Happy Mother's Day—Meet the Moms Behind Your Favorite Brands

Mother’s Day is all about showing the mom in your life how much you appreciate all she does. We’re celebrating Mother’s Day by honoring some of our mother-founded brands. Learn more about their mom-must-haves and how they navigate entrepreneurship as parents.

Dr. Loretta—Founder, Loretta Ciraldo

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

Speaking to and getting together with my children and grandchildren on a regular basis are total must-haves for me as a mom. I am very grateful to have all four of our adult children living within several miles of us. I feel that constantly being exposed to a youthful approach to life helps me to age in a healthier, happier, and more youthful way myself.

I speak to each of my four children at least four times a week, and since I work together with our daughters Gina and Liza at Dr. Loretta, I am in constant communication with them. They keep me smiling and passionate about everything we do at Dr. Loretta skincare.

What’s one product you can’t live without?

Our Dr. Loretta Anti-Aging Repair Serum! The deeply penetrating Vitamin C not only boosts sun protection, but supports collagen. Clinical testing results on this product are really remarkable. In testers from their 30s to 70s, 100% had improvement in appearance of lines and wrinkles, skin texture, and brightening. And what amazes me most about its efficacy is that after just 4 weeks there was a 54% increase in skin’s elasticity. Since my whole perspective is to use skincare over procedures, I love how much improvement one topical formulation can give to our skin without downtime, discomfort, or great expense.

How has being a mother shaped your business?

Because I am doing this with two of my daughters, it has made the Dr. Loretta skincare brand into a passion much more than a business. My daughters grew up with me practicing dermatology and being emphatic about making people feel more confident about their appearance and aging, I take tremendous pride in all we have accomplished as a team!

Indie Lee—Founder & CEO, Indie Lee

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

My Selfcare Sundays – these are non-negotiable for me! I always take Sundays for myself – I mask, take a relaxing bath, and always clean my makeup brushes. They seem like small acts, but they help ground me for my week ahead and to be the best mom/person I can be. Also, who doesn’t love a little self-care?

What’s one product you can’t live without?

Our I-Recover Mind & Body Gel is something I can’t live without. For me personally, it’s provided a ton of comfort when I experience a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare-up. I was actually diagnosed with R.A. six months before the brain tumor (which I don’t think is a coincidence). The thermogenic properties of the Mind + Body Gel are so soothing and really helps ease my discomfort. It’s also a great scent for providing a small sense of calm during crazier days.

How has being a mother shaped your business?

Being a mother made me look at work/life balance with a very different lens. I realized that it’s not always an equal split between priorities. I’ve learned to accept that sometimes 80% of my focus will be on my kids, while 20% could be on business and other times work might have my entire focus. Accepting this constant state of fluctuation is the way I’ve been able to juggle the important roles in my life. But no matter what I do in my life, my greatest accomplishment will always be my children.

Follain—Founder & CEO, Tara Foley

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

As a Mom it feels like my entire life is now about routines. I make sure to fit multiple self care rituals into them daily, from my hot water with lemon the moment I wake up, to my herbal tea at night, with lots of movement and meditation throughout the day. In terms of my skincare ritual, it changes daily (thanks to the job!) but the Follain Eye Cream has seriously been a game changer for Mom life – especially after a long day or a sleepless night. We made sure to pack it with powerful ingredients like caffeine to help depuff and brighten, and the texture is amazing, too!

What’s one product you can’t live without?

The Follain Moisturizer! Day and Night, all year round, it is a must have product for me (and for so many of our customers!) It absorbs quickly but deeply hydrates, and works so well under makeup. It’s packed with the most innovative ingredients, like peptides, sodium hyaluronate, squalane, rosehip, rosewater and more. A very close second would be the Ultra Hydrating Mask- it is such a treat to take a few minutes for myself at the end of the day, and the best part is if you’re too tired to wash it off, you can sleep in it!

How has being a mother shaped your business?

Motherhood has shaped my business in two main ways. First, it has helped me prioritize better. When you have fewer hours in the day this comes naturally. Second, and along those lines, motherhood has also strengthened Follain’s mission and reason for being. I understand personally how important it is to care for and nourish our bodies – so we can be better for ourselves and our families. To do this, I find it more important than ever, to keep helping people find the best clean products and ingredients for their skin.

Olga Lorencin—Founder & CEO, Olga Lorencin

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

My mom-self-care routine includes: Uninterrupted seven hours of sleep, followed by a good cup of coffee. At least one visit to the beach per week for a long walk. Get-togethers with the most important women in my life once a month. In general, keeping every aspect of my life organized is of huge help.

When it comes to family, we cook one big family dinner together per week and I always look forward to it! On Sundays I usually shop online while doing my weekly at-home facial with Mila, my daughter. I do Red Carpet Facial in a Box, while she does Deep Detox Facial in a Box.

What’s one product you can’t live without?

Currently, our Heal The Need: Rescue & Recovery Face Serum. I literally cocktail it with everything! My skin craves deep hydration and anti-aging benefits on the daily, which Heal The Need got, plus a healthy infusion of peptides.

How has being a mother shaped your business?

It is a forever juggling act! When my daughter was little I always felt guilty when taking on too many clients or had too many project deadlines. Now that she is older, she is so incredibly proud that I am a working mom. Setting a good example of how to be independent and have a passion in life is absolutely priceless.

Susanne Kaufmann—Founder, Susanne Kaufmann

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

As challenging as it can be, it’s important to make time for you. I swear by multi-use products such as our Enzyme Peel that clarifies, hydrates and plumps the skin. It can be applied and left on when enjoying a warm bath. Or on those busy days, I’ll apply it when cooking. Easy to use when multi-tasking and highly effective.

What’s one product you can’t live without?

I swear by our Eye Rescue Stick. The cooling roller ball is ideal for those busy mornings when I need to instantly depuff and energise the eye area. And it’s a great handbag and desk-side essential that I can have with me to re-apply throughout the day.

How has being a mother shaped your business?

It is all about people; how to engage and develop your staff and keep them motivated. And balance. Being a mother is very important to me, so I champion a culture where we all can find a good balance between work and family life.

Virtue—Founder & CEO, Melisse Shaban

What are your routine must-haves as a mom?

My must-haves are TV/Movie night with the kids, attending sporting events with them, and talking with them about our rose and thorn of the day.

What’s one product you can’t live without?

No question: my Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask.

How has being a mother shaped your business?

Being a mom has given me more patience and empathy and affected how I interact with others both personally and professionally. It has made me more conscious of how people can be so overburdened these days, leading to more flextime for my team, exploring a 4-day work week, and so forth.