Rethinking Skincare + Resilience with Kaitlyn Schneider (part 2)

A yoga trip, a shared mat, and an instant breakout became the perfect catalyst to rethink one of beauty’s oldest myths: if it burns, it works. We dig into why calmer, science-backed routines can outperform harsh quick fixes and how the body’s own regenerative power thrives when we stop overwhelming it. From separating acute inflammation from its chronic cousin to explaining how cells “budget” energy for collagen and barrier repair, we translate complex biology into choices that make skin stronger, calmer, and visibly healthier.

We also go behind the scenes of formulation. Potent actives mean little if the texture is sticky, heavy, or fussy. We talk about building elegant, fast-absorbing formats that you’ll actually reach for every day and why clinical testing is the north star when motivation wobbles. Data gives confidence: real measurements, real images, and results that stand up on hard days. Then we connect performance to behavior through branding. Packaging isn’t vanity—it’s a cue that keeps products on your counter, not lost in a cabinet. Designing for women over 50 with bold taste and big stories, we merge lab-grade efficacy with perfume-worthy objects that invite ritual and reflect identity.

The entrepreneurial thread runs throughout: leaving a secure engineering path to craft something new, navigating doubt without shortcuts, and staying close to customers long after launch. Optimization may not sound glamorous, but it’s how a brand stays relevant, responsive, and genuinely helpful. By the end, you’ll have a reframed view of inflammation, a practical lens for evaluating skincare, and a fresh respect for design as a tool for consistency. If this conversation sparks an idea—about your routine or your next leap—hit follow, share with a friend who loves science and beauty, and leave a review to tell us what you want explored next.

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Chapters

• 0:06 Lighting The Inner Fire
• 0:18 Show Welcome And Hosts
• 0:41 A Pharmacy Lesson On Gentle Care
• 2:11 Rethinking Inflammation And Aging
• 3:47 Cells, Workloads, And Collagen Priorities
• 5:23 Acute Flares Versus Chronic Stress
• 5:49 The Power Of Packaging And Experience
• 7:16 Designing For Women Over 50
• 9:11 Perfume Inspiration Meets Tech Skincare
• 12:19 Formulation Surprises And Texture Trials
• 13:54 Entrepreneurial Doubt And Daily Grit
• 16:22 Data, Clinicals, And Confidence
• 17:45 Goals: Optimize And Expand
• 20:35 Where To Find The Brand
• 22:03 One Core Piece Of Advice
• 23:40 Closing And Listener CTA

Transcript

Show Welcome And Hosts

SPEAKER_02 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 Kat.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Trusting an expert, and that's that's something that my youngest daughter and I actually experienced. We were out in Central America over the holidays, and I took her to this fabulous yoga center, and we did this yoga practice, and we didn't bring yoga mats because we were doing international travel. So we used a communal yoga mat. Well, the sides of her face started to break out immediately. And so I was like, You need something strong. You need to scrape it off your skin, get astringent. And we went in to the pharmacy. And again, just looking at the different level of service that we receive in different parts of the country, we went in to see the pharmacist and I asked for that. You know, I was like, I need an astringent or something for her face. And the pharmacist said, Wait, what's happening? And so we goes, you don't need that. Let the body do what it's going to do, which when you talk about like the regenerative part of it, like the proprietary ingredient that you have that speaks to that. I think that's the part of it that we want to make sure that we don't forget is that we can still use fabulous products and allow our bodies to do what our bodies are going to do. No, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. And so she has great topical cream that worked within 12 hours. Had she listened to mom, she would have probably walked around looking worse. It would have been bad.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

