Sylvia Fu has changed the beauty world with her game-changing brand, SHEGLAM. Focusing on individuality and inclusivity, she’s all about helping people embrace their inner beauty.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Sylvia to chat about her journey into the beauty industry, how she brought SHEGLAM to life, and how she handled the challenges of being an entrepreneur.
Take a seat and let’s get to know the brand we’re obsessed with and the amazing founder who made it all happen…
Cosmo ME: Can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to start SHEGLAM?
Sylvia: Makeup was a huge part of my teenage years. I used it to try to fit society’s ideal of beauty and be accepted. But the more years went by the more I realised it was so much more than that. Makeup was an expression, something that allowed me to create my own identity and redefine beauty for myself.
I always struggled with choosing between high-quality products that were overpriced but the more affordable products lacked innovation. I kept hoping that there would be products that had better balance and wouldn’t force us to compromise between affordability and quality. That’s exactly why I started SHEGLAM, to make high-quality products accessible to everyone.
During my journey, I met the founder of SHEIN, and after many discussions about my idea of an inclusive, innovative, global makeup brand, he wasn’t just inspired but also eager to support the idea. While SHEIN provided us with a platform to share our products with the world, I was fully in charge of building the brand from the ground up to shaping SHEGLAM into what it is today.
Cosmo ME: How did you get into the beauty industry?
Sylvia: I started out studying Finance and Private Equity at the London School of Economics (LSE), and later went to work in venture capital, which allowed me an insight into how quickly brands were growing in the beauty world. I’ve always had a strong personal connection to cosmetics – Makeup has always been my way to express myself and feel confident, especially when I was younger. That overall love for makeup, combined with my experience in scaling brands, inspired me to create a brand that would offer high-quality beauty products at an affordable price.
Cosmo ME: Where and when did you start SHEGLAM?
Sylvia: In 2019, I launched SHEGLAM after discovering a huge gap in the beauty market – the high-quality products were often expensive, while the more affordable options lacked innovation. I wanted to change that. My vision was to create a brand that could offer luxurious, cutting-edge, and inclusive makeup at an accessible price, so beauty lovers everywhere could truly express themselves.
Cosmo ME: What was the biggest challenge you faced starting your brand, and how did you overcome this?
Sylvia: When we launched, lots of people didn’t want to engage with the brand due to our association with SHEIN. By focusing on the product’s quality, showing transparency, and consumer engagement, we gained back trust and built a reputation as an innovative and consumer-first brand.
The one thing that got me through this was real customer feedback. I was overwhelmed with stress and struggled to sleep, but every night I would read reviews on our website, this became my ritual. The positive ones gave me the strength to keep going, while the negative ones showed me where we needed to improve. From day one, our customers have been more than just supporters – they’ve been my co-founders on this journey. Their voices, encouragement, and trust are what kept my dream alive.
Cosmo ME: What sets you apart from other beauty brands?
Sylvia: We’re not just another beauty brand – we’re changing the way we think about beauty, we put our customers at the heart of everything. Instead of telling people what’s trendy, we listen, use the feedback, and develop our products. For us, product launch isn’t the end – it’s the start. Just like software updates, we are constantly adjusting our formulas based on customer feedback to keep them alive, high-achieving, and solving the issues for the people using them.
We have innovation in our DNA. We believe makeup is more than just a routine – it’s a blend of innovation and creativity, a way of self-expression and being creative. That’s why we aren’t afraid to take risks, experiment, and create collections that are trendy and unlike anything else in the market.
We found that high-quality beauty products came with high price tags. We believe in creating top-quality, effective products that are accessible to anyone. By focusing on the latest research, production, and strict quality control, we make sure every product created is of the best quality, minus the high price tag. Beauty is supposed to be fearless, fun, and inclusive – and we’re here to make that vision a reality.
Cosmo ME: Can you walk us through what it’s like to develop a new product, do you have a favourite product in your line?
Sylvia: It all starts with listening. We take feedback from our community, study trends, and collaborate closely with our R&D team to create products that people want. Our collaborations are a team effort too from beginning to end.
One of my favourite collabs that we’ve done is our Rick and Morty collection, designed by one of our Gen-Z product managers who is completely obsessed with the show. We pulled out all the stops on this one – creating a brain-shaped blush and a cucumber spray inspired by iconic scenes in the show. Being able to read Reddit comments where customers who weren’t huge fans of the brand were suddenly typing, “I wasn’t a fan of the brand beforehand, but this collab makes me want to buy!” was so rewarding.
Cosmo ME: What’s the most valuable lesson you have learned since starting the brand?
Sylvia: One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was, “Fix the roof while the sun is shining.” It’s a reminder to prepare for the future even when things are going well.
Cosmo ME: How do you find time for yourself in the midst of running your own business, do you have any self-care tips?
Sylvia: For me, For me, self-care is also about variety. Some days, it’s unwinding with K-pop and scrolling my feeds. On other days, I’d rather unwind, play some chilled tunes, and experiment with a new recipe in the kitchen. Cooking is a creative escape that helps me to rest relax and de-stress.
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