On the Line with Sachi Skin
an interview with the founder and formulator, Farah Bashir
Welcome to On the Line! A new series from Hotline Skin, bringing you exclusive interviews with founders, formulators, strategists and other key players in beauty. I’ll ask the first round of questions and then turn it over to you. Missed the last one? Read it here.
To many of you, Sachi Skin is a familiar name. I went to look at how many Hotline Skin issues I’ve mentioned the brand in, but stopped counting at 24—you get the idea, and there are better ways to spend my time. Farah is the first person who came to mind when I envisioned this series, because to truly understand what Sachi Skin’s doing differently, you need to understand the inspiration and intention behind it. Using Farah’s cultural heritage and professional expertise, Sachi’s award-winning formulas blend ancient Ayurvedic medicine with innovations in dermal science, resulting in some of the most unique products you’ll ever come across. I’ll let her tell you the rest.
As part of this series, you also get the opportunity to ask your own questions! Ask Farah anything in the comments and she’ll pop in over the next few days to answer.
Don’t miss the giveaway and Hotline Skin exclusive discount at the end!
Tell us a bit about you, outside of Sachi Skin! Where did you grow up, where do you live now, what you were doing before Sachi, any fun facts…introduce us to Farah!
I was born in Lancashire, North England, and grew up in the South of England. However, for the last 15 years I lived in multiple places across South East Asia and many years in Japan, which gave me a deep appreciation for diverse beauty rituals and traditions. I now live in the UK countryside, where I run Sachi Skin, raise my children, and somehow find time for baking, vintage fashion hunting, and writing about skincare, culture, and slow living on my Substack blog, The Beam Files.
Before starting Sachi Skin, I spent over 17 years working as a facialist, in cosmetic formulations, retail and aesthetics. However, my real journey with skincare started much earlier. I had severe acne as an adult, took Roaccutane twice, suffered an allergic reaction to hydroquinone, and have patches of eczema throughout my body (especially on the legs and behind the knees). I have spent several decades navigating skincare, which ultimately led me to create my own formulas.
Fun fact? I’m obsessed with finding the perfect gifts for people - it’s an art form to me!
What inspired you to start Sachi Skin and what were the first steps you took to get it going? Any unexpected challenges or things that were surprisingly easy?
So, one word. Friction.
Sachi Skin was born from my own struggles with acne, hyperpigmentation, and reactive skin. After my second round of Roaccutane (Accutane as it’s known in the U.S.) I decided I couldn’t take it any more. My eyes were severely dry, and my lips were constantly dry and bleeding, and it was affecting me internally too. Despite everything, my acne just kept coming back with small triggers like stress (having PCOS doesn’t help either). I also formulated and worked with a lot of skincare, and personally wanted rebalancing treatments that focused on a trio of concerns: even tone, clarity and well-aging.
The first step I guess was formulation. I wasn’t interested in creating “me too” products– for example another 8% mandelic serum stocked at hundreds of salons globally, doing the same thing. So, it took time to develop treatments that were truly different, multi-functional, with an optimized cocktail of ingredients and respectful of skin health. I really felt I had found something special when I created my own proprietary cocktail of ingredients for hyperpigmentation and skin clarity. I just felt compelled to launch with a small crowd of chemists, aestheticians, and skincare intellectuals.
The biggest challenge? Educating people on why a slow, multi-benefit considered approach to skincare works better in the long run. Surprisingly easy? Finding an audience that resonated with our philosophy. People are craving skincare that works with their skin, not against it. People also understand that “Skin Types” are just another construct which unfortunately does not mirror our current 2025 living.
Describe Sachi Skin in 5 words.
Timeless. Multi-Benefit. Transformative. Adaptive. Clinically Proven… I’ll throw in another Slow Beauty : - )
Where should someone start if they’ve never tried anything from the brand?
It depends on the current state of your skin. If you struggle with post acne marks and pigmentation, start with Triphala Pigmentation Corrector. If you want to target fine lines, build firmness, barrier strength and resilience, Pro-Resilience Serum is an all-rounder. And if you’re looking for a game-changing retexturizing serum, CCA (or Complexion Clarifying Accelerator) is a staple.
