In this special episode marking a full-circle moment for host Dr. Ekta Yadav, Skin Anarchy welcomes Molly Sims — supermodel, actress, podcaster, and founder of YSE Beauty. Known for her timeless style, unfiltered honesty, and hit podcast Lipstick on the Rim, Sims joins Dr. Ekta for an open and deeply personal conversation about how beauty evolves with time — and how her brand, YSE, was born from hard lessons, hormonal acne, and a drive to make clinical skincare simpler and smarter.
From “It Girl” to Every Woman
Sims recently launched “It Girl,” a new gloss celebrating confidence through the decades. “Being an ‘It Girl’ isn’t about being pretty,” she says. “It’s about making bold choices at every age — with your whole heart.”
Her earliest beauty memories trace back to watching her mother — a working woman with style, discipline, and joy — transform everyday routines into rituals. “She was chic, strong, and embodied self-care long before it was trendy,” Molly recalls. From Clinique three-steps to Aussie scrunch spray, she embraced beauty as play — a theme that continues to guide her work today.
Lessons from Around the World
Before becoming a global style icon, Sims left Vanderbilt University, skipping a law career to model in New York. That leap led her through Europe, where she absorbed the beauty philosophies that would later inspire YSE Beauty.
“The French taught me effortlessness, the Brits taught me edge, the Italians taught me sensuality,” she says. “It was like going to beauty school — just without the textbooks.”
In France, she also discovered the quiet discipline of daily maintenance — small, consistent rituals rather than extreme overhauls. “They’re not anti-procedure,” she explains, “they just do things differently — more subtly, more regularly.”
From Harsh Actives to Skin Wisdom
Her journey to founding YSE began after years of battling adult cystic acne, hyperpigmentation, and melasmafollowing pregnancies. “I’d been the ‘no-makeup makeup’ girl until I wasn’t,” she says. “My skin was red, dry, and splotchy — everything that used to work stopped working.”
After years of harsh retinoids, hydroquinone, and over-exfoliation, Sims realized her skin had hit what she calls a “benefit plateau.” “The more you push with actives, the less your skin responds,” she explains. “You need cushion actives — humectants, surfactants, and barrier-repair ingredients — to bring balance back.”
That balance became YSE Beauty’s foundation: derm-approved, clinically validated, yet sensorial and simple.“Everyone told me not to do it — ‘we don’t need another celebrity skincare brand,’” she laughs. “But YSE isn’t that. It’s about wise beauty — smart formulations that multitask and meet women where they are.”
A Realistic, Results-Driven Routine
Sims designed YSE for women who don’t have time for 10-step routines. “I wanted Holy Grail products that work hard — like I do,” she says. “You don’t need 57 SKUs, you need a few that do everything well.”
Her Exfoliating Pads, now a cult favorite, took three years to perfect. “They don’t sting, they don’t burn — they just work,” she notes. “They brighten, smooth, and hydrate in one swipe.”
She credits YSE’s success to authenticity and a refusal to overpromise. “Luxury doesn’t have to mean a $500 cream,” Sims says. “Most of that price is packaging. True luxury is efficacy — formulas that perform and make you feel good.”
Confidence, Not Correction
At the heart of Molly’s message is self-alignment. “It’s not about looking 20,” she insists. “It’s about feeling your best at every age.” Whether it’s dissolving filler, embracing change, or choosing surgery after years of thought, she believes the most beautiful women are those who act from self-awareness — not pressure.
“Beauty is confidence in motion,” she says. “And that’s what YSE stands for — wisdom, simplicity, and skin that feels alive.”
Listen to the full episode of Skin Anarchy to hear Molly Sims open up about beauty through the decades, building YSE Beauty, and why real luxury begins with how you feel in your own skin.