It's so true. And it's it's so interesting because it's a perfect example of where the challenges lie. You know, I think that there's been like a really common universal knowledge or thought of harsh is good. If it's stinging, it's working, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Growing up in the 80s, that's what I grew up in that time frame. Like it better sting or else it's not working, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Totally. And it's it's interesting because even with really great ingredients like you know, retinol is really common, they can be so irritating. And so it's like, you know, even in those cases where you're trying to do something good, it's like you solve one problem, but then you're introducing a new problem. And so taking a step back with inflammation, a lot of times I'm like, it's the root cause of all aging. But if we take a step back, inflammation is not inherently bad, right? It's part of our immune system. Like it's actually really good that we have this, right? And so you want this sort of inflammatory reaction, especially when you're addressing like acute issues, like a reaction to something. If you get a cut, right, you see swelling, et cetera. Where the challenge lies is that chronic piece that's really, really important. But this is where you get that like always on fight or flight constant sort of issue. And that's why it can be really hard to detect because it's happening every day, it's at a low level, it's not front of mind. And so when that's operate, when your body is operating that way, you know, you don't see it. It's a re it's nobody's fault. And think about the lives we live. I can't remember the last time I talked to somebody who was like, no, we have no sleep issues. My sleep is perfect. I fall asleep at eight o'clock, I wake up, no challenges, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:25

And the moment you say that, it's well, here you go then.

Cells, Workloads, And Collagen Priorities

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Then it's like, you know, compound that with the fact that we're pollution, our exposure to blue light, UV, you know, your inbox, right? It's all these things compounding that lead to this sort of chronic challenge. And so your cells are really not different day to day from our own lives. So you can think of like your day to day, you've got, you know, a dozen emails to answer, you've got to cook dinner, you got to commute maybe. Well, if your inbox is at like a thousand emails, you're probably not cooking a gourmet meal. You're probably gonna call DoorDash, right? And maybe call a new curve. And so cells are the same. They've got their own metabolic processes, studio, they've got this anti-inflammatory process, they're doing protein synthesis, which to simplify that down, is like if your cells are never able to eliminate inflammation from their to-do list, they're not gonna have the energy, the time, the functionality to focus on collagen synthesis, collagen production. You know, we always forget that like our cells do these things, right? They're not gonna have the energy to focus on division and regeneration or barrier building, right? And that's where with inflammation over time, you know, the short term is obvious. Redness, puppiness, we think of these as inflammation. But over time, if your cells aren't able to focus on barrier repair, a barrier breaks down, it's not able to hold in water, and you see that deeper dehydration. Even longer term, if your cells are chronically focused on, you know, an inflammatory pathway, they're not focusing your energy on collagen synthesis. And so this is really where focusing on that root cause is able to help your cells actually just perform what they do naturally even better, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Like just an extra boost. Like just continue to do your thing.

Acute Flares Versus Chronic Stress

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yes. Exactly, exactly. Like give them a little bit of help, right? They've had a busy day. And they have and so, you know, in your daughter's case where she has that acute inflammatory reaction, that's really where you want to bolster your of course, uh consulting a doctor is always the right thing to do when you've got that really visible moment. But soothing your cells so that they can focus on those proper pathways is like so the right move. Yeah. I love that.

The Power Of Packaging And Experience

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Wow. The other piece of creating this product has been in the branding. And that's you started off by sharing us of that with us that that's something that you were always interested in. So not having celebrities on your wall, but looking at product branding, which I'm gonna say this is the first, but I'm glad that you did that. Talk to us about that process because when we're you're launching a product or service for that matter, the branding is also an important key. What was that process like and how involved were you since you were really involved on the scientific side of it as well?

