Swimsuit

Claudia Sulewski Wants You to Romanticize Your Routine

The YouTuber’s sensorial body care line, CYKLAR, proves you don’t have to choose between efficacy and experience.

Ananya Panchal

Claudia Sulewski
Claudia Sulewski / Courtesy of CYKLAR

Claudia Sulewski has always understood the power of a well-told story. As a longtime content creator and actress, she’s made a career out of sharing pieces of herself online: narrating moments of growth, heartbreak, healing and everything in between. The Illinois native, who lives in Los Angeles now, is channeling that same sharp creative instinct into CYKLAR, a body care brand built on intention and indulgence.

“My goal with CYKLAR has always been to create products that live at the intersection of performance and experience,” the 29-year-old tells SI Swimsuit. “We use advanced skincare ingredients and efficacious formulas—but we also place just as much importance on how the product feels, smells, and fits into your daily routine. It’s that blend of high-performance science with luxurious, sensorial fragrance profiles that really sets CYKLAR apart. I don’t think you have to choose between something that works and something that feels beautiful to use.”

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The current lineup features five signature fragrances—Vanilla Verve, Sacred Santal, Bergamot Bond, Naked Neroli and Crescent—available in nourishing body creams ($29), vitamin C–infused body oils ($38) and oil-infused body washes ($35). There’s also a collection of eight perfume oils, meant to be applied to pulse points with the option of layering.

CYKLAR also offers an innovative fragrance-free duo: the newest Ceramide Milky Essence ($30), formulated to deliver deep hydration with skin-strengthening actives and the Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Spray ($34), designed to gently resurface and renew.

Together, the collection blends sensorial routines with clinical science, providing a full-body experience that treats the skin and turns daily tasks into something restorative. Because skincare isn’t just about results; it’s about how you feel while getting there.

Shop at cyklar.com.

From creator to founder

Years of connecting with people online gave Sulewski a clear sense of what resonates: transparency and a company that feels human. She launched her YouTube channel in 2009 under the name BeyondBeautyStar and became part of a now-famous group of early creators known for their makeup, fashion and lifestyle content.

Long before influencing became an industry, let alone as lucrative as it is now, her passion for filming, editing and experimenting with artistic formats was unmistakable—and it still is, alongside her love for sustainability, fashion and interior design. She’s a true multi-hyphenate.

“As a content consumer myself, I’ve always loved watching the behind-the-scenes journey,” she says. That experience—witnessing someone build something from scratch and share every step—was exactly what she wanted to recreate with her own brand. “As CYKLAR has continued to grow and launch new products, weaving in what I’ve learned along the way in my content has felt both exciting and necessary. I’m grateful to have a little corner of the internet where I get to share those moments.’

She documented CYKLAR’s early stages in real time, sharing wins, challenges and even scent-testing dilemmas with her audience. And it didn’t really start as a marketing play, but rather just muscle memory from years of vlogging.

“It’s been such a full-circle moment to now be on the brand side, getting to support and champion creators the way I’ve felt supported by brands throughout my career. Tapping into creators of all sizes has been incredibly impactful in moving the needle for CYKLAR,” she explains.  

The lessons hit hardest when things didn’t go according to plan. A packaging update mid-launch, a formula tweak, moments of doubt—she didn’t hide any of it. “I’ll always encourage aspiring founders to start small, because you learn so much in the process. I spent a lot of time trying to ‘perfect’ my first product, only to realize that flexibility is essential when running a business,” she shares.

Last March, CYKLAR was acquired by beauty incubator The Center, paving the way for exciting growth opportunities and expanded reach. Sulewski is still extremely hands-on and serves as the creative director.

Designing skincare that feels as good as it performs

CYKLAR didn’t start flashy. The brand began with a single product in minimalist black-and-white packaging—stripped back, intentional and just enough to start the conversation. But when it came time to expand, Sulewski let her senses take the lead.

Claudia Sulewski at the debut CYKLAR launch party in December 2023.
Claudia Sulewski at the debut CYKLAR launch party in December 2023. / John Sciulli/Getty Images

“I started craving a visual and sensory story that felt sexier and more indulgent,” she says. Customers were already responding to the creamy texture, gentle exfoliation and fragrance of the Nutrient Rich Body Cream. It made her realize what she wanted to lean into next: the senses of luxury, not just the function.

