Photo Credit Nicholas Kalikow
Malea was born and raised on the North Shore of Kauai, where she hosted a local radio show, acted in community theatre, and was a competitive surfer. She moved to California to continue pursuing acting and received her BFA from Chapman University. Her acting career has been incredibly successful as she has had the opportunity to work on popular productions like New Girl, Two and A Half Men, Hello Ladies, and Entourage. With her bust scheduling of traveling for work, long days on set, and the pollution in LA, Malea developed some skin issues ranging from allergic reactions and dryness to sensitivity and hyperpigmentation. As a die-hard product junkie, she tried everything to get her skin back on track, but it seemed like it was all just making it worse. It was time to go back to her roots and return to what her mother had taught her and bring science-backed results into her daily life.
Malea was exposed to the world of clean skincare at an early age, watching her mother make organic skincare elixirs and other products. When she went back to her mother’s natural skincare method, she cured her skin and wanted to share her remedies with the world. That is how Vie En Rose was born! Made in USA, Vie En Rose was built from the ground up by Malea herself as a female-founded, female-led company. All of her products contain luxury ingredients, high- end carrier oils and are sustainably sourced. Malea has spent over two years developing her products, making sure the formula is perfect for all skin types. Each and every ingredient is handpicked and made in small batches for this Vegan, Clean, Cruelty free brand.
Malea Rose Social Media Instagram | Twitter |Facebook
Vie En Rose Social Media Instagram | Website
What made you want to start a skincare brand and pivot from your acting career?
I originally started Vie En Rose to empower myself, to heal myself and my own skin issues. I grew up in the Hollywood system where women were less than and have to fight 30 times harder than men. Where you think you win people with your hard work and merit only to be reduced to a “blonde” who only could earn things because of her looks or being disingenuous. I didn’t write the rules sadly, I just had to play by them. No matter how high I climbed up the ladder and worked, I was always being disempowered while empowering myself. Being told not to speak unless I was spoken to, while executive producing one of the largest shows, where the director would actually make me text him my ideas on zoom and claim them as his own. The saddest part is women aren’t actually considered equals in the US constitution. The ERA act was never passed, so sadly we live in such a broken system for being the land of freedom and democracy. It is also a town where women are shamed for aging, the most natural thing every single human will do. I wanted to empower timeless classic beauty, not shame the inevitable. Vie En Rose isn’t just a skincare brand to me, it’s my own rose plated handcuffs being broken, while still getting to create beautiful magic and branding, stories, and visuals. How we feel is how we look… and it started to make me feel bad, truly my 1st love and the only thing that has ever broken my heart. Hollywood isn’t going anywhere… but I want to create real change. My clean beauty revolution is a movement, and it has given me so much purpose. I still get acting opportunities, but now I don’t face them from a place of desperation and fear, I empowered myself to learn to take up space – I was frightened to do it before, even when I earned it. I will always have a place in Hollywood, I just leveled up by starting my own company… I’ll be back… even if I’m playing the timeless classic beauty of a grandma I may be. Visual storytelling is important, you get to voice your opinion in a creative, fictional or nonfictional way. There is something so beautiful and liberating about that.
How did you get the knowledge and expertise to create a skin care brand considering how many ingredients, processes and care it requires getting into this industry?
Truthfully sheer naivety! Imposter syndrome is real. I still look at my boxes, my barcodes, my website, the rave reviews from curing others’ skin problems, and think, how did I do this? How am I still standing? How did I build any of this? I had no idea how much work all of this was! Especially since I feel everything I did was trial and error as a 1st time entrepreneur. I am fortunate to have been raised in the most beautiful, healthy place on earth, Kauai, and by the most incredible Mother who was so advanced far beyond the world, when it came to organic foods and ingredients. She would pick herbs and aloe from the garden, order organic oils and we would create elixirs for our skin, and she started a co-op that she ran herself, on the North Shore, to bring organic products to our community. Her beauty and love she put into everything is definitely a badge of honor I wear. When I started to develop the painful rashes/adult acne, I set out on a mission to find natural cures. CBD cleared my skin almost instantly. Despite it being the hardest ingredient to market, and to find at the time, I found the best lab in America, flew there, sat with the heads of the company, and went over every ingredient, products I loved, textures, smells, and started meticulously formulating for perfection for nearly 2 years. There was no way I was going to bring a product to market that didn’t hit every single skin issue I was having, and I did it. The amount of people who come to me telling me I cured their skin problems, relieved them of pain, tightened their skin, cured inflammation, even chronic pain, makeup artists who use my products, celebrities who have me in their riders blows me away. As a small female led company it gives me the ability to connect with my customers, get feedback, and build a real community. I am proud to say every single customer I acquire becomes a repeat customer. The proof is in the products.
