In this episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta sits down with Denise Vasi, founder and creative force behind MAED, for a conversation that traces a rare, deeply intentional path through beauty. Denise’s career began not behind a desk or a whiteboard, but on set — signed at a young age to Ford Models, surrounded by legendary makeup artists, formulators, and creatives who shaped the industry long before social media existed. Those formative years, combined with memories of her grandmother — an esthetician who practiced rituals at home — laid the foundation for how Denise would later approach beauty: with reverence for preparation, care, and craft.
Community Before Product
Long before launching a brand, Denise built a loyal audience through editorial storytelling and lived experience. Through her early platform, she spoke candidly about clean living, wellness, motherhood, and beauty choices — not as trends, but as tools for everyday life. That sustained dialogue with women became the proving ground for MAED. Rather than chasing virality or rapid expansion, Denise took what she calls a “turtle wins the race” approach — building slowly, listening carefully, and only creating products that solved real problems she and her community experienced firsthand.
Rethinking the Red Lip
At the center of MAED is a product many brands get wrong: the red lip. Denise explains how years of frustration with uncomfortable formulas, poor undertones, and lack of true inclusivity pushed her to reimagine what a modern red lipstick should be. Comfort came first — especially in a matte liquid format often associated with dryness. From there, exhaustive testing followed, with a diverse product development team spanning skin tones, lip tones, hair colors, and backgrounds. Every detail mattered, from undertone balance to applicator size, ensuring the formula worked across ages, ethnicities, and lip structures.
Inclusivity Beyond the Campaign
One of the most powerful moments in the episode is Denise’s reframing of inclusivity. For her, it’s not performative casting or marketing language — it’s formulation, testing, and design. True inclusivity shows up in how products function on different lips, how applicators wrap fuller shapes, and whether the formula actually solves the problems experienced by people of color. MAED’s philosophy extends from ingredient selection all the way through packaging, reflecting an A-to-Z commitment rather than a surface-level gesture.
Care Before Color
Denise is unequivocal about MAED’s ethos: care before color. She breaks down why lips — unlike the rest of the skin — lack oil glands and cannot self-repair without proper barrier support. Many traditional lip products offer only temporary comfort, not long-term resilience. MAED’s formulations focus on barrier repair, hydration retention, and durability — products that stay on through drinks, conversation, and sleep, rather than disappearing on contact. Color, she argues, only performs beautifully when the foundation is healthy.
The Power of Ritual and Expression
Beyond formulation, the episode explores the emotional and cultural significance of beauty — particularly the red lip. Denise reflects on its role as armor, confidence, and self-possession across generations and cultures. Whether worn as a statement of power, protection, or presence, the red lip has long been a symbol of autonomy. MAED exists at that intersection: where self-care rituals meet self-expression, and where beauty becomes both functional and deeply personal.
Listen to the full episode of Skin Anarchy to hear Denise Vasi unpack the philosophy behind MAED, the science of lip health, and why true beauty innovation starts with care — not trends.