Our latest Beauty Boss is Cat Chen, Founder and CEO of Skylar—a clean fragrance and personal care brand that she founded after discovering that her perfume was causing an allergic reaction in her young daughter. Having difficulty finding a fragrance that smelled sophisticated yet was free of allergens and harmful chemicals, Chen eventually decided to create her own line.

Prior to launching Skylar, Chen was one of the first employees at The Honest Company, which raised her level of awareness when it came to the products that she used, especially on her body. She spent months working with world-class perfumers and testing products until she had a collection of clean, non-toxic perfumes that were made with carefully curated, high-performing ingredients that were free of parabens, phthalates, artificial dyes, and other harmful ingredients.

Since the brand’s inception, Skylar has expanded into a line of personal care products, along with an innovative Scent Club subscription model that debuts a brand-new, limited-edition fragrance each month. Benefits include free returns, swapping an upcoming scent for a hero fragrance, and ability to gift to loved ones.

As a female-owned and operated business, Skylar also donates a portion of proceeds to Step Up, a nonprofit organization that empowers female mentorship. Each new Scent Club fragrance is also introduced with a connection to a charitable organization, and recently the brand has donated to causes such as Black Lives Matter, Black Visions Collective, and Campaign Zero.

We chatted with Chen, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, favorite beauty and wellness tips, and more.

When was Skylar founded? What does the name mean?

2017. The name Skylar represents the modern woman and wearable scents that are light and airy, like the sky.

What inspired the creation of the brand?

I've always loved fragrances. When my daughter Anne was 4 months old, she had an allergic reaction to my perfume (turns out about 15% of the population is subject to fragrance allergies!) That led me to learn more about the ingredients in perfumes. After realizing that many ingredients can trigger fragrance allergies and there was no transparency to ingredients in fragrance in general, I was motivated to create a line of wearable and soft fragrances that were designed for people with fragrance sensitivity and made for everyone.

Do you have a hero product?

Historically, Isle has been our #1 scent, although recently our newest fragrances Salt Air and Sun Shower are giving Isle a run for its money.

What are your favorite products from the brand?

It's hard to pick, but Salt Air is my all-time favorite. It literally smells like the air at the ocean.

Where are your products sold?

Our website, Anthropologie, and Sephora.

Future plans for the brand?

Building on our foundation of clean fragrance (now expanding into body and hand sanitizers), we're continuing to create more scents and products for our customers. Our mission is for everyone to feel beautiful, confident, and safe in their own skin.

What inspires you?

My daughter. She inspired me to create Skylar and she inspires me to create clean beauty products for the next generation of young women.

Secret to success?

There's no secret. Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Beauty secrets?

For my face, I like using glycolic acid, retinol, and hyaluronic acid. It's all about the ingredients.

Wellness tips?

For me, fitness is a big part of feeling good. I used to do reformer pilates and now I'm on my Peloton most days. I also love being in the sun and near the ocean. It's a mood lifter 100% of the time.

Best advice?

Work hard and always try your best, but don't be too hard on yourself. Over time, hard work will pay off. Try to enjoy and learn from the journey.

How do you like to relax?

I like to use a sheet mask at night while using a heating pad for my back. The cooling and heating sensations working together is very relaxing.

For more information, visit skylar.com and follow on Instagram: @skylar

[Images courtesy of Skylar]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk