I Founded a Sustainable Beauty Brand at 26—Here's My Workday Morning Routine

What's the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? A well-rounded morning routine sets the tone for the day and gets you prepped—both mentally and physically—before diving into a packed schedule filled with emails, chores, happy hours, workouts, and more. Our series Morning Person profiles those who have mastered the art of the morning routine.

Tune in every Monday and Friday morning here and on our Instagram to learn exactly how the pros get it all done before the sun comes up, from their go-to breakfasts to their a.m. workouts.

We feature a number of founders, CEOs, and business owners for this series that run the gamut from smaller companies to more widely known brands. While running a business has its own set of challenges, what does it mean to be a leader in the era of COVID-19? 

For Priscilla Tsai, the founder and CEO of clean beauty brand Cocokind, this means adapting her workday mornings so she can be fully present to help her team with any pressing tasks. These days, that includes being in the warehouse to help produce products and fulfill orders.

Keep reading to see what the rest of her mornings look like today.

6:30 AM

Right when I wake up, I immediately start thinking about what hot beverage I'm going to make myself. I've been making my own superfood beauty lattes for the past couple of years, switching up ingredients depending on how I'm feeling. It's my favorite ritual! The combo I'm loving right now is cacao, ashwagandha, chia seed powder, and almond butter frothed with hot water.

I stopped regularly drinking coffee a couple of years ago when I found myself crashing throughout the day and feeling like I was too reliant on it. Also, I usually don't eat breakfast, and I intermittent-fast until around noon.

6:45 AM

After I make my latte, I’ll start my skincare routine. Not to be one of those people, but I truly only use Cocokind! In the morning, I usually cleanse with our Oil to Milk Cleanser, tone with our Raspberry Vinegar Toner, then finish with our Pore-Refining Concentrate and Texture Smoothing Cream.

My last step is SPF. We've been working on formulating our sunscreen for a while, and I've been testing different formulas for years. Hopefully, we'll be able to launch it this summer!

7 A.M.

On a good day, I like to take a quick walk around my neighborhood, Russian Hill, for at least 10 minutes. It helps wake me up, and it always feels good to get some fresh air (through a mask, these days).

7:30 A.M.

By this time, I'll usually be at Cocokind's warehouse. Not gonna lie, as a business owner, this year has been really difficult. I've been spending most of my days in our warehouse helping produce products and fulfill orders and doing my office job at night.

This obviously isn't my normal routine, but given the extenuating circumstances, it's what I have to do. I feel the responsibility as a business owner to do everything I physically and mentally can to keep things up and running.

8 A.M. 

While I'm working in the warehouse, I'll sometimes listen to a podcast to help get me through it. These days, I'm loving Sophia Bush's Work in Progress or Michelle Siman's Lemon Water.

12 P.M. 

By this time, I'm done intermittent fasting, and it's time to take a lunch break. What I eat depends on my mood that day, but my favorite thing to have for lunch is probably spring rolls. I usually snack a lot during the day, too—big fan of peanut butter pretzels, Meet the Source balls, and fruits like kiwi and dragonfruit.

Next up: I Co-Founded a CBD Company for Women—Here's My Sleep-Centric Morning Routine