Devanshi Garg Sareen, founder and CEO of Motif, envisioned a skincare brand rooted in science and simplicity. Devanshi’s work in the skincare realm was inspired by her real life struggle to find safe, effective products to use during her pregnancy. Devanshi was frustrated by the lack of high-performing products in the beauty market. She was driven to come up with a solution for herself and others.
Devanshi and her team formulated a luxurious skincare line with clinically proven, dermatologist-developed products. Motif’s clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and natural line currently has two products: Abundance Plumping PhytoCeramide Cleanser and Power Brightening Bicelle Serum. Motif’s products are efficient time savers that fit into an active lifestyle. Motif’s skincare line demonstrates high performance in both design and efficacy. These luxurious products make skincare something to look forward to, rather than a routine chore.
Prior to founding Motif, Devanshi was a founding member and COO of the technology company Icreon. She worked in innovation consulting in the food and beauty spaces. Her collaborative relationships with Fortune 500 companies gave her the knowledge and expertise to set Motif apart from other skincare brands. Motif’s innovative products and elegant packaging are testaments to Devanshi’s distinctive vision for her brand.
As a fan of Motif’s Abundance Plumping PhytoCeramide Cleanser and Power Brightening Bicelle Serum, I was eager to connect with Devanshi to learn more about her unique leadership style and goals for Motif’s bright future.
What is Motif’s origin story?
Motif was born out of my own personal struggles with my skin.
I grew up with normal skin but over the course of my 20s, I sensitized my skin and developed rosacea. I was a skincare junkie, always on the quest for the perfect skincare product. However, the more products I used, the more money I spent, and the more I tried – the worse my skin got. I realized I had compromised my skin barrier. After, I stuck to a simple (but boring) regimen of dermatologist-recommended drugstore skincare, safe for sensitive skin.
In my 30s, I was working as an innovation consultant in Big Beauty boardrooms where I noticed that in spite of skincare being a crowded space, there was still room to innovate. I knew from personal experience that there were customer needs that were being left unmet.
I was not a beauty industry insider, but I knew what I expected from my skincare, and after talking to many of my peers, I realized I wasn’t alone. I partnered with a board-certified dermatologist to create evidence-backed products that are both effective and effortless, so that skin care is one less thing for people to worry about.
How would you describe your style of leadership?
I would say I have a feminine leadership style – I really value communication, growth and well-being. I prioritize building relationships and end up personally vested with my team, my vendors, and my customers. I’ve found that it makes us all go the extra mile for each other. As an emerging beauty brand trying to make a mark in this large, saturated industry, our vision, our people and our creativity are our biggest assets. The only way to win in the long haul, is to foster an environment where these values can flourish.
What was the inspiration behind Motif’s latest product, Brightening Bicelle Serum?
I wanted to create a powerful treatment that visibly brightens the skin and imparts long-term skin-health benefits. As we age and live through life stages such as pregnancy and postpartum, many of my friends and family (myself included) started experiencing more stubborn skin concerns such as dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and uneven texture. I personally found Vitamin C to be a little sensitizing and wasn’t able to use Retinol during my pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
I was inspired to create an effortless, lightweight, milky, ‘one-and-done’ serum that solves these concerns (and more) while soothing and calming the skin. I really love how it layers under make-up and imparts an immediate glow, but also has helped my skin look smooth [and] even [and] feel and radiant over time.
How would you like to see Motif grow, five or ten years down the line?
At its core, Motif is a skin health company. I see us grow within the beauty and wellness space. I see us using beautiful products as a way to keep delivering breakthrough science to people as a solution to their problems. I see us making a real impact in people’s lives.
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about Motif?
Our target customer enjoys beauty but is not defined by it. They are millennials and young Gen X-ers, many of them are mothers or on their way to becoming mothers. They have real needs, high standards and expect their skincare to work.
We’re a brand that exists to be in service to our customers and our focus is on cultivating hyper loyalty. And we’re already seeing a customer repeat/retention rate that is much higher than the industry average.
We are just getting started. We launched our brand with the Abundance Plumping Phytoceramide Cleanser which is a cleanser that doubles as a mini-mask and will immediately reveal softer plumper skin. We followed with the Power Brightening Bicelle Serum launch. We’re currently working on four additional products that are slated to launch early next year.
Learn more about Motif at https://motifskincare.com/
