Kailey: Beauty was never designed with disabled people in mind, but we're here anyways. Ashton: I'm Ashton, disabled beauty creator. Kailey: And I'm Kaylee, an occupational therapist. Ashton: And this is Accessibly Ever After, where we talk all things accessible beauty, inclusive design, and what it really means to make beauty work for real people. Kailey: Our guest today is Katie Cottum, founder and CEO of Luna Daily. After more than 15 years in the beauty industry, including roles at L'Oreal and as the global head of brand at Charlotte Tilbury, Katie walked away from it all to build something that didn't exist yet a microbiome balancing body care brand for all skin, even the most intimate. Luna Daly was born from her own experiences as a teenager, and it's grown into an award winning brand stocked in Ulta, Sephora. Boots and MS, all while staying majority female-owned and led. Today we're talking origin stories, accessible hygiene, and why she thinks the entire feminine hygiene category needs to disappear. Welcome to the podcast, Katie. Katy: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Ashton: We're Kailey: Yeah. Ashton: so excited to have you. Kailey: And so let's just like dive in and start at the very beginning. What is Luna Daily in your own words for someone hearing about it for the first time? Katy: So Luna Daily is a microbiome and pH balancing body care brand that is safe for all of your skin, including the bits the beauty industry has always pretended doesn't exist. So our strapline, head, vulva, knees and toes really encapsulates what I wanted to set out in creating this body care brand. One brand for your whole body. But honestly, the simplest way I describe it is it's the brand I wish existed when I was younger. We go into a bit more detail around the story behind Luna Daily, but I no longer feel like 19-year-old Katie did. 19-year-old Katie felt embarrassed, ashamed, excluded, and now 35-year-old Katie feels free of the shackles of shame, and I feel empowered to make the right decisions for my body. And so genuinely, the brand has just been what I wish existed. Ashton: I love that. I Kailey: That's awesome. Ashton: love that so much. I you saw you saw an opportunity, something that wasn't there, a gap, and you solved a problem. for people who aren't familiar with the brand, where does the name Luna Daily actually come from? Katy: So, Luna in lots of languages translates as the moon and see Luna Daily as shining a light on topics that for so long have been swept into the darkness and the moon is this visibly reassuring yet beautiful daily presence that connects all women everywhere irrespective of age of demographic of ability and that's really what I want Luna Daily to achieve and so that's where the name comes from. Kailey: While you're talking about shining a light, can you tell us a little bit about your experiences as a teenager and like how you mentioned feeling shame about it and then your journey to really release that shame? Katy: Of course. So the Lunar Daily journey really started with my own personal experiences. So I was 19 and I was studying in India. And when I came back to the UK, I was really unwell and I was put on a whole host of medication, antibiotics, all sorts of other medication that gave me loads of health issues. And it really screwed my gut microbiome and my skin microbiome. only more recently that we really understand how intrinsically linked and holistically linked our microbiome is, but I had both gut skin issues. Critically for me, from that moment onwards, I wasn't able to use traditional body care products. Beautiful formulas, really high levels of fragrances, really high levels of actives. I could no longer use Ashton: Yes. Katy: body care products. I'm talking shower gel, soaps, oils, other products for my now really sensitive skin, particularly intimate skin. But I hated that I had to resort to this category of products that, know, typically they're available, you know, in the supermarkets and grocery or in pharmacy. They're often sort of hidden at the back corner of the store. They're highly embarrassing to shop, dominated by this sort of sea of synthetic incumbent brands. even more important than how underwhelming I felt the products were. there was this deep rooted shame and stigma attached to buying these sorts of products or seeing these products in someone's shower. If I was to say, imagine you're staying at a friend's house and you see, I don't need to say the names of the brands, but if was to say a feminine hygiene brand in someone's shower, people think there's something wrong with you. And they sort of go, ooh, there's something wrong with her. And that's the thing I hated the most. And so also got me questioning. why are we so ashamed about certain body parts, whereas others were not? And why do we even need specific products for certain body parts? And we can come on to more detail around the science of the microbiome of the skin of different parts of our body, and where I think the feminine hygiene industry has misled women. But I wanted to create a brand where... They were multifunctional products that you can use head to toe that are not designed for just certain areas of our body, so you can use them everywhere. Developed in partnership with medical experts, but also really enjoyable