Simplified Skincare, Real Results + Resiliency with Kaitlyn Schneider (part 1)

What if the real secret to healthier, brighter skin isn’t more products—but one root cause? We sit down with biological engineer and beauty founder Kaitlyn Schneider to unpack why wrinkles, redness, dryness, and dullness often trace back to chronic inflammation—and how a science-first, three-step routine can cut through noise and deliver results you can see and feel.

Kaitlyn shares how her path from large-scale engineering to skincare shaped a systems view of beauty: technology must be usable, and rituals must be grounded in evidence. She walks us through a minimalist approach that replaces bloated, confusing routines with three purposeful steps: an oil-based cleanser that dissolves makeup and SPF without stripping, a brightening and hydrating mist that stands in for toner and essence, and a serum-cream hybrid that repairs and moisturizes without heaviness. One routine, morning and night, designed for consistency and impact.

We also dig into the tech behind the textures. Kaitlyn introduces a patent-pending nanotechnology active clinically tested for cellular benefits, including support for growth factor expression and healthier turnover. Instead of masking symptoms, the formula targets the source—calming inflammatory signals while reinforcing barrier strength. Along the way, we tackle common questions: Does this work for men’s thicker, oilier skin? How do we balance hydration without greasiness? What’s the smarter path for sensitive or combination skin? The answer blends shared biology with strategic ingredients that regulate sebum and lock in water, all while keeping steps simple.

This conversation is equal parts myth-busting and momentum-building. If double cleansing, 10 bottles, and AM/PM confusion have you stuck, consider this your permission to simplify. Learn how to make small, consistent moves that compound: good ingredients, proper application, and regular use. If you found value here, follow the show, share

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Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Intention To Reignite
• 0:41 Meet The Hosts And Today’s Guest
• 1:44 Caitlin’s Path From Engineering To Beauty
• 4:34 Art Meets Science In Skincare
• 7:26 Competing In A Crowded Beauty Market
• 9:10 The Root Cause: Chronic Inflammation
• 11:08 Simplifying Routines To Three Steps
• 14:09 Why Double Cleansing Isn’t Required
• 15:49 The Three Products And How They Work
• 18:20 Building The Formula And New Tech
• 20:20 Clinical Proof And Cellular Turnover
• 21:45 Works For Men And Different Skin Types
• 23:06 Ingredients For Balance And Hydration
• 24:42 Individual Differences Vs Shared Biology
• 25:50 Holistic Health And Dermatology
• 26:35 Closing Thanks And Listener CTA

Transcript

Setting The Intention To Reignite

SPEAKER_00 0:06

All of us reach a point in time where we are depleted and need to somehow find a way to reignite the fire within. But how do we spark that flame? Welcome to Reignite Resilience, where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. We'll discuss the art of reigniting our passion and strategies to stoke our enthusiasm. And now here are your hosts, Natalie Davis and Pamela Katz.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Welcome back to another episode of Reignite Resilience. I'm your co-host Natalie Davis, and I'm so excited to be back with all of you today. And joining me, of course, is your co-host Pam Cass. Hello, Pam. How are you?

SPEAKER_03 0:53

I am fantastic. I was just saying it's been 70 degrees here the last couple of days. It looks like it's going to be like that for the rest of this week. I've got flip-flops on. I wouldn't have a headache here because it's like it's so nice. I can't be looking at my winter toes. So yeah, so today we have a guest, which I'm super excited about, but she's coming from New York and they've got a bit of snow there. So absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

I haven't left my house yet, so I don't know what the temperature is outside, but the sun is out, and that's always what I'm looking forward to. As long as the sun's out, I'm great. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:27

Yes, yes. It is windy as all get out. And but other than that, so don't go outside.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

I say.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

Yeah, you'll blow away anyway.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

So exactly. Well, why don't you tell our listeners who's joining us today? And I can't wait to dive in.

