Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Pimentel.
Hi Diana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
To begin, I was born about 5 hours away in Mexicali, Mexico. My family immigrated to the US in the early ’90s when I was a toddler and settled in Montebello on the Eastside of Los Angeles. I still live here today. Last year, I started a skincare brand named Piel Culta with no experience in the beauty industry, only my hopes and dreams guiding me. I don’t have a college degree, just a lot of community college credits. After I graduated high school (during the recession, 2007) I went straight into the workforce and started working in customer service and stayed with the same company for close to 10 years. I didn’t feel that I had a lot of options and I felt constrained by my legal status, survivor mode is hard to kick. DACA is when I felt windows (not doors) open up for me and ventured into bridal; something was pulling me to look for things that stimulated my creativity.
Then Covid happened, at the time I was really depressed because I had been struggling with acne and the treatments that were drying up my skin, that’s when I started playing with different botanical oils and Guau Glow! was born. Guau Glow! is our first product. In Piel Culta, I really want to focus on self-love through skincare. I believe that skincare should be focused on nourishing and treating the skin, not on correcting or changing it. I really wanna get rid of the “bad skin” narrative and celebrate Latinas of all colors with products inspired by my culture. It’s a way to reclaim our beauty.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a challenging road for sure, I’ve learned a lot since I started with Piel Culta. The skincare/beauty industry is very saturated and it takes time to create a space for your brand, especially when you don’t have an influencer or celebrity status to start from, however, I think this has helped me to build a genuine community around Piel Culta. I am bootstrapping my business so I’ve had to be my own model so I’ve really had to work on overcoming my insecurities. I also have to deal with the anxiety of DACA being overturned once again it really makes it hard to focus on the future but it has pushed me to think beyond limits.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our website is launching on Sept 30th in the meantime you can sign up for our mailing list or visit us at one of our pop-ups.
Purpose: Thoughtfully created skincare, inspired by our cultura and formulated to nourish the skin and empower Latinas of all colors to embrace their natural beauty.
Mission: At Piel Culta we believe there is no such thing as “bad skin” only skin that needs to be loved and nourished, that’s why we’re on a mission to create a skin-loving skincare brand that empowers Latinas of all colors to embrace their natural beauty thru beauty rituals of self-love. We also aim to create an inclusive skin-loving community and platform that celebrates you just as you are while also highlighting other brands and creators of color bringing change to the beauty space.
Vision: Create a positive change in the beauty/skincare industry by rejecting traditional standards of beauty and creating a fluid approach to beauty that embodies the diverse spectrum of beauty in all its colors and natural texture.
We value:
• Community- Safe Space for all
• Celebrate self-love
• Customer Informed products
• Transparency- Ingredients
• Giving Back
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Just do it, you need to get started first and adapt and modify things as you go. Overthinking is your worst enemy. Plan and visualize.
Contact Info:
- Website: pielculta.com (launching 9/30/2023)
- Instagram: instagram.com/piel_culta
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pielculta
Image Credits
Nicole Martinez Photography
