Second Listen: Lili Reinhart: Actor, Producer, and Founder of Personal Day Skincare

24:14Lili Reinhart:Well, yes, everyone would rather see violence towards women than a woman have a heroic journey after sexual assault. It's always just trying to combat a system that really wants to tell you nothing but no and trying not to sacrifice your beliefs and passion for things just because of what these bigger people who are in charge are mandating. You know, they say, oh, this is what the people want. And then the movie bombs. It's like, okay, clearly the people didn't want it. So are you going to start listening now is sort of how it goes. It's like swimming upstream right now in this industry, trying to make something that is meaningful and says something.

24:58Lili Reinhart:We're just being met with a lot of, no, it's not what people want or no, it's not bingy enough or it's not, et cetera, et cetera. At what point do you bend the knee to the system and say, okay, well, I'll give you what you want. It's a little bit of both and finding balance in that, which is really hard. Yeah, I'll say. So I interviewed Reese Witherspoon for this podcast a few years ago. And one of the things that we talked about was how her years of acting allow her to read a book and immediately be able to assess the cinematic qualities of it, whether it will be expensive to shoot or easy to shoot.

25:37like she can see all of that just because she's read so many scripts and has acted in so many things. And I thought that was such a cool and interesting way to look for source material. It made me understand in a whole new way, the value of an actor having a production company, because there's such an intimacy of understanding what the real work will be that maybe folks who don't act, don't have that same skin in the game or don't understand like what the reality of that project would be. How has your experience as an actor informed your production company?

26:14Lili Reinhart:Well, for me, it's more so like what roles do I want to play? Like I want to play women who are really complicated and that people can see themselves in and that I myself can see, you know, myself and this character. Reading books and source material is also a huge thing. But then also now taking inspiration from literal TikToks, like people go on TikTok to tell stories and someone could tell the craziest story of all time. And you're like, oh, that's a movie. That's a good elevator pitch. It truly is. And I think just taking inspiration from news articles, stories that pop up out of nowhere stories that I never would have heard of unless someone were making a TikTok video about them.

26:57Lili Reinhart:It's like, then you start to do research. You start to see if the person's life story is available, like if their rights are available. So it's like this whole chain of things that has to happen, but seeing inspiration from actual people telling their stories is also becoming a big thing and a big influence. So I want to talk about personal day. So what made you interested in going into this area? Because as an actor, having a production company, that's like a very natural next step. They're all in the same universe. Starting a brand involves a lot of those same skills around storytelling and understanding audience and identifying all of that, but in a very different way.

27:40So I'm wondering when you started thinking about creating Personal Day and what that journey was because much like with TV or film, going from idea to actually having product can take quite some time.

27:55Lili Reinhart:Yeah. I mean, I was like, I'm never going to just create a brand to create a brand. That's embarrassing. That feels very not you. No, it's not. There just has to be a reason. And the idea was brought up to me a while ago, like, oh, you've been vocal about acne. Do you want to start an acne line? It's sort of like, not if it's not going to work, like it has to be effective. I'm not just going to put something together because I can. I think that's the worst idea. So the skincare line did not take off until the entire kind of like essence of the brand came to be, which was the realization that there's a lot of skincare on the market and people with acne and sensitive skin often get left out.

28:40Lili Reinhart:Like you are not involved in the fun stuff. You can't hang out with the cool makeup primer because that shit's going to break you out. Yes. I love skincare, but realizing that most of the stuff I was using was breaking me out was very upsetting because I had to give away all of my stuff. And that was the light bulb moment was when I really was like, oh my God, all of these things are hurting my skin. And that was after looking at the ingredients of my skincare and using an ingredient checker that tell you if there's a pore clogging or acne causing or irritating ingredient. And I was looking at my makeup primers.

29:18Lili Reinhart:I was looking at my makeup. I was looking at my foundation and my concealer. I was looking at my cleansers and my makeup removing things. And 90 % of what I was using had bad irritating ingredients in it. And so I thought, okay, well, I will create a line that is free of those ingredients that anyone can use. You don't have to have acne to use these products, but you know that you can trust these products. You're not putting irritating ingredients on your skin. That's where really the brand took off. And I said, okay, there's the gap in the market that I can fill and it's safe for people with acne like me.

