Nour Tayara joined us to talk about his innovative and 100% plastic-free beauty brand, AORA. Before he became a co-founder and CEO, Nour was learning about the power of beauty culture to connect and spark conversation among his community in Beirut. During our conversation, he shared how he found his place in Lebanon’s underground queer scene and shaped his life’s motto to be kind and engaging to everyone, wherever you are. We talk about how Nour supplemented his scholarship by taking guerrilla marketing jobs and how they changed his mind about his electrical engineering major. Nour explains how an incredibly high test score landed him an internship and ultimately a full-time role at L'Oréal, where he worked for 13 years. We cover how, in those 13 years, Nour learned the good, the bad, and the ugly about what it takes to run a legacy beauty brand.
As Nour’s role and responsibilities evolved, he learned more about the waste and overconsumption plaguing the industry. Always prepared to innovate, he pitched a plastic-free brand to his management, which was promptly rejected. While reeling from a series of difficult events, Nour shared that a four-month break in Mexico City ultimately led him to his co-founder. The pair were aligned on building a brand that celebrates Mexican culture and is 100% plastic-free. Join us for an incredible conversation about what happens when you stay open to possibilities for your future and your principles are immovable. Nour details what it means to him to bring color to the clean beauty movement, why Mexico has always been a lifeline, and what it feels like to disrupt an industry.
Tune in as we discuss:
(0:00) Welcome Nour
(2:10) Why Beirut Has An Incredible Beauty Culture
(4:45) Middle Eastern Grooming for Men
(11:27) Nour’s Accidental Start At L’Oreal
(22:30) Buzzword or Buzzworthy In Clean Beauty
(33:00) What It Really Means To Be Plastic Free
(41:30) Exclusive News: AORA Beauty Is Launching On Sephora.com
(45:13) Why We Should All Be Reaching For More Color
(46:10) Top Three Must-Visit Locations in Mexico City
(49:30) AORA Makeup Being Used For Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show
(53:55) How Bad Bunny Upends Machismo Culture
(55:35) The Future Of The Beauty Industry
(01:05:30) Easy Lifestyle Upgrades
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Products Mentioned:
Sophie Pavitt Mandelic Cleansing Serum
Sophie Pavitt Screentime Sunscreen
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