Malea Rose didn't always have silver screen-ready skin.
The powerhouse actress struggled for years with her own skin concerns until she decided to take matters into her own hands. What started as a journey to heal her own skin has since turned into a wildly successful, popular, and celeb-backed brand - Vie En Rose.
Every ingredient in Malea's luxury, vegan, clean, cruelty-free brand is handpicked and made in small batches. Not to mention, her trademarked, proprietary complex Cannarose is exclusive to the brand and was specially designed to combat the three major causes of aging- inflammation, dehydration, and free-radical damage.
For Malea's secret to clear skin, and journey from surfer to actress to CEO, read below for our exclusive Q&A and follow along at @lovemalearose and @vieenrosebeauty.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Kalikow
Hi Malea! Tell us about your career as an actress, and how you transitioned to a skincare entrepreneur.
Acting will always be my 1st love. It's also the only thing that has ever broken my heart. It's the broken business that I have a hard time with. I think Marilyn Monroe said it best, "Hollywood is a place where they pay you 1000 dollars for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul." The amount of disgusting treatment I have received as a woman over the years... that’s a TV series in itself... one I may be working on... and I'm a firm believer of, if you don't want to be held accountable, then you shouldn't have misbehaved.
But also, OMG, there are so many things I love. I get high off life every time I'm on set, I love the creativity, the fearlessness of putting it all out there as a human for others to see. I've worked on some of the most iconic shows ever made, syndicated, and on HBO, and some of the biggest talent in the world. I love the hustle of it. I love stepping into a new character's world and living that life for a moment. I haven’t worked on 1 job that did not lead to another, because I always treat everyone with respect and kindness, and you'd be surprised how many people don't. I love creating a new world with my writing, you get to be the master of your own universe and it's limitless. I'm not completely out of the game, if something great comes my way, I will definitely accept the audition or take the job. That's the beauty of carving your own lane, you don't have to be just one thing, you can do it all!
The transition to skincare happened naturally from me just trying to cure my own skin problems. I never thought I would own a business or have to learn how to build websites, barcodes, Amazon stores, learn packaging, formulating... No one held my hand during this process, it was a lot of trial and error. When people started asking me what I was using on my skin and why it looked so good, I knew I was on to something. In Hollywood women are often type cast, marginalized, and punished for aging. It's so sad and heartbreaking. I wanted to do something that empowered women (all genders included) and normalized the one inevitable thing we are all going to do, age. We should celebrate that we can be timeless classic and beautiful at every age and that it's never too late to reinvent ourselves. I love this new role as a Founder and CEO. No matter how high up the ladder I climbed in Hollywood, actress to writer to executive producer, I was always feeling empowered and simultaneously disempowered. With Vie En Rose I have purpose, and not only did I empower myself, but I get to do that for others too. It's really meaningful to me.
How did your upbringing in the North Shore of Kauai influence the creation of Vie En Rose?
Well first off, it's the wettest place on earth, it rains every day, which makes it so magical, cleansing, and refreshing. All the food is freshly picked, organic, the fish freshly caught. I was raised with such a grounded and healthy lifestyle. I was a surfer in a bikini in the sun every day. I had a lot of sun damage as a kid because I have fair skin. Also, it's an island so inevitably, you show a lot of skin, so being comfortable in it is so important at a young age. I remember always watching my mom apply luxurious hand cream every night (she has the softest hands) and how she took care of herself and her body. It inspired me. I loved going out into the yard and picking flowers, aloe vera, avocado and blending my own face masks. I loved figuring out how holistic plants and flowers were. It all fascinated me. I also wanted to reverse my own sun damage... Kauai inspired everything about the creation of Vie En Rose and shaped me into the woman I am today. I am so grateful to have spent my childhood there because it helps keep me grounded living in crazy LA. It's my happy place. When I'm there, the world is la vie en rose.
Vie En Rose is committed to clean skincare. Can you elaborate on your philosophy behind clean, vegan, and cruelty-free products and why this was important to you when starting your own brand?
I grew up only using organic products on my skin, my food, even my toothpaste. There was never a doubt in my mind that Vie En Rose needed to be made from the purest ingredients, while also having ingredients that are efficient and give instant results. In life and business, it's very important to respect your own ethics and moral high ground, and never settle for anything but the best. We absorb 60% of what we put on our bodies, it's a terrifying thought, and we have one body and mind for our whole lives, it should be treated delicately and with love. Babies and dogs lick products off of us, I would never want them putting toxins in their body either. I can't imagine pushing products I don't believe in. Now even more so with the tween skincare craze I feel even more confirmation I chose the right path, but I never saw things any other way, which is why I formulated it until it was all perfect - I have more products ready to launch and no matter how big Vie En Rose grows, it will always be conscious clean and cruelty free in whatever dept of beauty/wellness I create. Some other popular brands use harmful ingredients that are incredibly toxic to your skin. I didn’t want that for my customers, so we opted out, even though it meant delaying production and the launch of Vie En Rose.
