Great companies often start with a small, specific frustration. For Lexie and Sarah, co-founders of FORTA, that problem was makeup that simply couldn't keep up with an active life, whether that meant a basketball game, a workout, or a packed workday with zero time for a touch-up. As part of our female founders highlight series, we sat down with the FORTA founders to talk about what it actually took to build a sweat-proof formula from scratch, what they'd tell someone just starting out, and how they think about confidence, routine, and the small daily habits that support both.
How did the idea for FORTA start?
FORTA started with a very personal problem. Lexie and I were roommates at Stanford, and she'd come back from basketball games and practices with her makeup completely gone. Every product on the market that claimed to be "long-wear" or "sweat-proof" was either tacky and heavy or simply didn’t hold up. We realized this wasn't a Lexie problem; it was every active woman's problem: anyone whose day doesn't pause for a touch-up, whether that's a WNBA game, a client meeting, or a Pilates class.
So we set out to build makeup that could actually keep up. It took almost 3 years and 18 formulation iterations across multiple labs before we found the ingredient breakthrough, a PVP-derived compound, that finally passed our sweat test. That process became our whole philosophy: "Built for Motion. Refined for Beauty."
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What's been your proudest moment so far?
Launch week definitely comes to mind. We did about $30K in revenue in our first week entirely organically. There were no paid acquisitions, and we picked up press from Marie Claire, Glamour, Business Insider, and Glossy almost immediately. After pouring so much of ourselves into building the brand, it was so incredible to see the way consumers and editors alike responded to FORTA once we launched!
What lesson would you like to share with other founders?
Don't rush the research and development to hit a launch date. It took us 2.5 years and 18 iterations to get the formula right, and there were absolutely moments where it felt like we were behind on some invisible schedule.
The thing that lets us stand out—the sweat-proof claim actually holding up—only exists because we didn't ship the 12th iteration just to be "in market." We waited until our products were actually capable of doing what we said they would. The product has to do the thing before the brand story is allowed to say it does.
What would you tell someone in the early trenches of building a company?
Expect to personally touch every function of the business, even the ones you didn't start the company to do. I didn't set out to become a paid media expert or a freight-cost auditor, but with a lean team, you're figuring out Meta's ad auction one day and reconciling a landed-cost invoice from your manufacturer the next. No one else is going to catch it if the numbers don't add up. Early on, the unglamorous operational stuff is just as much the job as the brand vision, probably more.
You both have long, busy days. What’s your snack of choice?
Lexie grabs any kind of candy. She’s a sweet tooth through and through.
Sarah either reaches for Cheez-Its or Pirate's Booty, depending on the day.
How's your flossing game?
We’re nightly flossers. It’s absolutely non-negotiable for both of us. It's a small habit, but one we never skip!
High-quality products like the Slate Electric Flosser make maintaining a daily flossing habit even easier. When you’re exhausted at the end of a long day, having simple, effective tools like Slate as part of your routine really makes all the difference.
What do you believe makeup and oral care have in common?
Both are about confidence in the moments that matter. Nobody thinks about their mascara or their teeth until something goes wrong, and then it's all you can think about.
The best products in both categories do their job quietly so you can stop worrying and focus on the conversation, the game, or the meeting. That's how we think about FORTA: if it's working, you forget you're wearing it.
When it comes to oral health, taking consistent care of your teeth by flossing daily means you can avoid stressful dental visits and feel confident in your smile.
What’s one non-makeup part of your routine you consider essential?
Sleep. No product fixes a bad night’s rest.
What should people rethink about their beauty routine?
That it has to happen in front of a mirror. A lot of what makes you look good happens elsewhere: moving your body, sleeping, drinking water, taking care of your skin. Makeup should be the last 10%, not a cover-up for skipping the other 90%. That's a big part of why FORTA was built around active, busy women. Their routines start with taking care of themselves, and the makeup just has to keep up.
It's a mindset that extends naturally to oral care too; the foundational habits—brushing, flossing, getting high-quality sleep—are what the rest of your routine builds on.
The Takeaway
FORTA's founders built their brand around the belief that the best products support real, active lives instead of asking people to slow down. It's a philosophy Slate shares. A great product should integrate seamlessly into your schedule and make your day-to-day life easier. Shop FORTA and Slate for top-tier beauty and wellness products.
