Lié Conversations / MAY 2026
In conversation with Neada Deters
Meet Neada Deters – New York City–based founder of natural skin care brand LESSE.
With a background as a beauty editor, Neada spent years immersed in the industry, which led her to recognise a gap in the market and ultimately create something entirely on her own.
Alongside LESSE, she has cultivated a strong and engaged community, becoming a trusted voice across culture — from beauty and fashion to design and gastronomy.
In connection with our recently launched collaboration with LESSE, we caught up with Neada to hear about her journey from Sydney to New York, her approach to creativity and balance, and the mindset behind building a brand centered on less, but better.
Born and raised in Sydney and now based in NYC - how has your journey leading up to building LESSE looked?
After a childhood by the ocean in Sydney, I moved to New York in my early twenties to pursue a career in media. I worked across fashion, design and culture before I started to write about beauty. I have never really been big on makeup but I have always loved nature and wellness, and skin care is a convergence of the two with a scientific framework.
I think many people fall into the beauty industry because they’re fascinated by marketing but I am completely enamored by the innovation and the emotion tied to skin care. I had struggled with my own skin for more than a decade, even as an editor, when I finally decided to develop my own formulas — based on years of ingredient research, expert interviews, and industry insights.
What inspired LESSE to collaborate with LIÉ STUDIO on a capsule?
There is such a beautiful, effortless alignment between LESSE and LIÉ STUDIO. Although we are in different industries, we speak to the same woman and share the same values: creating intentional, quality essentials. And, on a more personal note, I wear LIÉ STUDIO designs every day.
What does “less, but better” mean to you within skin care and beyond?
I believe simplicity is the result of optimal innovation, and the source of great beauty. When you think of designs and inventions over time, with each iteration there is a move towards greater simplicity. This is true of skin care; through innovation, we are able to formulate products that layer in more benefits. The result is fewer steps for greater results.
How do you define success, personally and professionally?
Time, freedom and ease are the greatest markers of success. Time with the people you love, the freedom to make choices without compromise, ease in how you approach every day.
Having your own brand, how do you maintain the right work-life balance?
I have to be honest here—I don’t! Building a brand requires a certain commitment and sacrifice; it’s certainly not an easy road but I feel so fortunate and incredibly grateful to wake up and pour my energy into what I love.
Do you have a ritual or routine that helps you stay creatively focused or inspired?
As someone who grew up immersed in nature, it’s truly what ensures I stay creatively focused and inspired. It’s not always easy living in New York but I try to find time to be in nature whenever I can, as it’s always a reset for my body and mind.
Where do you find inspiration outside of the beauty world?
I actually try to never look to the beauty world for inspiration; I prefer we work in a silo and ensure we remain very clear and distinctive in our vision of what LESSE is, without any comparison or influence from others’ approach in the industry. Instead, I find inspiration in art, design, interiors, and film—particulary French New Wave Cinema, which has been a significant source of inspiration for our brand since conception. We still shoot everything on medium format film and our motion is generally shot on super 8.
What’s your relationship with jewelry and accessories - do you have a piece that holds special meaning?
One of the people who shaped me most was my grandmother, who was a jeweler. We were incredibly close and I loved seeing her dressed up, with the pieces she had designed.
I was fortunate to inherit a few of her designs but the most meaningful are a pair of earrings, which she designed for my mother, and my mother gave them to me for my wedding. They are white gold with small diamonds and a simple drop baroque pearl, hand sourced by free divers in the Philippines, where my mother’s family is from. In a sense, they represent my family and our culture—and I love the imperfect beauty of baroque pearls.
What are you currently most excited about - both personally and with LESSE?
Finally sharing this collaboration with the world! It has been several months in the making, and it was such a wonderful experience to bring our two teams together to merge form, function and everyday ritual through this pendant design.
Though I’m also looking forward to some time in Greece next month!
