A special Q&A about growth and gratitude in celebration of our 10th birthday with our CEO/Founder Iris Cherng.

Q: It’s been 10 years! How does it feel to celebrate this milestone?

Wow, it feels surreal. I remember launching the brand as an Instagram page in 2013 in my childhood bedroom while visiting home during summer break in between my 3rd and 4th year of college. At the time, I was 20 years old, battling mental lows and heartbreak. My mom was on a DIY skincare kick, making herbal infused products for herself and her patients for her holistic acupuncture clinic (tbt Dr. Hou's Formula). 2015 was the year that my bf at the time (now husband) left our full-time jobs and went full-time Honey Belle — Oh gosh, that was scary! I'm proud to be celebrating a decade in business. Not many people get this far.

A flashback to my first summer of Honey Belle - late nights of self-care therapy, mixing organic oils and plant extracts in the kitchen. On the left, my first "inventory shelf" in my bedroom Summer 2014 after graduating college.

At the time, we were making lotions, soaps, and lip balms in my mom's kitchen under her supervision, dreaming of what this could grow into. I remember thinking I'd be making so many different types of products and lines, and sharing them with so many people. I remember the people who used to visit our pop-ups at the markets, telling me they feel so confident and in-love in their skin again. To still be here—ten years later—with a community that continues to grow with us… it’s the most humbling feeling. We’re filled with gratitude, honor, and excitement for what’s ahead.

On the left, my first website and first ever product listing in 2013. On the right, my first prototype. I remember printing labels on my computer and cutting them out by hand.

Summer 2015 at our first in-person market. We are 22 years old, we have no business experience, let alone any real career experience. Few months later, a friend who worked at a lawyer's office, helped us set up a corporation. We're two years into dating, and Calvin who was my supportive boyfriend who helped me on his days off from work and on weekends became my business partner.

Q: What are you most proud of in the last 10 years?
The evolution and journey to get here. Five years ago, I probably would have said growth (in numbers, sales, or number of retail doors) — but now five years later, we've had a really tough time in this "post-pandemic recession" after 2020. Through it all, I realized the deeper purpose to why we're doing what we're doing. We hustled hard in the first 5 years, but I realized through burnout that my mental health isn't worth sacrificing for any amount of monetary value.

Here's to getting our products in thousands of stores and hundreds of thousands of people's hands over the years. On the right, my mom and I stumbling upon Honey Belle Loofah Soap sold at our local mall in Forever 21 in 2018. 

In the last 10 years, we’ve evolved from a skincare brand into something much deeper: a lifestyle rooted in self-care, self-love, spiritual healing, and divine connection with ourselves and our deeper purpose here. That’s what we’re really celebrating.

I thought I'd be in a different place 10 years from when I started, so it's been a humbling journey of acceptance and flowing through the realities and ups and downs of life. That's what the brand is all about, embracing our sweet existence here—knowing that our time on earth is limited, and to just honor where we're at, wherever we are, and continue bringing love and gratitude in.

I've always had a passion for community, impacting the youth, and sharing self-love and confidence. I realize now that it's developed into a deep appreciation for presence, embracing, and a deep desire for inner healing and for others to experience this self-realization.

Q: I hear you're introducing a rebrand this year  — House of Honey Belle. What inspired that change?
House of Honey Belle is the next evolution of what had originally started in my childhood bedroom after college. House of Honey Belle represents healing through the generations, through rituals and products designed to fit our human journey. I've been working on an eco-luxe babycare line (Honey Baby) in honor of our (almost-one-year-old!) baby girl Lotus Bloom, as well as a line inspired by my mom's background in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and alternative healing in the holistic wellness world (Houlistic - a tribute to her maiden name Hou).

House of Honey Belle houses these brands, and it becomes a place of respite, connection, and inspiration through the generations and human journey. We're aiming to create more healing spaces, community events, and workshops to inspire more growth, healing, and connection. We’ve always believed that self-care isn’t just skin-deep.

Through the years, we found ourselves being called into a deeper purpose of creating more healing for the world. Rituals, skincare as meditation, breathwork, mindfulness, and community connection. House of Honey Belle represents that expansion. It’s a home for every layer of self-care: skin, body, mind, energy, spirit, and soul.

Q: And I also hear you're creating a healing studio in Brea, California? Tell us more.
Yes, it's in the works! We’re building The Healing House, a space where our community members can come to heal, and reconnect back with themselves. We'll be offering treatments, services, and workshops in the world of gua sha, breathwork, aromatherapy, cupping therapy, acupuncture, red light therapy, as well as energy healing, sound healing, and bodywork. Think of it as a rest stop for deep healing, skincare rituals, restoring your aura, and heartfelt connection with your inner light. It's a place where our intentions of healing, connection, and community come to life in the real world.

The Healing House will also be specializing in postpartum care, providing some extra love and healing specifically for mamas (something that I felt like I would've really wanted and needed during my postpartum recovery!)

Snapshots from my 1 month postpartum journey. I did a traditional Chinese "sitting month" - where I rested, recovered my womb, and bonded with our baby for the first month. It was a lot lol. I'll probably write a blog about that experience sometime soon..

Q: What has this journey taught you personally?
Well, ten years ago I started off as a college student with a broken heart, naive mindset, and a big dream. If you asked me back then where I’d be now, I probably would’ve imagined something way "further" lol — maybe a different version of success. I thought maybe I wanted to build a huge company with hundreds (or thousands?) of employees (looking up to big tech companies like Google and building a company campus with a meditation zen garden, cafe, and doggie daycare?).

We were auditioning on Shark Tank, pitching to venture capitalists and investors. But I realized ultimately that *that* path would not fulfill me, and what is and would be fulfilling is creating a family business that nourishes my mental health and my family's, and getting to build and grow our lives together, while being at home practicing self-care and self-healing.

Left side was our segment on Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch we filmed in Los Angeles. Right side we were in Chicago pitching for Shark Tank. This seemed like such a lifetime ago! At this time I was definitely in my hustle mode. Now I've been leaning into resting, centering, and flowing. Definitely a more feminine approach to business haha.

This journey has taught me to listen to my intuition, trust in divine timing, and have so much self-love and acceptance for where I’m at (in this present-day moment). Trusting is all a sacred part of the process (and sometimes it's the most challenging!) It's so easy to listen to our inner critic - the part that wants to tear ourselves down. I’ve learned to move on from failures (turn these into lessons!) and groove with life’s natural rhythms, to not force growth but to trust it.

I’ve learned to prioritize my peace over hustle culture and societal pressures. And most importantly, I’ve stopped tying my worth—or my mission—to a dollar sign. Financial success can be a part of one's success story, but the deeper fulfillment comes from joy, gratitude, and being authentic to my purpose and values.

Q: How are you celebrating this big 10-year milestone with your community?

1. 🤎 House of Honey Belle — Unveiling our rebrand! It's a new chapter rooted in healing and deeper connection. Sharing our new collections Honey Baby and Houlistic, more details coming soon.

2. 🛖 The Healing House — Creating a sanctuary for healing and rest. Looking to soft open late summer, and grand open by the end of the year!

3. Field Day with Honey Belle  🌻 Virtual Yard Sale — More on this soon! Hint, subscribe to our email list to be the first to find out! (Update: RSVP to be an Early Access Passholder to the Virtual Yard Sale) Early access beings on 7/23 at 12am 

Q: Any final words?
Thank you. Truly. To everyone who’s ever used one of our products, showed up to an event, sent us a kind message, left us a review, or supported us quietly in the background—you’ve helped shape this house. And we can’t wait to welcome you into what’s next.