10 member-founded wellbeing brands to know in 2020

Founded by: Drew Todd, Soho House West Hollywood member 

Year founded: 2019

Your brand in one sentence: ‘Feals is a modern-day wellness brand that provides a better way to feel better.’

What’s your brand’s USP (Unique Selling Point)? ‘Instead of hitting you over the head with preachy jargon, we want to make CBD as easy to understand as possible. Since there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to CBD, it takes some trial and error to figure what dose is right for you. If you need a little extra guidance, we offer support via text message and a CBD hotline.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘I think the phrase self-care has become overused in our culture,’ says Todd. ‘As a result, people tend to wrongly conflate self-care with self-indulgence or elitism. Ie., “You deserve this.” For me, self-care is about finding pleasure in doing something—or nothing at all. It's about investing in the things that make me feel whole rather than constantly focusing on self-improvement. Whether it’s making it to that early morning workout or turning my phone off and enjoying the beach on a Saturday, I’m looking for things that fill my cup and help me feel recharged both physically and emotionally.’ 

Founded by: Dorion Renaud, Soho Warehouse member

Year founded: 2018

Your brand in one sentence: ‘Top-grade skincare for melanin-enriched skin.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘To give African Americans and other minorities quality skincare and provide inclusion in the world of beauty and self care, a space where people of color are often overlooked.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘Self-care means everything,’ says Renaud. ‘Without taking care of our minds, bodies and souls our personal lives and businesses can't thrive. We have to recharge ourselves fully in whatever way that is. I’ve learned through creating a brand that represents self-care, that everything you put out into the world is merely a reflection of what we fill ourselves up with everyday. Let’s have a full cup in 2020!’ 

Founded by: Sally Olivia Kim, Ludlow House member 

Year founded: 2018

Your brand in one sentence: ‘An anti-aging, ingestible skincare brand formulated with marine collagen, probiotics, biotin and organic superfoods (such as matcha, turmeric and lucuma) to help achieve that glow from the inside out.’

What’s your brand’s USP? "All your anti-aging essentials, in one cup. Skincare isn’t just topical; it is a holistic ritual. We need to eat well, feel well and look well. But we know that “eating well” can be hard sometimes, and not the most enjoyable— so we wanted to reinvent that.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘Giving myself the best tools to be happy, and investing into those tools more than anything else,’ says Kim. ‘Once I started focusing on my journey rather than the end goal, I started realizing the importance of taking care of myself. Self-care for me now consists of investing into: my diet (spending more on all-organic, purchasing supplements even though it might be cheaper otherwise), fitness (membership gyms to entice myself to go to the gym every day, even for 30 minutes, and social life (saying no to events and dinners that I know I shouldn’t go to, taking breaks from my phone unapologetically!)— and carving out self-time to write in my journal, meditate and read.’ 

Founded by: Friedemann Seith, Soho House Berlin

Year founded: 2016

Your company in one sentence: ‘Premium organic skin care for men.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘We help men to get their desired skin condition in a shorter period of time.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘To me, self-care means appreciating oneself, your mind, and your body,’ says Seith. ‘It means acknowledging and respecting your boundaries and desires, thus taking time to reflect and get yourself in a position to feel the way you want to. Self-care means saying “no;” it means treating yourself the way you treat others.’ 

Founded by: Nicole Dean, Little Beach House Malibu member 

Year founded: 2017

Your brand in one sentence: ‘Thoughtfully restrained luxury tea.’

What's your brand's USP: ‘KOLLO offers a portfolio of small-batch, single-origin, cold-brew, ready-to-drink, iced teas. All teas are hand-bottled locally in Los Angeles, and are free of all preservatives, sweeteners and flavorings.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘Being newly pregnant, ample sleep is both a necessity and a luxury,’ says Dean. ‘Currently my self-care includes being more thoughtful about not only what I am putting in my body, but also what I am putting on my body. I have taken great strides to update my wellness routine by eliminating toxic body products and make-up, as well as incorporating a more diverse and gentle workout regime.’ 

Founded by: Yen Reis, Soho House Hong Kong member 

Year founded: 2013 in Santa Monica, California

Your brand in one sentence: ‘Skin Laundry is changing the way people treat and transform their skin through safe and effective laser facials.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘We offer safe and effective, medical-grade lasers, performed by licensed medical professionals or laser specialists, at an accessible price-point. We have taken something traditionally found in a dermatologist’s office and made it available in our beach house-inspired clinics to help create a new category in skin care services: Fast-Facials. We have 23 clinics across the globe and can be found in the US, UK, Hong Kong and, soon, Dubai.’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘For me, self-care is all about making small and purposeful efforts to ensure you are taking good care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally,’ says Reis. ‘This is so important because I believe the more we practice self-care, the more confident, creative, and productive we are. We also make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.’ 

