It all started with a couple beauty lovers looking at our bathroom shelves realizing how many products we purchased only to discover it was not worth the hype. Being curious, we dove into why and realized most reviews are actually incentivized from free products or cherry picked to only showcase positive reviews to generate sales. We missed the days when people shared their love for beauty, simply because they were passionate, not because they were sponsored. We found ourselves turning to our friends more and more to get REAL recommendations, even if they didn’t have the same skin type or beauty preferences as we do. Then we wondered to ourselves could we create a space for these types of conversations that was as pure as our friend chats but with the power of collective insight. A place free from the incentivized reviews. A place free from backlash if you do have the courage to share that you didn’t like it. A place of authentic opinions, genuine conversations and honest insights. We knew that there had to be some clear rules to create the vibe we were aiming for: No incentivizing reviews. No paying people to write them. No brands sending you products in exchange for reviews. No cherry picking reviews or silencing those who wrote negative reviews. No bullying or brand canceling. We built Iris to help others find what they love, avoid what they won’t, and learn from each other’s beauty shelfies. And we absolutely love how refreshing the community is–real and unfiltered, like a trusted confidant. And we look forward to your unfiltered take.