do is to slow down this process, reduce pollution and the effect it has on us and make the environment a better place to live in,” she said.
Because of this, she decided to make a bold move of using only vegan and sustainable products in her beauty brand. She also made sure that the whole process of making their products is cruelty-free.
“As an animal lover, being cruelty-free is non-negotiable for me. As for being vegan, it was after witnessing some friends having difficulty sourcing quality vegan skincare products that I realised there was a gap in the market,” explained Xenia.
“Sustainability has also been hugely emphasised at Sigi Skin – our boxes are made of recycled paper and printed using soy ink; we use D2W biodegradable plastic for our minis and our latest launch, Garden Party (a deep cleansing clay mask) boasts a refillable packaging,” she added.
She also shared in detail how their company is trying its best to stay true to its advocacy. From sourcing materials to business practices.
“Generally, beauty brands have multiple new product launches a year. At Sigi Skin, we only launch when a product is perfected and after analysing what we can do better than the current product offerings out there.
So we typically only launch 2 new products a year. This cuts down on wastage by producing something that the consumer will genuinely need,” she explained.
Xenia Wong: Sigi Skin CEO on empowering women in the workplace
Not only is Xenia insightful as a business leader, but she is also determined to lead her company with principles. When asked what makes her powerful as a woman, she said that it is when she is able to calmly find solutions and guide her team as they surpass whatever hurdle they are facing.
She believes in giving women equal opportunity in the workplace. In Sigi Skin, this is done by providing mentorship and opportunities to women.
“Men are generally chosen for projects and roles based on their potential whereas women are chosen based on prior experience – we should give women the chance to prove themselves, even if they did not have relevant experience before,” she said. Spoken like a true boss queen!
Sigi Skin recommended products for every kind of mum there is
In celebration of International Women’s Month, we asked Xenia to recommend some of their products to different kinds of moms. Check out her picks below:
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Working mums/ mums on the go
Dew Potion
“For busy moms on the go, I would recommend Dew Potion – a waterless essence mist that is very convenient to bring around and refresh your skin when it’s feeling dull or dry! It can be used as an everyday toner as well.”
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Pregnant and breastfeeding mums
“Dream Capsule overnight sleeping mask!
It contains purslane and bakuchiol which is a plant alternative to retinol. This anti-ageing wonder helps to plump your skin and fade acne scars while you sleep and has been lovingly named as a flash facial in a bottle by our clients! “
Dream Capsule
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Stay-at-home mums who are new to having a skincare routine
“They’ve got to try Kaleanser and Idyllic Fields!
Kaleanser is our multi-award winning jelly-like cleanser that is able to remove grime and dirt without disrupting your skin barrier. You can also use it to double cleanse as the first and second step to completely remove your makeup including waterproof mascara!
Idyllic Fields is a waterless moisturizer that contains 71.9% oats and polyglutamic acid that helps to soothe irritated skin. It has a gel-cream consistency that is very lightweight and it helps to restore and hydrate your skin barrier.”
Kaleanser
Idyllic Fields
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Mums who want to take a breather and relax
“For a thorough self-care session, I would recommend exfoliating your skin with Bright Skies, a gentle peeling gel to remove all dead skin cells.
After your skin is fresh and clean, we recommend going in with Garden Party deep cleansing clay mask. After exfoliating, Garden Party is able to better absorb other impurities on your skin and minimise the appearance of your pores.
Lastly, I would finish the session with Tea-Tox, our 20% probiotics sheet mask. Tea-Tox is excellent for all skin types as it helps to introduce good bacteria on our skin – this prevents eczema flareups or acne breakouts. It helps to strengthen your skin over time, making it less sensitive!”
Bright Skies (left), Garden Party (right)
Xenia believes that taking care of oneself can help women, or anyone feel empowered and confident.
“Self-care makes one feel good and ultimately confident of themselves after their self-care session. It is important to take time off to do things that matter to you,” she said.
When we asked her who is her female hero who inspire her to be better in business and as a woman, this is what she said.
“Not one single person, but I am inspired by kind acts around me that make me want to do better as a whole.”
Check out Sigi Skin’s website for its full list of products that are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mums!
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