Founded by: Namrata Kamdar,  Little House Mayfair member 

Year founded: 2019

Your brand in one sentence: ‘Plenaire is from the French expression for “in the open air,” having the qualities of natural air and light – it’s reflective of a broader cultural shift in beauty today: from closed  to open-minded, from prescriptive to fluid: where everyone has the freedom to create their own beauty narrative without judgement and share it with the world.’ 

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘During our research, it became evident that cultural beauty narratives for younger people were evolving, and the focus on external appearances felt dated and irrelevant. With Plenaire, we could see white space where beauty is no longer just about vanity, but about self-expression. The very process of looking after your skin (and therefore yourself), cleansing and treating it with beautifully made products is often underestimated, can be satisfying and powerful. 

Mental health issues affect thousands of young people in Britain and around the world today. With Plenaire, we seek to recreate classic coming-of-age rituals by focusing on pleasurable sensory and textures, using super clean ingredients and sustainable yet luxe, well-designed packaging that meet their everyday skincare needs but that also have clear messages of well-being embedded into every product.’ 

What does self-care mean to you? ‘I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression after the birth of my second child,’ says Kamdar. ‘All of the techniques that I used to get well again by prioritizing wellbeing and self-care have been invaluable. At the simplest level, self-care is about being kinder to yourself and to those around you. Not rushing to judge others and taking a step back to create space and awareness of your own behaviors, emotions, thought patterns and physical sensations in your body, beginning with the breath. Self-knowledge and kindness is for me, the foundation of self-care.’ 

Founded by: Danny Steiner, Soho House West Hollywood member 

Year founded: 2018

Your company in one sentence: ‘Kenshō is the first holistic health discovery platform rooted in science.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘We do the research so you don’t have to,’ says Steiner. ‘We’ve sifted through thousands of peer-reviewed studies and data about what’s worked. By partnering with Wiley, the world’s oldest and largest academic publisher, we’re able to open-source, evaluate and translate previously private research that illustrates just how much holistic healthcare is helping people. Every practice that we’re getting behind has science backing it up. Ultimately, we want to empower people to make more informed choices about their health.’ 

What does self-care mean to you? ‘For me, self-care means eating a plant-based diet, meditating daily, getting enough sleep (eight hours is the goal), moving my body often, and surrounding myself with amazing people that I have deep connections with,’ says Steiner. ‘In addition to all of these, the most important form of my personal self-care practice is to have a calm, positive, light-hearted outlook on life as it truly makes everything that much easier – and much more fun.’ 

Founded by: Michelle Chen, Soho House Hong Kong member 

Year founded: 2018 

Your brand in one sentence: ‘With the right attitude, right products and right usage, anyone can look their best, whatever their time of life.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘1. No water – Water evaporates skin’s natural hydration, so we use aloe vera leaf juice and coconut water to increase skincare’s hydration level. 2. Logistics - We use air-freight transport under strict temperature controls to preserve the nutrients. 3. Gentle to use post-procedure – Safe for an immediate usage after a laser, medical peel, or any medical spa treatments. 4. Cold-blending – This is our most important process, which locks in all active ingredients at their most potent. 5. Packaging – We only fill our products with recycled plastics, and the volume is 1:1, unlike other brands who use wasted plastic to exaggerate the product size. 7. Good Manufacture Practice (GMP) – Everything is packaged and sealed onsite in Australia to ensure no contamination. 8. Cruelty-free – We never conduct tests on animals, and our product is gentle enough to be used on all ages (even young kids).’

What does self-care mean to you? ‘Self-care means to live a balanced lifestyle which includes work, family, wellbeing, friends, lifestyle, indulgence, entertainment and more,’ says Chen. ‘Just like they say in in-flight safety protocols, “Before you help others, you must first help yourself.”  So I am a strong believer that before you can deliver qualities to others, you must first be contented yourself.’ 

Founded by: Amelia Baerlein, Shoreditch House member

Year founded: 2018

Your brand in one sentence: ‘We believe Hemp can change the world.’

What’s your brand’s USP? ‘CBD mixed with botanical synergy. We have carefully sourced and selected all of our botanical plant extracts to complement the CBD, ensuring every single ingredient in our collection is there for a reason and designed to work in harmony with each other. Whilst CBD is the hero ingredient in all of our products, our customers reap the benefits of other botanicals, too.  Our experience in plant power, aromatherapy and Hemp means we are devoted to creating and blending all of our own formulas to develop products that we believe make a difference.’ 

What does self-care mean to you? ‘Being happy.’