An Interview with Orcé Cosmetics founder Yu-Chen Shih
In the beauty industry, the rise of K-beauty, J-beauty, and Asian-inspired beauty trends are weaving their way onto Sephora shelves and Ulta stores in the West. We are familiar with bringing the East to the West - yoga and Zen Buddhism are just a few examples of normalized Asian culture.
What struck me about Orcé Cosmetics, used by makeup artists such as Daniel Martin and worn by legends like Michelle Yeoh, is their ability to illustrate a meeting of East meets West. They harmonize Eastern beauty and Western design. This is interesting compared to today’s beauty climate, where instant 50-shade foundation lines are the norm, but brands often use the same base for their foundation colours without adjusting formulations according to pigment. Instead, Orcé takes a design approach similar to that of slow living - each shade is meticulously developed and perfected in order to create a foundation shade that will blend perfectly with Asian skin.
I’ve tried out the Come Closer Experience Set, and love how hydrated my skin stays while wearing it. It is a full-coverage foundation, which I save for longer shoot days, but it reflects light so beautifully and doesn't have a powdery effect.
I had the privilege of asking Yu-Chen Shih, Orcé’s founder and CEO, a few questions about owning your own business, about the composition of Asian skin, and about holding on to your passions.
Sasha: Orcé is inspired by international women and their journeys - we want to know about yours! Let’s start at the beginning – tell us who you are, what you do, what you studied.
Yu-Chen Shih: My name is Yu-Chen Shih and I’m the founder/CEO of Orcé Cosmetics. I am 27 years old, and I was born in Taipei to a Taiwanese mother and Malaysian father. I grew up in Singapore and moved to Los Angeles by myself when I was 18 years old. I studied advertising and marketing at Pepperdine University, while working as a media planner at a boutique advertising agency. In my free time, I volunteered as a tutor to help homeless children with their education.
As a founder and CEO, what do your days look like? What drives you, and what do you do when you find time for yourself?
In the start-up world, I’ve noticed that many entrepreneurs pride themselves in being workaholics who cannot make time for anything else. Founder’s fatigue is real, and entrepreneurship not a sprint but a marathon. So, I always make sure to set aside some time to take care of myself. Of course, work/life balance was a lot easier to maintain pre-COVID – having an office created a clear separation between the two, which allowed me to “switch off” when I’m not working. Due to COVID-19, we’ve decided to shut down our office permanently, so my team and I are now working remotely. Working from home has many benefits, such as being able to cook my own lunch and not having to waste time sitting in traffic. However, once I sit down at my desk, it’s hard to know when to stop.
On a typical day, I wake up around 8AM and check my emails while I do my morning skincare routine. Then, I make myself a cup of tea and exercise for about an hour. By 10AM, I begin my workday – mainly consisting of conference calls, administrative work, research, strategic planning and progress review across departments. Often, I would take part in phone or video interviews, as well as content creation for social media. I pride myself in being a hands-on CEO, which means I’m involved in every single aspect of Orcé – from marketing to customer service and even product development. At 12PM, I make myself lunch. (I don’t usually eat breakfast.) Around 3 or 4PM, I take a small break to walk my dog Leila. By 7PM, I try to wrap up my workday and cook (or order) dinner. To help myself unwind, I either take a hot bath or apply a face mask while watching Netflix. Whenever I find some extra time for myself, I like to catch up with my family and friends in other countries over video chat. On weekends, I enjoy being outdoors with Leila – whether it is playing soccer at a park (she’s a great goalkeeper) or hiking at a nature reserve.
What drives me is the sense of accomplishment in building my brand from scratch, and feedback from customers/women in our community who let us know that Orcé makes them feel seen like never before.
Tell us a bit about the name Orcé. What does this mean and what inspired the name?
Orcé is a made-up word derived from “force”. Since I was working in advertising, I’ve had a huge issue with the way Hollywood and some brands portray Asian women. Asian women are often made to seem soft-spoken, submissive, or overly sexualized. I find that these stereotypes are not only unfair but also limiting – some of the fiercest, strongest and most capable women in my life are Asian. With my brand, I want to portray Asian women as the force of nature that they are. We are a force to be reckoned with, and the world is just starting to see it.
Tell us about your skincare philosophy – your skin is glowing!
I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all skincare. For example, the Korean 12-step skincare is not suitable for everybody – especially those with oily or acne-prone skin. My philosophy is to understand your own skin and choose products/treatments that meet your unique needs. With that said, I always recommend 2 essentials for almost all skin types: vitamin c and hyaluronic acid. Vitamin c is an antioxidant, so it protects your skin from photoaging and helps to brighten hyperpigmentation while enhancing radiance. Hyaluronic acid is a hydrator that works even for the most problematic skin types – it helps to boost moisture in the form of water and plumps up fine lines and wrinkles. Oily skin needs hydration too! Your skin might be producing extra sebum because it’s dehydrated. Last but not least, always apply sunscreen! I apply sunscreen religiously, even when I’m home all day.
Your mission at Orcé addresses the need for a foundation suited to Asian skin, which has a thinner stratum corneum and higher levels of trans-epidermal water loss. What ingredients, or what exactly is it about most Western foundations that aren’t suitable to our skin types?
Yes - many people don’t realize this, but Asian skin is structurally unique. On top of a thinner stratum corneum (which means the skin’s protective barrier is thin) and tendency to experience TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss, or moisture loss through the skin), Asian skin also produces more sebum, which can result in clogged pores and acne. Many foundation products on the market are comedogenic (meaning it clogs pores) and contain ingredients that can cause negative reactions in Asian skin – such as fragrances, oils or harsh acids. These foundations may work very well for our Caucasian friends who tend to have dryer skin and smaller pores, but on Asian skin we might see negative reactions such as rashes or breakouts. To address these issues, we made sure that our formula is oil-free, fragrance-free and dermatologist-tested to be non-comedogenic.
