Meet Erin Kleinberg: The Creative Force Behind SIDIA

Toronto native Erin Kleinberg has done it all. Start an award-winning creative agency? Sounds good. Co-found a lifestyle media site? Sounds good. Dabbled in art curation? Sounds good. But she’s perhaps best known for creating her own fine-feel body care and fragrance brand, SIDIA. Launched in 2020, SIDIA was created in honour of Kleinberg’s late grandmother, the brand’s namesake.

“She had to overcome so much in her life and built a wonderful family,” Kleinberg says. “She really taught us manners and was an advocate for self-care before it was a billion-dollar industry.”

Kleinberg says his grandmother passed down to him three guiding principles: you should take care of yourself as much as the world around you, family comes first, and the home and bathroom are your sanctuary. All of these nuggets of wisdom are now key pillars of the brand. Staying true to these principles has helped SIDIA achieve massive international success.

Here, Kleinberg shares more about his business, his inspiration, his life and of course, his grandmother.

EW: Tell me about how your grandmother, Sidia, influenced the ethos of the SIDIA brand?

EK: “My grandmother is our role model. Our philosophy is deeply rooted in our minds: we tend to intertwine and connect tradition and modernity. Many women can relate to this feeling of celebrating their matriarchs. We hope that by enjoying the brand, you will feel a sense of ease, comfort, hygiene and home.”

You are now a mother and matriarch of your own family. How do you take time for yourself? Do you have a morning routine?

“I have two kids, so it creates something different every morning. I wish we could have a full routine, but it seems like there’s always something going on that keeps me from having a perfect routine, like a kid waking me up multiple times a night. But on a perfect morning, I get up before the kids, jump on my treadmill, read a bunch of articles, make breakfast, get them ready, and that’s how the day begins.”

“My morning must is to do 3-5 minutes of breathing. I also spend more time on skincare than makeup, so I’m obsessed with any type of lymphatic drainage on my face, whether it’s my ice roller, my Gua Sha, my facial Theragun, etc. If I’m in a hotel and don’t have any of that, I’ll roll my face with ice chips. I make a point of soaking my face in a bowl of ice every morning. Stay tuned!”

Hand care is essential for SIDIA, but too often neglected in the skin and body care industry. Tell me about your choice to become the hand care hero?

“Consumers and brands consistently overlook hands (even though they) are one of the first telltale signs of aging. Our hands are (also) our conduit for connection in this life. They’re the way we create, care for, and love, and they’re getting abused. We felt like that was a blank space to jump into hand care in particular.”

“I’ve always loved exfoliating hand soaps, but I’ve never found one that was gentle enough for me. And the amount of greasy hand creams I’ve thrown away is astronomical. I’ve always wanted a lightweight, non-greasy, yet ultra-hydrating hand serum. And that’s how we’ve managed to carve out a niche in the hand market, winning (over) 8 awards on the system. I love that the Beverly Hills Hotel asked us if they could offer SIDIA Hand Care as part of their spa add-ons, in a crowded space, it’s nice to serve a niche area for our guests.”

I love this quote on your website: “By designing products that evoke a sense of ease, we‘redefining what it means to reconnect with yourself as you navigate your world and home.” Can you explain more about the idea of ​​reconnection and why it‘Is it important as a daily ritual?

“In my personal world (and I share this with so many women in our community), my bathroom has become an oasis, one of the only spaces in which I can truly relax. And after years of rummaging through people’s closets in my Coveteur “As the days went by, I realized that people’s homes and bathrooms say a lot about them. It’s their true place of comfort and privacy, time spent with themselves.”

“When we indulge in our rituals; bath, shower, skincare, makeup, meditation or whatever, it’s such a special time where you’re alone with your thoughts, away from the hustle and bustle of this crazy world we live in. WITHOUT BRAOur first candle, is the manifestation of this feeling. Coming home, undressing, taking off your bra, lounging under a long hot shower and finding some peace!

What‘What is your favorite SIDIA perfume? Can you describe it?

“SOAKED is my favorite scent from the collection. It smells like a lush green forest in Japan after a fresh rain, and you treat yourself to a luxurious outdoor shower experience. Juniper, jasmine, cypress, pine: it’s simply addictive. One TikToker describes it as smelling like “You just got fucked by a very hot guy.” LOL! I can’t make this stuff up! I still love it (because) the name SOAKED “Of course, it’s inspired by a soaked Hinoki moment, but it also has a double meaning if you let your mind wander to it. At SIDIA, we love our little Easter eggs and special meanings.”

What‘Is there one thing you would change about the beauty industry?

“Even though society wants us to believe that beauty is progressing, I still feel like every makeup ad I see is a skinny woman with perfect skin. I don’t get face-altering treatments or fillers, but what kills me is the treatments and surgeries people have to go through to make themselves look the same. This homogenization is the death of originality and is really ruining what’s beautiful in the world. I’m also really looking forward to this concept of trends going away so we can get back to originality, personality, creativity, and people being true to their authentic selves.”

What are three beauty products outside of your brand that you‘are you currently in love?

“I can’t live without the TheraFace PRO. It has all the devices you can replace with infrared (light), microcurrent, hot and cold (rings)… it’s truly revolutionary and amazing.”

“Dr. Loretta’s Intense Replenishing Serum. My God“This is the best serum I have ever used. The texture, consistency and what it does for my face is a godsend.”

“Crown Affair Dry Shampoo. GOAT status and I will never use anything else again. The ingenious product that refreshes like crazy and adds texture to my limp baby hair.”

What advice did your grandmother give you that you would like to pass on?

“Since my grandmother immigrated to Canada with nothing, she took immense pride in feeling and looking her best when she could. She was a true fashion icon and was always begging me to stop wearing sweatpants. She promised that if I looked and felt my best, I would show up to the world and to myself the best I could. (And) she believed that if you put on a matching set, you could conquer the world.”