Meet the New Makeup Brand That’s Dope, Clean and Green
So we’re not exactly out of the woods yet, but there’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel as we inch closer towards more encounters with normalcy! This optimistic, springish-feeling may be the reason why our interest was piqued when we saw MOB Beauty on Instagram throughout our nightly sleuthing. Yes, it’s clean, cruelty-free and vegan—which is great, but not necessarily novel. What is standout about MOB’s array of products is that the brand has actually thought through packaging design to reduce waste and the use of single-use plastics—which is quite high in the makeup industry. That means you only have to buy their palette case and lipstick capsule once, then fill it with only the colors you like, and recycle the refills when they’re done.
To top it off—we recently experimented with MOB’s customizable palette of blushes and highlighters and got a slight dopamine rush from how spreadable, moisturizing, and vibrant their lip balm is. A big part of the reason MOB has the clean-but-effective formulations down is because of co-founder Alisha Gallagher. She’s a veteran boss in the makeup industry and has made biz happen over the years for brands like Laura Mercier and Cover FX Skincare.
We recently spoke with Alisha about what motivated her to start MOB, why their Lip Balm is so bomb, and what she learned from past jobs that she’s bringing forth to her new role at MOB.
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You have an expansive background in the beauty industry. What motivated you to co-found MOB? Why now?
I felt I should use my experience to bring beauty to life in a better way than I had before. For me, that means having amazing quality and eco-conscious formulas, but also sustainable packaging that allows us to educate and talk with our community about our efforts.
We’re already obsessed with the MOB Lip Balm and love that the color sustains with the hydration. What went into choosing the formulas you guys did? What were the non-negotiables?
I’m obsessed that you are obsessed! We have a long list of non-negotiables with all of our formulas, which includes only using ingredients we know to be good for people and the planet—but the product has to perform! We loaded our Lip Balm with skincare ingredients for the texture and more pigment than lip balms normally have so your color lasts longer.
What’s one significant lesson you learned from past jobs that you brought with you to your new role?
Company culture has such a tremendous impact on the well-being of your team members as well as their performance. You spend more time with your work family than your real family sometimes, and at MOB, we are serious about fostering a happy and healthy environment where people take positive energy back to their families after a work day ends. We try to create a space where everyone feels safe and supported to try new things and bring new ideas forward. We are a company that loves to create, innovate, and do things differently, so we need everyone’s ideas (especially the crazy ones!) and passion to make cool things happen!
Because experimenting with makeup pairs well with an evening out (once we can all do that again), what’s your perfect night out? Where’s dinner? What’s the music? Color palette? Vibe?
I cannot wait to go see live music again, so that would have to happen post-dinner! Dinner would consist of amazing food and wine at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, Piccino, but I can always be swayed to detour for margaritas and guac! I live for shows at The Fillmore and a powerful performance by the fierce Patti Smith sounds amazing to bring me back to life in the outside world. I cannot wait to wear a full face of makeup: bring on a smoky eye starting with our M39 Punchy Blue Shadow, lots of Cake Liner, and Highlighter paired with a perfect nude lip like our M3. I might even throw on some lashes. Just typing this brought a tear to my eye !