to use so that you want to use them and you're not ashamed to have them out in the shower because they're beautifully designed and they cater for women of all ages and stages because, you know, there are so many. hormonal, physiological, and therefore skin microbiome changes that happen as a woman navigates womanhood, whether that is going through puberty and getting your first period, going on a motherhood journey, all the way up to menopause. And that's really where Luna Daily came from, my own experiences and being really dissatisfied with what existed. Ashton: Sure. I feel like everything that exists out there that I know for like women's like feminine hygiene products just feels so like clinical and icky. I I feel like Luna Daily does set itself apart in that the designs are fun, the fragrances are fun. I also just love from especially from the accessibility standpoint, which we will also get into. The concept of products that are so multi-use that can be used for your whole body. Because a lot of times, you know, that's that's a moment where we're reducing friction by having less products to open and interact with. It just makes it easier. So that really is truly what speaks out to me about the brand. I would love to take a step back and rewind a little and Go back to your beauty industry days at L'Oreal and Charlotte Tilbury. What's one thing that that world taught you that you carried into building Luna Daily? Katy: The truth is there is not one thing and I still haven't quite worked out whether, you know, I decided to start Luna Daily 15 years after I had the first idea and I haven't worked out whether there was some subconscious in me choosing roles within the beauty industry that was giving me the skills I would need to one day launch my own brand or it was bit of serendipity or a bit of both. But honestly, I think every part of my career leading up to founding Luna Daily has been this little jigsaw piece that is so important, whether that has been learning about brand and vision and positioning and consumer insight to product and packaging development, because I am like a product packaging geek. And I've been so fortunate. Ashton: Us two, don't worry. Katy: to work underneath so many phenomenal women at these businesses. So the honest answer is there is not one thing. I really feel like it is the sum of all parts that has led me to where I am today. Kailey: was the reaction? What did people closest to you say when you told them you were leaving your quote unquote dream job to start this brand? Katy: So to fully answer that, I need to give you the context. So this was June 2020. So this was pandemic So, you know, the world had gone into lockdown. know, lots of people were losing their jobs. Everything felt very unstable. So honestly, the reaction was, are you mad? I think my friends and family Ashton: Yeah. Katy: were like, what is she doing? But for me, I felt no fear. And I think that Ashton: I love that. Katy: is because, you know, the way I can, you know, if your feet are on the edge of the diving board, you're sort of there, you're ready to go, and you're sort of deciding whether you do it. For me, the bigger fear was not giving this a go and waking up and being 70 and suddenly life had gone past. And I felt no fear because I felt the worst thing that could happen is I give this a go and it fails. But I tried. And... So I honestly felt no fear, which might seem mad, but I also felt like, you know, the pandemic for me and for lots of people I know, sort of was a real reset on what's important in life. And, Ashton: Truly. Katy: you know, there is never going to be a good time to go and launch a business and take a big risk. But Ashton: Sure. Katy: I think I was just instilled with this feeling of, yeah, it's more scary to not give it a go. Ashton: I love that. That kind of gave me chills for a minute. Because I really, I really Kailey: I know, I was like, have you ever thought about Ashton: do I I think that that did that that did give us a lot of a reframe on our our lives. I felt a lot of the same way. I think I dyed my hair purple during the pandemic because I was like, what's the I was like, Katy: I love that! Ashton: what's the worst that could happen? I was like, you know, if people see me great, if they don't, also great. My doctors kind of were really nervous during this time because, you know, we didn't know what we were up against with the pandemic and we didn't have a lot of information. There were no vaccines, obviously early COVID days, but they were very concerned that if I contracted it, it could actually be lethal, just given the context of my chronic illnesses. So it did a lot Katy: Yeah. Ashton: of reframing for me too, but I love that that was kind of the push to make the jump. before you had a name, a formula, funding, what is the very first thing that you remember doing to actually get Luna Daily off the ground? Katy: The first thing I did was research and I think there were two types of research that were really important and pivotal really to developing the Luna Daily brand and the first was the research, we commissioned some research with over a thousand women and basically it was to check that it wasn't just me that felt like this, that felt that you know the world needed this brand and it turns out it wasn't just