Designing For Women Over 50

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Absolutely. So we're a very small team of one over here. So very involved. Okay, good. I love it. But it was really important. And you've heard me talk a lot about science. Again, like you're launching skincare, it's gotta work. Like that was sort of the baseline for me. No matter what, we're gonna produce something that's gonna really activate, show skin results, et cetera. But for me, it was all about raising the standards for everything else, because the reality is like you have to put your product in a package. Picking a package that's got some intention and maybe does a little bit more is like, why not? Right. Yeah. Make it a moment. And it's always funny to me because sometimes branding or packaging or you know, aesthetics in general get this sort of bad rap for being superfluous, but it really adds to the overall experience of your products. And so, for example, we in particular focus on a clientele over 50 because hey, I'm an only child. So I grew up with my mom and her friends always around, and they had great stories, and they love interiors and antiquing, and they had all these travel stories. And you know, as I got into the industry, you know, I'd look at their products and I'm like, where is this disconnect between like how fun and bold and interesting these ladies are? I mean, they had style before Pinterest, right? Like they are the Pinterest board. Yes. But then their products are like so sad. You know, I mean like it's like a white tube and and like here, maybe it works. And so for me, it was a matter of how do I take the tech that you expect from those sort of white tube brands and combine that with like, what's like the best time a girl can have in beauty? Is for me like perfume shopping, right? The fact that perfumes are selling online is like ding ding ding, a real key to the fact that packaging matters, right? Exactly. Yeah. And a huge source of inspiration for me is I have an aunt who's a flight attendant. She's been wearing the same fragrance, same perfume forever. But whenever she travels, she would buy these like very fancy, very nice perfumes. She'd be like, this smells terrible, dump it out and refill it with her classic like signature fragrance. And I was like, this is so genius. So I really wanted to feel like you went to your germ, like you got some really high-tech creams, and then you like squeezed it into a little uh bottle that you found on the cake.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Your crystal container that sits on your bathroom. Yeah, don't mind having it on your sink, you know, as a as a standard.

Perfume Inspiration Meets Tech Skincare

SPEAKER_00 8:57

Exactly. And again, you know, I've said it already, but like these products live in your space, right? I mean, I literally took our prototypes. I was having a dinner party or something, and I laid out my skincare on the table, and I was like, okay, what could like stay here, right? And not look so insane. And the only ones that made the cut from my personal collection were my perfume bottles and then a very small subset of packaging samples. And so, are you gonna have your skincare as your centerpiece at your next dinner party? No, you know what?

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Exactly.

Formulation Surprises And Texture Trials

SPEAKER_00 9:37

Yes. You know, you think about your bathroom vanity, you know, even the way people display their perfume collection versus store their skincare. I mean, it's right there in the name. It needs to look beautiful on your counter. And I said it at the top, but like the products that sit out that don't have to get put away, you know, when company is coming over or whatever, those are the ones you're gonna reach for. It's truly functional. Again, like the best ingredients in the world that you like put away probably back at Christmas when you're having people over, and you'll find again when you do your screen spring cleaning, those ingredients aren't doing anything for you in the back of your medicine cabinet. And so sitting out prominently, you see it every day, it actually increases your likelihood of actually wanting to use it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

I love that. So putting the bottles out or the containers out at that dinner party is what started the journey of figuring out the containers for products. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Yeah, I mean, I am and inspired by that same story. I am a sucker for good packaging, as you might expect. But it really is like such a fun part of, again, these products that like live in your day-to-day, even more than fashion. I mean, think about how many times you wear a certain outfit versus like how often you see your skincare or you carry around your personal skincare. I mean, we have a mini size of our mist that we put in like a little travel size perfume atomizer. It's really cute. And I'm like, this is living in my bag, right? It's gotta actually say something about me. And that's been true forever, you know. People have you know, the you think of like vintage perfume compacts and this sort of keepsake nature of products, but like they really people assign such a personal feeling to their products. And why wouldn't you? Right. Again, they're they're really intimate products. And and so for me, it was really, I mean, not to be dramatic about it, but it was a respect thing too. It's like it's got to have a package, you're investing a lot of time into this system, this process. Like, God forbid, we put a little bit of care into it, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Exactly. I love it. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

It's brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Biggest surprise that you ran into on your journey, either product or even research and development and the product or even the branding and marketing.

