LXMI was founded by late Leila Janah, who sadly passed away at the beginning of 2020 after a brave battle with Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She was 37 years old. We miss her deeply every day and are more committed than ever to continue her mission and important lifework.

Leila spearheaded a global impact sourcing movement and was a champion for environmental sustainability and ending global poverty. After encountering Nilotica, an heirloom shea varietal, in Northern Uganda, Leila founded LXMI and built an innovative and empowering approach to creating fair-wage jobs and restoring the planet at the same time. 

Leila Janah LXMI Clean Beauty social impact

She was also the founder and CEO of two other organizations apart from LXMI, all sharing the mission to “Give Work”; Samasource, a global technology leader in training data annotation and machine learning validation; and Samaschool, a U.S. based non-profit focused on reskilling for the new economy. She was recognized as a thought leader in tech + social impact, wrote a best-selling book, Give Work, about her journey, and was passionate about conserving the world’s remaining rare plants.

Throughout her short, but well-lived lifespan, she helped to lift over 50,000 people out of poverty in India and East Africa through her Give Work model. Leila’s vision and revolutionary approach to building business with a soul permeates every part of LXMI, and her compassionate philosophy lives on through her family, the team, and our community.

THE FUTURE FOR LXMI

To help guide LXMI through the next chapter and carry forward Leila’s important mission, LXMI’s board of directors has appointed Anna-Maja Björkenvall as the new CEO for the brand. Anna worked closely with Leila since her start with the company and was running LXMI with Leila’s blessing during her cancer treatment. Anna is a mission-driven marathoner/Iron Man triathlete with a passion for helping others and healthy living from the inside out.

Anna Björkenvall - LXMI CEO

With Anna at the helm, we know Leila is smiling down on us, and we couldn’t be happier to be able to march on strongly, confident that we can continue her legacy and keep spreading good in the world. Together we can help marginalized women around the world and actively fight climate change through our daily skincare habits.

We thank you deeply for your immense belief and support in our Beauty for Humanity mission!

 

 

  • God Bless Leila!! Rip!

    I was not aware that Leila died........I just watched a show about her from a few years ago. I was/am truly inspired by her work and passion. What an AMAZING woman she was. on

  • A amazing company with a loving purpose💕

    Lekili on

  • Buona fortuna Anna! <3 for Leila

    Letizia on

  • She sounds like she was a great woman and mother someone to aspire to be . We need more women to leave a legacy to our children and to the world . It must be great to have a mother to be so proud of . I hope to leave a legacy and feel I have a certain calling on my life too. I also would love to create a product that is great for the skin . Mine is so sensitive I am trying out the sample first and will leave a review as soon as I have gotten a few uses out of it

    MYlyssa on

  • So thrilled Anna will carry this amazing company and mission forward!
    I think of Leila every day when I open a jar or tube of LXMI and feel a twinge of sadness that she left so soon. Knowing one of her accomplished friends will continue this work makes me feel a bit less sad. Go Anna! Ta. Cyn

    Cynthia Eells on

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