Caitlin’s Path From Engineering To Beauty

SPEAKER_03 1:40

I'm so excited about this. So today we have Caitlin Snyder. She is the founder and head of innovations at East and West, a prestige health skincare brand rooted in science, elevated by story, and driven by purpose. Trained as a biological engineer, she brings a rare blend of technical fluency and aesthetic instinct to the beauty industry. Her early experience at Tata Harper deepened her understanding of how chemistry, sustainability, and system thinking intersex in modern skin care. Welcome. We are so excited to have you with us today. Thank you for braving the weather and being with us. I'd love for you to just kind of you know share your story as to what got you to the industry that you're in today, because usually there's some reason that kind of brings you there.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Absolutely. No, thank you so much for having me. I am taking in some of your 70-degree weather while it's sub-freezing here in New York. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

You may have it.

Art Meets Science In Skincare

SPEAKER_02 2:49

You're very giving. But yeah, my background, as you kind of hinted in my bio, is a little bit nonlinear, going from biological engineering to beauty, skincare. But I can help connect some of the dots. So growing up, always had sort of the classic, you've heard the story before, engineering background of like, which is true. I loved taking things apart. You know, I was always the kid that was like, but why? But why? But how's it work? Tell me more, right? Which has luckily served me well these days. But on the other side of it, I was also the one that like always had a magazine subscription. I loved seeing ads, always had an appreciation for something really beautiful. Instead of like celebrities on my wall, it had like perfume ads, you know, like really glamorous moments. It was a big project grandma fan. And it's funny because in sort of the traditional pathway, those things are really separate. Like the sort of beauty fashion world lives over here, and STEM and science lives over here, and never the two shall meet. But in reality, I was like, you know, I have these two loves and two interests. Like, there's gotta be more people out here that are like me. And I found like really in my research or just talking to friends, it's like, you know, if you talk to any scientist, engineer, they'll always describe their processes. So experimental, creative problem solving, as like in some cases throwing spaghetti at the wall, seeing what sticks, and really challenging that way. But if you talk to artists too, they'll describe how technical their work is and very exacting. And it's in no way just wake up and make a masterpiece, right? It's very technical and systems oriented. And so I was like, all right, these things really want to be together. And it was true in my work as well. I started off traditional engineering, working in like large-scale manufacturing and the process, but I always missed that human connection with what we were doing, right? The best tech in the world that people don't know how to use doesn't do anything for us. And this the same thing was true of skincare. I love to talk a little bit about, you know, tech meets art, art meets science. And it can sound really frivolous on the the front end, but you know, something beautiful that you love to have on your counter is something that you'll reach for every day. And the key to great skin is regularity of use, right? So it always comes together. But that was my journey is I wanted to bring, you know, the technical know-how of skincare to like that is hard science. Like we're dealing with skin, we're dealing with real results. With frankly, like the beauty, the fun, the style of the beauty world as well, which is, you know, nobody has 15 different lipsticks and lip glosses because their lips are that dry, right? It's like it's fun to collect these things. And so it was all about raising the aesthetics of skincare to the expected results of skincare as well.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Love that. Oh my gosh. So, how long were you in the corporate engineering space?

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Yeah, for a long time, for many years. And it was one of those things where you study for years and you, you know, classic school where you learn all your knowledge, and you're like, all right, and now I'm gonna go out there and apply it. And when I got to the real world, it was one of those things that was like, you know, a lot of research and a lot of of engineering, you stay really siloed and like you were piece of the technical space. And I just love seeing the total process. There's one piece of engineering that is, you know, building and structural, et cetera, but there's the other piece that's like, how do all these things fit together? And so it really served me super well because again, like first thought, engineering and skincare feel so separate. But I I really think that the core of engineering is creative problem solving and like seeing a complex system and finding a smooth way to solve for it. And so while the technicalities are different in the day-to-day, it's like really the process solving is is very similar.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

And I would imagine like the competitive edge, because you enter into an industry that is ultra competitive and then transition into another industry that is also super competitive. So being able to take all of that on, did that influence you at all as you were looking to make the transition?

