As the days get hotter, talk invariably turns to warm-weather problems like chaffing and sweat. And that’s where Katie Sturino comes in. Her company, Megababe, has become a must-have in the beauty world for all the less-talked about challenges women can face.
The idea first came when she was writing her blog, The 12ish Style (the12ishstyle.com), which focuses on showing women style comes in any size. (And her styling—with hashtags like #SuperSizeTheLook—have made her an Instagram sensation.) Sturino found that, in the spring, the conversation with her audience would always turn to chaffing, a skin problem, usually caused by sweat, on areas of the body that rub together or against fabrics. But also a problem that few people in the beauty world wanted to talk about.
“I’d be like, how are you guys handling it? What products do you try?” Sturino says. She would try all the products she could. “And I did this for a few years before realizing that there was not one thing out there that was my 100 percent go-to sure-fire.” Especially since many were geared towards men—and didn’t have the best ingredients.
So Sturino, who, at the time, was recently divorced, channeled her extra energy and anxiety into seeing if she could create an anti-chaffing product geared towards women. Within about a year, she was able to launch Thigh Rescue, an “anti-friction stick” made with aloe, vitamin E and grapeseed oil. Today, Megababe is a thoughtfully conceived and expertly crafted line of personal care products that provides simple, effective skin-related solutions including Bust Dust, to help with breast sweat, Le Tush, a butt mask, and a slew of deodorants with names like Beachy Pits and Soapy Pits. Plus, they come in stylish packaging. “I think beauty is anything that makes you feel good,” says Sturino.
Sturino has succeeded in taking the taboo-ness off these topics, and replacing embarrassment with a must-have beauty item. Since the company launched in June 2017, they have exceeded their five-year growth projection. Thigh Rescue sold out one week after it launched (and has multiple times since), while Bust Dust sold out in pre-order, before launching.
And while the company has catapulted into cult-status, Sturino still has daily conversations with her customers, which give her valuable insights. In one recent exchange, a customer asked about using the Thigh Rescue stick on another part of her body while using her Peloton.
“It’s a safe place for people to come and not feel embarrassed [about] their problems,” she says. “I know the product and packaging are empowering. It’s not something that you feel ashamed about.” megababebeauty.com.
