A Birmingham military vet turned skincare innovator

GOOD SKINCARE IS SELF-CARE. THAT’S WHAT A BIRMINGHAM WOMAN SAYS INSPIRED HER TO ABANDON A MEDICAL CAREER AND START HER OWN SKINCARE COMPANY, WVTM 13 CARLA WADE SHOWS US HOW HER SIMPLE APPROACH TO WELLNESS IS TAPPING INTO COMPETITIVE BUT A BOOMING INDUSTRY. ON THE WEEKENDS, PARTICULARLY SUNDAY, IS MY DAY TO REJUVENATE, TO RELAX AND JUST KIND OF RESTORE. KENYA STAPLES HAS TAKEN THE REFRESHED FEELING OF A QUIET SUNDAY AND BOTTLED IT UP IN A SKINCARE LINE CALLED DEAR SUNDAY. AND AS ONE FAMOUS ALABAMIAN ONCE SAYING, IT’S EASY. LIKE THE SUNDAY MORNING, SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO A JUST CLEANSER, TONER AND LIGHT MOISTURIZER. MY MOTTO IS REFRESH YOUR SKIN, RENEW YOUR SPIRIT. SHE HAD A STRICT ROUTINE WHILE SERVING IN THE ARMY, HAVING JUST THAT ONE DAY TO UNWIND WAS ESSENTIAL. I SERVED EIGHT YEARS IN THE MILITARY, GOT A BACHELOR’S IN CHEMISTRY, AND SO I WAS ON A DIRECT TRACK TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT. SO THE LAST STEP WAS ACTUALLY TO GET MY CLINICAL HOURS TO START THE PROGRAM. AND I STARTED WORKING WITH AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST. LESS THAN SIX MONTHS LATER, THE RAMSEY HIGH IN ALABAMA A&M GRAD REALIZED SHE HAD BOTH THE MIND OF A SCIENTIST AND THE SOUL OF A CREATIVE. THAT’S WHEN THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED. IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND REFLECT, AND I JUST PRAYED ABOUT IT, AND GOD JUST GAVE ME THE IDEA OF, LIKE, YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTO BEAUTY, YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTO SKINCARE. KENYA, THE SCIENTIST WENT TO WORK ON DEAR SUNDAY IN A MAKESHIFT LAB IN HER BASEMENT. SO MEASURING AND RESEARCH ALL OF THOSE THINGS LIKE IT’S IT’S A NERDY HOBBY OF MINE. AND SO THAT WAS COOL TO JUST LIKE REALLY DELVE INTO THAT AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, REALLY EXPLORE ON WHAT I CAN, YOU KNOW, WHAT I CAN SIMPLIFY, LIKE WHAT’S ON THE MARKET THESE DAYS. THERE’S SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMULAS AND INGREDIENTS THAT AREN’T NECESSARILY HEALTHY FOR OUR SKINS. THANKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND SO-CALLED INFLUENCERS, THERE’S A WHOLE NEW GENERATION DRIVING AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR SKIN CARE PRODUCTS, SPENDING AS MUCH AS $2,000 A YEAR JUST ON SKINCARE PRODUCTS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO STATISTA, A WEBSITE THAT TRACKS CONSUMER AND DIGITAL TRENDS. BECAUSE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND WITH THIS NEW GENERATION, OVERCONSUMPTION CAN BE A THING. AND IT’S MORE SO LIKE, OKAY, WELL, I’M GOING TO GO TRY ALL FIVE OF THESE PRODUCTS ON MY SKIN. AND SO MY IDEA WAS TO MAKE IT SIMPLE FOR THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR A ROUTINE AND SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE FOR THEIR SKIN. NOW, KENYA, THEIR CREATIVE, IS WORKING WITH ALL NATURAL AND ETHICALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS TO FIND HER FOOTING AS AN ENTREPRENEUR IN THE INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE BEAUTY INDUSTRY. THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I’VE BEEN NAVIGATING, WORKING WITH A DERMATOLOGIST, WORKING WITH SALONS, AND AGAIN FINDING WHO IS MY TARGET AUDIENCE, WHO WHERE WOULD MY PRODUCTS BE BEST, BEST FIT. AND SO THAT AGAIN, THAT IS PART OF THE JOURNEY. A JOURNEY, SHE SAYS, INCLUDES POSSIBLY EXPANDING HER ONLINE BUSINESS INTO HAIR CARE AND EVENTUALLY LAUNCHING NEW SKINCARE PRODUCTS. CARLA WADE WVTM 13. SHE’S INCREDIBLE, I KNOW, AND I LOVE THE WHOLE STORY OF HER JOURNEY TO WHERE SHE STARTED AND WHAT LED HER ALONG THE WAY TO WHERE SHE IS, AND IT’S ALL THE EXPERIENCE THAT REALLY CULMINATES AND HELPS WHERE SHE IS NOW. THAT IS PRETTY NEAT, AND SOMETIMES YOU DON’T KNOW THE DIRECT PATH, BUT LIKE WHERE SHE EN

