Beauty Boss: Kate Kimmerle, Founder of Miss Spa
Kate Kimmerle.
Our latest Beauty Boss is Kate Kimmerle, Founder of Miss Spa, a skincare product range of masks, serums and devices that deliver real results at home. Miss Spa was the first brand to bring Korean beauty-inspired sheet mask treatments to U.S. retailers and chances are you’ve seen the line (which features ingredients like rose stem cell and bee venom) on the shelves of Target or Ulta Beauty, among others.
Both a beauty connoisseur and travel enthusiast, Kimmerle has scoured markets around the globe in search of local beauty secrets. With the help of a team of of cosmeceutical experts, she’s been able to infuse penetrating, good-for-you ingredients into safe and accessible products to beautify the skin in the comfort of your own home. Whether you’re interested in testing out the hottest skin care ingredient, or looking to update your entire regime, Miss Spa has you covered.
We recently caught up with Kimmerle who shared inspiration brand, beauty tips, industry advice, and more.
When was Miss Spa founded? What’s the meaning behind the name?
I founded Miss Spa in 2012. Miss Spa is your trusted go-to expert for all things spa and beauty. Whether you’re treating dry skin with a sheet mask, targeting acne with one of our multi-use serums, or tackling skin care from head-to-toe with our new full-body line, Sculpt, Miss Spa has always taken a simple approach to skin care and creates products that uniquely deliver professional spa results at home.
What inspired the creation of the brand?
You could say I am Miss Spa! From a young age, friends and family would turn to me for skin care and beauty advice. I have always been interested in learning about the latest trend ingredients and treatments used around the world. After creating so many great products under private label for other companies throughout my career, it occurred to me I could put my own spin on skin care using some of my own experiences and ideas. That’s when Miss Spa was created.
Miss Spa was the first U.S company to introduce sheet masks to the American beauty market and offer a wide variety of masks for skin.
Tell us about your background in the industry and how you got to where you are now.
I founded my company, SNAProducts, just over 20 years ago now. We specialize in creating efficacious beauty and personal care products for national retailers here in the U.S. And we do it all in a snap! Over time, we’ve developed strong relationships, and I’m extremely proud of the way we serve our customers and business partners. Since creating Miss Spa, we’ve also launched a skin care brand for men called M. Skin Care and a brand called Naturally G4U, focused on treating your skin from within. We are always listening to our customers and creating products with them in mind that stand out asunique, effective, approachable and affordable.
Does Miss Spa have a hero product?
Miss Spa was the first U.S. company to introduce sheet masks to the American beauty market. They’re a staple for Miss Spa and can be found at retailers nationwide. We’ve also committed to reducing our carbon footprint by creating 100% biodegradable cotton sheet masks with no plastic backing that still deliver the same results our customers have come to expect.
In doing so, we’ll be able to save over 200,000 water bottles worth of plastic from the waterstream within the next year. We are really proud of our new line of all-over skin care products called Miss Spa Sculpt, because we all want to feel good in our skin as the world reopens this summer! Sculpt was developed to help you create a customized skin care routine from head to toe. We’re building on Miss Spa’s mission to create efficacious, high-quality skin care at an affordable price. With firming, brightening and smoothing products specifically designed to target different areas, you can achieve the same professional-level results with Miss Spa Sculpt as you do from our other skin care products.
What are your favorite products from your brand?
I am obsessed with our Sculpt patches! They’re made from medical grade silicone and are reusable up to 20 times. They create a microclimate on your skin to trap moisture beneath the surface and lock in hydration, helping plump wrinkles, and smooth fine lines and scars.
We have different patches designed for your forehead, smile lines, neck creases, décolletage, and any other areas on your body. Our Deep Therapy Hand Treatment gloves were a lifesaver to replenish moisture and keep my hands soft after so much hand washing during the pandemic. They are one of our bestselling products!
Where are your products sold?
You can find Miss Spa products on our website or at Ulta, Target, Amazon, Walgreens, select Walgreens Look Boutiques, CVS, Walmart, Kroger’s, Wegman’s, and several other retailers nationwide.
Sculpt Patches are designed for various parts of the body and create a microclimate on skin to trap moisture beneath the surface and lock in hydration, helping plump wrinkles, and smooth fine lines and scars.
What inspires you?
As a WBENC-certified women-owned company, I find inspiration from my amazing team and from others I’ve met throughout my career. If people hadn’t taken a chance on me and Miss Spa early in my career, I wouldn’t be where I am today and in a position to be able to help other female entrepreneurs find their success. Women supporting women, that’s what inspires me.
Secret to success?
My team and I have found success by being innovative. We’re not afraid to try something new and introduce a product, ingredient or delivery system no one else is doing yet. This industry moves quickly, but it takes time to develop a quality product and bring it to market effectively. Staying focused and having a supportive team by my side has made the difference.
Beauty secrets?
It’s important to be mindful of what you’re putting on your skin and avoid harsh chemicals or artificial dyes and fragrances. The skin on our face is so sensitive especially, so I am always sure to use the proper tools and products with efficacious ingredients to treat my skin safely and effectively. I’m proud of Miss Spa’s quality standard and I use our products every day!
Wellness tips?
Skin care is self-care. Take time to yourself and treat your skin every day, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. Especially after the pandemic, we all need to take care of ourselves. Try to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, and replenish your skin with nourishing and hydrating ingredients. Beauty comes from within, and small, simple steps in your routine can make a huge impact long term. And put your phone down! “Tech neck” is a real concern more of us are starting to notice from staring down at our phones all day. Just unplug and let your mind refresh and your skin relax.
Best advice?
If you have an idea that you feel really passionately about, just go for it. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith to be inventive to find success and have your products stand out. If something doesn’t work out the way you envisioned the first time, try and try again until it feels right to you. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That is often how we learn the most. If you aren’t sold on the finished product, why should anyone else be?
How do you like to relax?
I love to pamper myself with a skin care routine or a face mask, even if just for 20 minutes a day! When I get a chance to travel, whether it’s for work, with family or friends, I always bring my mini spa routine with me. Miss Spa’s products can be taken on the go and many can be reused, so I can have a moment to relax anywhere I am.
For more information, visit miss-spa.com and follow on Instagram: @missspabeauty
[Images courtesy of Miss Spa]
Alisha Racker’s beauty career has spanned over a decade as she's worked as a master esthetician, skin care PR-pro and freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful mountains of Salt Lake City with her husband and daughter.