This interview is with Malia Leong, VP, Digital | Fractional CMO at Astral Health & Beauty.

Malia Leong, VP, Growth | Fractional CMO | Scaled $100M+ Beauty & Wellness Brands w/ AI + DTC Strategy

1. As a VP of Growth & Customer Acquisition with a focus on beauty and wellness brands, can you share a bit about your journey and what sparked your interest in blending AI with digital marketing strategies?

I've spent the last 15 years building and scaling brands in e-commerce, Amazon, and retail, almost entirely in the beauty and wellness sectors. Always, what gets me most is that intersection of data and emotion: how do you tell stories that actually convert? I've scaled within legacy brands in the midst of digital transformation, but I've also started brands from the ground up. It gives me a wide-spectrum lens into what does work and what doesn't when you're trying to scale.

AI was introduced to the equation not because it was hip—but because I needed leverage. I was juggling multi-channel teams, thin budgets, and go-forward speed all while not sacrificing storytelling or strategy. So, I was testing out AI tools—starting with audience insights and content ideation, then segmentation, loyalty, product bundling, and creative brief. What I found is, when informed by human insight, AI is a catalyst—not a substitute. It's that combination that gets me stoked now: leveraging AI for scaling smart, all while shaping every outcome with empathy and brand voice.

2. You've mentioned leading digital transformation initiatives across various platforms. Can you walk us through a specific project where you successfully integrated AI into a legacy beauty brand's marketing strategy?

One of the most interesting projects that I spearheaded was with an old-fashioned clean beauty brand that had wonderful formulas and devoted customers, but was, nonetheless, in a very old-fashioned marketing paradigm. We had to quickly bring it into the modern era without scaring away our core base.

I started with an AI-powered customer shade-matching service, marrying quiz logic and image capabilities. On its own, that reduced purchase process frictions, most noticeably among new-to-brand consumers that didn't know what to buy. We then delved into personalization—tapping the power of AI to generate dynamic email copy and loyalty offers based on purchase behavior, skin types, and even time since last purchase.

The key to its success wasn't the tech, per se, but marrying that tech with the human intuition of our retention team, customer service notes, and genuine customer feedback. The result? Higher email click-through rates, LTV increases, and a huge jump in customer satisfaction because we weren't really marketing, we were actually assisting.

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3. You've implemented AI-powered personalization tools like shade finders. Can you share an example of how this technology improved customer experience and impacted conversion rates for a brand you've worked with?

Definitely. One of the biggest beauty challenges—at least in complexion products—is decision fatigue. The consumer is overwhelmed with choices and does not always know what shade or formula is right for them, especially when they purchase online.

I led the introduction of an AI-powered shade finder for a hero foundation that came in over 100 shades and undertone combinations. We used a mix of guided quiz logic and swatch visualization technology to allow consumers to find their forever match in under 60 seconds. Instead of guessing or bouncing, consumers were guided through an experience that was helpful and, importantly, individualized.

On the backend, we also employed the use of AI to dynamically reconfigure the product page layout in response to quiz results and consumer behavior. The end result? A double-digit percentage increase in conversion rate, a decrease in product return rates, and increased customer satisfaction, particularly among repeat or first-time customers. It made the whole process more human, even when the tech that allowed it was extremely sophisticated.

4. In your experience, how has AI changed the way beauty brands approach customer retention and loyalty programs? Can you provide a concrete example of a successful AI-driven loyalty initiative?

AI is a game-changer! It has turned loyalty from transactional to more experience-driven. Brands can respond in real time to their customers, so the loyalty does not feel manual but is perceived as individual but not manual. In our project, we shifted from a basic points scheme to an AI platform that separated the customers based on purchase behavior and level of engagement. We then could send specific offers—such as special collections for purchase-driven customers of skincare or reactivation pushes for lapsed customers. Instead of sending the same messages to everyone, we let the data determine the timing and value of every touch. The strategy produced higher engagement, more redemptions, and higher repeat purchase rates.

5. You've trained internal teams on prompt engineering. What's one unexpected challenge you faced when introducing AI tools to a marketing team, and how did you overcome it?