Entrepreneurial Doubt And Daily Grit

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Absolutely. I mean, from a formulation side of things, one of the biggest surprises slash challenges is, you know, you've got the challenge of creating a functional ingredient is sort of part one, but then blending it into a format that you're gonna want to use on your skin. I mean, we've all tried sticky products that are like heavy or they're sliding around. And again, great ingredients that you don't want to put on your face are not gonna work for you. So then making sure that those ingredients are compatible with a format that are like pleasant to use was definitely a big challenge because it takes the same amount of time to formulate it and put it all together as it does to research the ingredients. And so, you know, of course, having different people try it, making sure it's absorbing quickly, that it's not leaving any kind of sticky residue, and that it does all these different things. Minimalism on that side is a lot of maximal work, I'll say. But on a more personal side, you know, this has always been my dream is to bring, I'm a big dreams girl, but to bring something new and special to the market and you know in this sort of entrepreneurial journey, it's it's so surprising how even when you have, you know, a vision that you're working towards, wow, the self-doubt really creeps in at times. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

A hundred percent. Well, we'd love to hear that personal side because I think that you step into that world of entrepreneurship. I always say we tend to have entrepreneurs that come on the show of every scale, but they start out in some space in terms of their journey of entrepreneurship. And so you were in a secure space when we talk about engineering with a company that's reputable, big brand, big name, secure space. And then you say, you know, I'm gonna venture out into entrepreneurship and I'm going to wear all of the hats myself. It's not for the weak at heart, right? Like you have to have that drive and something that continues to push you forward. Talk to us about that. I mean, did you ever get where you were like, I'm just gonna go back to my job?

Data, Clinicals, And Confidence

Goals: Optimize And Expand

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Oh my gosh. Absolutely. No, it's it's so funny because when you meet people at this phase where I'm like, I did it, it's out there. It's so easy to be like, ah, you know, the journey was so wonderful. And I just we explored, we played, right? You're not gonna do that here. We're gonna say BS. There's no ad. Exactly. We know it's easy now to say, like, oh yeah, it's great. I never wavered from the vision. But I just think not as many people talk about it, and it's just not reality, right? And so fundamentally what made the difference for me was the challenge of like, is it ultimately harder? You know, any entrepreneur, anybody trying something new, you have that like voice in the back of your head that's like, what if? Like, oh, this could be what if we did this? This could be kind of cool. And it like fundamentally comes down to like, is it harder to never do it or is it harder to do it? Right. And sounds overly simplified, but like, you know, depending on where you are in your life, it really becomes like that fundamental challenge. It became overwhelming to me, this idea of like, you only lose if you never try. And so, you know, ultimately that was where the the journey began with I have this idea, I've gotta, we've gotta try. And then to tie it all to skincare, it's again, it's a really similar journey. It's all, yes, there's a cumulative effect, but it's all built in the day-to-day, right? So looking back at the past few years, it's like, ah, you know, everything gets a rosy glow, and it's like, oh, so fun. But it's like it's in the every single day where like, I'm not feeling good today, I'm feeling wobbly today. I got some frustrating news. I'm having an argument. You're like, why did I make this decision? Am I enough? Like that's where it really gets hard, was like continuing to make that choice every single day. And, you know, I talked a lot about these patented ingredients and all these choices, et cetera. You know, the I guess good news, bad news in skincare is like there's cop-out options. You can go get a white label product and stick your label on it, and you've got to skip your brand tomorrow. Of course, there were days where I was like, why don't we do that?

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Start there and come back to this one. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

What was wrong with that? Yes. But the answer is you know the answer, right? And so maintaining that reality of like there's a reason why, like creating that deep why at the beginning of like, again, the point is not to build a skincare brand. The point is to solve a problem and like listen to people and see what the actual challenge is. Because if you don't have that, then the cop-out answer becomes really appealing.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

And I think the people that take that route are the people that say, oh, it was fine. It was great. Yeah, it was lovely. You either had someone else taking care of everything for you, or a team of people taking care of everything else for you, or you've put your brand on a white label product and you've gone about your business. Because I feel that the journey of entrepreneurship, the ups, downs going in reverse sometimes, the questioning, it's what makes it all worthwhile at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Totally. And it's funny, I'll be totally honest too. The clinical testing, as much as it's for clients and confidence only, that was for me too. Because then I can at any day I can go back and say, like, I've got the data to know that this stuff works, right? It's not just like, oh, like it feels right. Like, no, no, this is hard quantitative data. I know it works. I have the images, the real measurements to show. And that is a huge relief when you're you're having the hard days.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

That way you know your aunt's not gonna like buy your product and empty it out and fill it with her like snack. Exactly. You created the perfect combo. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

That's like that's like my dream is I'm a big, I'm a big interior design fan. And I'm like, I hope that these products become such a core of your bathroom aesthetic that like even when they're empty, you're like, I can't put that. I've got to get my reorder. That corner looks empty without it.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Oh, I love that. I think that's huge. That is huge. It's so fun. What's your next goal? Next step.

