Meet Essence Iman | Founder and Creative Director, The Established

We had the good fortune of connecting with Essence Iman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Essence, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The Established was born out of a career pivot that coincided with a specific need to improve my long-standing frustrations with extreme persistent dryness and keratosis pilaris (aka strawberry bumps). My skin was chronically dry and textured, especially behind my arms is legs. It’s something that has both frustrated and embarrassed me my whole life!

Body care, at the time, felt so un-targeted towards my specific skin needs. I had ended my career in NY Real Estate, moved back to Philly and decided to try my hand at making my own products with the extra time. It wasn’t really until I noticed a complete transformation in my skin that I got really curious about what it would look like to assemble a brand. The Established really just kind of evolved from there.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Because The Established was modeled after my own skincare journey, it really impacts the way we connect with our customers. We make vegan body care centered around those also struggling to find relief from frustrating skincare gripes, while simplifying what it takes to manage your daily skin needs long term.

I launched quietly in 2019 to a very slow and sticky start. I had struggled to gain traction and went back to work (at a job I despised!) to support the business, when we suddenly went viral in 2020 by being picked up by a major beauty editor at Cosmopolitan. I had JUST quit my job on blind faith the day before with no idea that was coming! It was an unreal feeling to say the least. From there we just became more and more visible. But, I’m proud to say to this say, that our reach has been completely organic. I don’t believe indie brands should be overly invested in PR. If anything, what’s got is there is our digital community and strong brand identity. If the product is also amazing, then you’ll win.

I’m really grateful to include a variety of benchmarks as major accomplishments. Whether it’s as big as our beauty awards, or as thoughtful as a customer sending a note about how nothing else worked for their chronic skin issues until they found us. All of it is really touching.

Not to be a cynic (!), but a major lesson I’ve learned is that it truly doesn’t get any easier. You just get used to moving along with what comes your way and you learn to become more adaptable. You have to be. Unforeseen things will happen all the time in your business and you simply can’t let it through you off your square. You have to actively choose to show up every single day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week with me would include many coffee shops – I live in West Hollywood so Alfred’s, Alana’s, Verve…I’d sneak in a morning walk up to the Bird Streets and then take it to Greystone Mansion to take in the views. We’d go down to Melrose and make a stop at Violet Grey to shop for beauty (perhaps a little selfishly, since it’s my favorite thing). A little day trip to the Palisades is always a mood, and if the weather is nice it’s so charming to sneak in a beach day. As far as eats, I’ve fallen in love with this restaurant Alta in West Adams and another one called The Serving Spoon in Inglewood. Both are black-owned and the food is ah-mazing if we’re feeling like a soul food fix.

A cute little walk around Larchmont and a quick bite at Great White is always a fun way to wind things down.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give credit where it’s due! I have to give a shoutout to Julee Wilson, the Beauty Editor at large for Cosmopolitan magazine who platformed us and gave us our first viral moment. Julee was instrumental in recognizing and promoting The Established early on, really helping put us on the map by giving our small company a major platform. That kind of support and recognition from an influential editor makes all the difference for an up-and-coming brand trying to get noticed and I think is the reason I was able to go full time (due to the awareness she brought us).

She has a keen eye for spotting unique, influential brands and has such a willingness to use her position to elevate smaller businesses also deserving of the spotlight. Her endorsement undoubtedly played a huge role in our brand’s success story.

Website: www.theestablished.co

Instagram: www.instagram.com/essenceiman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/essenceiman/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpd1gvY7wtYXqJNnAmj0Zfw