MILO Multifunctional Talks About a Regenerative Model for Beauty

Katrina De Angelis and Lisa Hillyard, founders of MILO Multifunctional, are redefining beauty as an intuitive, internal experience with their all-in-one skincare brand. Designed to combat beauty burnout, MILO offers just three multifunctional products that minimize clutter while maximizing benefits for skin, scalp, and hair. Recognizing that your skin is your largest organ—and a reflection of your inner health—MILO Multifunctional emphasizes holistic care, empowering you to adapt your routine to your body’s unique needs. By prioritizing sustainability and simplicity, Katrina and Lisa challenge the beauty industry’s overconsumption while fostering a deeper connection to self-care. In this interview, they share their vision for regenerative beauty, their innovative approach to skincare, and how they’re building a brand that cares for both people and the planet.

Katrina De Angelis and Lisa Hillyard, co-founders of MILO Multifunctional

RENEE: Thank you both for being here. I’ve had a brand crush on you since we met. I'm dying to ask: how did MILO get started? Where did the spark come from?

KATRINA: Thank you so much, Renee! We’re thrilled to talk with you. It’s funny—when we first connected, I felt the same kind of “brand crush.” I loved your passion for reclaiming our power from the beauty, self-care, and wellness industries. These are huge markets, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. Part of what excites me about launching a beauty brand is that we get to hold that responsibility and shape it into something we want to see in the world.

A bit about me: I wasn’t in the beauty industry before this. My background was in corporate culture, leadership consulting, and designing regenerative business practices. Personally, I struggled with my own skin health for years—along with the impact that had on my mental health—and that really inspired me to start mixing products in my kitchen. As I experimented, I realized many skincare formulas could do more than one job. Why buy six different things if one product can cover a handful of needs? Eventually, that kitchen tinkering turned into something bigger, and I knew I wanted to fuse it with my passion for regenerative business.

RENEE: I’m picturing you in goggles and mitts, mixing concoctions at your mom’s house. That’s so fun! Lisa, what about you?

LISA: I came from what I like to call “Beauty Adjacent.” I worked on corporate innovation for a bunch of big consumer brands—some in the beauty space, some not. Meanwhile, I was a total beauty junkie. I’m talking a ten-step, hundreds-of-dollars-a-month habit. When Katrina called me with this idea—consolidating an entire skincare routine into just a few products—she asked if I’d try it. My immediate reaction was, “Yes! If you can really replicate the effect of my ten steps in just three, I’m in.”

And from a business perspective, I’d seen firsthand how difficult it is for large legacy companies to innovate in truly transformative ways. Most are built on an extractive model that’s all about lowering costs, selling more product, and not about creating meaningful, sustainable impact. Katrina’s idea felt like a chance to prove a new kind of business could thrive.

RENEE: You both talk a lot about regeneration. Can you explain what that means for you?

KATRINA: At its core, regeneration is about renewal: working with nature and the cycles around us so that we’re nurturing and replenishing rather than just taking. Instead of pulling resources from the earth or from communities without regard for the consequences, we look for ways to ensure everything we do is supporting and renewing the system it comes from.

Practically, that could mean looking at our supply chain and choosing partners that protect their local ecosystems. It might mean recognizing that, for skin health, we should prioritize products that help your skin function at its best rather than stripping it down with harsh ingredients just to force-feed it moisture afterward. On a larger level, it’s a mindset. It affects how we operate as individuals and as a business. If something isn’t working or feels extractive, we ask how to evolve toward a more regenerative approach.

RENEE: It sounds like you want to flip the traditional capitalist model on its head—where companies focus on selling more and people keep buying more. How does “regenerative capitalism” work?

LISA: Exactly. We’re living in late-stage capitalism, especially in North America. We see obvious problems: the pressure to buy, buy, buy, the ways public companies must maximize shareholder value by constantly cutting costs, and the manipulative marketing that goes with it. We don’t think capitalism itself is the problem; it’s the extractive mindset behind it. Our approach is to accept capitalism as the framework—because changing that overnight is unrealistic—but then bake regeneration into every stage.

