Get In, Loser! We’re Learning About Chebula: Talking Skin, Science, and Storytelling with Jana Kleemeier

It takes a certain kind of confidence to make antioxidants feel aspirational. But True Botanicals did exactly that earlier this week with their new Mean Girls-inspired Chebula campaign, a playful ode to the often mispronounced ingredient (it’s “CHEH-BOO-LAH,” by the way) quietly powering half of Hollywood’s glow. The result? A love letter to nostalgia that somehow manages to make clinical skincare… well, cool. Behind it all is Jana Kleemeier, the brand’s Director of Creative and Brand Marketing, who’s turning clean beauty into cultural commentary. And this month, we caught up with her to talk about skin versus spin, credibility as currency, and why sometimes the smartest thing a brand can do is laugh at itself.

Dominique Da Silva, behind-the-scenes for True Botanicals

Imani Baptiste, behind-the-scenes for True Botanicals

So, what does it actually take to make a skincare ingredient both cult-classic and culturally clever? Lately, packaging has ruled the game— maybe more than we like to admit. Roughly half of female shoppers, and even more Millennials and Gen Z, let branding and design sway their carts. Anti-aging creams grab the most attention, while acne and sensitive-skin products prompt closer scrutiny of formulation. Smart, thoughtful packaging can be the difference between blending in and standing out.

But today’s beauty landscape is shifting: consumers are sharper, more skeptical, and culturally fluent. Gen Z increasingly seeks natural or organic skincare, with many willing to pay a premium for ethically sourced products. In a world where what’s inside matters as much as what’s out, skincare is no longer just ingredients on a shelf— it’s experience, narrative, and trust, wrapped in moments that feel both personal and aspirational. Which brought us to ask Kleemeier:

In beauty, the question often comes down to: is the product working on your skin, or is the story working on your brain? How do you design for both without compromising either?

Jana: At True Botanicals, formulation always comes first… Every story starts with what’s in our product: clean, high-performing ingredients that deliver real results. After five years of our Chebula Active Serum and customers experiencing incredible transformations, we knew we had the credibility to have a little fun. Our “CHEH-BOO-LAH” campaign pokes fun at how often our community mispronounces one of our powerhouse ingredients. Real results create credibility and with that comes the freedom to be a little self-deprecating (in the best way!)

The Citizen’s Poste: Skincare has been branded as both medicine and magic. Where do you think consumers really want it to sit on that spectrum?

Jana: Today’s consumers want it all. They don’t want to choose between medicine and magic… They want skincare that delivers the credibility of science with the emotional resonance of ritual. At True Botanicals, the ‘medicine’ lives in our approach to safety and formulation with nature’s most intelligent plant molecules. And the ‘magic’ comes to life in the experience: textures that melt into skin, aromas that ground and uplift and intentional packaging that turns a skincare routine into a moment of connection. We design products that truly work on a deeper level, but are also inviting a moment of pause.

The Citizen’s Poste: Let’s talk Chebula. Beyond being clinically potent, what kind of personality does this ingredient have for you? If it were a person, how would you describe it?

Jana: I’ve never thought about Chebula personified but now that I’m thinking about it: Chebula is definitely an old soul. Her strength comes from centuries of natural intelligence. She’s that quiet confident friend, the one you can always turn to who seems to have it all figured out. She’s calm, grounded and spiritual.

Lauren Gabby, behind-the-scenes for True Botanicals

The Citizen’s Poste: The Mean Girls spoof feels cheeky, but it also lands at a moment when Y2K nostalgia is currency. How much of this campaign is science education, and how much is cultural anthropology?

Jana: I’d say this campaign is really about connection: a way to meet our community in the cultural Y2K resurrection we’re seeing right now. We know our consumer grew up in that Y2K era (rocking True Religion jeans, staying up late on a corded phone, or scribbling notes with a sparkly, fluffy-ended pen.) This was our way of tapping into that shared experience with humor and heart.

The Citizen’s Poste: Marketing in beauty has always sold aspiration, but True Botanicals has consistently sold credibility. How do you measure when credibility tips into coolness— and when coolness risks diluting credibility?

Jana: Being ‘cool’ or trendy has never been our goal. What matters more to us is being real, authentic, and credible. If there’s one word we aspire to instead of cool, it’s disruptive. We’re constantly asking ourselves ‘How can we disrupt the beauty category?’ Whether it’s by pushing the boundaries of product formulation, setting new standards for ingredient safety, or redefining what true efficacy looks like… we’re driven to challenge what’s possible. Brands earn their cool by doing something meaningful, by pushing their craft forward and by staying connected to what’s real. I’m a big believer in ‘coolness’ following credibility, not the other way around.

The Citizen’s Poste: Ten years from now, do you think beauty will still be defined by “hero ingredients,” or will the language itself have to evolve?

Jana: Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C were leading ingredients 10 years ago, weren’t they? I don’t think that concept (or those two ingredients) are going away any time soon. As the industry continues to grow and innovate, I believe we’ll see entirely new ingredients enter the conversation. While this is exciting, it also means consumers will need to become more discerning and look beyond what’s trending to understand what’s truly safe, effective, and right for their skin. The future of beauty isn’t about having more choices, it’s about making smarter ones.

Noah Miller, behind-the-scenes for True Botanicals

The Citizen’s Poste: You live at the intersection of creativity and chemistry. What’s something the average consumer doesn’t realize about how long it actually takes to make a product both effective and desirable?

Jana: I think most people don’t realize just how much time and care it takes to create something that’s both high performance and high pleasure. The time it takes to source sustainable ingredients, put our formulations through incredibly rigorous testing and receive our ‘MADE SAFE’ seal certification is far longer than I ever imagined. The level of precision we bring to every detail: the texture, the scent, and even the packaging experience is considered down to the smallest detail. What looks so simple on the outside (at True Botanicals) is the result of years of intention, creative collaboration, scientific rigor and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way.

The Citizen’s Poste: Off the record but also very on the record: what’s the most ridiculous misconception about skincare you’ve ever heard?

Jana: ‘Clean skincare doesn’t work!’

Get In, Loser! We’re Learning About Chebula: Talking Skin, Science, and Storytelling with Jana Kleemeier