From formulating nourishing products to incorporating beauty tools used in TCM, Daily Habits’mission is clear: to empower you to listen to your skin’s needs.
In an era where numerous beauty trends, routines and products are introduced daily, it’s easy to bombard your skin blindly with numerous products. This is why we love that holistic skincare is slowly gaining traction.
It’s a common sense approach to skincare that prioritises simplicity and overall well-being. But it’s not just about what you put on your skin. Holistic skincare recognises the interconnectedness of your skin, body, and mind. Stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep can all impact your skin’s health, so taking care of your skin means holistically caring for yourself.
We’re thrilled to come across Daily Habits, a skincare brand with a holistic twist. This brand is rewriting the script with skincare that goes beyond surface-level fixes, working with your body to promote overall well-being. Daily Habits offers a range of beauty tools and nourishing ingredients designed to address common concerns like stress and dullness, leaving your skin feeling vibrant and healthy.
Meet the dynamic duo behind Daily Habits: Karol and Kamila
We sat down with Karol and Kamila Gonzalez, the brilliant minds behind Daily Habits. The two sisters, one a holistic esthetician, and the other an acupuncturist in training, have had their fair share of skin concerns over the years.
Karol’s journey began with a personal quest to soothe her sensitive skin, while Kamila found solace in acupuncture for hormonal acne. Together, they envisioned Daily Habits as a haven for those seeking a holistic, less-is-more approach to skincare.
How did your beauty journeys begin?
Karol: We started about five years ago; we were always very skincare-oriented. But our skin has been very challenging. We’ve had to deal with certain skin concerns, like rosacea [for myself]. So it’s always been hard for us to treat it because we have very sensitive skin.
During Covid, we were stuck at home during lockdown. So we started exploring our own oils and formulating products. It became a passion of ours and we soon launched our brand in Miami.
What sparked the idea for Daily Habits, and how did the concept of holistic skincare come into play?
Karol: I went through a severe case of recession of my skin. It was very irritated and red; it wouldn’t subside no matter what. I went to six different dermatologists – they would give me antibiotics and prescription medicine but it didn’t work out. And my stomach wouldn’t take the antibiotics well.
So I decided to take a more natural approach. I started replacing certain things in my diet or on my skin. And I saw the results. I got rid of all the antibiotics and I was finally able to balance my skin naturally. I felt that if it worked for me, it should work for other people as well. That’s how we started exploring this path.
Kamila: I had hormonal acne. I tried a lot of Western medicine, but nothing helped until I went to an acupuncture session. That’s when I started seeing results. I wanted to create something for people who don’t like needles. We developed a facial reflexology tool, which is similar to acupuncture, where you stimulate the pressure points but without the needle.
We decided that by being creative, we would build a brand around the idea that you could treat yourself holistically, and you could balance your skin by fixing whatever might be wrong inside first and then applying the right skincare products.
But it’s about more than just applying products to your face. It’s really about understanding what your body’s trying to communicate to you. We believe the body’s smart and can heal on its own. That’s what we want to teach people. You might think you need many products to heal yourself but you don’t. Less is more for us.
Your Latin American heritage is a unique aspect of Daily Habits. How does it shape the brand’s philosophy and ingredient choices?
Karol: Kamila mentioned in Western medicine and in the States, it’s so common to exfoliate the skin using many ingredients and acids. But in Latin America, it’s a little bit similar to traditional Chinese medicine which is more about replenishing the skin.
We like to focus on using hydrating ingredients. First fixing the skin barrier rather than immediately exfoliating it because sometimes all you need is to balance the skin. You don’t need to over-exfoliate to see results. It’s all about creating natural at-home self-care rituals.
Are there any beauty rituals from Latin America that you incorporate into your routine?
Kamila: More is more when it comes to moisturiser. I literally soak my face with moisturiser every night. My mum would always make us moisturise our hands and feet before going to bed. If you’re not going to sleep very sticky, you know you’re not doing it properly! We also use a lot of cacao butter in body creams. We hope that at some point, we’ll be able to develop a body cream.
