Meet Marieme Sane, an engineer and chemist launching The SSSkin Lattes as her first consumer brand under Earthkind Ventures, with all products developed in Santa Monica Beach. She enters the beauty space creating a new category of drinkable skincare that addresses longtime health and wellness in women.

As a double engineer and chemist, you're not just launching products; you're pioneering something entirely new with The SSSkin Lattes. What inspired you to move beyond traditional topical applications, and how do you envision The SSSkin Lattes reshaping the beauty industry landscape?

Marieme Sane: I am part of a generation of millennials that does not want to age in the way our mothers did.
We do not want to suffer in silence through the various aging transitions women go through such as perimenopause and menopause, which are the signals of longevity for women.
Quite the contrary, we are a generation that is young at heart and want our external appearance and wellbeing to be optimized in a preventive way, through a regimen that we can adopt as a lifestyle, and not temporary short term fixes that do more harm than good.
I had my first mirror double take moment, you know the time when you pass the mirror, do a double take, and ask yourself” I am drooping” at 32, which started a moment of consciousness about skin aging. But it wasn’t until I had shocking perimenopausal symptoms that led to a 12 day hospital stay that I decided to go back to the lab and towards the research on longevity, skin aging, perimenopause and menopause and the correlation between them.
The ssskin lattes was born from that research, after the ingredients I was researching found themselves mysteriously going into my morning latte, and as I was both feeling fantastic and my skin was looking more rejuvenated than ever, it occurred to me that this delicious solution was the answer.
A way to tackle skin aging and wellbeing from the inside out.

Your career journey is fascinating; your background spans from managing customer experiences across 49 African markets at Microsoft to building a venture studio with Harvard doctors and research on cellular aging. What was the catalyst that led you to pivot into the beauty industry, and what unique insights has your background given you that traditional beauty entrepreneurs might miss?

Marieme Sane: Beauty chose me long before I chose it. At seven, I was already in my grandmother's kitchen, crafting luxurious shea butter balms infused with orange peels and exotic spices – her secret weapons against harsh winters. Even then, I was fascinated by how the right combination of ingredients could transform skin.
My dual pursuit of engineering and chemistry wasn't accidental; I knew I wanted to merge science with beauty. But the real awakening came during my Microsoft days, in an unlikely place – a tiny pharmacy in Madagascar. I walked in for a simple acne treatment and walked out with a revelation. The pharmacist gave me a full skin analysis and custom-formulated a balm using traditional botanicals. It worked better than anything I'd tried from major brands.
That moment crystallized everything: the beauty industry was missing the mark by ignoring both ancient wisdom and modern science.
I launched my first company – an ingredient sourcing operation specializing in plant-based and biotech-driven compounds. We built a portfolio of over 3,500 ingredients and an innovation lab, effectively becoming the bridge between cutting-edge bioscience and traditional botanicals. My engineering mind approaches beauty problems systematically, while my chemistry background lets me predict results at the molecular level.
Most beauty entrepreneurs start with marketing and work backward to science. I start with cellular mechanisms and work forward to consumer experience. That's the difference between trend-chasing and creating lasting transformation.

Your focus on women's health issues, particularly hormonal and reproductive health, addresses an underserved market. How does The SSSkin Lattes specifically support women navigating their health, and what's your process for ensuring that complex scientific research translates into solutions women seek during their life transitions?

Marieme Sane: The numbers are staggering – and infuriating. We're looking at 50 million working women navigating perimenopause, 1 in 6 young women dealing with PCOS, 1 in 10 women suffering through endometriosis with an average 7.5-year delay to diagnosis. This isn't just a health crisis; it's a systematic failure of our entire medical system to address women's lived experiences.
My research methodology combines rigorous academic literature with something traditional researchers often ignore – real women's voices from patient communities and health forums. What I discovered was a pattern of unrecognized suffering that spans every reproductive transition we go through.
The SSSkin Lattes emerged from this intersection of crisis and opportunity. I realized that while women are struggling to get proper hormonal support from traditional healthcare, they're also watching their skin change in ways that reflect deeper hormonal imbalances. So why not create a solution that addresses both?
Each formulation philosophy focuses on the cellular mechanisms behind both skin aging and hormonal disruption. We're not just putting adaptogens in a latte and hoping for the best – every ingredient is scrutanized based on peer-reviewed research showing efficacy for specific women's health markers.
My translation process is ruthless: if a compound shows promise in clinical trials but doesn't deliver noticeable results in real-world testing with actual women going through these transitions, it doesn't make it into our formulations. Science means nothing if it doesn't work in your kitchen at 6 AM when you're trying to get your life together.
We're not just creating products; we're transforming how women experience their hormonal transitions – from something they endure to something that enhances their vitality and glow.