For instance, a set percentage of our top-line revenue goes to regenerative causes. Period. We don’t wait to see “what’s left” in the budget. We also create products that address real skin needs without fueling overconsumption. And we have zero interest in tricking people into using more than they need. All these things are rolled into the structure of the company. Our hope is that others feel inspired to build or remodel their businesses in a similar way.

RENEE: I love the idea of a “human care cooperative,” where each business lifts the other. Let’s talk specifically about the products. How does your line reflect this idea of human care?

KATRINA: From the start, we wanted to avoid fueling misinformation or the idea that you need thirty products to feel beautiful. We focus on the six fundamentals of skin health—moisture, hydration, essential nutrients, antioxidants, proper cell turnover, and barrier protection. We realized that one well-crafted formula could do several of those at once, rather than different products for each. That’s how we ended up with three main products: the Everything Oil, the Hydrating Tonic, and the Activating Powder.

Instead of releasing endless lines and “solutions” for each micro concern, we designed multi-functional products that work individually and in tandem. They cover all the essentials, cut down on waste, and invite people to use them intuitively—maybe you need a bit more hydration this week, maybe a bit more exfoliation next week.

RENEE: I’m curious, how do each of you personally approach self-care? Any specific rituals you can’t live without?

LISA: I used to be a 10-steps, twice-a-day person, but that felt unsustainable for me. Now I focus on inner well-being—lots of baths, sound healing, meditation—and I keep my beauty routine simple. My typical day: cleanse with the Everything Oil, spritz with the Tonic, and put on another light layer of the Everything Oil. If I wear makeup, I’ll set it with the Activating Powder. And as a self-professed non-hair-washer, I rely on that Powder as a dry shampoo, too. That’s it. It’s streamlined, it’s quick, and I’m not weighed down by all these extra products.

KATRINA: I’m also a big fan of weekly masks—using the Activating Powder plus the Tonic to create a super nourishing, exfoliating blend. I love turning that into a little ritual with my husband. He gets a face massage, I get a moment of connection—it’s awesome. If I’m noticing changes in my skin, like the lines on my forehead that bug me, I ask, “What can I do that feels good, gentle, and proactive?” A lot of times, the answer is something as simple as more hydration. I might do an extra mask, sleep on my heated mat, or just give myself a solid rest day. The beauty of an intuitive routine is giving yourself permission to pause and ask, “What do I really need today?”

RENEE: So the last question: what’s the grand vision for MILO?

LISA: Ultimately, we want to be a vertically integrated house of brands. Think of the scale of a huge conglomerate like L’Oréal or P&G, but in a fully regenerative model. If we can do that—if we can stand up a massive, profitable organization built on giving back and not exploiting—then that funnels a huge amount of money, innovation, and cultural power into real, systemic change. It’s ambitious, but we’re determined to keep evolving and proving that yes, regeneration can be the new normal.

KATRINA: And part of that is staying responsive. If something isn’t working or feels misaligned with our regenerative goals, we’re not afraid to pivot. We hope to keep fueling conversations about how business can be a force for good, and continue refining our formulas and our model as new information comes in. It’s a living, breathing system—just like the skin we’re here to support.

What struck me most about Katrina and Lisa is how deeply they believe in moving beyond self-care as merely a buzzword. Their vision for MILO is big, but it’s also intensely personal, grounded in the idea that taking care of our skin can be a gateway to a much larger conversation about taking care of each other and of our world. Listening to them, it’s hard not to feel a spark of excitement—what if this is the future of beauty?

I’ll be keeping an eye on MILO Multifunctional (and stocking my shelf with their set of three), waiting to see just how far these two can push the idea of a regenerative beauty revolution. If they have their way, we might all start seeing our skincare routine as one small step toward something kinder, more sustainable, and undeniably more human.

Learn more about the MILO Multifunctional Travel Kit on Here I Am.

Learn more about Katrina and Lisa on their website, MILO Multifunctional. 

This interview has been edited and condensed from my conversation with Katrina and Lisa. To hear the full interview, find it and follow Here I Am on our YouTube channel.