At 11 years old, Niamarie Vargas’s sister Sky confided in her that she was deeply insecure about her rosacea and skin inflammation. “I can’t see my sister struggling without attempting to help.” she says.
Vargas went skincare shopping in search of a solution for Sky and asked a store sales associate to guide her to the right product for tween skin. The sales associate recommended a brand known for anti-aging products. It didn’t match Vargas’s needs—and nothing else in the store did either, according to Vargas. “That’s when I had my light-bulb moment,” she says.
Nearly three years and many Google searches later, Vargas is launching the brand Heavenly by Nia aimed at gen Z and gen alpha consumers with two products: $35 Soothing Star Moisturizer and $31 Sky’s Foam Cleanser. The products include ingredients like glycerin, chamomile, squalane and aloe vera meant to protect and strengthen the skin barrier.
Vargas says starting Heavenly by Nia with foam cleanser was a gamble because foam cleansers tend to be drying and stripping, but she highlights that the brand’s version contains an ingredient called aquaxyl from the supplier Seppic that’s designed to improve the tolerance of foaming formats and trap moisture in the skin.
“That paired with glycerin is a dream team,” she says. “It’s like peanut butter and jelly. They go together really well to make sure that you’re fully hydrated.”
The Heavenly by Nia products have received the sister stamp of approval. Vargas says, “We noticed overall her texture is completely different and more smooth.”
Straddling gen alpha and gen Z, Sky is clearly within Heavenly by Nia’s target demographic, but so is Vargas, a 26-year-old gen Zer. The brand’s look, though, is a millennial throwback. Its imagery features technology emblematic of the Y2K era such as CD-ROMs, flip phones and digital cameras. The packaging is bright neon blue and green.
“We live in a digital world, which is scary, but cool at the same time,” says Vargas. “So, I wanted it to have elements of what we do every day like texting or going on the internet. However, I did want a nostalgic vibe to it.”
Vargas, who’s been working as a plus-size model, will lean on her following on TikTok and Instagram that she gained by posting about music, fashion and film, to jumpstart Heavenly by Nia’s social media presence. She has 20,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 43,000 on TikTok. These days, educational and trend-spotting content are performing well for Vargas.
On Heavenly by Nia’s feed, she’s taking people inside the process of developing the brand. She prefers to document that process rather than curate an end result. Vargas says, “When I show up vulnerable or without much thought, it tends to be the key in creating a connection.”
That connection is important for cultivating a community, and Vargas underscores she’s committed to making that community a safe space to discuss imperfections. She says, “It’s OK to go through any skincare issues or health concerns…this is really normal, and we’re here for you.”
As a plus-size model, Vargas regularly felt scrutinized, which reinforces her motivation to foster a supportive community. “I was constantly being looked at under a microscope, and it was overwhelming for me,” she says. “I just felt like, why aren’t we normalizing skincare concerns? This is very human. I’m not a robot. I would get a lot of backlash from the people that I work with because I wanted a more human approach towards modeling rather than perfectionism.”
Heavenly by Nia will be amassing its community online at the outset, but the brand intends to do in-person pop-ups in New York City in the future. Vargas is focused on forging a strong, trusting relationship with the brand’s customers before considering retail. In the interim, she’s considering placing it on TikTok Shop and Amazon.
“Obviously, I would love to eventually be at a Sephora or something like that, but that to me right now isn’t No. 1,” says Vargas. “I want to really build the brand and see how it resonates with the public and the community and then take it from there.”
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