The follow-up drop introduced vibrant jewel tones, gold accents and a bold, skin-first approach to fragrance. CYKLAR’s body washes and lotions were crafted to deliver results—but also to shift how people feel stepping into the shower. “That early feedback taught me what was resonating most and also where I felt the brand could grow and evolve,” she explains. “I still wanted to keep a sense of minimalism but our updated palette really helped exude that vibe.”

And, to bring it all to life, Sulewski made a short film titled “Get In Touch With Your Body,” as well. She edited, directed and starred in the piece herself, blending humor and luxury.

“I wanted the video to feel sexy and elevated, but also a little cheeky—not taking itself too seriously,” the I Love My Dad actress says. “Leaning into playfulness was my way of releasing some of those pre-launch nerves. Let’s have some fun where we can have it.”

Last month, she also directed the epic music video for “2001” by Finneas, her longtime boyfriend—another reminder that her behind the camera skills are just as sharp as her on-screen charm.

Her acting background helped her bring that vision to life, but it also shaped how she approaches brand-building more broadly. After years of working solo on YouTube, stepping into film taught her how to collaborate, delegate and trust a team—a skillset that became essential once CYKLAR began to scale.

“Running a business feels very similar in that way—you can’t do it all alone,” she says. “It’s about knowing your strengths and recognizing where to bring in help and collaboration.”

A more intentional kind of creativity

Building a brand has also reshaped how Sulewski thinks about creativity altogether. As someone who’s always thrived in the act of building something from scratch, she now finds herself moving with more intention, in both business and art.

“Working in film introduced me to the experience of working with a team, leaning into people’s strengths and collaborating to bring a shared vision to life,” she says. That mindset carried over into CYKLAR, where she’s learned to trust her gut while also leaning on a growing team for support.

It’s also changed how she chooses what projects to say yes to. Time has become more precious, and with that comes clarity. “It’s made me more thoughtful about what stories I want to help tell,” she explains.

Whether she’s in the edit suite, a pitch meeting, sitting front row at Fashion Week, attending an Oscars after-party or at her desk shaping the next season’s drop, Sulewski is consistently, consciously prioritizing what is meaningful in a hyper-commercialized world—and, more importantly, what feels true to her.

“For me, success shows up in the stories—both online and in person,” she says. “Like when a friend or family member tells me someone recommended CYKLAR to them, not knowing I’m involved.”

She’s frequently heard that the Sensorial Body Wash has transformed how someone feels about stepping into the shower, and that the Glycolic Acid Body Spray—CYKLAR’s first foray into active treatment ingredients—has genuinely made a difference. That kind of feedback, she says, makes it all feel worthwhile.

“Those moments inform me that the brand is making a real, personal impact—and that means more than any number ever could.”

Female Founder Q&A

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

If you don’t know something or feel unsure, ask, and handle it right away. It’ll save you so much time and money in the long run.

What do you wish you knew before starting your brand?

Launch it now, perfect it later. I remind myself of that with every launch. Even now, there are moments when we have to approve an imperfect color match of a packaging component just to meet a deadline—knowing we’ll fix it in the next round. I truly believe that imperfection breathes life into a brand and allows customers to feel like they’re part of the journey when they notice those little tweaks.

What was your “I made it” moment?

The first time a stranger stopped me on the street, pulled a CYKLAR Vanilla Verve Perfume Oil out of her bag, and told me how much she loved it. I’ll never forget that moment.

What has been the most unexpected challenge of running your business?

My brain is flooding with answers! But one that stands out is how long formulation actually takes—much longer than I ever imagined before starting CYKLAR. We’ll go through dozens of iterations just to get one formula right, and then comes the added challenge of incorporating fragrance. The same scent blend can behave completely differently across different products, so working with our chemists to make sure the fragrance carries and performs identically across a wide range of formulas has been a really unexpected (and fascinating!) challenge.

What’s your favorite memory from starting the brand?

One of my favorite memories has to be our Perfume Oil Launch Party earlier this year. So much of running a business happens in front of a screen, so getting to celebrate in person felt really special. I’ve met so many wonderful humans and creatives through CYKLAR activations—and I always come home with tired cheeks from smiling so much. Hehe.

Published
Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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