29:56Lili Reinhart:I mean, I have like three pimple patches on. As we're speaking, the creation of the brand came from, I have acne prone skin. I want to feel like I can trust a brand and know that everything in the brand is going to be free of acne triggering ingredients. So I don't even have to worry about it. And so anyone can use our brand to help maintain clear skin, prevent breakouts, treat active breakouts, but also just like, it's just really good for any and every skin type. You're like, Hey, we're just going to make something that also just doesn't irritate your skin. Correct. We use luxury skincare ingredients that deliver what you would want in luxury skincare under$40.

30:34Unbelievable. Walk me through the early stages. Where did you start?

30:39Lili Reinhart:I think it was 2022. And it really came down to, we can create a brand, but you have to have products that worked. And my goal was basically that I wanted to create a line that eventually people wouldn't even know that I was associated with it because of how great the products are. because it's not just like some random celebrity pushing a product into your face. It's actually effective products that have a reputation for being amazing. So it really came down to a lot of testing. They go through the ringer with testing. I tested these things personally, and I'm currently testing other products right now.

31:21Lili Reinhart:I can't promote something. I will never put my name on something that would not personally help my skin. Like we have this specific product that we're really working on. And I'm like, we could release something this year. But I said, no, because it needs to be effective. We're not just going to put something out there that already exists. We're going to make it even better. So it starts with a personal journey, but then making sure that it is efficacious and trustworthy. You also had a board of experts that you put together to help develop the products. That is unusual and interesting and cool.

32:01What made you want to do that?

32:04Lili Reinhart:Well, it was my esthetician, Sarah Ford, who was the one who said, are you checking your ingredients? And I was like, no. And she has her own skincare line, but I wanted her advice and her expertise in her field. She knows so much about skincare. And I said, you have to be on this board of my skincare line. And then our CEO helped find Dr. Mamina Toregano, who's a board certified dermatologist, who was happy to jump on board when we told her, you know, our brand ethos. And then we have Dr. Courtney Tracy, who's a mental health professional. And she has so many letters after her name. I don't even know what they are because we wanted mental health to also be a huge part of this brand because acne takes the biggest toll on my mental health personally.

32:50Lili Reinhart:I know how badly acne can affect mental health. I live it. Again, with people who suffer from acne in a world of overcrowded skincare lines, you do feel left out and you do feel unseen when you see someone with glass skin putting on a serum that makes their skin look even more like glass. You're like, okay, damn, good for you, but I don't have that. And I wanted to create something for the people like me who felt that way. And it's frustrating to see skincare that's put out there and makeup primers that you're like, oh, I want to try. And then you look at the ingredients and they suck. And I'm like, okay, so this is for someone with skin, not like mine.

33:33Lili Reinhart:And everyone on our board feels so passionate about that experience and wants to help people who have that experience feel seen. Which is so lovely because to your point, as someone who has dealt with acne my entire life and who was on Accutane when I was in high school and started seeing a dermatologist when I was like 12 and then had another phase around like 30 when things got wild again. And as someone who has dealt with that personally myself, it always feels like there were acne focused lines, but they often were too harsh. And it also felt like sectioned off from the rest of like the fun skincare, the sexy skincare, the beautiful skincare.

34:21It felt punitive. Like, oh, if you have acne, you dirty girl, then you need this other stuff over here. And you can't play with the cool kids and the pretty kids.

34:29Lili Reinhart:You need this prescription bottle that will look like an eyesore on your counter. her. And by the way, you can only use this stuff and no one else can use it because it's so harsh. But by the way, it's probably going to be too harsh for you also and is going to actually make things worse. And even like the sleepover aspect, like, oh, come over and we're going to do face mask. And I'll be like, oh, cool. I can't do that part. But now I can be like, hey, here's my personal day mask that we can all do. And that's part of why I wanted to talk to you because it's inclusive skincare in a different way than we think of inclusivity because it can be used by so many different people can be used by anyone.

