Dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder on uniting her skincare expertise with Alicia’s vision.
– KEYS SOULCARE
From her accessible beauty picks to her encyclopedic skincare ingredient knowledge, we count any moments with Dr. Renée Snyder, board-certified dermatologist, as time well spent. Now that the word is out about Keys Soulcare, we wanted to hear her take on working side-by-side with Alicia and the Keys Soulcare product development team to bring the offerings to life.
What excited you about the vision for Keys Soulcare?
Being part of this journey has been incredible, because from the beginning, it’s been about more than products — or “offerings” as Alicia likes to call them — and about taking care of the whole self. Turn your 5-minute skincare routine into a ritual, by just being present and focusing on you.
You’re no stranger to product development. You also co-created the makeup-meets-skincare brand W3LL People, which is beloved by sustainable beauty seekers. How was this experience similar or different?
When I created W3LL People [with James Walker and Shirley Pinkson Mañas], we started from scratch and had to do it correctly, all by ourselves. Keys Soulcare started with that same foundation of integrity. The standards were incredibly high from the onset — clean formulas, effective levels of ingredients, and evidence to support the benefits we are targeting.
It sounds like a true opportunity to do your thing as a skin expert from the start.
Exactly. We’re not working backwards from something, or just putting buzzword ingredients together. When I say we’re doing everything right, I mean that we’re thinking of the health of our environment and our bodies at the same time. These are clean beauty products that are responsibly sourced. In addition to the factories and labs that operate with good manufacturing practices, the concentrations are backed by scientific evidence, and the packaging is made with FSC certified paper.
The formulas are gentle yet effective… and powerful! This is going to be a really killer offering because it’s not just about the experience of using it — it’s about feeling connected from the inside and realizing what you’re doing on the outside actually works. And it started that way. I feel really blessed and lucky to be a part of this journey.
What does soulcare mean to you?
It means bringing the mind and body together, and adding a spiritual component. It means that scheduling time for yourself is important. We need this so badly right now. People are kind of losing it — they’re stressed, wondering about their jobs, everything.
How will Keys Soulcare offerings play a part?
The ritual point-of-view that Alicia is so passionate about is really a mindset — it’s using that time you spend washing your face to clear the day away, get rid of all the muckety-muck, and connect with yourself, love yourself, and tell yourself, “I’m awesome. I deserve greatness.”
What was it like working with Alicia?
Alicia is a cool cat. She’s very gracious and down to earth. And she has this quality… you know when cookies are being made and you get that whiff of, “Oh, that’s nice!” She’s got that. And an aura of energy and calm at the same time. To me, that says she’s in a good place and she wants to share it with other people, which is amazing.
Any other ideas or references that you riffed on, together?
Alicia is really inspired by ancient beauty rituals — these traditions that have flourished and been passed down in communities for thousands of years. So we brought elements of that in with our active ingredients — blending ancient botanicals and minerals with modern ingredients to create super clean, highly-efficacious formulas.
She also discusses meditation a lot. That’s what “gets it together” for her. What she’s bringing to the forefront is the need for everybody to know how important it is to just take care of yourself, to be able to say, “This is really for me.”
I’m a mom and even during this interview, I’m thinking about doing the laundry, doing things for my family, and all the rest. In these same moments, you forget to pluck your brows, do your nails, and really take care of yourself.
Who will love these offerings?
Keys Soulcare is gentle enough for all skin types and for everyone — in Alicia’s communities, everyone her music reaches, anyone who loves clean beauty and taking care of their whole self — and beyond.
We’d love to keep the conversation going! Have skincare or Keys Soulcare product questions for Dr. Renée or the rest of our team? Drop them in the comments.
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