Competing In A Crowded Beauty Market

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Absolutely. You know, who doesn't love a little competition? Well, that's like to tell you it's funny because you, you know, you have those days where you're like, there was an easy path. Why did we take that path? But then it's like, you know, the glutton for punishment. I'm like, but it's fun at the end. Like, where's the satisfaction?

SPEAKER_01 7:27

That's the other thing. Like you could have done, yes, you could take the easy path, but that's not your purpose.

The Root Cause: Chronic Inflammation

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Exactly. Well, and then it's funny because in skincare, you know, you can hardly say that there's not skincare out there, right? And so, especially launching in 2025, as we did, it was so clear to me from the get-go that I was like, if we're gonna do this, this is not gonna be, you know, white label, put our sticker on, you know, mass-produced product and just call it a day. We really, I really wanted to do it to solve a problem, right? I didn't want to just put more product out there for whether it's a sustainability conversation, a brand conversation, or frankly, just the a years of my life conversation, right? It just wasn't interesting or compelling to produce something that's already been made. And so I was like, all right, like if we're gonna do skincare, what problem are we actually solving? And this is really where the engineering brain, the why why, why came in because I didn't need to do any research to know we're worried about wrinkles. I knew that. That was very clear, right? I know wrinkles are an issue, redness, dryness, dullness, the list goes on and on. I was already armed. I'm a woman in the world. I knew that problem. But what was interesting to me was starting to ask the question of okay, well, why do we have wrinkles? Like, what's actually creating that? Or, you know, why is my skin red? Why is our skin getting more dehydrated, especially as we age? It's really common to say, you know, as you get older, your skin gets dry. But like, what's happening to actually facilitate that? And so it was really fun to build that infrastructure out because as you start to continue asking that question, it actually always really funnels back to the same root cause, which is I'm very happy to tell you, I've got the answer. I'm gonna share today. It's inflammation in the skin, chronic inflammation. Interesting. And this was such a like a lightning bolt moment because I was like, oh my gosh, this couldn't be simpler. Now we're solving one problem and you'll meaningfully see multiple results versus chasing these sort of surface level issues where I'm like, is it wrinkles today? Is it redness today? And that's where you start to see the challenge of like a 15-step routine. It's like not even a question of what serum am I supposed to use. It's like supposed to be using 10 different things, right? And so once I found this sort of real root cause issue, I was like, A, nobody's talking about this. And B, like, we can actually make a difference here and like demystify this kind of complicated world of skincare.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. So inflammation.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Yes. Inflammation. There it was. It's an interesting bridge between this idea of like visible signs of aging and then your invisible signs of aging and how those things go hand in hand.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

Okay. So you figure out its inflammation. And so what do you do with that information?

Simplifying Routines To Three Steps

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Absolutely. Where do we go from here? Well, one of my favorite parts of this job, this world, is talking to real people. I talked to hundreds of women before we even got started because it was like, okay, I've worked in the industry. I know that there's great ingredients out there. I also know what the problem is, right? So I'm like, if we have the solution and we have the problem, like what's not connecting here? Like, why isn't skincare just solved and we can all move on with our lives, right? And so it was really interesting to chat with people because 0% of the answers were like, if I had enough peptides, if I had more hyaluronic acid, my skin would be peak skin and I'd never have to worry about it again. It's like, that's never the answer. The answer was more human routine things. It's like, I don't even know what a serum is, or I've been using the same products for years and it's not really working like it used to 10, 20 years ago. Or, you know, my daughter recommended this for me and it works great for her, but I don't know if it's working for me. Or how do I build a routine? You know, the list goes on and on, and these are probably like really familiar challenges. You know, we've all been in the store where you're looking at the wall of CRMs and you're like, I gotta go. Where am I gonna completely?

SPEAKER_03 12:25

Yes. Every time it's oh, and you're like, oh my gosh, like what do I buy?

