Before Summer Fridays became a skincare staple, it started the same way many good things do with listening, curiosity, and real connection.
Co founders Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland came from the early influencer days, back when building community meant answering DMs, paying attention to what people were actually confused about, and noticing what made someone feel good using a product. That mindset became the foundation of Summer Fridays and still guides everything they create.
In this Living Well conversation, Marianna and Lauren open up about building a brand alongside a friendship, why Jet Lag Mask struck a chord, and how simplicity, trust, and a little more ease have shaped their approach to beauty and success today.
Living Well with Lauren Ireland and Marianna Hewitt
Both of you came from the influencer world long before it was a career path. How did that experience shape the way you think about community and connection? Summer Fridays was built with our community long before it became a brand. Coming from the early influencer world taught us to listen and gave us an understanding in how people actually talk about products, what they are confused about, and what makes them feel excited about a product. That experience shaped everything from our approachability and sense of ease, to our focus on making products that simplify routines rather than overwhelm them.
You launched with one product that became a cult favorite overnight. What did the Jet Lag Mask teach you about what people were really craving from their routines? Jet Lag showed us that people wanted quick results and multiuse products. They wanted skincare that worked but also felt comforting, intuitive and easy. It was not about a 12 step routine. It was about one product that could fit into any moment and make your skin look instantly better. Jet Lag taught us that beauty can be both effective and gentle. It also taught us the power of visual storytelling. The packaging needed to reflect who we are as a brand and be photogenic and shareable, which came directly from our creator backgrounds.
Running a brand together is so unique. How has your friendship evolved through building a business? We have grown in parallel as founders and as friends. Building a business together requires an incredible amount of trust and shared respect. We have learned the importance of communication and how to support each other through every season of the brand and our personal lives. We both always want what is best for the brand and being aligned on that from the beginning has been essential.
What have you learned about rest, burnout, and resilience that you wish more founders understood earlier? In the early years it required some sacrifice, but we knew that was not sustainable. As the company has grown, we have been able to delegate more and build an incredible team who brings the brand to life every day. As founders it can be difficult to learn how to let go, but true scale only happens when you grow not only the business but the people within it. Rest and resilience come from trusting your team, creating space for yourself to think clearly and recognizing that a great team is how a business can truly thrive.
What is something most people do not realize about how long it takes to perfect a formula from idea to launch? People see a beautiful product on the shelf, but they do not see the years of formulating, testing, and development behind it. We have an incredible product development and packaging team at Summer Fridays who help bring our vision to life. A formula can take 18 months, sometimes two or three years, to reach the exact experience and performance we want. Our formulations and every ingredient must meet our standards for safety, stability and efficacy. The final product is the result of hundreds of small decisions that no one ever sees, but those decisions are what make it special.
Over 60 percent of beauty brands seem to chase quantity. More products, more SKUs. But Summer Fridays stays relatively curated. What guides your decisions when you consider new products? We don’t launch anything unless it has a clear reason for being part of our brand. We always ask if this makes someone’s routine easier or better. We are very intentional about our long term vision of building a brand with longevity. Curating our assortment helps our community trust us because they know every product has a purpose.
Has there been a product that took significantly longer to perfect because you would not compromise on something? Everything! But especially skincare and lip care products. These are pillars of Summer Fridays, so anything added to these categories must deliver on our promise. We are particularly focused on texture, instant results, long term results and overall experience. If it is not perfect, we don’t launch it.
If someone said build me a Summer Fridays starter kit, what three products would you put in it and why? Jet Lag Mask and Moisturizer because it is our philosophy in a tube. It hydrates, soothes and instantly refreshes the skin. The entire Jet Lag collection also has the National Eczema Seal of Acceptance.
Lip Butter Balm because it is our cult classic for a reason. It is the perfect everyday luxury and our community’s favorite product.
ShadeDrops SPF because every routine starts with protection. This milky mineral formula feels like a serum and wears beautifully under makeup.
What is one product in the line that represents your personal philosophy on beauty better than anything else? Jet Lag Mask and Moisturizer. It is gentle, effective and designed to make you feel your best with very little effort. It embodies our belief that beauty should enhance your life, not complicate it. The entire Jet Lag collection is calming, soothing and hydrating and has the National Eczema Seal of Acceptance.
What is the product in your lineup that does not always get the spotlight but absolutely deserves more love? Gentle Reset Daily Exfoliating Pads. They are one of our newer launches and the response so far has been incredible. They provide gentle daily exfoliation with AHA and PHA while still being soothing and hydrating. They help smooth skin texture, refine tone and create the perfect canvas for the rest of your routine and especially makeup. We hope more people make them part of their everyday routine!
Outside of Summer Fridays, what are the beauty or lifestyle products you find yourself recommending to friends the most? Marianna: I am always recommending my 8 Sleep mattress, I do everything I can to have the best sleep and it has been a game changer for me. I wish I could travel with it!
Lauren: I thrive on routine and love having magnesium tea (moonjuice is one of my favorites) and warm mint tea before bed to calm my mind and body down. I also love my bala bangles. I wrap them around my ankles and wrists daily as a way to weave in self-care and strength into my daily life at home or while on walks with my kids.
What’s the one beauty tool or device that actually makes a difference for you? Marianna: Red light therapy has been a game changer for me and I’ve used it for years for my face, body and hair. I recently got a vibrating plate and I love standing on it for a few minutes, especially post travel.
Lauren: I spend a lot of time on flights and in the car, so I regularly use a vibrating plate at night to improve circulation and help with muscle recovery. This is also great post-running. I regularly use my theragun for this same reason.
I also love hot yoga classes that use infrared red light panels and notice what a difference this makes for my skin and body (and glow!!) I also love an LED face mask as an in-bed ritual just before bed.
Which podcasts or books do you turn to when you need inspiration, clarity, or just a good grounding conversation? Marianna: I use the Activations and Open apps almost everyday. Activations has affirmations and meditations, I love them especially on walks. I sweat by breathwork and I really like the ones I listen to on the Open app. For books, Atomic Habits is one I revisit often and has been really effective in helping me build new habits or maintain the ones that are important to me. Reflective.
Lauren: I also regularly use the Activations and Open apps, and these have been favorites of ours for years now! I personally love how I can play a motivating message for even just a few minutes that completely shifts the tone of my day — words are powerful!
I also find myself going back to reading The Creative Act: A Way of Being. It reminds us of the power we have to create with meaning, and how inspiration lives among us always, if we are willing to challenge ourselves to see it and act on it.
What does success feel like to you now, not in numbers, but in your actual life? Marianna: Success to me feels like being able to be intentional about what I spend my time doing and building something with longevity. It’s feeling passionate and fulfilled by my career, having time in my day for my morning routine or to plan trips with the people I love and really be present for those moments. I feel excited about the work and life I’m creating and that sense of ease and clarity is what success feels like to me.
Lauren: Success to me is noticing the joy within the in-between moments of daily life. To really pause long enough to recognize what a gift it is to go into an office I love with a kind team we’ve so intentionally built. To drop my kids off at school in the morning. To move my body and care for myself. To follow a routine that creates freedom and improves well-being. And to create more goodness through giving and being present for others. Success is feeling free of trying to create a balance among my many roles and to instead find gratitude and calm in the constant changes that come in every season of life.
