Davlyn Mosley has been uniquely familiar with the benefits of great skincare since childhood. “My mom's career as a dermatologist resulted in me spending a ton of time at her dermatology practice and in hospitals, learning the ins and outs of skincare,” Mosley tells thirteen lune.
“From new products to the latest treatments, I was exposed to it all—and was enamored with it.” That said, while exposed to (and in love with) skincare from an early age, Mosley still felt there was a gap in the market that needed to be filled, especially when it came to creating products that suited all skin types.
“I started Namesake with a singular goal in mind: to create a skincare line specifically catered towards the care of melanin-rich skin,” Mosley says. Mosley needed the line to be powerful enough to target her particular skin concerns as well, which she always found hard to remedy with traditional offerings.
Thus, she wanted Namesake to focus on brightness, elasticity retention, and smoothness. “And it also needed to be gentle enough to work on my own ultra-reactive skin,” Mosley says.
“I brought my dermatologist mom on as an advisor, and Namesake was born.”
Now, Namesake’s products are out in the world and well-received by many. One of Mosley’s biggest brand wins is that customers are “in love” with The Daily Moisturizer. “I knew that it was amazing when my husband and friends were raving about it, but it’s incredible to see how strangers with all different skin types are responding,” Mosley says.
The following are more insights from Mosley about Namesake, early beauty influences, prioritizing self-care, and more.
Do you have a beauty philosophy? What is it?
Keep it simple and make the most with the least. Across the board I like to keep things pretty simple, my skincare routine for example, which you might think would be elaborate, is actually really basic. After years of trying all the latest skincare trends and products, and realizing that my skin simply can’t handle a ton of different ingredients, I’ve learned how important it is to do less. And of course my mom would say: “I told you so!” I try to make things somewhat easy to maintain, so when it comes to my hair, I get it blown out every couple of weeks. I’m slightly neglectful of my hair but, like my skin, it seems to be healthier when I do less.
Where are you from originally? Where do you live now?
I was born in NY and grew up in Washington DC. My mom is from New York so I spent a lot of time there as a kid and, like many, fell in love with the city and spent a decade there after college. I made the cliche transition to Los Angeles a few years ago, which I said I never would do (also cliche) but I love it. I miss New York and try to make it a point to get there a few times a year.
What were some of your first memories of beauty growing up? What are some early beauty influences?
I grew up surrounded by gorgeous aunts and older cousins, all of whom took great pride in their appearance, always in a very natural, understated way. I think we’ve all been deeply influenced by my maternal grandmother who was incredibly chic. She died when I was very young, but in all of the pictures we have of her she is always dressed to the nines. She also had a very impressive career. She was the first black woman PR director at the Harlem YMCA and was also one of the first women to be a civil rights lobbyist in Congress. We have these amazing old photos capturing it all. There’s one with her and Jackie Robinson and another with Jackie Kennedy ONassis where she looks just fabulous. She wore simple makeup, her hair was always done and she was always in a dress, sometimes wearing gloves, sometimes wearing a hat, just the epitome of classic chic.
What does self-care look like in your life?
I’m a mom to a toddler so self care definitely looks different than it did two years ago! My solo time is more limited but I’m finally realizing that taking time for myself everyday is so important and in the end will only make me a better mom. It’s been a lot of trial and error but I’ve learned that even just a 20-minute workout in the morning is the best way to start my day. And that’s really just moving my body in any kind of way. Getting on the bike, taking a walk, going on a hike, doing pilates, etc. A couple times a year I’ll take a solo night away in a nice local hotel. It’s definitely one of my favorite treats to myself as a mom. Now that I’m running a business I’ve found that I could literally work 24/7 because there is always something to do. I’m still figuring this out, but so far a mid-day walk, or just stepping outside for some air has gone a long way.
What inspires you most about the beauty landscape and industry today?
The beauty industry is full of incredible brands which at first can be intimidating, but the thing that really inspires me is that so many brands can exist at the same time, everyone wants to support and lift each other up. It’s been amazing as a new founder to see how supportive others have been in sharing resources and contacts instead of being gatekeepers.
What has been the biggest challenge in starting your business?
I’m new to the beauty industry and didn’t realize how long product development takes, especially when you are formulating a product from scratch. There is so much testing that is required once the formula is finalized and some testing that I chose to do which made it take even longer. I chose to put our product through a clinical test called Repeat Insult Patch Testing, a type of irritation testing that makes sure the product doesn’t cause any irritation over time. It was a two month test that not all brands do but it was really important to me because my skin is super reactive. I wanted to make sure that I’d done my due diligence before releasing the product into the market. So, things take a long time and I had to get better at being patient. It’s always better to do things the right way the first time to try to avoid issues in the future.
What would you like to see more of in the beauty industry when it comes to diversity and inclusivity?
I’d really love for the beauty industry to start normalizing skin texture. So much of the skin that we see on the internet is filtered and it’s just not what skin actually looks like in real life. I don’t think that most people realize that a lot of images and footage on social media have been altered with editing software and different apps that make the skin look poreless and textureless. I think there are handful of brands that are intentionally not over-editing and some who are not not retouching at all. I would love to see the industry follow that path.