Dealing with skin issues is relatable. Can you share your personal experiences and how they influenced the vision for Daily Habits?
Kamila: I had hormonal acne and I still have to deal with it; sometimes I get the occasional acne. So I focus on promoting the blood flow with our skincare tools.
Karol: In everything that we formulate, we think about ourselves. ‘Would I use this for my sensitive skin?’ If it’s a no, we’re never going to launch it.
We make sure everything gets past us. We have a long development process, which is why we have such a small line. We only have nine products, six of which are tools. So we take a long time when it comes to formulation.
As an esthetician and acupuncturist, how do your backgrounds influence the formulation process and the overall philosophy of Daily Habits?
Karol: I love this question. As an esthetician, I’m able to see so many different skin types. You have clients every day, all of them with a different story and different backgrounds. So we’re able to see how each skin type behaves and what it needs.
Kamila: I started learning Chinese medicine, so I’m learning about new herbs and ingredients that we can add to our formulations.
What is a major concern you see among your customers?
Karol: Not fixing their skin barrier. People have been putting a lot of things [on their skin] for so long but not paying attention to the barrier.
Also, stress – it’s amazing how stress immediately affects the face or the body. That’s why we develop products to help reduce stress and make it a relaxing habit when it comes to skincare. We call it holistic because even while you’re doing your skincare routine, you’re also relaxing your mind and giving circulation through your body.
Can you highlight a key ingredient or product that has significantly impacted customers’ skin health?
Karol: We use jojoba oil for most of our formulas. We’re obsessed with it. We love it because it moisturises and it’s noncomedogenic so it’s great for all skin. I use it anywhere on my hair, face and body. It’s so calming and nourishing and has antioxidants. We love formulating with it and you’ll see it in almost all our products.
Traditional beauty tools like gua sha are common in Asia. How does Daily Habits stand out as it enters the Singaporean market?
Karol: They’ve been around for a long time but not everybody knows how to use them. Or it’s been lost a little bit on the communication as the generations pass by. So we love educating them. Our brand offers a lot of tutorials, how-to videos, and pictures on our website or Instagram. It’s always really important to teach people how to properly use it whether they need it or not.
We explain whether this is for your skin type and whether you should be mixing this with a moisturiser or a face tool. We pride ourselves on educating the audience and we put a lot of effort into developing the tutorials.
Can you share your daily rituals and recommend a must-have Daily Habits product for Singapore’s climate?
Karol: I’m a sucker for gua sha and do it all the time. I’m also obsessed with the face oil. It’s my main recommendation, especially for my skin sensitivity and rosacea; it’s the only product that calms it down. Whenever I have a reaction, I just apply that and sometimes stop my skincare routine until it calms down. The face oil is the one thing that has kept my skin under control. I trust it 100%, not only because we formulated it, but because it gives results.
Kamila: I have two babies: I use the body cup almost every day because I run and the body cups release muscle tension, and I have a lot of anxiety so calming my nerves with the reflexology tool helps.
Technology and beauty are merging. How do you see technology influencing future beauty routines while staying true to traditional techniques?
Karol: We love technology because I just think it makes it easier for people to understand their skin. Recently, we were in Seoul and got facials. We went through a machine that gave us a full skin analysis, whether you have sun damage, dry skin or water retention.
Once you understand what’s happening to your skin, you’re able to make wiser choices when it comes to purchasing a product.
Being sisters and business partners brings unique experiences. Any funny or memorable moments from your journey with Daily Habits?
Both: It’s been fun and challenging. We fight, we laugh, we cry, and do all the things that sisters do. But in the end, it’s all about good communication. It’s exciting to be on this journey because we get to experience moments together like flying to Asia for the first time.
Our parents are also 100% supportive and have been skincare-oriented. Our dad says things like, ‘I’m going to gua sha’ – things he’s never done before. We also send them pictures, we show them everything that we’re doing, and they’re so invested in this.
We run it as a family business. It’s one of the things we love about our brand and we hope to keep it up forever if we can because it’s so personal. It feels like more than a job; it’s our passion.
Daily Habits is available at Sephora stores and online