All your products are made in Santa Monica Beach, where you've described the unique intersection of 'biotech meets beach vibes.' How does this location influence your development philosophy, and what advantages does operating from this fitness and wellness hub provide for your venture studio approach?

Marieme Sane: Santa Monica isn't just our location – it's our laboratory. Here, you have Nobel laureates grabbing green juice next to influencers testing the latest biohacking device, and venture capitalists discussing longevity research over sunrise yoga. It's this collision of serious science and fearless experimentation that makes magic happen.
The beach culture here embraces a radical concept: that wellness should feel effortless, not punishing. Women in our community expect products that perform at the highest level while fitting seamlessly into their lives. They want the science, but they also want it to taste incredible and make them feel amazing – not like they're taking medicine.
This environment gives us something invaluable: immediate access to our ideal consumers. Our formulations get real-time feedback from women who are already invested in optimizing their health but refuse to compromise on experience. They'll try anything once, but they'll only stick with what actually works.
Operating here means we're surrounded by the brightest minds in biotech and wellness, creating natural collaborations that would be impossible anywhere else. When your neighbor is a longevity researcher and your coffee shop regular runs a microbiome startup, innovation happens organically.
The ssskin lattes are not just born in Santa Monica – we're channeling its unique energy: the intersection of cutting-edge science, unapologetic wellness culture, and the kind of confidence that comes from living where the ocean meets possibility.

The SSSkin Lattes is your first consumer brand, with plans to create new brands for each innovative beauty product category you develop. What's your strategic vision for this multi-brand portfolio approach, and how does your vision fit into your broader purpose of addressing gaps in women's healthcare and well-being?

Marieme Sane: We're staring at a crisis in women's reproductive health – and an unprecedented opportunity to transform it. This isn't just about business; it's about refusing to let another generation of women suffer in silence.
My strategic vision is deceptively simple: one brand, one breakthrough category. The SSSkin Lattes tackle the intersection of hormonal health and skin aging. Our next brand will address another critical gap where traditional medicine falls short and women are left to figure it out alone.
This multi-brand approach isn't about portfolio diversification – it's about precision. Each brand gets laser-focused on solving one specific problem exceptionally well, backed by rigorous science but delivered with the kind of experience women actually want. No compromises, no "one-size-fits-all" solutions that help no one.
The studio operates on a core principle: if Millennial and Gen Z women are demanding change, then we will do our best to build the solutions they deserve. We're engineering our way out of a healthcare system that has often failed women.
Each brand represents a refusal to accept the status quo. We're not just filling market gaps; we want the opportunity to help rewrite the rules of what women's wellness can look like when science, innovation, and genuine understanding of women's experiences converge.

As someone who’s created a product to be incorporated into a daily routine, what does your own beauty routine look like?

Marieme Sane: My routine is my laboratory – and my laboratory is my routine. As a chemist, I'm constantly testing custom formulations on myself, often weeks before they hit our development pipeline. Right now, I'm obsessed with exosomes, next-generation retinol alternatives, and some peptide combinations that are showing incredible promise.
But here's the thing – I'm a walking contradiction to the beauty industry. While I'm experimenting with cutting-edge topicals, my real secret weapon is the inside-out approach. I religiously drink my SSSkin Lattes every morning, not just because I created them, but because I've seen my own biomarkers and skin transformation over months of consistent use.
My topical arsenal changes constantly – I'm that person testing three different serums simultaneously to see which molecular pathway delivers better results. There's always a heavy plant presence in my formulas; I have this deep belief that nature got the chemistry right first, we just need to unlock it properly.
The non-negotiables? My daily latte and high-quality omegas. Everything else is experimental. I treat my skin like the most fascinating research project I've ever undertaken – because honestly, it is.

For aspiring female entrepreneurs, or anyone watching your journey, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone wishing to reshape industries with science-backed innovation?

Marieme Sane: I would advise to not wait for permission to address problems that directly impact your life. The most transformative innovations emerge from founders who serve as both their primary customer and most demanding critic. If you're experiencing a particular challenge, it's highly likely that millions of other women are facing the same issue – but they're enduring it in silence while you possess the expertise to create meaningful change.

Thank you!

#PRontheGO