Where To Find The Brand

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Yeah. You know, no, it never stops. I think for me, you know, obviously a big goal is just getting it live, right? Like making it exist. And now I think we're really in the the technical, I'm like making it optimized sounds a little bit stiff, but but really getting it to a place where it feels really natural and just so aligned with our clients. And we've done a lot of great work on that. But I think sometimes the temptation is to get to the finish line of launch and then go, okay, we did it. It's done, right? But the reality is like those conversations that we had before we developed don't stop there, right? The world is changing really quickly, conversations are changing quickly. So in the short term, my goal is to have just as many client conversations, as much in time in person time as I possibly can, to make sure that we're always fresh, relevant, whether it's something as simple as like an Instagram post that feels topical and relevant, all the way up to, you know, making sure our products are still the best that they can be. And so that's the sort of the short-term goal is is continuing process optimization or a nicer way to say that. But long term, of course, extending into, you know, there's a lot of other skin beyond our face. So a little link there, but you know, okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

So exciting. And are you in every market, US and international markets as well?

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Right now we are US and Canada, but expanding fully internationally very, very soon.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 20:37

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Well, when you expand the products line, we'll have to have you back because I'm gonna be curious. What else is that what else? Yeah, we'll have to see.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Absolutely, absolutely. I'm working on the next lightning bolt moment. So Lord.

One Core Piece Of Advice

SPEAKER_01 20:53

I love that piece. I love that. Oh my gosh. Well, how can our viewers and listeners find your product and get in touch with you, purchase product, make it a part of their daily routine moving forward?

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Absolutely. So, right now you can find us on our website, which is eastandwest.com, and that's A-E-S-T-O-N West, spelled like west.com. We're also on Instagram, handle at East and West. And we're always you can DM us with any questions. We're always looking to demystify the skincare process. More tutorials coming. We love a lymphatic drainage massage. But that's where to find us for now. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Is that tutorial already on your Insta? It'll be coming live soon. I just recorded intent. I am going to tune in. All of the things that we do.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Oh my gosh, this has been amazing. Thank you. This was so fun. I really enjoyed this. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Absolutely. I always like to give everyone an opportunity. I I'm gonna just phrase it this way: if you were going to give one piece of advice to our entrepreneurs or potential and future entrepreneurs out there, what would that one piece of advice be?

Closing And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_00 22:07

My number one piece of advice is whatever that back of your mind secret passion is, you know, sometimes it can feel silly or unimportant or other things are a bigger priority. But I think if you really spend time exploring like what is that secret passion, whether it's a hobby or an interest or a favorite TV show, right? There's something that really drives you. And whether you run with it to make an entire company or it's just something that like influences how you spend your time, you'll just find so much more happiness in the day to day on a really, really impactful level. So really finding where your passions lie and investing time, big or small, into that lane. Love it.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

I love that. I think that's a perfect place for us to end. Absolutely. This has been amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and congratulations. And kudos to you for sticking with it, right? Because we talk about entrepreneurship, it's not always easy, especially with the many elements and phases that you've taken the product through. And now that you're optimizing, it doesn't sound sexy, but it's necessary, folks. Um it is necessary. It is necessary. So we are wishing you all of the best as you continue to work through product optimization. And we uh this is a true invitation. When you roll out additional products in the future, we'd love to have you back.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

No, thank you so much. It was such a wonderful time talking to both of you, and and I really appreciate this invite. And I look forward to the next chat. I love it. Absolutely fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Until next time, for our listeners, you all know if you want to learn more about Reignite Resilience, head on over to ReigniteResilience.com, or you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Reignite Resilience. And until next time, we will see y'all soon. Have a good one. Bye everyone.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

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.