ABOUT
To My Beloved LAFACE Community:
Three and a half years ago, a two-minute interaction literally destroyed my life, health, and livelihood. Until now, my story has only been told by others as I have feared conveying the truth – due to regular daily threats of hate and violence from people who have never met me and don't know me at all. But I can't live in fear any longer.
So today, I want to share my story with you.
It's horrifically difficult to relive the incident, but I remember that day and the many dark days that followed. While walking in my neighborhood in June of 2020, I encountered a man using chalk to stencil onto the retaining wall outside the Belden House, a beautiful home on the National Historic Register owned by my neighbor, with whom I had exchanged waves and pleasantries regularly for 15 years.
When I noticed a person doing artwork on the wall, I knew immediately it wasn't the owner. So, out of neighborly duty, I stopped to inquire. When I FINALLY saw what he was stenciling, which was Black Lives Matter, I said to the man (Mr. Juanillo), “Your message is fine, your message is good. Just not this way, don't paint it on private property.” Again, it was not about the message or race or racism; it was all about private property and I politely asked if he lived there because I wanted to ensure he wasn't defacing private property and a historical landmark.
When I said, "Excuse me, pardon me, sir, do you live here?" He stood up, turned around, held up his camera phone, and responded, "Would it matter if I did?" And I said, "Well, yes, because it's private property. And you're not supposed to paint on private property."
I was not aware at the time that the owner of this property rented out bedrooms. I later found out that this person, James Juanillo, rented one of those rooms. Had Mr. Juanillo simply conveyed that message to me, person to person, that would have been all I needed to know, and I'd have wished him well on that beautiful day. But instead, he refused to respond and instead suggested I call the police—which I did not do. And he continued to film our brief interaction. Soon after, he posted the video of our conversation on social media, sold it to media stations, hired a PR firm to spread his message far and wide, and made countless TV appearances for personal and financial gain.
Meanwhile, I was labeled the "San Francisco Karen," and a mob of people in ski masks and face coverings with baseball bats and shotguns came to my home and attempted to break into my building. I was petrified, but I didn't call the police. I didn't call 911 when the incident with Mr. Juanillo first happened, as it was incorrectly reported, and I feared if I called the police now, it would only increase the threats of violence against me.
But they continued anyway. I received death threats, and my family and friends received frightening money demands and hate mail. Three+ years later, I still receive abhorrent, hateful emails and face threats, often in person, as I live my daily life.
Not only did I no longer feel safe in this world, but LAFACE, the brand you know and love, which I started from the ground up, was destroyed by Mr. Juanillo's video and the media firestorm. This brand received an onslaught of spam reviews with complete lies about products we have never sold or produced, and we lost most of our clients and our partnerships. After putting my heart and soul into this business for 10 years, it was beyond heartbreaking.
LAFACE is vital in serving particular skin sensitivities, catering to individuals with skin issues or who have undergone chemotherapy. Our beauty products are effective, clean, and all plant stem cell-based. In our 10 years as a business, our science team has done a tremendous amount of research, and I am proud to say that we have served a client base of about 30—40% persons of color. My company was serving clients with needs that the beauty industry often ignored, and it was an honor to do this work.
This miscommunication with Mr. Juanillo should have been solved neighbor-to-neighbor, human-to-human. I tried to talk with him multiple times after the incident, and I wrote him a heartfelt apology. As I wrote to him in that letter, I am genuinely sorry for offending Mr. Juanillo in any way. That was never my intent, I was simply trying to protect an elderly neighbor. I cannot ever claim to walk in the shoes of a BIPOC individual or to know or identify with the many struggles and obstacles they face. Still, I can offer my deepest apology and empathy, and I will continue to do and be better each day—like all of us.
However, Mr Juanillo is a BLM activist and has his own agenda. Mr. Juanillo continues to only speak to me through the media and inaccurately paint me as person of poor character. He refused to connect with me and actually find out the person I truly am and always had been.
Thank you so much for reading this. I have remained quiet for too long. We all need to start talking more to each other—strengthening our communities through real conversations and bringing more understanding, empathy, and kindness to every interaction. That has always been my belief and will always be how I choose to live my life.
I am now rebuilding my company from scratch so that LAFACE can return to serving the people who have tried everything else for their skin and have not seen results. I am committed to you—my family, friends, customers, and partners, and I look forward to continuing this journey together.
With Love and Gratitude,
Lisa Alexander
If you would like to read the one interview that I did on this matter, please see link below;
“As a survivor of cancel culture who has fought back, I can attest that this book matters. It is an important part of the struggle for liberty and against the curse of conformity. One can agree or disagree with parts of it—read it and decide for yourself—but all who support freedom of speech must join in the authors’ war against those who would cancel our hard-earned rights.”—Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus; and New York Times bestselling author
https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/the-cancel-culture-curse-from-rage-to-redemption-in-a-world-gone-mad
https://www.amazon.com/Cancel-Culture-Curse-Redemption-World/dp/1510777199
Our sole purpose is you, and we are here to help you look and feel your best.
