Beauty Boss: Julie Chamberlain, CEO of SweetSpot Labs

Julie Chamberlain.

Our latest Beauty Boss is Julie Chamberlain, CEO of SweetSpot Labs—a line of clean and effective clinical vulvar care for women. Their range of products are pH-balanced, cruelty-free and gynecologist-approved. With Chamberlain at the helm, SweetSpot Labs will further its legacy as a champion for women and intimate beauty—a $845M market in the U.S. and projected at $1.179B USD by 2025, a CAGR of 6.9%. Under her leadership, SweetSpot Labs will continue to deliver safe, effective, innovative products that celebrate the vulva for what it is—the center of well-being.

Chamberlain began her career with the L’Oréal Group, working cross-functionally in sales, trade marketing, product development, marketing and senior leadership roles in North America and France over 15 years. Her last role was as general manager of NYX Professional Market. In her current role as chief executive officer, Chamberlain is responsible for developing and supporting the execution of strategies that align with the company’s brand vision, mission, purpose, and promise to stakeholders. 

“I absolutely loved the nimble, entrepreneurial spirit of NYX and it sparked in me the desire to apply all that I had learned from L’Oréal, to support a purpose-led founding vision,” Chamberlain says. “I guess you could say I got to a point in my career where I prioritized being in my sweet spot—where my family live, professional life, and contribution to others—were felt like they were mutually reinforcing. And SweetSpot Labs literally became the opportunity to do just that.”

We chatted with Chamberlain, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, secrets for success, wellness tips, favorite beauty products, and much more.

How long have you been with SweetSpot Labs?

I joined SweetSpot Labs in November 2020.

What inspired you to join the company?

I was inspired first by the mission—to fundamentally change the way people see, talk about, and treat intimate skin. And perhaps more than that, by the fact that the founder and leaders of the brand had been serving this mission so meaningfully, since 2003. It wasn’t just a nice sentiment on a website for marketing purposes. It had integrity. And above all else, I want to be part of building a brand that matters, and I believe SweetSpot Labs is such a brand.

Second, I was personally inspired by the “how”—not only what I could be part of building, but that I could do it in such a way that everyone who was part if it could thrive. The founder and investors are incredibly supportive of myself and the team, over 90% of whom are women, building this brand on a wave where all ships rise. It’s an incredible rewarding experience.

Does SweetSpot Labs have a hero product?

Our best-selling product is Buff & Brighten AHA/BHA Body Exfoliating Pads. Our brand was founded in 2003, well before intimate skincare was as openly discussed as it is today. And for the first decade of our journey, we sold exclusively to spas, whose teams understood very well the need for effective products that were safe for intimate skin. It was through this relationship to the spa industry that we became aware of the need for a product that provided effective (manual + chemical) exfoliation to help prevent ingrown hair (and the dark spots they can leave behind) in between hair removal services, but that was also safe and suitable (non-irritating, non-drying, pH balanced) for intimate skin. It has been a best-seller ever since.

What are your favorite products from the brand?

My favorite products are:

1) Microbiome Balancing Wash. I use it from head to toe! I am prone to fungal folliculitis (an over-growth of Malassezia yeast) and this wash is uniquely free from Malassezia yeast triggers while also having powerful peptides, prebiotics and green tea extracts, so it gives me a safe all over daily skin detox (I’m a runner and have three young children + a puppy + run a business…so I sweat a lot, down there and everywhere!) while supporting my vaginal microbiome. It’s basically my one-step shower essential!

2) My next favorite is Hydrate Ever After, our daily Vulva Serum. I’m in my mid-40s, in peri-menopause, and I’m starting to experience vulvar dryness. This intimate moisturizer helps me stay comfortably moisturized, and helps to prevent any painful sex (which for me occurs around the vestibule, aka the “point of insertion”).

Where are SweetSpot Labs products sold?

Our products are sold on our website, at Ulta Beauty (in store and on online, Amazon, and spas + dermatologist/gynecologist offices across the country.

SweetSpot Labs’ line of clean and effective clinical vulvar care for women features products that are pH-balanced, cruelty-free and gynecologist-approved.

What inspires you?

Entrepreneurs inspire me, particularly those who bravely lead with vulnerability—an “uncommon courage” that invites others to be unapologetically themselves.

Secret to success?

I think the secret lies in the definition of success. I spent more time than I’d like to admit trying to find secrets/hacks/tactics/routines to achieve a definition of success that wasn’t mine. It just literally never even occurred to me to ask myself what my definition was, until I experienced post-partum anxiety with my second child and was almost ‘forced’ to examine myself, from the inside-out. The best question(s) I ever asked myself was, and still are: Who am I? What do I need? What do I want? How can I serve?

Beauty secrets?

Exfoliate regularly, both chemically and manually, to help prevent ingrown hair, razor bumps, and folliculitis. Start moisturizing your vulva in peri-menopause…you’ll thank me later

Wellness tips?

Before you reach for an over-the-counter treatment, consult with a doctor to ensure an accurate diagnosis. An itch isn’t always a vaginal yeast infection (lesser known, often overlooked causes could include vulvar yeast or vulvar dermatitis); and burning isn’t always a urinary tract infection (the problem could be as simple as vulvar dryness which is causing urine to burn compromised skin such as the vestibule or labia).

Best advice?

Find your sweet spot. Protect it. Live it every day.

How do you like to relax?

Doing anything in nature, particularly the forest. I am grateful to live in Atlantic Canada where we can enjoy all-season activities and I relish them all. My newest favorite is paddle boarding along our local river ways along the tree line.

For more information, visit the website and follow on Instagram: @sweetspotlabs

[Images courtesy of SweetSpot Labs]

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