35:08Yeah. Anyone. I love that you had this idea. Okay. Before we get into some of like the newness of what's coming up, I want to talk about launch, which happened in October of 2024 with five products. So it's a cleanser, an acne tonic, a moisturizer, a peel, and a calming mask. How did you land on those five products as your debut? And what has the response been like?

35:34Lili Reinhart:Well, we wanted to start off with like the basics of what your skin really needs right off the bat to help get either your acne under control or to like maintain clear skin. And I've always been a really big fan of peels and masks together as a duo. I knew I wanted to create that because exfoliation and hydration for acne go hand in hand. You need to be exfoliating, you need to be hydrating. And people are really afraid of hydrating, I think, with acne and exfoliating. There's just a lot of miseducation going on. So our brand really aims to educate as well. And I'm learning so much as I go too, because I'm obviously not a skincare professional, but I wanted to create this brand.

36:18Lili Reinhart:And so I've been learning along with everyone else and then want to share that knowledge. So we wanted to create like these basics that are more of like a weekly daily use that you have is your baseline. And we almost have been looking at as it like, these are our vegetables, you need them, they're good for you. And now that we have those, and you can get into your consistent routine with personal day, now we can offer off of that, you know, moving forward, more products that are more for like, oh, I don't really need to worry about acne. Although this line again is for everyone, but I have like a pimple here and there.

36:54Lili Reinhart:Okay. Well then like our products that are coming out in the future are for those people and for these people and for people who worry about hyper pigmentation and people worry about all these other things. So like the products that we chose to launch with are really like the good basics. And then those are easy to build off of from there. And those are products that I use on a weekly, daily basis. So that seemed like a good place to start. And then how do you think about newness, whether that's from an ingredient standpoint, or is it sort of like producing and acting where you have like 10 things in the works and you're just waiting to see what lands and gets to the right formulation first?

37:33Or is it like, oh, we figured this one out, but we're going to hold it because we think we have to launch this thing first. Like, how do you think through that like R &D and coming to market state?

37:43Lili Reinhart:Yeah. So we do a

37:46Lili Reinhart:We kind of had an idea of 2025, but then after launching the products and seeing really what people are asking for, you know, we want to cater to what people want. Like that's important to listen to them. But ultimately like our 2025 plan was like really good and already very on point. I don't think we had to change anything, but we also work with our people who are helping to manufacture our products to see like what's new on the market that's working. And that's how we got mevalonic acid, which is a growth factor that repairs your skin at the molecular level. And it tells your skin to make more hyaluronic acid and collagen.

38:21Lili Reinhart:And I had no idea that we already made hyaluronic acid. Like our skin did that already. And that this active ingredient encourages your skin to make more of it. This is shit that I would never know had I not been in this position. And God bless, because I was so bad at science growing up. So I was like, this is all great to hear. So yeah, definitely like getting what's the newest, best thing on the market. And people are dying for a good spot treatment always, including me. But I'm like, we're not just going to release a product that isn't good enough or it doesn't work for my skin personally.

38:55Lili Reinhart:I'm constantly testing new products. And if I go, this shit broke me out, we toss it out and start from the beginning. So like I'm the test dummy first and foremost. And so I'm like, Why do I have three pimple patches on my face? Hmm. It has to work for my skin. And if it doesn't, scrapping it. It's not worth it to just release an okay product that already exists rather than something that's actually innovative that will really make a difference in someone's skin, including mine. You know, it's interesting because obviously there are a lot of actor-led, celebrity-based skincare lines and beauty brands out there.

39:32but I think one of the things that I like so much about personal day is the integrity that you bring to everything and it's so clear you are not someone who is going to fake it for the sake of profits or vibe or whatever and you've always been that person in the public eye and I think that it lends itself so beautifully to this brand because it's clear that like you do not have that trad spokesperson energy. And I think there's something really beautiful about that because it's clear that like you would rather bring the right products to market than just like the get rich products to market. And that is something that we don't see a lot of.

40:23Well, that's a thing.

40:24Lili Reinhart:I think there's a miscommunication that like acne is so niche and it's not. There are millions of people with acne, but also I think people, when they hear an acne care line, they go, oh, well, I don't have acne. And it's like, no, anyone can use the line, but we're keeping acne folks in mind because they're the ones who are left out. We're inviting them in. It's like a hug being like, no, you too, like this is safe for you. And I think that's an important thing to get across because it is for everyone. It makes me really happy that you've clearly spent so much time and energy and that you're so committed to getting it right.

