Meet Megan Eng | Founder

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

Hi Megan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we first starting playing around with the formulas for our waterless skin care line, we actually tested a 60-80% water content which is standard for most skincare products. The texture was light and fluffy, even smelled nice, but just sat on the skin and did absolutely nothing. There was no magic. The amount of water potentially going into these products seemed atrocious on top of the copious amount of water needed to wash equipment, machinery and our glass packaging, when we looked outside and saw our garden dying and still desolate brown patches everywhere. We tried to save where we could, irrigating the water from our washing process to our garden outside, but it still seemed like a colossal waste of this finite resource.

So we made a decision to build our brand around this waterless, “drought-inspired” concept and found we could give you guys more value, undiluted, pure botanical magic whilst also giving the environment a teeny break from one of the biggest water-consuming industries.

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?
When I created our very first product, the waterless sleeping cream, I wanted something that was really nourishing, healing and reparative overnight, targeting skin that has been specifically exposed to a lot of UVA and UVB rays and free radicals from pollution and blue light – essentially the women in LA which I drew inspiration from. I’m really grateful I went to pharmacy school in NYC, because there is a very heavy emphasis on compounding – it’s the only state in the US that requires pharmacists to take a compounding exam in order to be licensed, so I have a pretty solid foundation in custom formulations – what makes a good delivery vehicle, how to enhance absorption and what the toxic profiles for all these synthetic vs natural ingredients look like.

I am not an entrepreneur by any means, but I am passionate about clean living, the beauty space and helping others. That is something I missed after transitioning from being a pharmacist to currently working in pharma/biotech – having that interaction with patients, counseling them and helping them on their journey to their best health. After I started Lanativ I found that connection again, so I’m really grateful to all my customers for giving me the opportunity to share Lanativ with them and trusting me with their skin’s health!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite farmer’s market has to be Old Town Calabasas farmer’s market, their growers have such a beautiful variety of fresh, quintessentially California harvest and flowers. It’s tucked away into the San Fernando Valley and is stunning year round. It borders Malibu, which makes me so happy. The drive along the Pacific Coast Highway on a Sunday morning is pure bliss; it’s the most serene, peaceful and luxurious sliver of nature among all the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. You can’t go wrong with a little shopping at the Malibu Country Mart, a scenic hike on one of the bluffs or a swanky dinner at Nobu. 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The inspiration for LANATIV comes from the amazing women in Los Angeles who love life and live a whole lot of it. I started noticing that there comes a price to living in everlasting golden hour, from premature fine lines and sun spots to exacerbation of inflammatory or allergic skin conditions. There was a distinctively stark contrast to our counterparts from less sunny, populated regions. So we set out to create intensive, inherently potent formulas using only the very best Mother Nature has to offer, trusting in all the wise women who came before us and loved the Earth first. Living your best life shouldn’t come at a cost. We CAN enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory, she has given us all the tools we need to protect and nourish ourselves. That is what LANATIV sets out to accomplish: harnessing the most powerful, potent bounty on Earth to reflect the very best version of YOU, inside and out.

Website: https://www.lanativ.com

Instagram: @lanativskin