Unlike a lot of brands, you didn’t start with a cleanser or moisturizer. Your first products were treatments—an exfoliant, a retinoid and a pigmentation serum. And not just any treatment products, but ones that require some education to fully understand & appreciate. What made you decide to take that risk and how do you navigate product education for consumers?
Brands usually start with creating a visual brand universe and then launch with a moisturizer, cleanser, or some kind of mask. If you have ever worked on the retail floor or as a facialist, these are flagged as the “bread and butter” of a brand and of the customer's ritual. They are the most often reached for products, usually basics that can be easy for a customer to adopt in their routine, and the ones that drive significant revenue to allow you to build a bigger brand.
I, on the other hand, wanted to create and launch products that actually made a difference in the skin’s long-term health first. Instead of starting with a generic lineup, I focused on treatments that could create real, visible change. Yes, they require education, but that’s the beauty of it. When people understand their skin, they make better choices for it. To me, creating formulations is a form of craftsmanship, and I personally wanted to work on the biggest challenge for our community first, like “how can I fade my post-acne red marks in 10 days without lasers?” The challenge lights me up, and is how I got working on the Triphala Pigmentation Corrector.
Lastly, education is built into everything we do. From our very first free Hyperpigmentation Book, to infographics and routine-building tools like the Sachi Skin Routine Finder (coming soon!). We also lean heavily on real customer experiences, because nothing is more powerful than results you can see and feel.“When people understand their skin, they make better choices for it.”
- Farah Bashir, but also me. This is literally the ethos of Hotline Skin.
What’s the product development process like? How on earth do you come up with these formulas?!
It’s a mix of science, obsession, and real-world testing. I start with a skin concern, research how the skin behaves in that state, and then build a formula that supports rather than overwhelms it. I also refuse to rush—our upcoming moisturizer took four years because I scrapped an entire formulation in 2021 after realizing it wasn’t delivering the longevity benefits I wanted.
When clients ask me what topical products can help with melasma, Triphala Pigmentation Corrector is one of the few recommendations I confidently give. Why is Triphala different from most other pigmentation serums?
Triphala Pigmentation Corrector is different because it doesn’t rely on a single “hero” ingredient. Instead, it takes a holistic approach, combining ancient Ayurvedic wisdom (Triphala, Bakuchiol) with modern advances in dermal science (Niacinamide, Peptides, Hexylresourcinol). It addresses all pathways of pigmentation while respecting the skin barrier, meaning fewer flare-ups and better long-term results. Once you start pairing this with another evening cellular renewal reform treatment like CCA or UAR, the results start to compound faster. Beyond melasma, it helps with post-acne dark spots (PIH) and red spots (PIE), sun spots and other types of discoloration, for all skin tones, including melanin rich skin.
Graphic from sachiskin.com
I first fell in love with Sachi because of the CCA. It remains one of my favorite exfoliators. Why is it so unique? What changes have you made to the formula since launch?
So glad to see all the CCA love! The Complexion Clarifying Accelerator is special because it’s not just another acid peel, it’s designed to exfoliate while actively hydrating and strengthening the skin barrier. It blends acids with powerful brighteners, anti-inflammatories, hydrators, and Ayurvedic botanicals, so you get the benefits of exfoliation with additional brightness and clarity.
Since launch, we’ve fine-tuned the formula–not big changes, just texture changes, because we realized the customer really wanted to use this during the day under makeup. This basically meant tweaking the lipid (oil) profile to make it even more hydrating and adaptive across different skin needs.
Even though CCA was my first Sachi love, Pro-Resilience Serum is my greatest. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say I’ve gone through over 20 bottles. One of the best things about it is that you actually tested it to be able to be used under LED. What are the benefits of the product in general and how does LED affect them?
Pro-Resilience Serum is the hidden gem at Sachi Skin because I created five serums individually, then combined them into one:
the botox-free firming serum (with line smoothing drone delivered peptides + clinically proven skin firming bioflavanoids)
the anti redness serum (with 3 modulating glucosides and arnica)
the barrier repair serum (with vegan ceramide complex)
the hydrating serum (with 5 multi molecular hydrators)
the regenerating serum (with CM Beta Glucan Technology)
I wish I could carry a poster of this on my back. It's that good! lol. The best part of the serum is we removed heavy oils and niacinamide. Oils to ensure that the formulation was feather light and no large molecules block the LED light from penetrating. Niacinamide to cater to the fact that most soothing serums now have niacinamide, leading to an overload of this ingredient on the skin.