41:02As a founder and as a relatively new founder in this space, what are the skills that being an actor and producing that really translate to this new role? because while yes, it's something like patience because all of this, just like everything else, takes a long time to be the thing that you want it to be. Are there other things that the other parts of your career are positively impacting this aspect of your career? You have to be able to advocate for yourself.

41:35Lili Reinhart:And I've had to do it since I was 12 as an actor. And sticking to my taste and my gut and being like, no, I'm not doing this movie or this project like just because X, Y, Z. Same with, oh, no, I'm not releasing this just because it will make us money very quickly. I trust my gut. And that is really like a guiding light for me. And if something doesn't feel right, I don't pursue it. Same with being a producer. If I'm like, this isn't really in line with what I'm trying to do or like my philosophy of my production company, or this doesn't feel right as an actor. Same with being a founder. It's interesting because I would think too, like from a brand point of view of like having that North star and always going back to it, like that skill is honed in like being an actor and having a production company.

42:26It doesn't necessarily seem on the surface that those skills would be transferable, but they very much are.

42:32Lili Reinhart:And knowing how to talk to people, like I had social anxiety growing up. I didn't go to birthday parties when I was four years old because I had anxiety. Even just public speaking and knowing how to speak to other people and knowing how to communicate properly your ideas to get them across to however many people, to however many old white men who maybe have no idea what your experience is. Being able to express your experience to the masses is also incredibly important. And I have been doing that since I was extremely young as well. And that has only really helped with the skincare line process too.

43:09So I know that you have a roadmap for 2025, and I'm sure both as an actor, as a producer, as a founder, can you give us any sneak peeks or hints about what is to come, what we should be looking for and what you're personally most excited about?

43:27Lili Reinhart:There's a lot of exciting stuff acting wise. And with my production company and being an executive producer, I was just at Sundance for a limited series I did called Hal and Harper. And I'm going to South by Southwest with a movie called American Sweatshop in March. And so like, after taking that moment away from acting post-Riverdale, it's nice to now be stepping into that again. So I'm excited about the things that are premiering, but also that hopefully the world will be able to see soon, but I'm going to be pushing myself to get off that couch. And we are like, I'm kind of booked and busy this year.

44:03Lili Reinhart:So I'm enjoying my couch while I can. It's my safe space. And I'm like, come on, girl, we got to get out of here. And then with personal day, like we just have so many fun products that I'm so excited to have out there that I'm using on a daily basis that I can't wait for the people who have already found our line to include in their line, but also new customers who don't know of our line yet. And now we have a product that will really intrigue them into figuring out who we are and discovering us. That's really exciting. And then I just have a bunch of stuff in development with my production company.

44:37Lili Reinhart:And it's like, we're waiting on people to make decisions and to get the ball rolling. But I'm like, that's why I'm not a producer on everything I do because I would never work if that were the case. So one of the things that we like to talk about on this podcast is mistakes because everyone makes them in their career, but we don't always talk about it. But I think it's important to talk about it because it shows resilience. But also ultimately it's just like you can make mistakes and come back from it. And I think women in particular need to hear that. So I'm hoping that you can tell me about a mistake that you've made at any point in your career and what you've learned from it.

45:15Lili Reinhart:Well, there's a lot. The one that's coming to mind is not hearing someone out. To meet something at face value, you, let's just say even a person, it's easy to judge that person or to judge a script or to judge their work, whatever. And if the person is asking or offering to explain themselves or explain their vision, for example, so like I deal with this with getting a script, not necessarily responding to it, but like getting the opportunity to then speak with a director about it. It's like, take that opportunity. Take the opportunity to hear someone out because it's really hard to translate sometimes your vision onto a piece of paper to then hand over to someone else without hopping on the phone and hearing what they have to say about it.