me, know some of the... the key insights that came out of that research showed that women really didn't understand their bodies. You know, we're not taught unfortunately about this stuff at school. And so for example, 80 % of women could not label the Evolver on an anatomical drawing of a woman. One in three women were still washing inside the vagina, despite the vagina being the internal self-cleaning part of the female anatomy that never needs to be washed, even with water. So that's kind of nuts that one in three women were doing that. Ashton: Right. Katy: But also, was a real, showed a real demand for wanting products, the products that we were looking to create. That I think for nearly one in two women, their body washing routine had caused them a gynecological problem. So the first thing was really testing on real women, checking that the market needed or wanted a product like this. And the second was really going into detail on the current category of products that was available. And that's where I think... what came out of that was what really sets the Lunar Daily apart. And what the research showed is, you know, the feminine hygiene industry has, I think, preyed on the misinformation that women have about their bodies. You know, because we're not taught the words vulva and vagina growing up, we're often taught euphemisms for those parts of our bodies, despite, Ashton: Sure. Katy: you know, labelling head, elbows, knees, toes, everything else. What happens is that misinformation fills in, know, confusion fills in those misinformation gaps and you know the feminine hygiene industry has been built on this idea that our intimate skin is very different to the skin elsewhere on our bodies and that's why you need these specific products when in reality your external intimate skin, your vulva, is very similar to the skin elsewhere on your body. In fact it's very similar to the skin under our arms which is why we often grow hair in both regions. actually It has the same pH, it has the same hair gland as I just mentioned. And I believe that the feminine hygiene industry has preyed on that misinformation and also quite deliberately preyed on the misunderstanding. know, often I see brands talk about having a pH that matches the vaginal microbiome. Well, the product isn't designed to be used in the vagina. So why are they talking about a vagina microbiome? Because that microbiome is different, but the product Kailey: Yeah. Katy: isn't intended on being used there. But because they know women have sort of not properly been taught you know, I think it's what's driving some of those stats I said about women, you know, washing inside the vaginas. And so it was so shocking to me when I realised that this entire industry has been created on shame and stigma and misinformation. It really formed the basis of what I wanted Luna Daily to be. And so, you know, the brand has now evolved much more than making products that are just body care products. Well, everything we do is, you know, for head to toe. But the very first product I developed was called the Everywhere Wash. And it's a microbiome pH balancing body wash. You can use everywhere head to toe so you can be really confident it's not going to disrupt your microbiome anywhere also feel comfortable you can use it head to toe and feel great about leaving it out in the shower and using it every Kailey: so I'm interested, since the everywhere wash was the first thing that you kind of formulated and created, what was the product that took the longest to get right? Was it the first product or did you have another product that took longer? Katy: So I would actually say our all-over deodorants took the longest to get right. Kailey: Mm. Katy: first product was the Everywhere Wash and then we launched the Everywhere Spray to Wipe, which is an on-the-go alternative to having to use wipes to freshen up on the go. So you simply spray onto skin or tissue and it's an instant cleansing body spray. But actually the base formulation of the Spray to Wipe is the same of that of the Body Wash. so our proprietary thermobiont plus complex, is a mix of prebiotics, vitamins and thermal water. And so actually transitioning, the wash formula took a while, but transitioning that into the spray to wipe formula was actually not as challenging because I had the base proprietary formula. So I would say the deodorants, and I suppose the insight for the deodorants was that I've always wanted find a natural deodorant. for me. You know, I have sensitive skin. But I just found that all of the natural deodorants I'd come across just didn't work for me. They either, you know, TMI, but I just still smelt. I still smelt at the end of the Or the formulas I found. dissatisfying, know, crumbly, staining, quite drying. And so that was the first insight. So I wanted a natural deodorant that really worked. But then the second insight was a bit like challenging the status quo in the feminine hygiene industry. I was like, why has the deodorant industry decided that we only use deodorant under our arms? Because we don't just sweat under our arms. And actually, there are two to four million sweat glands all over our body, most of which are not under the arms. I'm talking areas like between your legs, under breasts, Ashton: Yes. Katy: lower back, that bit on the back of