Ayla

Does the world need another beauty e-commerce site? Dara Kennedy, a Harvard MBA and full-on skin care junkie, thinks so. Dara worked in beauty for a good chunk of her career before becoming an entrepreneur. She worked at Interbrand, was on the founding team of Living Proof, helped Marcia Kilgore launch Soap & Glory Cosmetics, and launched four product lines for Elizabeth Arden. So she knows the market well. Her site, Ayla, will have a soft launch this Monday, February 7. The focus is entirely skin care. Dara is a certified yoga instructor and passionate about natural products. However, she also puts efficacy high on the priority list. “Sometimes the naturals work and sometimes they don’t,” she told me. Therefore, you’ll find naturals and organics next to clinical formulas that are still safe. At launch, the site will offer Luzern, Peter Thomas Roth, Naturopathica, and the UK’s The Organic Pharmacy--which is an online exclusive for Ayla and quite a coup for the site--among others.