Lin Chen Has Launched a One-Stop Shop by and for Women of All Ages

Have you ever wondered how to turn your dreams of owning your own business into a reality? We can help. Each week, as part of our Self Made series, we showcase female entrepreneurs—as well as their quality, handmade goods—and share their best advice related to starting, maintaining, and growing your own business.

If there's anyone who knows the importance of self-care, it's Lin Chen. After all, she's the founder of Pink Moon, a consultancy, digital boutique, and wellness space that celebrates and empowers women at every stage of life.

Her Inspiration

Just six months before launching Pink Moon in 2017, Lin Chen found herself at a crossroads: she had just left a toxic relationship and was feeling lost and uncertain about what lied ahead. "I wrote in my journal on the first day of 2017 about what I wanted to focus on and change. For the new year, my hope was to re-discover who I was and to commit to finding and cultivating my own joy," says Chen. "Little did I know that this commitment would lead me to falling in love with myself and self-care and would ultimately result in me launching Pink Moon only six months later."

After seeking advice from friends who had started businesses themselves, Chen, who had previous experience in the beauty industry, took the leap and launched the business. The rest, they say, is history.

The Introduction of Pink Moon

Pink Moon is a women-centric consultancy and online beauty and wellness space that aims to empower women at every stage of life. The company originally launched as a consultancy for brands in 2017 before adding an online boutique and wellness component in mid-2020. "I've noticed a lack of "by women, for women" spaces that are based in love, compassion, and community. There is a lot of anti-women rhetoric in the beauty industry. Narratives that teach us to be ashamed of our bodies, of our age, even of our own ambition," says Chen. "I want women to come as they are, and to know that they are valued and worthy of treating themselves with the love and compassion they deserve."

Through the consultancy side of the business, Chen and her team are able to work with brands on business and product development, creative services, and brand awareness. Today, nearly half of the brands sold on the site are ones Chen and the team has consulted for in the past and present. "For us, working exclusively with female-founded brands not only allows us to live within our values as a company, it also allows us to contribute to fueling the female economy while making the beauty industry a more female-led space," she explains.

Curating the Collection

In addition to solely focusing on female-founded businesses, Chen and her team have multiple other key components they consider before adding a brand to the boutique, from ingredients to price to philanthropy. "I have a very intentional approach when adding a new brand to the curation. My team and I thoroughly investigate the ingredients, brand mission, and test the efficacy of every product to ensure the brand aligns with our ethos and meets our quality standards," explains Chen. "Additionally, the brands are formulated with wholesome ingredients, sustainable, cruelty free, and ethically minded through and through."

Philanthropic associations and price also play key roles when it comes to featuring brands on the site. Each brand sold in their boutique has a philanthropic initiative attached to it, from eco advocacy group to promoting mental health in BIPOC communities to hiring women from marginalized communities. Plus, they're all at accessible price points with a majority of their curation being under $100. Most importantly, however, the brand is focused on catering to women at every stage of life. "The ability to shop by life phase gives women the option to directly interact with products curated for their needs in a specific moment in time," says Chen. "We've strived to include everyone in this, in part because we are passionate about combating ageism in the beauty industry. Women don't stop existing after a certain age!"

Thinking Pink in the Future

Though the company just expanded within the last year, Chen and her team are looking for more ways to enhance the Pink Moon experience. In addition to a tele-wellness platform, the team has their sights set on a physical flagship in Manhattan within the next year and hopes to turn the business into a global powerhouse. "Don't let fear stop you," she advises. "Starting a business is no easy feat, especially if you're a solo-preneur, but it is a rewarding experience to create something of your own."