On the afternoon of February 27th, an unexpected email appeared in my otherwise empty inbox: "Hi Karen, we are SCONAS. We've admired you after reading your social media and blog, and we hope to have the honor of introducing ourselves to you." That same day, I was discussing freelance writing opportunities with a former colleague I'd known for years. They wanted to cut the per-article rate while increasing the workload. Though the monthly total was slightly higher, it felt increasingly like a losing deal—a deflating blow to my professional value.

When I opened the email, I found a lengthy 'thousand-character essay'. The product introduction was brief; most of it was the sender sharing her thoughts after reading my blog. She'd read everything—both my "100POWER" and "Social Media" series—and genuinely told me her takeaways: she agreed with my content and loved my writing style. After I sent a brief thank-you, she replied with another thousand-character letter within a day. Over twenty letters followed, nearly all of them lengthy discussions where the founder invested considerable time and care explaining the new brand "SCONAS".

↓ It feels unbelievable to receive letters like this nowadays. (Image pixelated lol)

Because my skin wasn't in great condition, I'd never felt confident offering meaningful insights for well-known brands, so I rarely accepted beauty product trials. But after several exchanges, I felt the founder's genuine sincerity. Making an exception, I agreed to try their products. When the package arrived, it was surprisingly heavy—six different products inside! I was overwhelmed with gratitude. There was also a warm handwritten postcard, and that day, I immediately declined my "former colleague's" offer. I realized that whether someone truly values your individual worth matters far more than anything else.

↓ The postcard in the lower left is one she handwrote for me—every customer gets one

Feeling undeserving of so many samples, I even emailed back asking, "Is there a deadline for the trial?" But she replied cheerfully, "A deadline for what? The facial care amount should last you 1-2 months." I'd meant to ask when I should post about the products and promote them, but she only cared about whether I was comfortable using the skincare. From this detail alone, you can see the founder doesn't prioritize product sales—she prioritizes customer experience and satisfaction.

This made me curious about the founder's background, and it helped me understand why SCONAS targets "intelligent, opinionated women" as their main consumer base. They want people using their skincare to understand what they're applying, not blindly follow trends. So we arranged to meet at a café to chat.

Never Worked a Day in Her Life—At 22, She Started a Skincare Brand with No Exit Strategy

"Life is tight financially, but spiritually I'm incredibly rich." Her eyes sparkle with a maturity beyond her 24 years. She laughs openly one moment, then her gaze becomes sincere and resolute as she shares her vision. This spiritual richness is rare among young people today, often suppressed by society. She is Francesca Lin Jia-Yan, co-founder of SCONAS (時空三十). Unlike typical cosmetics founders who are always made up and on camera, Jia-Yan is fresh-faced without makeup—just a light lip tint—enough to highlight her pure spirit and unique, confident charm.

Without ever entering the workforce, Jia-Yan began planning her own brand in her senior year. Friends and family worried: she'd never worked, never faced "society's trials"—would launching a startup lead to total loss? If the brand failed, with no experience, what would she do?

When Jia-Yan mentioned this to me, she immediately interjected, saying she'd told everyone she had a three-year break-even point. But "I've never actually imagined an ending day!" As she said this, she radiated a unique light—the kind that makes you believe "she'll definitely succeed someday."

↓ Jia-Yan personally inspecting packaging

Handwritten Postcards Add Warmth to an Online Brand—Building Loyalty and Repeat Purchases

Since its launch, the feature that touches hearts most at SCONAS is the series of handwritten postcards. "Customers are like my family!" While most aftermarket services rely on instant online responses—thoughtful enough on their own—in this era of rapid information flow, Jia-Yan chooses to write postcards by hand and send them with shipments. Many customers keep returning simply because of these small cards.

"They always look forward to what I'll write!" She's been doing this for over a year and a half—from one postcard every two or three months to over ten daily now. For someone juggling operations, orders, manufacturing, and marketing, it takes significant time. But she insists on continuing because "I want to create products with warmth."

For online brands, the biggest challenge has always been "how to communicate with consumers." Though separated only by a screen, truly reaching their hearts is difficult. And good products paired with poor marketing is like pouring money down the drain.

Jia-Yan shares her secret: before writing each postcard, she carefully reads customer notes in the remarks section and replies like a friend would. If the remarks are blank, she doesn't worry—Jia-Yan quietly observes what products the customer has been buying, whether they lean toward moisturizing or whitening, and depending on weather, season, and climate, she writes personalized greetings and makes educated guesses about their skin type. It's these small thoughtful touches, keeping customers at heart, that have gradually built SCONAS's reputation and encouraged loyal customers to keep returning.