46:02Lili Reinhart:Because I've said no to a script and then talked to the director and heard their vision for it and been like, oh, I get it. I know what you're trying to do. And so I think not immediately saying no to things just because the one version of it that you're seeing in front of you on paper is maybe not something that you're responding to. Like maybe you'll respond to how they talk about it in person, vocally, how they tell it through a storyboard, how they tell it through whatever, like just being more open-minded because I've definitely made mistakes when I've been too close-minded about things for sure.

46:37So a lot of the folks who listen to this podcast are in their first lives and they know that they want to do something different or more. Maybe it's in the same industry. Maybe they want to change industries. Maybe they want to evolve. as someone who has both evolved her own career in one industry, taking on the producing side of things, and then has also evolved your career in another way with personal day. What advice would you give someone who's standing there thinking about like, I want to try this other thing, but just hasn't done it quite yet? Because it's scary to make that leap or try something new and put yourself out there in a different way and you keep doing it.

47:21Lili Reinhart:Yeah. When you have that moment of, I don't want to look back and say, why didn't I do that? That's your signal. That's literally the 80 year old version of yourself going, do it. In my opinion, if I'm hesitant about something, but my feeling is, oh, but I don't want to feel like I missed out on it. Then that's usually the signal to me that I should do it because it's that part of me that's saying it's going to work out or this will teach you something. And there's no harm in exploring things. You can dip your toe in something and ultimately decide, eh, this isn't for me. But like, you got to dip the toe in any venture.

47:57Lili Reinhart:You have to just like test the waters and explore it. And if it doesn't end up being for you, then okay. But at least you can say that you gave yourself the opportunity and you gave yourself the chance to explore, even if it doesn't end up working out. And it's definitely scary like me as someone who loves my routine and is like kind of disorganized and has ADD. I don't want to like take on new ventures all the time. But if like a new opportunity comes along, I go, wait, this feels special to me. And I don't want to miss out on something special. So I'm going to take that leap of faith and dive into it.

48:34I love the idea of decoupling outcome from success. Maybe the outcome is just to learn something. Totally. Yes. I mean, to me, that's success. Correct. But like divorcing ourselves from the idea of like success looks like X. And if it's not X, then it wasn't a good thing. It's like, no, success can look like lots of different things. It can look like failure if you're learning from it. So my last question is my favorite, which is if you could step into a time machine and go and speak with younger Lily at any point in your career and give her some advice, what would you say?

49:13Lili Reinhart:I have this big thing with like, even big mistakes that I've made, I have to have made them because then I wouldn't have learned from them. So I don't have like regrets really, but I would say, try not to feel so much anxiety about things that are not even in your control. Because Because I do really believe that if things are meant to be, they will be. And like, let's take auditioning, for example, or anything that gives you anxiety. For me, that was auditions. Do the best you can in the moment and then walk away knowing that you did the best you could and that the outcome is not even in your hands anymore.

49:52Lili Reinhart:I think that would have saved me a lot of anxiety and grief knowing that I could do something, do the best I could, even in like relationships. You do the best you can in the moment. And then if it doesn't work out the way you want it to, then it wasn't meant to. And it's not your fault. It's not anything you did. It's like the universe chose to move you in a different direction. I love it. I really do. I think that we want to control the outcome and that's not actually the journey because there's often something much bigger or better that you would never have imagined. Agree. Well, Lily, thank you so much for your time.

50:32This was such a pleasure. I think the line is phenomenal. Thank you so much for your candor and thank you so much for your time and your integrity. Oh, thank you. And same to you.

50:51That was the actress, producer, and founder of Personal Day Skin Care, Lily Reinhart. For more inspiring interviews with women like Lily, head on over to secondlifepod.com, where we have so many more for you to peruse. If you like today's show, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to rate and review us. We love seeing you spread the word on social. And now you can tag us in your posts. We are at Second Life Pod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We always want to know who you're interested in hearing from on the show. So send in your requests to hello at secondlifepod.com, or you can DM us on Instagram.

51:33I'm at Hilary Kerr. The show is at Second Life Pod. Our DMs are always open. I'm Hilary Kerr, and you've been listening to Second Life. This episode was produced by Hilary Kerr, Summer Hammeris, and Natalie Thurman. Our production assistant is Claire Schmidt. Our audio engineers are at Treehouse Recording in Los Angeles, California, and our music is by Jonathan Leahy.