Are there specific ingredients that you include in your foundations that allow them to work so seamlessly with Asian skin?
Our formula features a proprietary trio of precious skincare ingredients that effectively tackle the issues commonly faced by Asian skin – Tahitian pearl extract, Hyaluronic acid and Chinese herb Evodia rutaecarpa (wú zhū yú).
The legendary Empress Dowager Cixi of China was known to integrate pearls into her beauty ritual – she would not only consume pearls ground into fine powder, but also apply it topically to keep her skin luminous and youthful. Pearls have been widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years and are also revered for their skincare benefits. I chose pearl extract as our star ingredient as it helps to speed up wound healing, stimulate collagen production and fade hyperpigmentation. Next, Hyaluronic acid is a skincare ingredient that’s truly hype-worthy. Since Asian skin tends to be both oily and dehydrated at the same time, I chose Hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin in the form of water and not oil. Hyaluronic acid also helps to strengthen the skin’s barrier, which is crucial for Asian skin’s thin stratum corneum. Fine lines and wrinkles are also diminished for a more youthful complexion. Last but not least, Evodia rutaecarpa – an anti-inflammatory powerhouse which is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat nausea and digestive issues, as well as aches and pains. The Evodia fruit complex we use in our formula has been clinically proven to improve skin texture, boost radiance and reduce reactivity to environmental stressor when applied topically.
What is the process required to develop a new foundation shade at Orcé? We all know of companies that instantly launch with 50 shades, but later we find that the formulations might not match the skin composition of the wearer. How do you address this when you’re extending your colour range?
Each and every one of our shades are created based on a real woman, instead of taking pages out of a Pantone skin color book or simply copying shades from other brands. Each shade also goes through rounds and rounds of testing on women with similar skin tones to ensure a true match to one’s natural complexion. We also take cues from our customers on which shades to develop next – our product development process is unique in the sense that our customers actively participate in our R&D.
I’m an absolute sucker for packaging, and I love the artistry of the Orcé foundation bottle. On your site, Orcé is described as a blend of Eastern skincare philosophy with Western artistry. What inspired the design for your packaging?
Having worked for a global Asian beauty giant, I was tired of seeing brands with overtly “Asian” designs that has become almost a cliché – such as using red as the brand color. During the process of designing our branding and packaging, I was inspired by multicultural Asian women in the global arena defying stereotypes and limitations.
What really struck me about Orcé was the availability of experience sets to try out different shades. I’ve never seen this before. Can you tell us about how this came to be?
As a consumer, I’ve had many frustrating experiences where a makeup artist matched me to a foundation in a retail store and I purchased it on the spot – however, by the time I got home, I realized that the foundation was actually too dark or too pink/orange. I think it takes more than just one try to really figure out whether a foundation is right for you. With the Experience Set, you can experiment with three different shades to determine the perfect match; each mini vial lasts up to 5 full uses, so you can see how the foundation looks on your skin under various lighting conditions.
I read in an interview with InStyle that when you told your father you wanted to become a makeup artist, he didn’t speak to you until you finally decided to go to university. I feel like this is a narrative that a lot of my Asian followers can connect with. What have you taken away from this experience? Is there anything you would do differently? What advice would you give yourself at this age and my fellow community who might be experiencing the same thing?
Hmm… I think this one is tricky, as every family has its own unique dynamics. I do see how common it is for Asian parents to impose their own ambitions on their children, and neglect to consider their children’s interests/passion. For me, rebelling against my parents and just going for what I wanted was not an option, as I was financially dependent on them. In hindsight, I am grateful for the way things unfolded, as going to university and studying marketing led me to opportunities that might not have been accessible to me otherwise. My advice to my teenager self and others facing similar circumstances is to hold on to your passion no matter where life takes you. Even if you are studying something completely different from what you’d like to do, take advantage of your situation and see how your training can add value to your passion. For example: if your dream is to be a pastry chef but your family made you study business, use your business training to help you come up with effective pricing, attractive promotions, and build a successful bakery business. Don’t give up on your passion just because it’s not something you are doing at the moment – practice and improve your craft in your free time. Your unique journey will help you stand out from the masses.
Where do you see Orcé going in the next few years? What can we hope to see from you and the brand?
My plan for Orcé is to expand internationally over the next few years. We started out with building our community here in the United States, but we’ve been organically connected with so many women in other countries – such as Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, United Arab Emirates, France, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines. Since there are Asian women all over the world who have been waiting for a brand like Orcé to cater to their unique needs, I hope that we can be accessible to them wherever they are. Hopefully, within the next 2 years Orcé will be in a store near you!
In terms of product range, we will continue to expand our shade range, and release more skincare-infused cosmetic products to fulfill all of our customers’ desires. Feel free to reach out to us at any time via DM or email info@orcecosmetics.com if you’d like to share your ideas with us!
Some other things you should know about Yu-Chen Shih…
Favourite comfort food
Dumplings
Favourite skincare step
Masking
Favourite skincare “hack”
Whip up an easy yet effective mask using plain Greek yogurt and honey
What do you never leave home without?
Lip moisturizer
What’s in your bag right now?
Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster by PCA Skin, keys and cellphone.
Favourite quote?
“There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’”
– Brené Brown
