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Leila Haj Nassar

Leila Haj Nassar

Cosmetic chemist and founder of 100 AND 1 Cosmetics, a water-free skincare brand inspired by Moroccan botanicals, based in Miami, FL.

Oct 7, 2026

1:18
So what made you look at what you were working on and think, "I can't keep making products like this"?
1:25
So I actually worked in contract manufacturing for about nine years now, and I started in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
1:33
I did compliance and regulatory.
1:35
And so I had a view from a contract manufacturer perspective where I saw so many different brands, small brands, bigger brands, medium-sized brands, and I would review labels all day pretty much.
1:49
And the first thing they train you in compliance when it comes to labeling is the first ingredients is usually the ingredients with the highest concentration in the formula.
1:59
And so I would review labels all day, and that ingredient, as you mentioned, would always happen to be water.
2:06
In the meantime, I was...

18 MINS LATER

19:48
And Laila, my question for you now is how do you describe that difference to people who ask why you started?

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