Whatever Claudia Sulewski is promoting, we're all in.

      Three years in, Cyklar—the multisensory beauty brand with a variety of body washes, lotions, oils, and fragrances—is not merely achieving milestones; it's surpassing them. Since its debut in 2023, the brand has won accolades including Allure Best of Beauty, Who What Wear Beauty 100, the Marie Claire 2025 Prix D'Excellence Award, and a spot on Oprah's 2025 Favorite Things list. This spring, Cyklar announced a significant retail distribution agreement with Sephora, launching in approximately 450 U.S. stores, marking a transformative step for the brand. So, what is the key to Cyklar's success, according to its founder, Claudia Sulewski?

      Examining the Venn diagram of Sulewski's career reveals that compelling storytelling is at its center. Through her various successful ventures, she has demonstrated her skills as a master storyteller. This journey began back in 2009 when she started her YouTube channel, BeyondBeautyStar, at the age of 13. On this platform, she shared makeup tutorials, product hauls, brand reviews, and unfiltered vlogs, which taught her how to cultivate a strong community and broadly informed the development of Cyklar fourteen years later. Additionally, her experiences as an actress and director contribute to her storytelling ability. Sulewski emphasizes the importance of connecting authentically with audiences and consumers in an oversaturated market. "My years of making YouTube videos have really taught me how to tell a story, both in small and big-picture terms," she shares during a Zoom call on a lovely spring morning in Los Angeles. "So much of owning a brand involves telling a story through product launches, marketing, imagery, and everything." Sulewski compares her time creating content on YouTube to attending beauty boot camp, learning from the evolution of her favorite brands and what worked for them, which in turn helped her articulate her own brand vision. "YouTube has been such a fantastic vehicle to aid my transition into this next chapter of my life," she adds.

      From the outset, Sulewski aimed to develop a brand that merged high-performance formulas with a luxurious aesthetic. Her decision to focus on body care instead of cosmetics or skincare stems from her personal journey of self-care and awareness of her body. "There’s something so intentionally luxurious about applying body cream or body oil. We often concentrate on our face, hair, nails, and visible areas, but underneath our clothing, our skin is our largest organ," she explains. Sulewski sought to answer the question of how to make these rituals fulfilling and calming, leading to the creation of Cyklar. With its sleek, gender-neutral design, a "luxury feel for less" philosophy, and well-timed product launches such as the recent Rose Bud scent, the brand quickly resonated with Gen Z and millennial consumers, resulting in an estimated $15 million in revenue in 2025, as reported by Forbes.

      As Cyklar's third anniversary approaches this fall, I ask Sulewski about her key takeaways during this time. She humorously states that running a beauty brand often feels like "constantly putting out small fires," but more sincerely reflects on the insights gained from each phase, chapter, and product launch. "I've realized not to be overly precious about anything because flexibility and adaptability are crucial. You can't let small issues derail you," she shares. "Perfection can rob you of joy, and it doesn't exist in business. We are always evolving and growing. It's been enjoyable to apply that mentality to my own content and personal life—just not worrying about every little thing I said at dinner. We can’t sweat the small stuff." With Sephora now involved, a new chapter unfolds, and Sulewski expresses how the partnership with the beauty retailer has elevated everything. She relishes the experience of walking into a Sephora store and seeing Cyklar's products in demand. "It means people are engaging with it physically, which is rewarding since we've been primarily a direct-to-consumer brand. Describing a fragrance online can only go so far compared to someone actually smelling it," she explains. Indeed, fragrance sales have surged since the partnership, she notes. Sephora's support also opens doors for international expansion, something Sulewski eagerly anticipates as her global fans have been asking for it; it's her top priority as she strategizes the brand's growth. In terms of products, Sulewski dreams of continuing to innovate formulas that address various skin concerns across different areas of the body.

      While it’s unclear how Sulewski manages to balance a personal life alongside her many roles, she still finds time to act and direct. At her core, she is a storyteller. Sulewski made her feature-film debut in the 2022 comedy "I Love My Dad" and later secured a recurring part in the Apple TV+ series "Shrinking." "If