your neck if your hair is touching your neck. And then when I was looking into it, I was like, well, all of the, any full body deodorants that exist, they're definitely not formulas that I would want to put somewhere where I have sensitive skin. And so I set out the challenge to create a full body natural deodorant that you could use everywhere. It had to be aluminium free. It had to be completely non-staining. And what ended up coming out, but I honestly can't even remember how many formulations we went through, is this beautiful, it's a really unique texture. So it's a sort serum glide stick texture. So it rolls on like a balm, like imagine a lip balm, but much bigger. It's sort of that beautiful stick texture, but it's completely invisible and it has a sort of serum glide texture. And then from a formula perspective, it was around trying to find natural but really effective deodorizers. And there are two ingredients we found. The first is called deoplex and the second is simdio. And they are incredible deodorizers because they not only reduce smell, they actually inhibit the formation of bacteria that cause the smell. So actually sweat doesn't smell. Sweat smells kind of of nothing. It's little bit gross, but what actually smells is when bacteria eat the sweat and the byproduct causes body odour. And it was combining Dioplex, the Cimdiol, with other ingredients like hyaluronic acid for intense moisturisation and vitamins that finally got us to our formulas. And we have a Jasmine and Lang Lang and a hydrating fresh cotton. And then we also developed a cooling variant, brilliant if you've got, you yeah, Ashton: I love the cooling. Katy: she's my favourite too, actually. product right took a long time, really long time it is just so different to what's out there. I'm really, really proud of it because it's amazing. So that took the longest, but I'm also proud of it. Ashton: I love it so much. I feel like a lot of people can resonate with the experience with natural deodorant. We hear about it so much. People are like, no, don't wear natural deodorant. It doesn't actually do anything. but I personally do love, love, love the cooling version. I have turned my wife on to it now. because yeah, I I feel like we talk about it a lot in the plus size community. Personally, I feel like that's where I've had a lot of exposure because, know, we have a lot of curves and folds and skin. And so I love the idea of an all-over deodorant for that, especially with the cooling sensation that is so satisfying, especially in the summer when it is just so freaking hot. So I think that one of the things that we really hammer in on and really focus on in this podcast obviously is accessibility. And We we talk about accessible beauty, but accessible beauty is all encompassing. So we are talking makeup, we're talking hair care, we're talking skincare, but we're also just talking about hygiene. Because at the end of the day, whether you wear makeup or do all of these things, everybody has to take care of their body. Everybody has to engage in hygiene in some way or another. but it's all often framed as as a choice. that, you know. This is something you're choosing to do, that there is nothing that could possibly limit you. that is just something that's expected of you. But so for so many disabled and chronically ill folks, it is about their actual capacity. So have you considered hygiene through that lens of disability or chronic illness or just limited capacity? Katy: Absolutely, and honestly I think it's actually changed how I think about everything we build. If I think back particularly when we were developing the spray to wipe product, which has actually now become our number one seller, the original insight was convenience and it was creating a better solution than a pack, you know, to a packet of feminine wipes or body wipes, which, know, are not particularly enjoyable to use, they're not great for the skin, you know, really bad for the environment. But pretty quickly we started hearing from people that it wasn't just about convenience at all, it was about capacity. know, people with chronic fatigue, with mobility issues, with conditions that make a full shower not just inconvenient, but genuinely impossible on some days. People recovering from surgery, people who Ashton: Yes. Katy: are in hospital for extended periods of time. And for those people, the product wasn't just a nice to have, it really was the only option. And still to this day, the... letters and emails and DMs I get from people in those moments of need when they discovered this product are filled with so much emotion and gratitude. They make me cry because so much more than a nice to have. And it really reframed things for me because The beauty industry talks about self-care like it's a luxury ritual, know, the long bath, the 10 step routine, Ashton: Yeah. Katy: the candles. And for a lot of people, that's just not the reality. And for lots of people, whether struggling with a disability or living with a disability, capacity can be really limited. And what I never want is for someone to feel like they can't care for themselves because the only products available to them require more than they had to give on that day. So yes, hygiene on a spectrum. isn't just a nice idea, it's a design principle and it should inform