When you think about health, what comes to mind?
Maybe it’s a $20,000 home infrared sauna, a hot Pilates class, or a ritual matcha and turmeric latte. For the past few years, social media has convinced us that physical and mental health is wealth, but it often comes at a premium. In 2024, experts predict that the $1.8 trillion wellness industry shows no signs of slowing down, with supplements, skincare devices, and morning routines set to take up even more of our brain space in the near future. TikTok and TikTok Shop have propelled the wellness industry even further into the stratosphere, giving millions of users access to luxury tools and influencer-touted oil pulling kits they might not have found otherwise.
But I wonder if we’ve lost track: If we’re going to demystify the wellness-industrial complex, surely self-care requires more than half-heartedly following through on a 10-step skin-care routine because the internet has convinced us it’s the key to living a fulfilling life.
“Wellness is in every area of our lives: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional. I think if we can get away from thinking of wellness as, ‘Oh, I just jumped in some cold water,’ people will realize that wellness is about doing something that makes you feel good and that’s meaningful to you at this time in your life,” Ana Escalante Morejon, founder of genderless wellness brand and retailer Btwnthesheets, told me. While the Miami-based founder admits to being obsessed with trending wellness products like mouth tape and red light masks, it’s important to realize that wellness is essentially about finding a community and truly looking inward to see what brings you joy, which is why she started her online platform.
Btwnthesheets serves as an incubator for emerging wellness brands primarily founded by and for people of color and women. Each wellness brand’s founder is featured on the brand’s digital storefront, where you can purchase their products and directly support their mission. In an oversaturated, predominantly white-driven industry, it’s more important than ever to support founders whose powerful stories often go overlooked due to a lack of support from investors or paid campaigns on social media, explains Escalante Morejon.
Escalante Morejon was an expert from her previous roles as lifestyle and beauty buyer at BoxyCharm and then Ipsy, but I knew I needed to turn to her for a more important reason when researching the wellness industry: As her younger sister, I’ve basically been copying everything she does since I was born.
Below, we spoke with Escalante Morejon to learn a little more about her community-driven brand and, of course, the products and wellness principles we should all incorporate into our lives.
What are the origins of Btwnthesheets? There are a lot of wellness startups on the market, so I’d love to hear a bit more about what inspired you to start your own business.
Initially, the idea started when I created an Instagram account in 2020 to build a community. I was talking about different products that I came across as a wellness and beauty buyer that I thought were amazing and how to use them. At the time, we were in lockdown so a lot of people were taking their beauty routines more seriously but didn’t have as much knowledge or how-to’s when it came to products, regimes etc. Eventually, I saw an opportunity to make it more than just a fun Instagram profile and actually start a company so I took the plunge. [in 2023]I wanted to create something that felt more approachable, fun and authentic, especially as a genderless brand, and to empower different people from different walks of life to redefine what wellness means to them.
There’s a lot of intention behind the products and brands you create. I’m curious how you decide which brands you want to focus on and support. Are there any common attributes they share that you’re passionate about?
My approach to beauty and wellness is that one size does not fit all. When you think about wellness, it is definitely not just physical, but also mental, inner and even home. With that in mind, I knew our product lineup had to be truly multifaceted. With almost a decade of experience as a buyer, a lot of stuff comes across your desk, so it’s our job to discover what’s new and what’s out there. What are people talking about? My job is to take the guesswork out of everything and provide my audience with a hyper-personalized, vetted list of brands that I proudly endorse.
I have a tight-knit circle of testers who spent almost a year trying almost every product that caught our eye. Especially in a world saturated with social media, where there are too many paid partnerships, you start to question the effectiveness and sincerity of the brand. But above all, I wanted to work with brands that wanted to do more than just sell a great product. I wanted the brand to have a beautiful story and something that people could connect with beyond the physical product. People are becoming more intentional about what they buy and they feel truly loyal.
A lot of your brand and the partners you work with revolve around community. What does community mean to you?
When it comes to building a brand, I think it’s all about listening to your audience. What do they need? What can you outsource for them? What are they looking for? Rather than focusing on paid partnerships to determine what works for Btwnthesheets, we regularly read DMs and comments, reach out to our customers directly, and use them as our focus group. Without a community, at the end of the day, a platform is worthless. On a personal level, for me, a community is really an extension of my family. People who support you and connect with you on a deeper, emotional level. I think we should always be surrounded by people who are living lives that we truly respect. That inspires us to better ourselves and not be afraid of change and possibility. It’s about people showing up for you.
What are your health habits like? What are you prioritizing right now?
I actually started to move away from the word “routine.” I feel it’s so overused and almost harmful in a way. Social media makes you believe that if you don’t have a morning or evening routine, you’re broken and disorganized. I was forcing myself to do so many things that didn’t necessarily mean anything to me, so instead I chose the word “ritual” for both myself and Btwnthesheets. It feels sexier, more special and intimate. It doesn’t have to be overly productive. I love dry brushing in the shower and reading non-self-help books to relax at night.
