Meet Kirsten Holliman | Founder & Formulator

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

Hi Kirsten, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a young child, I’ve always known that I wanted to own my own business of some sort. When I had a tug on my shoulders to step into the beauty and cosmetic industry, I knew then that my purpose was revealing itself to me. The purpose to create and provide services and products to help others become the best version of themselves. Self-love is the best love, and we all deserve to feel confident and beautiful in our appearance,

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?
Klean Kosmetics is a natural skincare company for all skin types and ages from babies to adults. We are based on taking the complexity out of your products and create a minimalistic approach.

During college I discovered a God given talent doing makeup. When I started my freelancing make-up artist journey, my only goal was to use make-up to enhance my clients features. When I realized almost every one of my clients struggled with skincare concerns, that’s when it all started. I began extensive research into why we deal with skin troubles, the different skin types, skincare brands, ingredients, etc. I quickly realized majority of known brands included ingredients that cause reactions or sensitivity to the skin. Many people don’t realize that what you put on your skin absorbs into your skin, which can cause not only external, but internal issues as well. This all led me to learning how to formulate my own products and I wanted to share these amazing creations with others that can benefit from them like I was.

All products are made to target a specific skin care concern and every ingredient has a beneficial reason. No extra additives of any sort. We use high quality natural oils, butters, extracts, clays, and botanicals to heal the skin from the source and produce real results that can be seen and felt. We believe that minimalism is the answer to effective skin care so that your skin is truly benefiting from healing ingredients. Each product is carefully formulated in house with extensive research as to how each ingredient affects the skin externally and internally. Handcrafted, and homemade in small batches to ensure top quality.

The journey has been far from easy. There have been many long days and sleepless nights of creating formulations that failed, making marketing content, fulfilling orders, posting social media content and more. Surrounding myself in a positive environment and taking time for self-care helps me to overcome any challenges that come my way. Entrepreneurship is not smooth sailing! You must have a true passion and put the work in if you want to succeed. A lesson I have learned and now a life mantra I live by daily is to take the risk or lose the chance. If we never take risks in life, we will never get to the places we want to be.

You should look forward to the products you use in your skincare routine and feel indulged and rejuvenated every day. We make our products with you in mind.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The atmosphere here is very quaint and peaceful, so it would be a relaxing/unwinding experience yet still fun. I love a good local coffee shop and brunch. Starting out the day with coffee and breakfast is essential before enjoying a day on the town. My two favorite local coffee shops are The Coffee Loft and The Drowsy Poet. The best places for breakfast/brunch are Julwin’s, The Warehouse Bakery, The Ruby Slipper Café, and East Shore Café. Some fun things to do would include a stroll downtown with local shopping, a relaxing day on the beach to catch some sun, a spa day at The Grand Hotel, or even take a day trip to Crab Island.

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?
Where I am in life would not be possible without my parents, siblings, close family and my significant other. From testing new products, packaging orders, dropping them off at the post-office, pop-up shops, watching my daughter while I work, and simply making themselves available for when I need them the most. When I am having creative blocks, challenges, or in need of ideas I can always count on my right hand, my mom to be there. My family have encouraged me to keep pushing on the days I have wanted to give up and I’m so blessed to have my support system behind me every step of the way.

A shout out to my college professor Dr. Murphy at UAB (shoutout to my alma mater) who really educated me on the ins and outs of the world of entrepreneurship. He opened many doors that I never thought I could walk through. His strong passion and love for his craft really pushed me to continue down this path.

I am also so very grateful for customers! Without them, I would not be able to be in business and continue to be! They have put their trust in my products and have spread their successful skincare journey with Klean Kosmetics to many others, helping me expand to new areas and people!

Website: www.kleankosmetics.store

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klean_kosmetics

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-holliman-918718181

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kleankosmeticsllc

Image Credits
Headshot – Rae’s Bleu Rose Photography