Why Double Cleansing Isn’t Required

SPEAKER_02 12:37

You've got really enthusiastic people saying, like, this isn't it, this is the solution. And then you scroll and somebody else is like, no, this is it, right? Really hard. And so that's where it was like, oh, this is actually great news because what I'm finding is on the technical side, there's one root cause. And on the functional side, we need to minimize our routine and sort of demystify. So I always like to describe our system, our routine as maximalist results, maximalist impact, minimalist routine. So it's only three steps: one, two, three. Everything's gotta do more. Same routine, am, p.m. You're fighting that root cause, and you do the same thing twice a day, every day.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

That's my language. That's that's right. Yeah. The biggest thing that deters me is like, oh, well, you only use this at night, or you only use this in the morning. And if I'm on the road, that means I'm packing all of the products because I have to have my morning and evening routine. And so I just stay away from it. If you can narrow it down to just four or five.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

The wording fades, and then I can't read if it's the morning or the evening, and then I need my glasses, and it's just like and I'm just like, forget it. I don't even know.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

And you're like, the last thing you want to hear is try to figure this out. I'm like, you know, this double cleansing is a big trend right now. And I'm like, it's a miracle for most people if you're washing your face once. Like, what are we doing?

SPEAKER_01 14:02

I've seen that. I didn't pick that practice. I did not.

SPEAKER_03 14:05

I don't, I have to I have to brush my teeth twice, but that's it. I don't have time to wash my face twice.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Oh no, they're double cleansing in the exact same setting. Like they're doing it at the same time. No, yes.

The Three Products And How They Work

SPEAKER_02 14:16

The double cleanse, the triple cleanse, it's it's chaos. Before you, let alone like starting or leave on layers. No, it's it's really crazy. And so, so yeah, so that became really the mission because like I think so often, you know, in other industries, right? If you have a toothache, you know, you go to the dentist and they fix your tooth and you move on. If you have a breakout or a wrinkle, it becomes like somehow it's become this like moral failure and like my skin hates me, you know, I don't know what to do. Like, I just oh, like I should be doing this, but I just don't. It's like becomes so overwhelming. And it's just science. And and you know, there's pressure for everybody to be skincare obsessed or a skincare expert. And it's like, don't worry about it. You got that's what I'm here for. You know what I mean? Like this, I have plenty of science to share. It's all in our site, you can see it. But how do I do this in a way where you can just feel confident and like move on to your rest of your day? I mean, I it's yes, it's ironic. I always like to say, like, your skincare should be like the least interesting thing about you, right? Like, don't get me wrong, I think our skincare is pretty interesting. But it's like if it's taking up half your day and you're taught it's all you talk about, and it's you know, it's too much. It's doing too much.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

And so, you know, happy to say that there's only really three keys to getting great skin. You know, I hope that you use Routine. I think it's a really great one. But it's three things it's good ingredients, regular use, and proper application. Ingredients are, you know, really common. We talk about ingredients a lot. We'll talk maybe a little bit about ingredients today. But where I see most people fall off is on like that proper application and regular use. So if we can cross that bridge, it all works. We're halfway there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:01

Okay. That's huge. So twice a day. So tell us about the application because I'd be like, well, how hard is it to apply something? How do you think exactly? But I'm like, I probably could.