what formats we make, how we talk about them who we see as the person we're designing for and this community has become so amazing for us and it brings me the biggest joy because it's like truly, you know, I've spent my career in the beauty industry, there is only so excited someone will get about a new mascara or a Miss L Air Water but the emotion, Ashton: Yeah, yeah. Kailey: Mm-hmm. Katy: you know, the emotional connection we have with customers. is so much greater. And I think a lot of the beauty industries are really far behind on that. And in a world where more than ever, for customers to want to consider your brand in their purchase decision making, they care so much more than just product. And so I think the thing that stays with me the most is that caring for your body should never feel like something you fail at. And whatever you can do today, that's enough. And it's been... the right word. It's been like real honour to discover that our products serve these communities because it's given even deeper meaning to why I do what I do. Kailey: Yeah, a hundred percent. experience What is one accessibility gap in the beauty and body care industry overall? It doesn't just have to be in your category, but the one that really frustrates you the most. Katy: Honestly, it's knowledge. You know, we're not taught about so many parts of our own bodies at school. And then we become adults and so many people are in silence or in shame, educating themselves living in miseducation actually around their bodies and what's... Really sad is that still, know, social media is the number two source of education now after school and we Ashton: Yeah. Katy: know we're not being taught about these topics at school. And for example, last week there was, you the government presented in the House of Commons a list of words that if you use these words on social media, you will be shadow banned. And you might think these words are shocking words or swear words or words that are insulting, but they were words like period, infertility, vulva, vagina, miscarriage, PCOS, endometriosis, abortion, and the list goes on. And to me, that is so sad that you we make products that are for women's bodies and to cater for women through all the life stages. Yet in 2026, it's still so difficult to help educate. And I think that that accessibility gap, I acknowledge is, is the thing that I feel is most missing. And it's why, you know, we exist. Yeah. Yeah. Ashton: And that's terrifying. That's terrifying in Kailey: Mm-hmm. Ashton: 2026. Let's be so honest. That's so concerning because so much of why I took to social media personally was because I look I was looking for community. I was looking for folks who could relate to my own lived experience. I didn't have enough of that in my day-to-day life. So to think that, you know, women aren't able to share about their experiences with some of these conditions or Some of these experiences is just and that the government gets a say so in that is just horrifying to me. I hate that that's the state that we're currently in. but we unfortunately relate to you here in the US. I assure you, things have been not looking great on that front here either. So that just the censorship of it all, and you're so right, the access to education, social media basically serves as this, you know. search engine these days. That's personally what I use it for as well. So that being limited is just really disheartening. but I would love to, and part of the work we do here, I mean basically all of our work is, you know, normalizing this idea that hygiene and beauty exists on this grander spectrum. Like some days it is this full beautiful ritual and it's an everything shower and it's a 10-step routine. But some days it is wiping your face or washing a single part of your body because that's all you could Do you think that brands could help reinforce that all of those experiences are valid? Katy: Yes, and I think brands have a real responsibility here, not just an opportunity. For most of us, the all or nothing narrative around hygiene, I think can be quite damaging. If you can't do the full routine, Ashton: Great. Katy: you feel that you've failed. That expands beyond both accessibility and not. But I think that feeling, especially for people living with chronic illness or disability, can add shame on top of an already maybe difficult life experience. And you know, I want Luna Daily to stand for the idea that caring for your body doesn't have be a minimum, you doesn't have a minimum requirement. You know, the spray to wipe isn't a compromised version of a shower. It's a valid, complete act of care in its own right. And I think the more that brands can reflect that back to people through the products they make and the language they use, we can shift what looking after yourself means and... We've just had a campaign, our latest campaign for our new launch of Asprey to Wipe is all around skipping the shower, not the moment. And Ashton: Yes. Katy: on the one hand, it's a pomelo and patchouli scent, which for me is like trying to bottle up the scent of summer that I remember in my 20s, where from Kailey: Mm-hmm. Katy: a lifestyle perspective, I felt so free. I had like no responsibilities. You know, I'm talking like... You make plans for Thursday on a Thursday and you might just