Alicia Keys' New Skincare Brand Urges Us to Rethink Self-Care
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Alicia Keys has always done things a little differently. When she was propelled into the national consciousness in 2001 with the release of her debut album, Songs in A Minor, it became clear that she was a true musical unicorn: a classically-trained pianist singing self-written, chart-topping R&B songs. As soon as you heard the first few acappella lines of her hit single Fallin', you knew this was a unique talent.
So it should come as no surprise that when the superstar set her sights on the beauty industry, she wanted to create something that hadn’t been done before—and that's how Keys Soulcare was born. More than just a skincare line, the brand’s first three products (when used together, they’re known as the First Ritual) are meant to tap into something more than skin deep: carving out the time and space to care for your whole self.
Created with dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder and cosmetics giant E.L.F., each of the first three products—the Sage + Oat Milk Candle, the Skin Transformation Cream, and the Obsidian Facial Roller—comes with an affirmation. “I shine at full wattage,” for example, is the mantra you’ll get with the candle.
To celebrate the launch of her line, Keys talked to us about how Keys Soulcare came about, the lack of attention given to Black and brown voices in the wellness industry, and how she’s been able to find connection in a year of social distancing.
Talk to us about the inspiration behind Keys Soulcare.
Soulcare was born over the years as I started to value myself more and recognized how important paying attention to the spirit and the soul is in order to find yourself in a place that feels good. There has to be this inward dialogue and inward attention paid to what surrounds us, and how to be brave enough to choose ourselves—and that’s what Keys Soulcare is all about.
There are many wellness/skincare lines out there—how is yours different?
It goes beyond just being a skincare line—I believe beauty is not being afraid to love on yourself. To value and uplift yourself, and have the result shows from the inside out. We talk about nail care, hair care, body care, skin care...but I’ve never heard of soul care. Keys Soulcare focuses on the four areas that we call the “Keys'' to create the whole you, so you can feel your most beautiful self. This is not a bunch of products to sell; it’s a state of mind, and our offerings help to remind us to connect more deeply with ourselves. As a community, we are here to guide and support each other as we move through our daily lives and hope that we can inspire each other to become more yourself—connecting body, mind, spirit and with others on our journey together.
One of your “keys to Soulcare” is connection. How are you connecting with others during a global pandemic?
2020 has definitely been a hell of a year, but soulcare is about finding the fortitude and ability to fight forward and fill yourself up before you become empty inside. Our community lives beyond beauty and lifestyle products. We are all about bringing together those who bring light to the darkness, and we're encouraging everyone to be more unabashedly ourselves. The truth is, the more you fulfill yourself, the more you work on yourself, and the stronger you become. You learn more and become more curious and capable, and that’s when your greatness is more profound. My advice from 2020 is decide what’s important to you and make space for it.
Giving yourself space is a major theme of the brand. What do you mean by that?
I really believe in this idea of fulfilling ourselves and taking the time for ourselves, starting with little rituals and ways of lifting ourselves. I love creating morning and evening beauty rituals—that’s my special time! I just need to be able to have a few minutes to really take care of my outer and inner self. We shouldn’t have to be depleted before we love on ourselves. I know soulcare is going to change that traditional narrative and get people in the habit of thinking of themselves all the time.
This is a brand that’s really about more than just products. Can you tell us about the idea of Lightworkers and why that is an important part of your brand?
Our Lightworkers are essential to the Keys Soulcare community. They are individuals who collectively use their voices and platforms to spread light and uniqueness. I love this Keys Soulcare community, it’s one of the most fun parts of all of this. To see others so bravely creating and putting their beautiful essence in the world is such a motivation. And I love sharing the stories of these powerful lightworkers. Especially now, we need deeper conversation and connection and I’m loving it! Let’s keep being our most beautiful selves.
What’s your go-to stress management strategy?
My spiritual health is one of my main focuses, even when there are 100 things bombarding me. It’s important to carve out space to really build up the spirit. My meditation practice, journaling, and a good workout all help me fulfill myself. I also love working with stones because they have so many amazing wellness benefits. The Obsidian Facial Roller helps me relieve and relax any facial and muscle tension, while opening my awareness to the present moment.
We all have skin “flaws." Have you come to terms with yours and how can others do the same?
It’s important to love ourselves as we are! When those feelings come up for me, I turn to the idea of soulcare and caring for both the inside and outside of my body. When we start to care for our heart and soul it also radiates through our skin and spirit.
How has launching a brand amid a global pandemic been challenging?
Everything is challenging during these times. It’s a whole new existence and experience. But I find that, if anything, it’s been really grounding to connect in this soulcare community and continue to find ways to bring to light all the amazing people on the planet doing dope things and illuminating and being uniquely themselves and creating. The conversation we end up having is so much deeper than the surface, and I think that’s what so many people are looking for. This mentality of soulcare, caring about yourself and creating space for rituals, magic ,and moments that you can uplift yourself during these crazy challenging times...it just feels like something we all need.
Do you think there is a lack of Black and brown voices in the self-care space?
No, actually, I think there are a lot of amazing people that are Black and brown in the self-care space. I think the attention and the way many are brought to the forefront is probably what’s lacking. That’s what I’m trying to create with the Keys Soulcare community—it’s about finding so many different interesting people to share common stories, triumphs, vulnerabilities and how to overcome them. I’m definitely proud of being a beautiful, female, Black voice in the space of wellness because I do think that many of us haven’t been shown or haven’t seen a lot of modeled behavior of what it looks like to be good to yourself and I’d love that narrative to shift.
What steps do you think can be made to make the beauty and wellness industries more inclusive?
I think that we have to continue to seek out small businesses that are Black-owned, brown-owned, women-owned, diverse and interesting, and we will find that there are so many amazing people doing incredible things. That will help to create the inclusiveness that we’re looking for, we just have to seek it out. They’re out there—tell your friends, remind people, show them, buy them as gifts during the holidays, and that will start to create the shift.
Our tagline at Oprah Magazine is “Live your best life.” What does that mean to you?
Live your best life means don’t hold back. It means shine at full wattage, just like the mantra on our First Ritual Sage + Oat Milk Candle, which smells so unbelievable. It means just be you, have fun and keep being incredible. That’s what it means to me.
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