Dara has worked in retail and beauty branding, advertising, and product development since 1999. She founded Ayla (aylabeauty.com) in 2011 to make the process of finding the perfect beauty and wellness products empowering, inspiring, and fun. Now a San Francisco institution, Ayla has begun to receive global recognition and was named “Retailer of the Year” by The Beauty Shortlist in both 2024 and 2025.Dara has been featured in publications including Vogue, The New York Times, and Town & Country — which thrilled her by highlighting her as one of their “miracle gurus” — as well as Beauty Independent, which further thrilled her by describing her as “the Alice Waters of skincare.”As a product curator, Dara, who recently received Beauty Independent’s “Assortment Innovator” Beacon Award, was one of the earliest supporters of brands like Marie Veronique, Kosas, Vintner’s Daughter, Luzern Labs, Dr. Anna Gold, and TWELVE Beauty.Dara is thrilled to have returned to her prior roots as a product developer by adding her own Dara Kennedy brand to Ayla’s shelves: her Sea Soak won “Best Detox” from Oprah Daily’s Bath Awards in 2024, her Sea Retinal won “Best Night Serum” from The Beauty Shortlist in 2025, and her Sea Serum continues to be Ayla’s #1 best seller and most-repurchased product for the third year in a row.Dara has an AB in History from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, and many dreams of a dog.