The Plant-Based Skincare Revolution Behind KLEOS+KLEA with Tammy Demos

What if the solution your skin needs isn’t in a bottle—but in a plant?

This week on the She Built It® Podcast, I’m joined by Tammy Demos, founder of KLEOS+KLEA, whose journey to heal her own skin led her to challenge the entire skincare industry. From co-founding two beauty brands to starting over with nothing but aloe vera and a vision, Tammy shares how nature, resilience, and a bathroom apothecary became the foundation of a brand built on truth.

We talk about what’s really missing in “clean” skincare, how nutrient-stacking works, and why going fully natural was the boldest (and smartest) move she’s ever made. Her story is one of radical simplicity, scientific curiosity, and a mission to reconnect us with the power of plants.

Whether you’re passionate about skincare, love hearing stories of reinvention, or just need a reminder to trust your instincts—this one’s for you.

🎙️ Listen in.

Tammy Demos still remembers the first time she realized the power of plants to create beauty products. As a nine-year-old visiting family in Greece, she has a core memory of walking through a cypress grove with her maternal grandmother. Her Yiayia picked cones off the trees, brought them home, and made soap and candles. Tammy remembers thinking: "Nature is amazing. Plants have so much to offer." It was this philosophy she would return to years later, harnessing the power of plants to create the cleanest skincare line she could create. 

Many years later, in 2019, Tammy found herself in Colorado, stressed, divorced, raising four kids, and with skin that was a total wreck. "My skin was aging rapidly, discolored, inflamed and suffering from melasma," Tammy recalls. Her self-esteem plummeted.  

She'd been thinking about opening a greenhouse to supply plant ingredients to beauty companies, but the timing wasn't right. After co-founding two beauty companies (CosMedix and Osmosis), Tammy wasn't looking to do it again. 

She changed her lifestyle, diet and how she took care of herself but then realized that it was her skincare that was hurting her. Her skin had become progressively stressed and had stopped healing. “I became disenchanted with skincare products—I’d been using the best non‑toxic formulas for years, and I had no desire to switch to harsher ingredients just to chase temporary results at the cost of my health.” It was this desperation that led her to reach for plants from nature.  She returned to her roots and went all-natural.  She snipped a leaf off an aloe vera plant, applied the gel to her skin, and hasn't turned back since. It's now been 6 years.

Once her skin was on the mend, she researched every potential natural ingredient she could find. For the next few years, she traveled the world, learning from beauty experts and aestheticians. "Through research and conversations with experts, I learned what really worked,” she says. Her new line, KLEOS+KLEA is the most luxurious and genuinely clean skincare system she could create. Every formula is built from whole, organically grown plants, not synthetic look‑alikes or chemically stripped “natural” imitations. She hand‑selected botanicals with the precise nutrient profiles the skin craves, because nutrients are the language of our cells - stabilizers, texturizers, fragrances, and preservatives are not. By abandoning the ingredients and methods she’d used at previous companies, she crafted something entirely new: holistic, fully natural, and more effective than anything she’s ever tried.

Kleos+Klea’s method works with nature to rejuvenate skin with natural nourishment. The products are designed to work in tandem with your skin’s natural rhythms, from night to day. “The ancient belief that ‘We are all one’ has never been more clear to me,” Tammy says.”Nature reflects the beauty we can all have.” 

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