The serum works with LED devices pre, during, and after with the goal of calming the skin, supporting barrier repair and regeneration. We tested it under LED because I wanted to ensure it worked with modern skin therapies, not just standalone. LED enhances its effects by boosting circulation, improving product absorption, and supporting skin repair. It’s like a power duo for resilience and longevity.
A small taste of my Pro-Resilience empties
There’s only one strength of Ursolic Acid & Retinal Overnight Reform (UAR), but it’s good for a wide variety of skin types and experience. How is it possible to have a single retinoid product that both beginners and advanced users can use and see effects?
Okay, I love this question because you know since last year I have been talking non-stop about how the cosmetic industry does not need a ladder approach to retinoids. Did you also know it is not scientifically proven that a higher strength delivers better results over a period of time vs a lower strength? The only factor in the equation is SPEED. Let’s say: % Vitamin A x Time = Results.
Now, you can increase your strength and reduce the time it takes to get results, but you then increase the risk of irritation and peeling, which steers you back to first base again. Our Ursolic Acid and Retinal Overnight Reform was formulated to be potent, gentle, and adaptive. It blends multiple ingredients and technologies at effective yet tolerable strengths, while also including barrier-supporting ingredients like Oat Oil, Black Cumin, Peptides, Encapsulated Glutathione, and Superoxide Dismutase. This allows beginners to ease in, while advanced users still get powerful results, without the usual retinoid drawbacks.
(For beginners, start with just once a week at night, slowly increasing as desired/tolerated. If you have sensitive skin, layer over moisturizer. Experienced retinoid users can use 3-4x/week, or even nightly if tolerated. See Sachi’s Retinoid Guide for more tips.)
Let’s not forget about the most recent launches, the cleansers! Was it always the plan to launch 2 at the same time?
It actually wasn’t! But during development, knowing that skin exists in different states, we recognized the need for more than one cleanser option. That’s how The Power of Duality came about: Saffron Luminous Gel Cleanser to brighten/resurface and Saponins Calming Cream Cleanser for gentle nourishment. It made sense to launch them together, so people had the choice in format or texture and goal preference to support their skin based on its needs.
Anything else you want to share about you, the brand or the product line? Can we expect new launches in 2025?!
Stay tuned this year for an incredible moisturizer coming your way—a moisturizer that will follow you on your well aging journey.
Final questions I ask everyone. Favorite socks, favorite sandwich, favorite tv show, favorite toothpaste?
Socks: Anything thick and cozy. Love Cos and Arket for their cashmere affordable variety, and Marks and Spencer for thick thermal socks that a British countryside home needs.
Sandwich: Very British…are you ready? A perfectly made cheese and pickle sandwich. Although I'll readily accept a great tuna melt or brie sandwich.TV Show: 1923 (currently), but Friends is my forever comfort show.
Toothpaste: Marvis Jasmine Mint for a flat lay or bougie IG vibes but Sensodyne in reality!
Use code HOTLINESKIN20 for 20% off through June 30th. Can't be combined with other promotions or already discounted sets.
SACHI SKIN GIVEAWAY
Three subscribers will win a Complexion Clarifying Accelerator!
To enter:
Make sure you are subscribed to Hotline Skin and “like” this post
The winner will be randomly selected and notified via email on Tuesday, May 27th (via the email you are subscribed to this newsletter with)
Open to US shipping addresses only
For an extra entry, refer a friend!
HAVE A QUESTION?
Your turn to chat with Farah! Ask her about a product, get personalized recommendations, chat about skin states vs. skin types, Ayurvedic botanicals or anything else! Farah will be answering directly over the next few days.
Thank you for stopping by, Farah!
xx,
Jolie
Ok I actually have another question. When are we getting jumbo Pro-Resilience!?
I LOVE THIS INTERVIEW AND FARAH AND SACHI SKIN SO MUCH! Ugh so many gems in here!!!