At 52, Molly Sims isn’t chasing relevance—she’s building equity. In 2023, she launched YSE Beauty, a results-driven skin-care line aimed at women over 40, a demographic often overlooked in today’s beauty landscape.
In less than three years, what could have easily been considered “another celebrity line” has introduced 14 high-performance products, won 14 major industry awards and expanded from direct-to-consumer to an exclusive national partnership with Sephora.
And then there are the performance metrics and the backing, which a very invested Sims can rattle off without hesitation. In December 2025, the brand closed a $15 million Series A funding round led by Silas Capital with participation from L Catterton, Willow Growth Partners and Halogen Ventures. This spring, YSE will also welcome its first CEO, Doreen Arbel from Charlotte Tilbury, which is a hire Sims calls “massive” and critical for taking the line to the next level. “We’re not crawling anymore—we’re running,” she says.
Sims admits the brand began unexpectedly, born out of personal necessity and a bit of a longing for a different career. “I don’t know if it was the hormones or having three young kids, but I was ready for something new once I hit my 40s… this might sound weird, but I wanted to be part of something that I had built from inception.”
Felicia Lasala
In her 30s, she battled cystic acne, and by her early 40s, she was struggling with hyperpigmentation and melasma triggered by pregnancy, hormones and sun exposure. “I was the queen of no-makeup makeup— until I wasn’t,” she recalls. She tried aggressive actives, hydroquinone, peels and lasers, which left her skin on a roller coaster of inflammation. “More does not mean better,” she says now. “There’s a benefit plateau. You strip, you lighten, you brighten, but if you don’t rebuild, you hit downtime. Don’t get me wrong, I still love drastic! Sometimes, we need a little drastic! I’m planning on getting my neck done, but sometimes our skin needs a rest.”
In 2019, Sims says she “stopped everything” and built her own routine, alternating strategic stripping with hydration and plumping, and sending friends and neighbors boxes of unmarked products with handwritten instructions. A plastic surgeon took notice, asking: “What are you doing with her skin?” That became YSE.
She also says the inception was truly based on what she saw as a gap in the market: Women in their 40s were being ignored. “You were either millennial and still in your prime or you were in menopause. Those were the two buckets,” she says. “I don’t want to sit here and only talk about menopause, and I don’t want 15 products. I’m a cult buyer. If I buy something, it has to do a lot of different things.” Her approach was to create multitasking “cult favorites,” clinically backed, clean and designed to simplify routines while delivering results. Her vitamin C serum, Morning Cocktail, layers seamlessly under makeup, while her Skin Glow SPF primes, protects and blurs. Problem Solver, a hydroquinone alternative, tackles discoloration without dryness or irritation. “The 15-step skin-care routine is over,” Sims says. “Women don’t have time. Consistency with really good products—that’s the magic.”
YSE Beauty Morning Cocktail Vitamin C Serun
YSE Beauty Skin Glow SPF 30 Primer
She is also particularly proud of the heavy investment in clinicals, regulatory compliance and stability trials. “I get very into all the details,” she laughs. “When those clinicals come back, I’m like a kid!” That rigor has paid off, but she admits there were growing pains: “You’d think selling out is a plus, but being out of stock is terrible. You lose revenue.
Demand planning is real,” she says. “I’ve never worked so hard in my life. I’ve had to go to business school, marketing school, HR school—everything.”
Remaining deeply involved in product development and focusing on clinical excellence and user experience are also key. “I’m already in 2028,” she says. “I don’t rush, and I’m always looking ahead. I think that’s why this did well. I did the work.”
YSE Beauty The Problem Solver Brightening Treatment
YSE Beauty Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
YSE continues to innovate. In early 2026, the brand launched Wide Awake, a brightening and depuffing eye cream available in four color-correcting tints that are designed to be worn alone or under makeup. “I wanted an eye cream that paired clinical-grade skin care with instant payoff,” Sims says. The product quickly became a top performer at Sephora, embodying her philosophy that Gen X consumers can have both efficacy and fun. Sims is already preparing the next launch, a multitasking product combining sheet-mask results in a pump serum. “It’s like a glass of water for your face,” she tells us.
The founder is also candid about the learning curve and work it takes to build a serious brand to scale. “If I knew then what I know now, I don’t know if I would have done it,” she admits. “It’s really, really tough.” But, she also lights up when discussing what’s ahead. She remains hands-on, fiercely committed to achieving clinical excellence and guided by a clear vision for women like herself. “I wake up like it’s Christmas every day,” she says. “Sometimes you get what you want; sometimes you don’t. But we’re building something real.”
