Northwood junior Jessy Elias and her sister, alumni Jasmine Elias (Class of 2023), have turned their personal skincare struggles into an opportunity to inspire others to glow—both in their skin and from within. 

The sisters started their skincare brand, Se.Lo (pronounced See-Low), in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after Jasmine Elias’ negative encounters with acne treatments, including nearly losing all of her hair from a pill prescribed by a dermatologist. With over 12,000 instagram followers, Se.Lo’s skin serums and message of self love have reached a wide audience. 

“I hope it really helps people to feel confident when they go outside,” Jessy Elias said. “We want people to feel comfortable in their own skin without putting pounds and pounds of makeup on.”

Together, Jessy and Jasmine Elias began investigating existing products, researching various ingredients and working with formulators to create antioxidant and microbiotic skin serums suitable for sensitive skin. Their “glow away” serum combines antioxidants and vitamin C to nourish the skin, while “my ex’s tears” is a combination of natural prebiotics, postbiotics, and hydratorsare for lightweight hydration. 

“It was a lot of trial and error,” Jessy Elias said. “There were a lot of designs and we kept changing our look, and then we had to talk to formulators and a lot of the biggest challenges were because of our young age.” 

While Jasmine Elias studies public health at University of California Irvine and continues product research, Jessy Elias manages the branding and style by developing their brand to appeal to teenagers.

In the future, the sisters hope to continue expanding Se.Lo, whether through upcoming rebranding projects, new products or simply reflecting on the ways they have inspired young people to care for themselves and their skin. 

“Honestly, this is what I was hoping would happen,” Jasmine Elias said. “Seeing all the positive attraction is kind of thrilling, like ‘Wow, people actually do believe it, and they do want to take the steps to learn to love themselves as they are.’ Because everyone should love themselves. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.”

Explore Se.Lo on their website, glowwithselo.com, or through their instagram @glowithselo.