One challenge I didn't expect was hesitation rooted in perfectionism. Some team members felt like they had to "get it right" the first time when prompting AI—almost like they were being tested. It created friction because people were afraid to experiment. To shift that mindset, I reframed prompting as a conversation, not a command. We ran short workshops focused on curiosity and iteration instead of precision. Once the team saw that the best results came from refining their prompts and thinking like a creative partner, the pressure lifted. From there, usage picked up quickly—and the quality of output improved across content, ideation, and even campaign strategy.

6. With your expertise in scaling full-funnel marketing strategies, how do you see AI reshaping the traditional marketing funnel for DTC beauty brands? Can you share a specific instance where AI significantly improved a stage of the funnel?

AI is making the traditional funnel more fluid. Instead of rigid stages like awareness, consideration, and conversion, we're seeing smarter, faster feedback loops. For example, AI can now analyze which content drives engagement at the top of the funnel and automatically feed that insight into creative testing or paid media refinement in near real-time. One project I led used AI to optimize ad creative based on scroll depth and engagement on PDPs. We fed those insights back into upper-funnel ads—adjusting hooks, formats, and messaging to better reflect what actually resonated on the site. That closed the loop between awareness and conversion in a way that felt both efficient and consumer-first. It's not about replacing strategy—it's about accelerating what works and cutting what doesn't, faster than we ever could before.

7. You mentioned being passionate about making AI feel human. Can you describe a campaign or initiative where you successfully balanced AI efficiency with emotional storytelling? What were the key elements that made it work?

We launched a holiday campaign that wove predictive analytics and storytelling around self-care and giving. The AI put us on notice about customer segments that hadn't shopped in a while and the optimal timing, SKUs, and promo sensitivity. But instead of employing a lead-in of scarcity or promo-centric messaging, we made the content about moments of pause, of reflection, of mini beauty rituals—things that amidst a chaotic time felt individual and reassuring. The magic of how successful it was was the intermingling of the interplay: the AI tipped us when to show up and with whom to communicate, but the voice of the brand dictated how we spoke to them. The copy was thoughtful, the imagery calm, and we not only achieved robust conversion—but also favorable reactions from the customers thanking us for being different. That, in my book, is the sweet spot of how to employ AI but not lose hope.

8. In your role, you've likely seen both successes and failures in applying AI to real brand environments. Can you share a 'lesson learned' moment where an AI implementation didn't go as planned, and what insights you gained from that experience?

Early on, I rolled out an AI content generator for product pages, thinking it would streamline copywriting and speed up site updates. Technically, it worked—but the tone was off. It lacked warmth, nuance, and brand voice, which made the site feel robotic. Conversion dipped slightly, and customer feedback reflected the disconnect. The lesson? Efficiency can't come at the expense of connection. We ended up pulling the content, retraining the tool with curated brand language, and creating a review step that allowed our team to humanize the final output. AI is powerful, but it still needs guidance—and sometimes, slower is faster if it protects the integrity of the brand.

9. Looking ahead, what emerging AI technology or application do you believe will have the biggest impact on DTC and beauty marketing in the next few years? How are you preparing your strategies to leverage this?

I envision agent-based AI—autonomous software that makes decisions throughout systems with minimal heavy lifting from people. Think about it: AI that is not only making a recommendation for a campaign based on customer data but is also briefing the creatives, queuing the assets, and optimizing in real time. For DTC beauty, time-to-market and emotional connections are all; that kind of freedom might reduce lag from insight to action. I'm preparing by building workflows that pair strategy and automation now—teaching teams how to do fast design, deciding where the human touch is required, and testing out tools that enable decision-making, not only execution. The winning brands won't only be faster—they'll be more intentional because they've cleared the time to think.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Accept that we're young. There is no silver bullet in AI, and no, it won't do away with the need for strategy, taste, or sensitivity in marketing. But we will save time, gain new insights, and allow teams to move with more clarity. My hope is that we will inspire more marketers, women, and creatives to venture out and be in control of how AI takes shape in our profession. We need not lose the essence of what we're doing; we only need to propel it forward.