Eva Mendes, who stepped back from her Hollywood career a decade ago to focus on her family, is now reemerging in a surprising new role.
The 50-year-old actress has ventured into the cleaning-supplies industry, finding joy and fulfillment in household chores.
Mendes describes an ideal evening as one spent with Cuban music in the background, the scent of verbena in the air, and a sink full of dirty dishes.
Despite her past filled with Hollywood premieres and red carpet events, it’s the kitchen where she feels most content.
“Cleaning for me and for my family, it’s not just cleaning. It’s an emotional bonding experience,” Mendes shares with Forbes. “When I found mindful meditation, I was like, this is my jam.”
This sense of fulfillment took years to achieve. Mendes credits her hardworking Cuban immigrant mother, who instilled in her the importance of financial independence.
Growing up, she watched her mother juggle various jobs, from selling Easter baskets to neighbors to working as a housekeeper and bank teller.
Since her last film in 2014, Mendes has embraced multiple roles, including mother, fashion designer, children’s book author, and now co-owner of Skura Style, a home cleaning goods startup.
After taking an ownership stake in 2022, Mendes has helped Skura Style, founded in 2017 by Linda Sawyer and Alison Matz, expand its marketing reach and even contributed to product design.
Forbes reports that the company generated $7 million in revenue last year and is projected to reach $20 million in 2024.
“I started using it and I loved it, so I got in contact with the founders and I loved their story,” Mendes says.
Sawyer and Matz, who left successful careers to become entrepreneurs, resonated with Mendes:
“I want to be on those investor calls, I want to talk about the boring stuff, like how high our box has to be in order to fit into a certain shelf. I’m in for all of it.”
Mendes, who moved to Los Angeles from Miami as a child, didn’t initially aspire to act.
Her entry into Hollywood came in her early twenties when an agent discovered her photo. Her first significant role came in 2001’s “Training Day” alongside Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke.
She went on to star in notable films such as “Hitch,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” and “The Place Beyond the Pines,” where she met her partner, Ryan Gosling.
Despite her success, Mendes never loved being in front of the camera. When her first daughter was born in 2014, she shifted her focus entirely to her family.
“My ambition was still there. It just was suddenly directed toward something else,” she explains.
In addition to her role in Skura Style, Mendes has launched a beauty brand and collaborated with New York & Company on fashion collections. She dismisses the notion that she sacrificed her film career for Gosling’s, asserting, “I don’t succumb to societal bullshit.”
Mendes’s involvement with Skura Style began with her love for their Skrubby Sponge, which features a disappearing monogram to indicate when it’s time to replace it.
She connected with Sawyer and Matz in 2021, and their collaboration has since grown. Mendes appreciates the female-founded team, noting, “I’m such a girl’s girl, and I need that female energy around me.”
Since joining Skura Style, Mendes has participated in TV appearances and increased retail interest in the brand. Her contribution extends to product design, with the Skura Style x Eva Mendes collection, inspired by Cuba, available in over 220 Target stores. Mendes is also developing new products for the brand.
While sponges might not seem glamorous, Mendes finds the challenge appealing.
“I wanted to take that chance and be driven by people saying, ‘Why sponges?’” she says. “If we can make a sponge beautiful and fun and joyful and sexy, then cool.”