You mention your passion and love for skin care and struggling with your own skin. How do you think someone should turn that into a source of confidence and how did you deal with that?
I recently have been reading a lot about how young girls (all genders included) don’t raise their hands in class in fear of drawing attention to themselves, or are dropping out of sports because they don’t want to be looked at. I remember my first week in college, coming from the graduating class of 8 in high school, to a large classroom setting, and falling so far behind in math. I was too nervous to speak in public, raise my hands to ask questions. I was afraid to even take up space at times metaphorically and physically. Self-worth is a terrifying slippery thing. Even if we are raised to be confident, the world is a tough place, and sometimes we get knocked down enough, teased, or experience so much rejection we completely lose our sense of selves. I am a constant work in progress too. Self-talk is a powerful thing. I believe in energy and what we say we put out into the universe, we can create negative narratives that we end up wearing and living by no matter how true or false they are. I am so grateful I didn’t grow up with social media, cyber trolls, filters, contour, the Kardashians, and facetune. The world was so much more honest then. Kids are now getting plastic surgery, Botox, and fillers at a scarily young age. I don’t judge it, if it makes you feel good, by all means. It is why I also am so determined to preach natural beauty, to be educated about healthy skin and wellness products, healthy diets, as opposed to caking on makeup, and eating junk. My products help soothe the skin. Confidence comes from within. Building a healthy relationship with the self is the most important relationship you will ever have. We have 1 body, mind, soul for our entire lives, it should be cherished. I still have my struggles, I still battle with insecurities, but I can proudly say that I am finally comfortable in my own skin, because I strive to be my best self everyday. I practice empathy. I am kind. I try to live honestly, because at the end of the day, I truly only have myself. I practice living in the moment instead of past regrets and future anxieties. Self-love is bigger than skincare, it’s about mental health, how we treat others, and how we perceive the world. Some of us are dealt very unfortunate cards from day 1, but it’s what we do with that, that shapes us into who we are. It is a choice every day to be better, and I think that is sometimes the best we can do.
As a multi-talented artist, what have you learned and brought with you from your acting and producing days? Any memorable lessons or moments?
Do not be afraid to take up space, speak up, or allow yourself to be shamed into silence is the greatest lesson Hollywood has taught me. In a land of creativity, it is a town that seriously lacks imagination. Also, there are times you need to be political and smile and nod, but there are also times to tell someone exactly your truth and to not be afraid to walk away at any time. Sometimes you just need to embody ” take it or leave it” and let go of the fear of rejection. Not everyone is going to like you, especially the more confident you become, but worry when you stop being polarizing. That’s when you become everyone else, and who wants that? How boring. Take risks, be bold, create your own success and projects. The more well-rounded your skill sets are, the more powerful of a weapon you become. There will always be people who want to make you feel small, but that says more about them than you.
You mention Cannarose as the exclusive ingredient for your brand. Can you expand on that?
CBD is nearly impossible to market still because the government thrives and makes money to keep us sick. As do acne companies. So many people are uneducated about the healing properties of Cannabis for the body and how many different molecules there are, that have nothing to do with THC. I trademarked CannaroseTM as a beautiful way to speak about CBD and roses. It also is a potent proprietary complex that addresses the 3 main causes of aging: inflammation, dehydration, and free-radical damage. It makes you glow and soothes the skin like nothing else I have ever tried, and is excellent for all skin types, ethnicities, genders, and ages. My products are strong enough for aging skin and gentle enough for a child’s.
What are the main challenges you face everyday as an entrepreneur?
I don’t know if there’s enough room on this page for all of those. Everything’s a challenge when you wear as many hats as I do. It’s a good thing I thrive in chaos. Learning to let go and trust the process, learning to accept help and how important building a strong team is. To believe in myself, even when I have to fake it. To remember I am no good to anyone if I don’t take care of myself too. Also, to learn the power of “no” and create boundaries. It’s one of the healthiest things I have ever learned and sometimes it takes a lifetime to learn, but it is such a powerful thing. Also, if you compare yourself to others, you will sink your own ship. Stay true to who you are and the ethos of what you are doing so you continue to create unique beautiful things as opposed to putting yourself in a box. If you do what everyone else is doing, then what’s the point?
How do you keep up with the workload and pressure related to owning and developing your own brand?