Building The Formula And New Tech

SPEAKER_02 16:11

Well, it's funny because it's in three steps, easy, no-brainer. In like 10 steps, that's where it gets a little dicey. So for us, all of our products replace multiple products in your routine. So three steps, we have a cleanser. Now, your cleanser is gonna do cleansing, of course, but it's also gonna be your makeup remover and a hydrating mask. So if you've ever had that cleansing step where you wash your face and you're it's like saran wrap moment, it's really tight. You're like, oh God, I need the moisturizer now. This is not gonna do that. So on a scientific level, it's actually an oil-based cleanser. So you can think of it as like dissolves like. So an oil-based cleanser is really gonna break up makeup, it's gonna break up any excess oils on your skin, it's gonna break down any SPFs, but it all washes away clean without that like harsh stripping feeling versus a water-based cleanser where you know it really can't break, think of water and oil together, really can't break up those, that layer that might be like stuck on your skin. And it's really nourishing. So you wash it off, you're really comfortable, and you've got this great base layer. Because the last thing you want to do is you finally it's the end of the day, you've built up the energy to wash your face, and now you're uncomfortable and you've like disrupted your barrier and and all these negative impacts. So that's step one. Wash your face one time, you're good. Step two is our mist, and there's a couple different things that this replaces as well. So this is gonna replace a toner, it's gonna replace an essence, and it's also gonna replace sort of a refreshing mist spray. Like the way that it does that is it gives you all the brightening that you'd want in a toner without some of those harsher acids that you typically get there. The hydration of an essence with that fresh, cooling feeling of a mist. All in one place. You're good to go. No finding a cotton pad, no searching through your bathroom. And then last but not least is our what we call a serum, which is your serum and your cream moisturizer, all in one. So no confusing layering of different serums for different benefits, and then figuring out what moisturizer to put on top. It's all in one step, really, really lightweight, disappears into your skin. So you don't have any like hilling or stickiness or heaviness. One, two, three, you're done.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

And very the same in the morning and in the night.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

So the same same A, same PM. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Easy.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

How did you arrive at this formula, right? Because you have just, I mean, as you were going through, you named nine, 10 different products that individuals probably utilize, like by themselves. How did you figure out the formula and the combination that would actually work?

SPEAKER_02 18:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I mean, I fortunately am a skincare junkie. So I'm like, I had these products in my in my bathroom. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Were you a double cleanser before? Yes. You know, double cleanser.

Clinical Proof And Cellular Turnover

SPEAKER_02 19:04

I'm sort of in the category of like all or nothing. I'm like double purple cleansing, or I'm like, I was at the office late and I fell asleep with my makeup on. You know, I'll be honest. I'll be honest. I'm I'm a real person too. But I, you know, I have these products. And so I have my own experience. But beyond that, you know, it's great because people use these products every day. So people have really deep insights into whether they think they do or not, into what's working and not working. And it was really interesting to see that like just the number of steps was becoming an issue. And the key to a lot of products working is regularity. Like with our products too, there's going to be benefits that you see pretty quickly. But some of those more meaningful benefits, like dark spot reduction, wrinkle reduction, some of that deeper hydration takes a little bit of time. And so if you're you're skipping or you're hopping around or using different things on different days, just never has a chance to really set in, which is where that frustration around like nothing plays well with my skin always seems to set in. And so when I was developing online, really again started with ingredients. It started with the science. And so I had this new lightning bolt of, you know, inflammation is the problem. We have this root cause. And so we needed to develop some new tech and to actually address that. So really happy to say that we have our own patent pending ingredients. It's across all three of our products. Really exciting. Congratulations. That's huge.

SPEAKER_03 20:33

Yes, big deal.

Works For Men And Different Skin Types

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Thank you. Thank you. But we did a ton of research with it to say, you know, how does your skin work? What is causing inflammation? How does chronic inflammation like manifest in your skin? What are those processes, right? And so it's actually nanotech. So it's not a big molecule that's gonna sit on top of your skin. It's able to actually be absorbed into your cells. It's got three levels of action that really, on the individual cellular level, make a big difference over time. So we developed that tech, but you don't have to take my word for it. It's heavily clinically tested, really, really wonderful results. We did gene um gene testing on it. And it's basically clinically shown to bolster your own cellular turnover. So it's not just, you know, a band-aid type of deal, but it actually makes your own cells produce more growth factor, turnover at a higher rate, because you know, your individual cells are what lead up to this like total skin health moment. So really exciting.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

I feel like everyone that listens to this is gonna be like droving to get this product. So is this a product that can work for men?