Military vet turned skincare innovator: A Birmingham entrepreneur’s journey to ‘Dear Sunday’

Kenya Staples, founder and CEO of Dear Sunday, has turned her passion for rejuvenation into a skincare line that captures the essence of a relaxing Sunday. “On the weekends, particularly Sunday is my day to rejuvenate, to relax and just kind of restore,” Staples said. Her product line, Dear Sunday, offers a simple approach with just cleanser, toner, and light moisturizer, echoing the sentiment of “refresh your skin, renew your spirit.”Staples, who served eight years in the military and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, was on track to become a physician assistant. “I served eight years in the military. Got a bachelor’s in chemistry. So, I was on a direct track to become a physician assistant. The last step was actually to get my clinical hours to start the program and start working with an ophthalmologist,” she said. However, the onset of the pandemic prompted her to reflect on her career path. “That’s when the pandemic happened. It was a great time to actually sit down and reflect. And I just prayed about it. And God just gave me the idea of, like, you’ve always been into beauty, you’ve always been into skincare,” Staples said.In her basement lab, Staples began developing her skincare line, focusing on simplifying formulas and using healthy ingredients. “So, measuring and research, all of those things, it’s a nerdy hobby of mine. And so that was cool to just really delve into that and really explore what I can simplify. To look at what’s on the market these days. There’s so many different formulas and ingredients that aren’t necessarily healthy for our skin,” she said.The rise of social media influencers has fueled demand for skincare products, with an increase as high as 20% according to Statista, with Gen Z spending as much as $2,000 a year on skin care products. Staples aims to address overconsumption by offering a straightforward routine. “Because with social media, and with this new generation, overconsumption can be a thing. And it’s more like I’m going to try all five of these products on my skin. So, my idea was to make it simple for those that are looking for a routine. And something to actually address the concerns they have for their skin,” she said.Staples is now navigating the competitive beauty industry, working with natural and ethically sourced ingredients. “That’s something that I’ve been navigating. I’m working with the dermatologists, working with salons and again, finding who is my target audience, where would my products be best, the best fit. And so that, again, that is part of the journey,” she said. Her journey includes plans to expand her online business into hair care and launch new skincare products.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Kenya Staples, founder and CEO of Dear Sunday, has turned her passion for rejuvenation into a skincare line that captures the essence of a relaxing Sunday.

“On the weekends, particularly Sunday is my day to rejuvenate, to relax and just kind of restore,” Staples said. Her product line, Dear Sunday, offers a simple approach with just cleanser, toner, and light moisturizer, echoing the sentiment of “refresh your skin, renew your spirit.”

Staples, who served eight years in the military and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, was on track to become a physician assistant.

“I served eight years in the military. Got a bachelor’s in chemistry. So, I was on a direct track to become a physician assistant. The last step was actually to get my clinical hours to start the program and start working with an ophthalmologist,” she said.

However, the onset of the pandemic prompted her to reflect on her career path.

“That’s when the pandemic happened. It was a great time to actually sit down and reflect. And I just prayed about it. And God just gave me the idea of, like, you’ve always been into beauty, you’ve always been into skincare,” Staples said.

In her basement lab, Staples began developing her skincare line, focusing on simplifying formulas and using healthy ingredients.

“So, measuring and research, all of those things, it’s a nerdy hobby of mine. And so that was cool to just really delve into that and really explore what I can simplify. To look at what’s on the market these days. There’s so many different formulas and ingredients that aren’t necessarily healthy for our skin,” she said.

The rise of social media influencers has fueled demand for skincare products, with an increase as high as 20% according to Statista, with Gen Z spending as much as $2,000 a year on skin care products. Staples aims to address overconsumption by offering a straightforward routine.

“Because with social media, and with this new generation, overconsumption can be a thing. And it’s more like I’m going to try all five of these products on my skin. So, my idea was to make it simple for those that are looking for a routine. And something to actually address the concerns they have for their skin,” she said.

Staples is now navigating the competitive beauty industry, working with natural and ethically sourced ingredients.

“That’s something that I’ve been navigating. I’m working with the dermatologists, working with salons and again, finding who is my target audience, where would my products be best, the best fit. And so that, again, that is part of the journey,” she said.

Her journey includes plans to expand her online business into hair care and launch new skincare products.

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