A Letter from Our Founder

Hi, I’m so glad you’re here.

This photograph is the only surviving image from the year my family spent in a Thai refugee camp after escaping by boat from Viet Nam. That’s me on the right, standing next to my mother in 1979. It was a rare day - my mother dressed us in our best clothes because we had permission to leave the camp and visit her friends in Bangkok.

Life wasn’t easy. My mother raised six children on her own, and hard work became our foundation. In April 1980, our family was given a chance to start over when we immigrated to Canada, generously sponsored by St. Patrick’s Church in Burlington, Ontario. That moment changed everything. We learned a new language, adapted to a new world, and built a life shaped by perseverance and gratitude. California eventually became home for me and my own family, but that sense of gratitude has never left. It influences how I approach care, intention, and responsibility in everything I do.

As a child, I was always creating. I sewed my own clothes and was drawn to beauty - not just how things looked, but how they were made and why choices mattered. That curiosity stayed with me.

At fifteen, my skin began to change. I developed cystic acne, something that runs deeply in my family. Over the years, I tried everything - dermatologists, birth control, harsh topicals, Accutane. Many of those treatments made me feel worse, not better. I wanted to feel confident, but often felt like an ugly duckling. I know now that many of us experience that feeling at different points in our lives. Makeup felt like a way to feel “pretty,” yet so many products only aggravated my skin. That struggle quietly became my North Star.

In 1997, I met a paramedic aesthetician who changed how I understood my skin. Learning about congestion, comedones, and the importance of respecting the skin barrier transformed everything. For the first time, skincare felt thoughtful and logical - rooted in understanding rather than force. That perspective became the foundation of how I think about skin health.

Years later, as I entered menopause, my skin changed again - becoming more sensitive, reactive, and unpredictable. It reaffirmed what I had always believed: skin is dynamic, and the care it needs evolves over time. I began creating formulas not only to support my own skin, but to be safe and effective for my children, my family, my friends, and anyone navigating sensitive, acne-prone, or hormonally changing skin.

Emani was created with a clear purpose - to create beauty that works in harmony with skin, supporting balance, barrier health, and long-term resilience. Not driven by trends or quick fixes, but guided by lived experience, clinical studies, and a deep respect for skin biology. Our formulas use a patented Korean delivery system to help deliver nutrients where skin needs them most. Every ingredient is intentional. Our approach is microbiome-conscious, barrier-respecting, and designed to work in harmony with skin—delivering results you can see in comfort, clarity, and balance over time.

Wherever you are in your skin journey, you’re not alone - and your skin deserves care that truly supports it.

With gratitude,

Michelle Doan