Ingredients For Balance And Hydration

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Absolutely. This is one of my favorite topics to cover. I'm like, please bring the men into the skincare world. You know, us ladies a lot of times have used so many things that we're familiar with, different textures, et cetera. Honestly, one of the biggest, and he'll probably get a kick out of this, but one of the biggest converts have been like my dad. He's ex-military, is actually so good at the routine part. He's like, I don't care about, you know, what it's, I don't know what it's doing, but I'm like, I'm gonna do it every day, twice a day. But it works great for them too. Inflammation is sort of a universal challenge of different ages, different genders, et cetera. It can manifest in different ways. You know, men have thicker skin than women do. They tend to be a little bit oilier, et cetera. But again, that that fundamental challenge, if you address it, the different ways that it manifests actually don't make a difference because you're addressing this fundamental challenge. That's okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Well, and so I'm assuming then that's what speaks to the individuals that think, well, you know, you don't understand I have dry skin or oily skin or combo skin, or I have more mature skin, or I spend a lot of time in the sun, or I never see the sun. Um what do you I'm assuming that that speaks to all of the potential objectives that you would receive.

Individual Differences Vs Shared Biology

Holistic Health And Dermatology

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Totally. No, I think. They're really great questions, and I love when people push back because you know it's important. I mean, I find skincare to be such an interesting space because it's so intimate. I mean, it's such a product that, like, you twice a day, every day you're putting it on your face, you know. It also travels with you, it lives in your space. Like, you should be asking these questions and be skeptical, which is part of why we have the testing, right? Third-party testing. Always live for that. But the answer to that is really this root cause idea. And I actually have two thoughts on this. The first is we support our core ingredient with a plethora of other ingredients, right? So inflammation is right here at the top. Let's address the root cause. But we still got challenges that we're worried about today. Like it's great to think about the future, long-term skin, glow, health, et cetera. But like if you're waking up today and you've got a wrinkle or some redness or some irritation, like you're not thinking about tomorrow. You're like, how do I look glowy today? And so this is where some of those supporting ingredients come in. So if you have oily skin or dry skin, in either case, you want more water, right? And you want a balanced sebum. So we have ingredients in our cleanser, for example, that are super hydrating, think literally water injecting into your skin, and then a humectant layer that really seals it in without it feeling heavy, sticky, et cetera. Sebum regulation is really important. Again, whether you're trying to regulate up or regulate down, it's all about finding balance. So we incorporated ingredients too that help regulate that in your skin. The second thought that I have too is you know, it's a really interesting challenge in the world of skincare, this idea of everybody's skin is different. And in some ways that's true, and in some ways it's not true. And the reason why is controversial, but the reason why I say that is I think it's become this kind of rhetoric of all of our skin are completely different, has actually made it like a mental challenge for us to overcome. Where like, if my skin is completely different from your skin and your skin and your skin, how could I possibly solve these problems? Right. Of course, everybody's gonna have individual challenges. People are more acne prone, they have drier skin, thinner skin, et cetera. But fundamentally, we understand how skin works. We can address those problems and we can address underlying challenges. And so that's really where I like to operate is like it's not an infinite pool of infinite challenges that we couldn't possibly hope to understand. It's like there are things that we can understand. You might be prone to some more unique manifestations of skin health, but I promise you there's a solution.

Closing Thanks And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_01 25:29

But you're kind of focused on like that baseline 80-20 when you look at the 80-20 rule, right? Like you're like, if we can address 80%, because 80% is probably in this bucket anyway, and then you have those specific individual cases that will fall within that 20%.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Exactly. And beyond that, too, you know, I'm like the number one person who advocates for holistic health. You know, you always want to incorporate a dermatologist, your health practitioner, dietitians, etc. You know, none of these systems operate on their own. I always actually like to say your skin is almost like the canary in the coal mine. It can actually show a lot of physical manifestations of like other challenges. You know, a classic example is like you eat chocolate and you get a pimple, right? It's like really clear time, gut health to skin health. And so you always want to incorporate healthcare professionals or other practitioners to make sure that your holistic system is working well, especially when you see it manifesting in your skin.

SPEAKER_00 26:27

Thank you for joining us today on the Reignite Resilience podcast. We hope you had some aha moments and learned a few new real life ideas to fuel the flames of passion. Please subscribe on your favorite streaming platform, like or download your favorite episodes, and of course, share with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you again next time on Reignite Resilience.