like, I was so carefree. But also I felt like I was so carefree in how I felt about my body. And I think as we get older, well this has certainly been my lived experience, more shame creeps in. And this idea of skipping. the shower, the moment, is like, just stay out or like, just go and do the thing. Don't be like, I'm not going to go for a bunch with my girlfriends because, you know, am worried that I smell or when I get there, I'm worried that I might have, you I'm on my period and, you know, I might be worried about that. And it's trying to empower women to live in the moment and not feel as much constraint. But also, The moment that the spray to wipe exists to replace has either been a moment where somebody has gone, well, I'm not going to do that because I'm worried about this, or they've resulted in something like secretly taking a packet of wipes to the toilet and kind of quite shamelessly using And I have this idea that if you can not just improve the experience, but change how somebody feels in the act and make it something that is uplifting and not embarrassing and maybe maybe enjoyable. then if you can change how somebody feels in the moment, then maybe you can change how somebody feels altogether. And that's where I think it's a responsibility of a brand, not just an opportunity. But I also Kailey: Mm-hmm. Katy: think it is real opportunity to make those moments for people feel really validated. Kailey: Yeah, something we talk about a lot is the idea that accessible beauty doesn't have to be this like side quest specific area that's really sterile or medical and like that the disability community wants to be able to just like walk into a store and find a product that's gonna work for them without having to take all of these extra steps and jumps and things to do. And so I think in in reflecting back to you, like Talking about how that spray everywhere to wipe, or sorry, spray to wipe is just another way to kind of normalize, right? That spectrum and that experience, Katy: Exactly, exactly. Kailey: which is awesome. And so if you could say something to the person listening whose relationship with hygiene has been shaped by disability or chronic illness, what would you want them to hear? Katy: I would want them to hear your body deserves care on the terms that work for you, not on the terms that the beauty industry, that the feminine hygiene industry, that the body care industry has decided, and that all parts of your body and how your body functions, whether that is taking care of your microbiome, odour, sweating, chafing, stretch marks, ingrown hairs, the loss of it. They are all normal and am living proof that if you normalise the conversation it just no longer becomes taboo or embarrassing or shameful and your body deserves all of that. Ashton: That was beautiful. I I'm so excited Kailey: Have you ever Ashton: because I feel like we've talked about all of these heavy topics. I mean a lot of things that people need to hear, but albeit also have a a lot of, you know, discussion around shame and, you know, body grief and all these things. But now we get to get into what I would consider the very fun, lighthearted portion of our episodes. We we shift immediately Kailey: Yeah. Katy: hahahahah Ashton: from that into this fun little rapid fire moment. So I'm going to give you some rapid fire questions, kind of answer is the first thing that comes to mind. Katy: Let's go rapid fire. Ashton: Okay, mornings or evenings. Katy: mornings. Ashton: Coffee or tea? Katy: coffee. Ashton: Bath or shower? Katy: shower. Ashton: Minimalist routine or ten step routine? Katy: Minimalist. Ashton: Most used emoji. Katy: Oh, the melt where she's like melting. it can be used for so many things. I've just like, you're having a really busy hard day. Oh my God, I'm melting. melting. Ashton: Yes, it's a very multi Product you always repurchase. Katy: The Caudalie Beauty Elixir Face Spray. yeah. Ashton: That's a good one. It's so minty. I remember the first time I used it, I was very surprised. Favorite Katy: Yeah. Ashton: way to unwind. Katy: adopt. Ashton: Love. One word you hope customers feel after using Luna daily. Katy: free. Kailey: truly, honestly, Katie, I feel like you should be a motivational speaker in addition Katy: haha Kailey: to CEO Ashton: Ha ha. Kailey: and founder. Katy: Add that to my resume. Kailey: Yeah. And on that note, as the founder and CEO of Luna Daily, is there anything specific you'd like to share with our audience? Let us know where they can find you. We will put links to Luna Daily socials and Ashton: Products Kailey: website and things in the show notes. So if you are interested in learning more or picking up some products yourself, you can check out those there. Katie, yeah, do you have anything specific you wanted to share? Katy: If anything that I said today connected with you, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach out to us on Instagram, on TikTok. We are a small run business, so it's still us in the DMs. And so drop us a DM. I'd love to hear from you. And just to say thank you so much to you both and the work that you do. You're incredible. Ashton: Thank you. Kailey: If this episode felt helpful, consider subscribing, sharing it with your bestie, or leaving a review so we can keep the dream alive. Ashton: And the lights on.