We sat on a bench on a scorching autumn afternoon in 2017. We had just finished another Saturday interviewing people walking out of a beauty store in Palo Alto. I remember telling myself: "Don't forget this moment." What initially took courage and nervous laughter ended with a feeling of certainty that Sift needed to come to life.
We could write about this certainty for ages, about the reasons why we felt so sure that Sift needed to come to life. Lack of representation, complex and unstable recipes, ingredient inefficiencies, unmet needs for melanated skin, the term “bad” skin and so much more. At that moment, and in all of the years since, though, it all ultimately came back to one reason: a desire to share the intentionality of personal care that we learned from our cultural and familial background.
Hold on, though. 2017?
That's right. We waited all of these years because we promised each other from the beginning to build Sift intentionally, the way we learned to care for ourselves. We first spent over a year researching, interviewing, spending time with people at their bathroom sinks, deep diving into the history behind recipes, perusing stores, speaking with shoppers and sales reps, and learning. So much learning and listening. We then spent two years working with a team of scientists to perfect the formula, trying sample after sample and testing month after month, fine-tuning everything from the granule size of a rose petal to the perfect cream-meets-clay base.
And then... the global pandemic. As a business, we navigated supply chain disruptions, material shortages, packaging delays, the list goes on. Personally, we navigated family growth, health highs and lows, and more, holding space and bringing our full selves to Sift, keeping perspective of the big picture.
In each of these moments, we took the time to make Sift even better, learning from experiences (both difficult and celebratory) and holding tight to the values that we set forth from the beginning. We refused to compromise in multiple areas where compromising might have landed our face mask in your hands sooner. Why? Because while we believe perfection is not always achievable, it was important to us to hold our product, Gulabi, to the highest standard.
There is so much to say about this time that we spent building Sift. We think more can be shared behind the curtain – everything from officially incorporating to building the brand, to learning where we can do better and to refusing to follow some recommended paths. Mistakes and how we've learned from them, wins and how we've celebrated them. For those who want more, we'd love to share.
For now though, what it comes down to is that we are not here to rush, to meet any “firsts,” to speed toward a trend. We are building Sift the way we would want the products in our own cabinets to be built, slowly and steadily. The way we have learned how to care for ourselves from our family's teachings.
We launched to our very first Sifters in 2023, and the first time we saw a photo of you using your Gulabi mask, we felt that same certainty about continuing to bring Sift to life. That same feeling that we felt before, on that bench in the middle of Palo Alto on that fall afternoon.
Good things take time, and time can make great things. Here’s to the next years ahead! Thank you for accompanying us on this journey.
