Kosas Founder Sheena Zadeh Used to Be a Bug Taxonomist

In ELLE’s series Office Hours, we ask people in powerful positions to take us through their first jobs, worst jobs, and everything in between. This month, we’re catching up with Sheena Zadeh, the founder of Kosas. Launched in 2015, Kosas has quickly become the quintessential It-girl beauty brand, with a no-makeup makeup aesthetic that’s made it a staple in Hailey Bieber’s routine and a favorite of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow. You’ve probably seen the colorful, playful products on TikTok, where it seems that every new Kosas launch goes viral. Because of Kosas, and products like their Revealer Concealer, skin care-infused makeup has never been cooler, and Zadeh loves to see it: “I wanted to start a movement,” she says.

Before starting her beauty brand, Zadeh had a brief stint in the STEM world. She was a biology major in college, and spent time working in taxonomy, classifying different bugs. Though she never became a biologist, Zadeh’s background comes in handy when she’s working on Kosas’s science-driven products. Below, Zadeh opens up about creating her own company, how social media plays into her brand strategy, and why she feels like Kosas was always her destiny.

My first job

I’ve had a million jobs in my life. The first thing I did when I got a car was drive to the car wash and be like, “Can I have a job?” My first job was working there as the cashier.

My worst job

I had one job in the science universe, in a factory, [doing] bug taxonomy. [The factory set] all these bug traps and inside would be bags of dead bugs. For eight hours a day, I would look at the dead bugs under a microscope and identify them. It was weird, because I was just alone with bugs.

My best job

Kosas, by far. The whole brand is so representative of who I am and an honest expression of me. The privilege of being able to express myself every single day—that’s what I ultimately always dreamed of.

Why I started Kosas

I saw very clearly that this brand would exist. I felt like it was driven by a destiny. It was blaring and loud. I could hear it in my head. I had a mastery in three areas that were going to come together—[science, psychology, and art]. I had a really specific philosophy around [combining] the scientific nature of makeup creation with the internal and external experience of what beauty means from a psychological perspective. I wanted to bring to life a new wave of ways to create makeup, [one that was] clean but also really good for your skin. I also had a deep love of art.

Notice what you do when no one’s looking. [Pay attention to] what you like and what you’re driven towards in your free time. That’s a big clue as to where your passions and talents lie.

Anytime anyone ever says, “That’s just the way that it’s done.” That, to me, is not advice. That’s when you should actually run away screaming. [If someone says that to me,] I’m like, Gotta go, bye. It is not a reason. That’s exactly why you shouldn’t do it [that way] anymore.

Social media has become an amazing tool, and made it possible for me to even have this brand. I love that anyone can go on [TikTok] and start talking. That’s the beauty of it. There’s no gatekeeping. There’s nothing blocking you. [In the past,] you’d have to take out a massive ad campaign or have a counter in a department store. It’s really created a level playing field in getting your message out there, and that’s what I love it for. But we don’t make any brand decisions through the lens of social media at all. The brand is the brand. It’s extremely important that every decision we make goes through the brand lens.

At first, you only need one thread [of an idea], because vision can sometimes be a circular, spiraling process. That one thread then creates the spiral, and more will be unfolded as you pull on that thread, and then the next one, the next one, and the one after that. There does not need to be pressure, from the first moment, to have a totally clear vision that goes infinitely into the future. What you do need is one thread to pull at, and the openness to allow that spiral to unfold.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.