Founder and skincare formulator of independent Hong Kong skincare brand SKIN NEED and the city’s first independent home-grown unisex skincare brand, B.Y.O.B (Blend Your Own Beauty), Christal Leung is always on the move. Growing up in California before relocating to the Fragrant Harbour,
You graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in biochemistry and began your career as a formulation specialist in Southern California before establishing ventures in both California and Hong Kong. Do you feel like someone who’s split between worlds?
When I first started out in Hong Kong – yes – and it took my skin quite some time to adjust to the subtropical climate here, in contrast to the dryness and scorching heat in Cali. By heredity, my skin breaks out very easily, and along with the stress of building a career in entrepreneurship, I broke out profusely for 6 months until I could finally use my biochem background to my advantage and co-created, with a US formulating team, lightweight, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory base formulas for what is the Skin Need core collection today. As I age, I do appreciate the humidity here, as dryness and the sun can be detrimental, as they prematurely age the skin.
With your roots in Southern California, what are the hidden gems of the region we should be exploring?
While LA and the Pacific Coast are the epitome of SoCal experience, I particularly enjoy the more laid-back and slower tempo of Orange County. You can easily spend a perfect day strolling along Laguna Beach, visiting art galleries while sipping the famous Urth Caffe organic Spanish Latte with boba, then head to Little Saigon in Garden Grove to taste authentic Vietnamese cuisines that transport you to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.
I’d suggest following this with a 15-minute drive to The Lab at Costa Mesa to get your hipster apparel fix and end this fabulous day with some delicious kebabs from Wholesome Choice Persian market to pair with the Kitchen Sink hummus dip you got from Baba Foods from the Irvine Farmer’s Market. Oh – and don’t forget to finish off with pure fresh OJ from the OJ man in the Farmer’s Market, who still calls me “kid” even though I’m already 40!
You’re now running a lab in Hong Kong. How have your perspectives on the city changed, and what do you love most about the city?
I think Hong Kong is an excellent place to start one’s career with its fast-paced living. People here are so efficient with a great balance of creativity and pragmatism, not to mention that word-of-mouth can get around quickly, which is conducive to brand building, as Hong Kongers are curious and trendy. To be honest, over the years, my love for this city has only grown, as it’s truly a concrete jungle where dreams are made of!
Skin care is as much marketing as it is formulation; in which destinations do you find inspiration?
With a combination of biochemistry and formulation background, I’m obsessed with how ingredients can be better extracted, stabilised, and optimised. But when the formulas are in place, I’d close my eyes and imagine the sensations my products would evoke, and it always takes me back to the time when I was at Malaysia’s oldest rainforest – Taman Negara – home to over 150,000 animal and plant species due to its fertile land and waters that nurture an incredible amount of biodiversity. With my plant-based, eco-conscious skincare, I hope to nourish healthy and resilient skin just like the lush lands of Taman Negara, supporting self-care practices that enable users to flourish – inside and out.
SKIN NEED just opened its first flagship store in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. How skincare savvy are Hong Kong consumers, and what do you suggest for travellers looking to combat the city’s humidity and pollution?
The very reason the Skin Need core series came about was to help me tackle the humidity, heat, pollution and stress that were causing my severe breakouts when I first moved back to Hong Kong. Hong Kong consumers look for products that are efficacious yet lightweight, hydrating and fast-absorbing, and our products are loaded with humectants – hydrophilic ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin B5, Beta Glucans that draw moisture to the skin.
Using only the lightest weight, non-comedogenic, cold-pressed emollients – nourishing agents usually in the form of oils and waxes – our formulations are refreshing and rich in antioxidants to combat the humidity, heat, and high UV index in Hong Kong. All of the above are great ingredients that travellers can look for in their skincare products to adapt to the Hong Kong weather.
Once you’ve gotten used to the sticky sensation from our relatively moist environment, you’ll start to appreciate that it also makes you less dry and less prone to wrinkles and fine lines!
You’ve travelled extensively; can you share some memorable travel stories and how your travels have inspired your products?
In college, for a few days, I camped out in the Mojave Desert, a 3.5-hour drive eastbound from Orange County and a place filled with wonderful nocturnal creatures, to study its ecosystems. Just as we had set up our tent, the daylight sky gave way to a blanket of heavy and dense cumulonimbus clouds, followed by a sudden raging storm with heavy downpour and bolts of lightning. As I shivered in my tent from the unexpected drop in temperature, the storm slowly calmed and eventually halted, and we were greeted with an expansive double rainbow across the endless sky. The unpredictable weather put us in a humbling state of mind, appreciating the more manageable weather that followed and the species it had allowed us the chance to observe and study. It also made us realise that in the face of nature, all creatures are inferior.
This experience was indelible as it not only inspired the sustainability ethos of Skin Need but also my outlook on life in general. The land gives to all, and as humans, we have no right to take more than is needed.
What does your personal skincare routine look like when you’re travelling? How do you adjust it for factors like jet lag, changing humidity, or long flights?
The products I bring while travelling are exactly the same ones I use at home – and that is because at the heart of Skin Need is a concept called Your Private Formula. With intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect our skin condition on a daily basis, a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all skincare routine does not perfectly cater to your skin’s evolving needs – even when you are not travelling! Therefore, the Skin Need series is designed to allow daily customisation of products based on current conditions. That way, instead of switching up your skincare routine, you can rely on the skincare products you use on a daily basis.
How do you prepare for a long-haul flight, and what are we likely to always find in your carry-on?
As a fuss-free kind of flyer, I keep it simple by just using my Cream of Illumination moisturiser and UV Perfect Rosy Pink SPF 40 mineral sunscreen. Since the application of cream disrupts your sunscreen and it needs to be reapplied anyway, I always top my face off with UV Perfect Rosy Pink SPF 40 to protect against beaming UV rays from the window, with its natural rosy hue making me look dainty and fresh after a 13-hour flight to LA – now who’s ready for IN’N’OUT?