Pretty resilient: How a beauty empire was built against the odds

For Nalia Skin founder Piyane Ung, success didn’t come without struggles. The Cambodian-born entrepreneur had a horde of business failures and deep personal crises. Now, she’s stronger than ever and ready for her close-up.  

When Piyane Ung calls make-up a “suit of armour”, she speaks from experience. The Nalia Skin founder has built her success on the failure of more than 30 businesses, as well as personal devastation.  

The trauma of Cambodia’s Pol Pot-era genocide deeply impacted her family. “My parents caught the heavy end of it,” says Ung. ​​ The enduring impact was profound.  

This history created a “survival mode” upbringing. “They were trying to guide me down a path that they thought was best for a girl in a conservative country,” she said. Ung left home, worked as a voiceover artist and MC in reawakened Phnom Penh, and even slept in her car.  

Seeking “more opportunities, to learn more, to be more,” Ung moved to Australia in 2008.

However, a string of ventures — from the online retail store Hello Vanessa to a multi-front F&B franchise, social media account “flipping,” and music promotion with A-list artists — eventually led to burnout and a severe identity crisis.

“I had spent a better chunk of a decade being depressed, being anxious, being not good enough,” says Ung. Realising she was at a breaking point, Ung knew a profound change was necessary. “I thought, ‘If I keep going the way I’m going, I’m definitely going to die. Something has to change.”  

Telling her story: Through business… and a book 

Skincare had long been a personal ritual for Ung, a quiet source of joy that helped her feel seen and in control. As her healing journey began, that process became purposeful. Named after her daughter, Nalia Skin was born: a gentle, skincare brand blending Cambodian heritage with Australian botanical science.  

 
As the business grew, Ung gradually leaned into her roots, introducing heavy Cambodian influences in 2022 to her brand. These influences eventually encompassed “everything”: the colours, smells, ingredients, slogans, and fonts.  

The specific gold detail on the packaging was inspired by the notebooks she and other students used during their schooling years in Cambodia. “Some businesses you go into for a network, some for revenue, but this one was for me,” says Ung. 

It also led to some innovation, and one that holds particular significance. “The Dewy Duo is the product I’ve been developing for almost five years,” says Ung, of the double-action clay mask and sleep-in mask. “You take away the bad stuff, and you put the good stuff back on.”  
 
When Nalia Skin began to bloom, and at the encouragement of her close circle, Piyane penned her first book, Good Girl: The Five Foundations: From People-Pleaser to Powerhouse, a self-published guide that sold out upon launch, empowering women to break free from people-pleasing and reclaim personal power. It struck a chord, particularly with female entrepreneurs. “The fact that it even got on the bestseller list [surprised me], I had no idea because I didn’t do any PR,” says Ung.  

Ung was not just on a roll; she felt like she was helping others get their lives back, too. She founded the I AM WORTHY movement, a free mental wellness workshop that provides tools for emotional resilience and self-care.  

Through sessions held across Cambodia and Australia, the workshop offers to equip participants with practical tools to manage stress, navigate mental health challenges, and build resilience, while fostering a community of support and shared understanding. 

“I want to inspire and give a voice to people, to show them, ‘You know what? You can actually get here,’” says Ung. Ung’s dream is to create a suicide hotline for Cambodia, and eventually for other countries without one, offering hope and life-saving support where it’s needed most.  

“Way back in the day, if you were a knight in shining armour, people knew immediately,” says Ung. “I hope that when women wear Nalia Skin and look their best, or at least feel that way, they are ready for anything.”