"As the brand grows, will you keep handwriting postcards?" When I asked, Jia-Yan said it's something she'll definitely continue. Beyond her personal love of written communication, the postcards distinguish them from big brands.

International brands have enough reputation that many people buy based on recognition alone—but there's no deep mutual understanding between brand and customer. Even big brands struggle to achieve this. With nearly a thousand members, she still willingly spends time understanding each customer's needs.

The Brand Was Born from Skincare—All Born from a Desire to Care for Her Mother's Skin

↑ Founded for her mom, Jia-Yan often has her mother test products and personally applies face masks for her

"SCONAS" (時空三十) is a unique brand—the product formula came first, then was named. The brand motto is "freeze age before 30, reverse age after 30"—with the homophone SCONAS. This skincare concept traces back to before 2010. Jia-Yan recalls her mother's friends always looking beautiful and knowing how to care for themselves. Meanwhile, her own mother, worn out from work, came home exhausted and only wanted to sleep early, rarely finding time for skincare. Her mother often said, "I barely have time to sleep! Who has time for skincare?" All-in-one products weren't common then. Jia-Yan simply kept this comment in her heart, hoping one day to solve this problem for her mother.

With help from a nearby team of professional cosmetics researchers and developers, an all-in-one skincare product was developed. After her family tried it for over two years with consistently positive feedback, Jia-Yan decided to launch the brand—not only to care for her mother, but to share this quality product with others.

Jia-Yan laughingly recalls once, to test how well a mask adhered, she shook her head vigorously after applying it until her hair got messy and she got a mild headache. Only after confirming the mask material was perfect and perfectly conforming did she move to mass production. She also personally supervised everything, running between Taipei and Taichung offices and factories, carefully managing every detail.

English Major Crossing Into Skincare Science—Reading Original Texts to Clearly Communicate with Customers

"The hyaluronic acid in our serum series is imported from Japan—the most expensive option," "Butterfly orchid petals extracted through low-temperature extraction technology produce an extract that, when applied to beauty products, perfects skin structure..." This professional skincare terminology flows naturally from Jia-Yan's mouth now.

People might assume she studied cosmetics or skincare, but Jia-Yan actually majored in English—crossing from humanities to science was enormously challenging. Rather than give up, she buried herself in original language texts, spent time on international dermatology websites, and wasn't afraid to ask experts questions on the phone when she didn't understand—even risking embarrassment. Her diligence paid off: experts became willing to answer questions and even provide professional papers. Day after day, Jia-Yan transformed from novice to expert.

Why take this route instead of hiring specialists? Jia-Yan explains: because it's her brand, she must personally understand product ingredients and effects for customers. By absorbing this technical knowledge herself and translating it into "plain language" consumers understand, she can communicate authentically.

Since SCONAS targets thoughtful, opinionated women, Jia-Yan created a teaching section on their official website introducing product ingredients, publicly stating their effects, and giving informed consumers greater peace of mind.

Unafraid of High Costs—Only Pursuing Perfect Products

Everyone claims their products are best, but Jia-Yan and her partner Jerry don't think that way. They frankly state "not everyone will suit our products"—but they hold themselves to the highest standards for safety and usability. Take hyaluronic acid: they could choose from Japanese, German, or Swiss sources, ranging from 20,000 to over 100,000 yuan per kilogram. Though all were quality ingredients, after trying more affordable options, they still preferred the "silky feel" and "absorption" of the premium sources. Unable to compromise, they stuck with hyaluronic acid costing over 100,000 yuan per kilogram—nearly 6 times more expensive.

This commitment shows in another product, "Perfect Radiant Whitening Serum Essence," which has anti-acne properties and uses tea tree oil. They chose organically grown Taiwanese tea tree—costlier than importing from Australia—because its quality testing was excellent, it lacked the pungent smell of imported versions, and they wanted to support Taiwanese organic farmers. Even their manufacturers were exasperated by this "stubborn commitment," and even after launch, they keep upgrading because they believe "there's no 'best,' only 'better'."

↓ Lively Jia-Yan enthusiastically introducing products

After actually chatting with Jia-Yan, I found her to be a very thoughtful young woman. Facing countless obstacles on the entrepreneurial path—even crossing industries—she encounters problems and finds solutions, embodying the founder's spirit of "creating environments". She frequently shares skincare tips on Facebook, generous and genuine in her approach. Many people have become fans, particularly drawn to her brilliant smile and authentic interactive style. These small accumulations will surely pay off one day.

Through Jia-Yan's story, I want to tell everyone: "Success needn't be defined by others." When you persist in small details and execute everything from the heart, that's already enough to earn respect.

↓ SCONAS targets "intelligent, opinionated women"—qualities the founder embodies

SCONAS

Official Website: https://www.sconas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sconasbeauty/