As a new founder, what have you learned about yourself through this process? Is there any advice you’d like to give to other female entrepreneurs?
I am really impatient. I love to figure things out along the way and get them done as quickly as possible. Especially as a first-time business owner, when you are learning a lot of new systems and new aspects of the business, you are really starting from scratch. It feels like going back to school. You have to learn to be patient and give yourself compassion and tolerance. There is a lot of unspoken pressure from yourself, investors, or others to follow a timeline of how quickly to launch or what to do. Ultimately, you have to block out that noise as much as you can and realize that you are the one who is working hard every day and things take time. You have to be prepared that everything is solvable. You will figure things out as you go. If you are really stuck, there are a lot of people in your network who can help you.
Good sleep
“Sleep is so important, especially as you get older. I don’t like the idea that people have this fantasy that they can get through the day on three or four hours of sleep. I’m 33 and I can honestly say there’s no way I could get through the day on only three hours of sleep.”
Vio 2
Fragrance-free mouse tape
“Taping my mouth at night has been the biggest turn-on for me…. I’ve been using mouth tape for over a year now. I’ve tried a lot of different brands, but personally I like VIO2 the best, mainly because it’s fragrance-free and I’m very sensitive to smells. It can also be used in two different ways, making it very customizable and adjustable to the shape of your lips.”
Nodpod
Weighted Sleep Mask
“I suffer from migraines because I’m very sensitive to light, so I wear a sleep mask. I love the Nodpod sleep mask because it feels so luxurious and it really relaxes and calms the nervous system, like a heavy blanket.”
Ohoho
CB Night Dark Chocolate
“I have a sweet tooth and my favorite sleep supplement is from a brand called Ohho. They have a dark and milk CBD chocolate to choose from. It’s made for sleep without melatonin, so I kill two birds with one stone: I eat something sweet and then have something all-natural that helps me fall asleep.”
Brianna Rose LMHC, RYT
A deck of cards to hack your nervous system
Therapy Notes
Therapy Journal
Clean Beauty
“Just like being mindful of the ingredients you put in your skin, it’s just as important to be mindful of the ingredients you put on your skin. Clean beauty is a hot topic, but it’s a high-margin sector these days, so there are a lot of not-so-good products out there. It’s really important to be scrutinizing the products you put on your skin. Plus, these products smell amazing. I want my beauty routine to be as luxurious as possible, or I won’t do it.”
“Cydia’s body serum is amazing. One of the best I’ve ever tried. Not only does it smell amazing, but it feels amazing on the skin. It’s really hydrating all day. … When I get out of the shower, water literally falls off my skin because my skin barrier is so hydrated and plump.”
Herbitual
Atopic Skin Defense
“I suffer a lot from eczema because [because] Wearing jewelry I shouldn’t be wearing, eating something I shouldn’t be wearing, being stressed… This moisturizer can be used anywhere on the skin and is specifically designed to reduce inflammation – face, body, arms and legs. Some days my rash disappeared overnight thanks to this moisturizer. I can’t say enough about how amazing this product is.”
“There’s an Australian brand called Hinu that has a fantastic scalp serum. The scalp is one of the most important parts of hair care and skin care because it’s the starting point for the body and it’s often the part that gets neglected. I think scalp care is something more people are paying attention to now.”
Sexual Health
“I think too many people forget that sexual health is just as important as everything else. Of course, some people aren’t comfortable talking about it openly, but it’s not just what happens in the bedroom. It’s also about using natural products, maintaining pH levels and, for most people, regulating hormones, which have a lot to do with mental health, right down to spiking cortisol levels – this is definitely underrated!”
“Personally, I love all things pink and cute, so this vibrator is a fun, beginner-friendly device. It’s heart-shaped and comes with a little travel case. Lauryn Bosstick from The Skinny Confidential wrote a review and shared this vibrator with us.”
“If you don’t want to bring a vibrator into the bedroom, a slightly more accessible alternative is to bring lube. There’s a great heated vibrator from Mode, a brand founded by a Latina, that adds a little fun and spice.”
Play More
Fresh Wipes
“Aftercare is so important when it comes to sexual health, yet so often overlooked. These wipes are great for maintaining pH balance and can be taken anywhere, even on the go. I’m all for anything that keeps you safe and healthy.”
Shop more wellness products from our store:
Jumong Skin Care
So Eye-Ronic Reusable Eye Mask
Skinny Confidential
Roller Floyd Hot Mess Ice Roller
Bloom Effect
Royal Tulip Moisturizing Nectar
Dr Dennis Gross’s Skin Care
DRX Spectralite Facewear Pro
Intelligent Change
Night Notes Journal
Sol de Janeiro
Body Fill Mesa Massage Tool
Most fulfilling
Warm Feelings Sachet