Photo Credit: Vie En Rose
Describe your skincare journey in 3 words.
Transformative. Enlightening. Purposeful
The use of CBD and your proprietary complex, Cannarose, is intriguing. How did you discover the benefits of these ingredients, and what makes them central to Vie En Rose's effectiveness?
I have incredibly dry and sensitive skin. I started to become allergic to everything I was putting on my face. Every product would make claims to have incredible results, but I wasn't getting them. In fact, the more I tried, the worse my skin rashes and bumps. Inflammation of the skin is what causes acne, rosacea, psoriasis. The bumps I was getting on my face and neck were not only physically painful, but emotionally painful too. It affected my self-esteem. When I discovered CBD, it was very hard to get and expensive... but I was desperate for a cure. The first night I put it on before bed, the next morning I looked in the mirror and cried, my skin was glowing, calm, and almost every red rashy bump was gone. I couldn't believe my own eyes. I knew I was onto something. And then I started to get compliments on my skin, I hadn't had those in a long time, I was taken aback. I wanted to create a line for every person, the minimalist on the go, who doesn't settle for anything but the best. It's why I love my Mile High Mist so much because it's travel sized, and you can use it throughout the day for instant results. I had no idea how hard the government would make CBD to market, but that's a testament to just how good this potent miracle plant is. I never set out to start a CBD line, I just wanted the best of the best ingredients - and it's one of them. It hits the 3 main causes of aging: inflammation, free-radical damage, and dehydration. Cannarose is the ultimate luxury. Pure rose oil and rose stem cell are two of the most hydrating and amazing anti-aging ingredients on the market. That's the best part about the line, is it perfectly synergizes with any pre-existing skin regimen, and gives real results. I'm in the business to heal people, and boost confidence. I started as my own customer to cure myself and now I get to help heal others too, and educate people about CBD, which the world hasn't even fully tapped into.
After you apply your Vie En Rose products, what makeup products are essential to your routine right now?
I try to wear as little makeup as possible, sometimes I go weeks without it. Another Kauai girl thing about me. Less is more. When you have healthy skin, you really don't need much. I'm still searching for an amazing clean makeup line that actually works. I may have to create it myself. When I do wear makeup, I love to put on multiple coats of my favorite mascara Better Than Sex by Too Faced, Armani foundation is my go-to, Cle de Peau concealer for my under eyes, I wear SPF every day, Chanel makes some of my favorite lipsticks, I even love Revlon’s matte lip crayons for an extra full lip look. My friends laugh at me because I will always have about 10 different lipsticks, glosses and balms floating around in my purse at one time. I love Anastasia brow products (I used to model for them years back). Then I never forget to use my Mile High Mist to set my makeup, which gives that perfect hydrated dewy glow.
Photo Credit: Vie En Rose
Vie En Rose has garnered praise from several celebrities. How does it feel to have your skincare products positively reviewed by influential figures like Connie Britton and Jake Paul?
Connie is an icon. Talk about timeless classic beauty and a woman who empowers others. She is such a force of nature. I feel so honored she loves my line. Celebrities have access to the best of the best and can usually get anything for free, so it's a big compliment. She absolutely glows and she's just as beautiful on the inside.
Then there's Jake who has completely different skin, he's young, prone to breakouts. I got him using my products to help clear his skin up before his big fight I was producing. Men are always funny, because since the line is pink, they don't think it's unisex at first. He looked so good on fight night! Another force of nature. I couldn't be more proud of him and his boxing career. I produced his docuseries leading up to the fight as well, and really grew to love him and his whole team.
What can we expect from you and Vie En Rose in 2024?
Keep an eye on me, because if you blink... I will be busy building my empire, and it doesn't stop at beauty. I'm advising for an AI company, have multiple offers to build out other lines, many more products to launch myself, I just got distribution in India - Vie En Rose is officially international! Metta World Peace and I have some amazing projects we are working on, and there is a new adventure I'm embarking on in the Media/Editorial space we just started to build. Vie En Rose will finally be more accessible, finally taking big retailer meetings, as opposed to being just DTC... and because I will always be a die-hard creative, I will be out shopping a new TV show I wrote in the months to come. 2024 is the year of growth and endless possibilities. I can't wait to share my passion projects with the world... and I'm not stopping there.