I am still figuring that out. I am a constant work in progress. I think once we stop and think we know it all, is when the evolution of life dies. I want to be an ever-evolving butterfly. I love boxing, my pets, traveling, and my family. I love creative outlets whether that’s writing or collaborating with friends. Some days I allow myself to just take a midday nap and cancel meetings, because I need it for my own mental health…. and to teach myself it is ok to be human. It is ok to sometimes sleep in and take a Monday off. To take an adventure because your soul needs it. I keep my eyes on the prize, sometimes that means sacrificing social situations and a love life, but we all have our own priorities and choices, and I do believe there is a flow to this world where we can have it all. Even just the simplicity of stopping to take deep breaths or not react, to pick my battles, and not hold myself to some unrealistic idea of “perfection” makes all the difference. If you love what you’re doing and find it purposeful, it’s all worth it. I want to build an empire… I’m still figuring out what that exactly means, but letting go and letting the universe take charge and guide me is powerful.
You also struggled with Graves’ Disease. What did you remember from that time and how did you manage to keep your hopes up?
It is a daily struggle. It’s an auto-immune disorder that causes me to be extra sensitive to most things, and if untreated can seriously impact your heart, metabolism, and health. The thyroid is basically a portal for your entire body. I have to be so careful, because Graves deeply affects my immune system and also is triggered by stress. Something I deal with a lot as a founder and CEO. Stress is a killer. Stress is also something I work on daily to move through. I put so much pressure on myself all the time. When I have to up my meds there are days I deal with horrible depression and chronic fatigue, to the point where I feel there is a brick on my chest so heavy I can barely move. It can also make me extremely anxious, cause major insomnia, and if I don’t rest, I’ll just get the flu. I am constantly on the quest for holistic alternatives rather than nuking my thyroid, but it is an everyday battle that I suffer silently with. I hate complaining and never want to be seen as sick or a victim, but it affects my day-to-day life in a lot of ways. I remember finding out over a decade ago, before I was supposed to have surgery, and the doctor coming in and telling me my thyroid levels were so high, I would have a heart attack if I went under anesthesia. It was terrifying. I’ve even dated people who have used it against me as a weapon, telling me it’s why I do certain things, basically insinuating I was a broken person. You’d be surprised how cruel people can be. I have really tried to be more conscious of listening to my body and learning to not push myself, in areas where I envy others, that they can.
What do you look forward to the most in your life right now both as an artist and entrepreneur?
Something that I am super excited about is a new women’s group I am a founding member of. Right now, it’s called The High Value Women’s brunch, which a dear friend of mine and total badass put together. Ted Dhanik, a founding member of Myspace VP head of marketing and all-around incredible human, curated to bring together this group of force of nature badass female entrepreneurs to empower women. I can’t even tell you how full my heart and soul feel sitting at a table with like-minded business savvy women who are all there to empower one another. It’s strange how rare that can be, it seems simple, but we don’t do it enough. The collaborative energy and ideas that come out of these brunches is invigorating. There is so much power in numbers. I am blown away by each of them for their own journeys, gifts, and brilliances. It makes me feel like the world can be limitless. I know I speak a lot about women, but I truly have amazing men in my life too. Ted has taught me about Transcendental meditation, forced me to work out after my near fatal car accident that happened at the end of last year, and just been a solid sounding board in my life. It’s such a gift. Another man I am so grateful for is Metta World Peace, who is an advisor of Vie En Rose along with his company AMG, and I couldn’t be luckier to have him on my team. He is the king of reinvention and such a force. He truly sees me and is there to help guide and protect me and share resources that help my company and I grow, and to expand my perspective in so many ways, to see things in a much bigger picture than I could ever have imagined.
As an artist and entrepreneur, I have so many new projects I am working on. I’m finally learning the hard lesson of delegating so you can grow. I’m finally taking my exclusive DTC company to retailers and spas and learning to expand, scale, and build a business in ways I never knew possible. I have so much to learn, but everyday inspires a new idea or project. I help consult other companies now, I mentor young girls in a way I wish I had someone to do for me when I first got to LA at 16. I don’t like to speak about things till they are fully executed, but let’s just say there are incredible things ahead. Then of course the irony of Murphy’s law in Hollywood. I was so typecast when I was younger and acting, and all of a sudden, from walking away and taking the pressure off, I have had better opportunities as an actress than I ever did when it was my main focus. I may even start producing live boxing again. For anyone reading this, do it all! Be open to new roads and opportunities, you don’t have to stay in one lane, carve your own.
