Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorian Morris.
Hi Dorian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a true beauty junkie, which started in junior high—yes, I was “that” girl—rocking the brown Wet N’ Wild lip liner and all. When I would get in trouble, my punishment would be “No makeup!” (which I would sneak and wear anyway, sorry mom). As an undergrad at UCLA, I interned in advertising. Despite successful opportunities such as interning in ad sales at The Source Magazine and media planning at a few different ad agencies in LA, I knew beauty was my true passion.
After graduation, I started my career in retail at Robinsons May (which would become Macy’s) in their Executive Program, starting in Women’s Fragrance. One fun highlight of that experience: meeting Beyoncě during a public appearance for her fragrance launch. I decided to get my MBA to sharpen my general management skills and attended Harvard Business School. While I was there, I interned at J&J Beauty and also facilitated a field study with Carol’s Daughter while writing a case about Lisa Price’s entrepreneurial journey. Post graduation, I joined General Mills. There I learned about CPG brand building, how to manage a PNL, how to leverage consumer insights for strategic action and link brand strategy to marketing campaigns—all skills I would later use when I moved back into beauty. Now that I think of it, there are a lot of parallels between food and beauty since they are hyper-personal categories. Using my CPG toolbox, I joined Kendo as an early employee (which was a division of Sephora when I started). This was one of my most influential career experiences as it taught me how to win with the prestige beauty landscape through a robust education strategy and disruptive storytelling via merchandising. After Kendo, I joined Sundial, leading an exclusive Sephora haircare launch which taught me how to be scrappy within a team where I had no dedicated support (true Entrepreneurship 101). I also worked at CoverGirl Cosmetics, which taught me the difference between levers you play in mass vs. prestige, as well as how to manage large marketing budgets and a vast group of agency partners. Each experience on my journey has been a building block that I now leverage as an entrepreneur. It has been a beautiful mosaic of professional and personal experiences.
After working across these legacy corporate behemoths and building brands for other people, I decided it was time to build one for myself and Undefined Beauty was born. I launched Undefined because I felt something was missing in the industry: authenticity, inclusivity and the courage to do things a little different. There’s power in living “undefined”—charting your own course, breaking society’s constricting boxes and creating a routine (and lifestyle) that works uniquely for you. Undefined is focused on democratizing wellness via clean, conscious, inclusive plant magic. Beauty is wellness and wellness is beauty. Beauty shouldn’t be illusive or exclusive—let’s democratize it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started Undefined in 2018, focused on the beautiful plant wisdom of CBD with the Glow Collection. As an early mover in this category, I’ve witnessed the unfortunate stigma the cannabis plants endures—both psychologically, which impacted consumer adoptions, as well as regulatory hassles that would handcuff the business. I still believe in the power of the plant but had to switch gears with the R&R Collection. I shifted to the plant wisdom of Adaptogenic mushrooms and botanicals which has unlocked significant growth. I think the most common confusion around plant-based solutions, like adaptogens, is complexity—since the beauty of these babies is they adapt to your individual need—so it makes the benefit story less clear. I also think form factors and cost are areas that impact its adoption. Additionally, keeping my brand afloat with self-funding has been a feat. Given my scrappy approach, I’ve been fortunate enough to fund Undefined’s growth via non-equity grants such as Thirdlove TL Effect and pitch competitions, like New Voices led by Pull Up for Change and the Shea Moisture Next Black Millionaire initiative (New Voices had been an extremely invaluable resource for me and my growth), coupled with increased cash flow from my wholesale expansion.
We’ve been impressed with Undefined Beauty, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Undefined Beauty is a skincare and wellness brand founded in 2018. I created Undefined with the mission to democratize beauty and undefine the industry with an unapologetic, uncompromising, unfiltered approach to plant-based wellness. Rooted in Clean, Conscious, Inclusive Plant Magic, Undefined fuses Mother Nature’s plant wisdom with powerful, clinically proven, active ingredients to create high-performance skincare solutions that boost the skin barrier while being inclusive and accessible.
Undefined Beauty’s goal is to simplify and demystify using a problem-solution approach and educate on how these ingredients work (aka what they can do for you) and pair them with clinically proven actives that you can trust will perform. It’s about making beauty and wellness understandable, accessible and inclusive by bringing people into the conversations that have been historically left out. We also strive to create “clean-ical,” cruelty-free, vegan, adaptogen-infused, skin barrier boosting and consciously crafted products at accessible prices. With values rooted in conscious capitalism, we partner with female-founded, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and local businesses across its supply chain, as we believe that business empowers business.
Additionally, we recently just launched our newest product, R&R Hydro Jelly. This versatile prebiotic face/eye serum delivers an intensive dose of hydration via Peptides, Beta-Glucan, Glycerin, Gotu Kola, Reishi, Ashwagandha and innovative Fermentation Technology to balance, firm and replenish the skin barrier for plump, bouncy, lasting hydration to quench both dry and dehydrated skin. Very excited for this one!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Constant positive reinforcements and affirmations to myself. One important mantra that keeps me motivated on this rollercoaster called entrepreneurship is, “Not everything is a transformational moment, yet everything is a transformational moment.” I believe in this beautiful spider web of life and how each decision, choice, encounter or moment is building a mosaic of experiences and creating a story that is uniquely mine. It’s empowering to know that I am the captain of my own destiny and it also helps me approach the unknown with a sense of adventure instead of fear. This approach works hand-in-hand with my daily gratitude practice and has been necessary in reframing my mindset to focus on all the small things in my life that have such a major impact. It’s a manifestation tool to draw in specific energy that I need at the moment. I also have a “gratitude circle”, many of which are fellow conscious female founders like me, where we keep each other accountable. Mindset matters and surrounding myself with positive souls has been a game changer for me as a solo founder to continue to create.
Pricing:
- Product pricing for the R&R Collection ranges from $12-$28
Contact Info:
- Website: https://undefinedco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undefinedbeauty_co/?hl=en
