Inside HEIRÉE: Focus, Function & Hand Care

Hand care has never lacked product technically, but what it has lacked is intention.

For years, it has existed just outside the center of the beauty conversation. Practical, functional, easy to overlook. While skincare became ritualized and color leaned expressive, hands were left with solutions that worked in theory but rarely fit into real life.

HEIRÉE steps into that gap with clarity. Not as a sweeping reinvention, but as a brand built on focus, lived experience, and a clear understanding of how women actually move through their days.

A Founder Problem Worth Solving

The idea for HEIRÉE began years before the product ever existed. Founder Emily Willett had spent more than a decade working behind the scenes helping build some of the world’s biggest brands. During that time, she developed a sharp understanding of what works, what doesn’t, and what consumers actually want.

At the same time, life was shifting. She had just gotten married and became acutely aware of her hands. They were photographed constantly. Years of gel manicures and anxiety-driven nail biting had left them looking worn, no matter how polished everything else felt.

“With all of those experiences colliding, I remember thinking, this is the idea I’ve been waiting for,” Willett says.

The market wasn’t empty, but the solutions felt disconnected from how women live now. That disconnect became the starting point for HEIRÉE.

Why the Cuticle Pen Came First

Nails were the natural entry point. They are the most visible extension of the hand and often the first place neglect shows. They are also where routines break down most easily.

“I wanted our first product to solve a real, everyday problem while elevating hand care into something you actually want to use, not another step you forget about,” Willett explains.

The Cuticle Pen reframes the ritual entirely. It is a click-to-apply serum, not an oil, designed to deliver thick, localized hydration that absorbs quickly and actually penetrates the skin. It is mess-free, one-handed, and built for top-of-hand application, so it can be used throughout the day without stopping what you are doing.

That functionality was non-negotiable. “All our products are designed for top-of-hand care for this reason,” she says. “Women are typing, pushing strollers, living life.”

Focus as a Design Principle

Rather than building a broad assortment, HEIRÉE began with discipline. Willett was clear that the product could not be everything to everyone.

“I knew if I was going to come in from scratch, I needed to choose the main differentiators that would stand out in the market and that our customer would actually be excited by,” she says.

Those decisions became four non-negotiables.

• Clean ingredients with zero endocrine disruptors, reviewed by a hormonal expert and fertility specialist

• A serum formula instead of a traditional oil

• One-handed, on-the-go functionality

• Luxury packaging that makes nail care feel normal to use in public

The packaging plays a bigger role than it might seem. Nail care has historically been something done privately, often at night. HEIRÉE treats it as maintenance that belongs in the day. The gold applicator feels composed and intentional. The angled, flocked tip makes application intuitive, especially on bare nails. A subtle lemon essential oil adds a sensory layer that feels energizing rather than perfumed.

“Luxury products should make you feel something,” Willett says, “even in the smallest moments.”

Building Between Two Worlds

HEIRÉE is being built alongside Willett’s corporate career at LinkedIn, a reality that shapes both how she works and how she thinks about growth.

“Working in both the tech and consumer worlds has made my journey as a founder much more well-rounded than I expected,” she says. “Knowing how these systems and algorithms work behind the screen has given me a strong competitive edge.”

That duality also brings its own challenges. Time management is a constant work in progress, and switching between worlds requires patience.

“I’ve had to give myself a lot of grace as I adjust,” she shares. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Every Cuticle Pen is still handmade by Willett and shipped by her personally. That closeness allowed HEIRÉE to launch quickly and stay deeply connected to customers from the start, particularly during a critical period in mid-2025 when many women were navigating nail recovery.

The Woman Reaching for It

HEIRÉE’s early customers span professions and life stages. Nurses, first-time moms, brides, florists, corporate executives, writers. The throughline is not demographic, but rhythm.

“They’re busy, they’re doing a lot, and they want to feel put together without extra effort,” Willett says. “My job is to make hand care one less thing they have to think about.”

They reach for the Cuticle Pen at different points throughout the day, not as a ritual that requires planning, but as something that fits naturally into the flow of life.

Confidence in the Details

The goal of HEIRÉE has never been transformation. It is care that compounds.

“I want them to think, ‘Wow, I never knew my nails could look this healthy,’” Willett says. “And to feel just a little more confident walking into their day.”

Looking ahead, Willett envisions HEIRÉE as a full hand care collection that treats hands with the same intention as skincare. Expansion and retail are possibilities, but alignment comes first.

For the beauty industry, HEIRÉE offers a clear reminder. Focus is not a limitation. It is a strategy. When a founder builds from lived experience, chooses discipline over excess, and designs for real life, even the most overlooked categories can earn renewed attention.

The Beauty Brief Recommends:

The Cuticle Pen by HEIRÉE