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

      Three years on, Cyklar—the multisensory beauty brand providing a variety of body washes, lotions, oils, and fragrances—has not just met milestones; it has surpassed them significantly. Since its debut in 2023, the brand has received accolades such as Allure's Best of Beauty, a Who What Wear Beauty 100 award, and Marie Claire’s 2025 Prix D'Excellence, in addition to being featured on Oprah’s 2025 Favorite Things list. This spring, it launched its major retail partnership with Sephora, debuting in around 450 stores across the U.S., marking a pivotal advancement for the brand. So, what accounts for Cyklar's success and that of its founder, Claudia Sulewski?

      Examining the Venn diagram of Sulewski's career reveals great storytelling as a key unifying element. Over her various successful projects, it's clear that she excels at telling stories. This began in 2009 when, at the age of 13, she started her YouTube channel, BeyondBeautyStar. On this platform, she provided makeup tutorials, product hauls, brand reviews, and candid vlogs, which helped her cultivate a robust community and influenced the creation of Cyklar 14 years later. Additionally, her storytelling experience as an actress and director further strengthens her ability to connect authentically with audiences and consumers, making her stand out in a crowded market. "My years of making YouTube videos have really taught me how to tell a story, both on small and larger scales," Sulewski shares with me over Zoom on a lovely spring morning in Los Angeles. "Running a brand involves storytelling through product launches, marketing, imagery—everything." She compares her YouTube content creation to a beauty boot camp, as she observed the evolution of beloved brands, learning from their successes and failures. "YouTube has been such a fantastic vehicle for transitioning into this next chapter of my life," she remarks.

      From the outset, Sulewski aimed to establish a brand that offered high-performing formulas paired with a luxurious appeal. By opting to launch body care instead of cosmetics or skincare, Sulewski drew from her own commitment to self-care and tuning into her body's needs. "There’s something undeniably intentional and luxurious about applying body cream or oil. We often focus so much on our faces, hair, and nails—what’s visible—but beneath our clothes, our skin is our largest organ," she explains. Sulewski sought to answer the question: How can we transform those routines into moments of nourishment and tranquility? Thus, Cyklar was born. With its sleek, gender-neutral design, a "luxury feel for less" philosophy, and tightly executed product launches—like the recent Rose Bud scent—the brand quickly resonated with Gen Z and millennial consumers, generating an estimated $15 million in revenue in 2025, according to Forbes.

      As Cyklar approaches its third anniversary this fall, I inquire about Sulewski's major takeaways from this journey. She humorously mentions that running a beauty brand often feels like "putting out small fires," but emphasizes that she's genuinely learning with every phase, chapter, and product release. "I’ve realized not to hold on too tightly to anything because flexibility and adaptability are crucial, and one shouldn’t stress over minor details," she tells me. "Perfection steals joy, and it cannot exist in running a business. We are always evolving and growing. It’s been really exciting to apply that mindset in my personal life and content creation, too—not worrying about little slip-ups during dinner conversations. We can’t get bogged down by the trivial issues." With Sephora involved, everything shifts to a new level, and Sulewski reveals that the partnership has elevated the brand significantly. She expresses her delight in walking into a Sephora store and seeing the Cyklar display bustling. "It means people are engaging with it and experiencing it in person, which is immensely satisfying because until now, we've been a direct-to-consumer brand. You can only describe a scent online so many times before someone has to actually smell it," she says. Indeed, fragrance sales have surged since this partnership, according to her.

      The backing from Sephora also paves the way for future international expansion, which Sulewski eagerly anticipates. Her global supporters have been voicing their desire for this, making it her top priority as she envisions growing the brand. Product-wise, she dreams of continually innovating formulas that address various skin issues across different body areas.

      As for how Sulewski balances a personal life alongside running a multi-million-dollar business, it remains a mystery, but she manages to act and direct both in front of and behind the camera. As mentioned, storytelling is at her core. Sulewski made her feature film debut in the 2022 comedy I Love My Dad and later secured a recurring role in the Apple TV+ series Shr