In the ever-evolving landscape of the beauty industry, where trends come and go like seasons, Wende Zomnir has been a consistent force of innovation and empowerment. Since “breaking” the world of cosmetics at the age of 27 with Urban Decay, Zomnir is now on a mission to redefine the industry, with an eye toward sustainability and wellness, with her latest venture, caliray.
Zomnir’s journey as an entrepreneur started in the heart of Chicago, where she worked at a big ad agency. However, the Windy City’s cold climate led her to seek the warmth of California, ultimately sparking her desire to pursue other projects. A chance introduction to Sandy Lerner, cofounder of Cisco Systems, marked the beginning of her groundbreaking career when they launched Urban Decay in 1996.
“Sandy showed me what entrepreneurship was, which I passed on through my career,” Wende reflects. “She said, ‘I broke the tech industry and now I want to break the beauty industry.’ Sandy really let me run with it — I was able to make Urban Decay sing.” Under Lerner’s mentorship, Zomnir learned to challenge the giants of the beauty industry, going up against the likes of Coty and Estée Lauder. She created best-selling products like the legendary Naked Palette and All Nighter Setting Sprays for Urban Decay, known as makeup for boys and girls and a true pioneer in the industry. “Urban Decay’s mission was to democratize beauty,” says Zomnir. “It was really about self-expression.”
After growing Urban Decay with its “makeup as empowerment” mantra into a billion-dollar brand that was eventually sold to L’Oreal, Zomnir wasn’t ready to exit the industry. “Mission accomplished with Urban Decay so what was the next mission?” says Zomnir. “I had always been really into wellness and Urban Decay was one of the first brands to take parabens out of our products – it was really important to me.”
Sustainability and wellness became her next frontiers, inspired by her deep connection to the California dream lifestyle, and in 2022, she launched caliray, alongside cofounder Jenna Dover, under Sephora’s Clean + Planet Positive program. Enlisting former L’Oréal contacts and leveraging her experience in both entrepreneurship and big corporations, Zomnir “envisioned a brand that embodied California.” True to that vision, caliray is based in a surf shack in Newport Beach and focuses on “clean formulas, dirty minds, and sexy sustainability.”
Zomnir’s aim is to educate people about packaging and make them more conscious consumers. “I was surfing and saw all this garbage and thoughts – how many Naked Palettes have I created?” she says,. “There’s a real opportunity to create something at the intersection of beauty and sustainability.”
Caliray’s mascara, a tubing formula that provides long wear without damaging lashes, stands as a testament to performance clean beauty. “It’s a tubing mascara and it’s clean and it gives that long wear but is not waterproof, which is bad for your lashes,” she explains. “It gives volume without damage and long wear without smudging.” She also loves the primer— “It blows out the pores and fine lines but also has peptides for skin health” —and the setting spray with transdermal magnesium, great for skin recovery. “It’s like sprayable skincare,” she says.
The brand also collaborated with Thorne to create a beauty supplement, Get Lit Right Now, touted by Zomnir as “like drinking a ring light.”
For Zomnir, work and life are intertwined, a rhythm she has maintained throughout her career. Being present for her children during key moments was nonnegotiable. While she acknowledges the challenges, she emphasizes the importance of taking time for herself with early morning workouts, tennis, and a variety of sports. She takes advantage of business trips to explore and unwind. “I always take time for myself,” says Zomnir. “On business trips, I take some extra time to enjoy myself and use work travel to fuel me.”
Looking ahead, she envisions more collaborations, especially with small brands and expresses excitement about being a new founder again. As Zomnir ventures into a new era of beauty with caliray, her commitment to innovation, empowerment, and sustainability remains unwavering. In a world that is increasingly conscious of its environmental impact, caliray stands as a beacon of clean beauty, setting new standards for the industry.