LAFACE creates luxury, natural solutions specifically formulated for not only those with sensitive skin but also for those who have undergone chemotherapy. Our beauty products are effective, clean, cruelty-free, peptide and plant stem cell-based and largely for the untapped mature woman/man skincare segment. Our solutions are designed to help with specific skincare needs, not generalized product categories and are made to the highest quality and performance standards via a trusted laboratory with a proven track record.
We are focused on the profound changes in women’s views on the relationship between age and beauty. Women no longer want to fight aging, and after much content analysis we have found they want a way to look their best at every age. Refusing to accept their societal designation as “old”, these women are celebrating their beauty throughout their lifetime – and are searching for products that focus specifically on their needs and can reliably deliver results.
The LAFACE Skincare brand, from California, uses state of the art active ingredients which work at the DNA level. These ingredients are then used to create effective products that address unnecessary, unexpected and challenging skin sensitivities. LAFACE products are conscientiously formulated to combine the finest natural and organic ingredients, creating active formulations so your skin may reach its fullest, most youthful potential. LAFACE’s extraordinary facial line goes to the forefront of nature’s science to rejuvenate and heal the skin. Ideal for those who have undergone chemotherapy, suffer from psoriasis, eczema, rosacea or have sensitive skin.
Tenets that we live by:
- We believe all products--- especially ones that claim they are substantial, must be strictly formulated in a serious laboratory with NPA/FDA as well as third-party approval.
- We also believe that a brand who has worked to create and formulate their own products is much more invested in their client’s satisfaction.
- We believe fine lines should be softened and hydrated—but they are an important part of our past, present and catapults us into our future.
- We believe great skin care is gender neutral.
- We believe in plant based, all-natural, and cruelty-free is a absolute must for the Greater Good of our world.
- We believe looking your best at your age is much cooler vs. looking younger.
- We believe that cakey makeup should stay where it belongs…IN THE 80’s.
- We believe that vegans and those who love animals deserve skincare that works for them and is aligned with their values.
- We believe we should support all persona and they deserve a skincare line that is hyper-focused for them.
- We believe you should care about your outsides as much as your insides.
- If you share these feelings, you've come to the right place.
LAFACE for Cancer Patients:
Dry skin results from many factors, but for cancer patients, treatment is often the cause of dry skin. This is because, typically, your skin cells constantly renew by dividing rapidly into the deep layers and sloughing off the old cells at the surface. But, if you are undergoing treatment, chemotherapy, and radiation can disrupt this process resulting in dry skin and other skin reactions. Cancers that involve the skin or have spread to the skin, such as malignant melanoma, leukemia, and lymphoma, commonly cause itching. Cancer treatments affect one's natural PH balance, as the amount of oil produced by the oil glands diminishes considerably, making your skin feel extra dry and irritated. Patients are told to choose a skincare line with products formulated for sensitive skin, as well as fragrance-free and alcohol-free. Products rich in antioxidants and natural trace minerals are ideal. Many aftercare products are pharmaceutical, or chemical based, which can exacerbate the issue. LAFACE products are not. This line of LAFACE products improve hydration, moisture, and the elasticity of the skin. The products help to diminish signs of wrinkles, dark spots, and cellular damage. Cancer patients who undergo treatment can use these products to safely restore the health of their skin to its youthful state.
About the Founder:
A California farmers daughter realizing her dream is how LAFACE started out. An expert in green design, organic products, and sustainability-focused business practices, with a passion for day-to-day green living, entrepreneur Lisa Alexander founded LAFACE as an effective alternative to chemical-ridden products—especially for those struggling with particular skin conditions that are often alienated from mass produced, or "easy to get" skincare lines. Her experience in modeling when she modeled for Givenchy and Valentino in Europe and New York made her realize the importance of Clean Beauty and the importance of quality skincare. When she is not advancing the evolution of skincare, Lisa spends her time soaking in other cultures. Her favorite travel memories are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania—the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, and her years living abroad, between London, Switzerland, and India. As an avid travelor, Lisa continues to circle the globe looking for inspiration for her brand and solutions for her clients.
A life-long entrepreneur, Lisa founded several businesses before launching LAFACE. A few fashion lines, furniture design, and a pickle company, Mo Betta Pickles which was sold to Williams Sonoma. Lisa is actively involved in her community and supports many charities and philanthropic causes. Learn more about the causes dear to her heart below.
Much Love is dedicated to the following goals:
- Rescuing stray animals from animal shelters who have not been adopted and are scheduled to be euthanized. Much Love takes the animals who have been in the shelters the longest and will die unless rescued.
- Providing medical care to neglected, abused and injured animals.
- Rehabilitating hard-to-adopt animals and finding them loving homes.
- Promoting the importance of spaying and neutering pets in order to drastically reduce the number of unwanted animals on the street.
- Educating children and adults alike on responsible pet guardianship.
- Ultimately, securing a no-kill facility where rescued pets can be safely sheltered without the threat of euthanization until we find adoptive parents for them.