Ian Michael Crumm Gives Back with a Bash: An Iconic Night to Benefit the Skin Cancer Foundation

As a content creator-turned-licensed esthetician, Ian Michael Crumm has a passion not only for spreading awareness on skin safety, but doing so in style. At his most recent event, the I-Gala, Ian used his 30th birthday celebration as an opportunity to bring people together, educate them on the importance of protecting our skin, and raise funds for the Skin Cancer Foundation — all while having a great time. He recently chatted with us about the event and how it all came together, and you can check out the entire conversation below!

Q: You recently held your latest event, I-Gala, in New York City. Tell us a bit about what inspired the event, what it entails, and how it all came together!

It all started as a 30th birthday party that took a turn and is now a signature fundraising event! Inspired by the elegance of The Met Gala and the fun of Halloween, I-Gala is a “Halloween-adjacent” event where guests are prompted to come as a known ICON. Think Lady Gaga to Albert Einstein to the Queen! It’s a fun way to create excitement around a party theme and, more importantly, a special cause — in this case, skin cancer awareness.

Q: I-Gala was not only a celebration of your birthday, but was in support of the Skin Cancer Foundation. Why was it important to you to fuse the two? What drove you to support that foundation specifically?

Since I was little, I’ve been very conscious about sun safety. My grandma, aka Glamie, battled a wicked melanoma on her right leg that left a large scar. As I’ve become increasingly ingrained in the beauty world as a licensed esthetician, funneling my passions into public awareness made a lot of sense. Recently I joined the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Champions for Change 2023 gala committee and my event, I-Gala, was the first wave of fundraising in my year-long campaign for the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Q: You’re no stranger to hosting events for a good cause. What is your favorite part about using creativity and fun to spread awareness of meaningful causes?

Special events are some of the most memorable experiences. I love fusing education and mission-driven initiatives through events to create lasting impact while having a lot of fun! I’m very thankful to have a fantastic partner agency Green Mansion who graciously and seamlessly designs, produces, and manages the 3-4 events I do a year. With their creative genius and my desire to have so many events, I think we are making an impact and changing habits around sun safety practices.

Q: A common tagline of yours is “Protected skin wins”! Can you talk to us about skin prevention as a year-round practice and why it’s important to talk about outside of just the summer months?

YES!! PROTECTED SKIN WINS! My team and I launched that hashtag in May when we held SkinWatch in collaboration with Dr. Dendy Engelman. I love how it encompasses the satisfaction around achieving healthy skin. The sun shines all year long, so regardless of the temperature outside or how bright it is, if it’s during the day, UV rays are penetrating your skin. This hashtag-turned-brand mantra is really about winning every day for your health through adequate sunscreen habits, the utilization of protective clothing, sunglasses, hats, etc., and other sun-safe practices.

Q: We’d love to hear you talk about the “Icon Box”, a fundraising incentive being highlighted at the event. What brands and products are included in the box and how did you go about deciding what went inside?

Everyone invited to I-Gala was asked to donate to my fundraising campaign. To incentivize more donations and additional excitement around the event, we turned what would have been a stacked swag bag into the ICON Box. The matte black box was filled with many “ICONIC” products, from antioxidant serum, to delicious chocolate, to sunscreens (of course!). It’s a tight curation of some of my favorite products and best brand supporters. The event was graciously supported by Glo Skin Beauty, PMD Beauty, Thayers, EltaMD, and IMAGE Skincare. To see a full curation of what went in the box, we put the items on this lovely ShopMy shelf!

Q: The event was a huge success and allowed you to raise a generous amount of funds for the Skin Cancer Foundation. How much have you raised to date, and how can folks still donate?

The event was well over $10k in fundraising before the day even arrived, and I will donate all affiliate revenue from our ICON Box on Shop My to the Skin Cancer Foundation. If anyone would love to contribute, I’d be honored to have donations sent to my fundraising page here.

Q: What are some highlights from the event you can share?

Party guests really got into the ICON theme! It was so fun to see how people interrupted embracing their inner icon and what celebrity looks were replicated. Personally it was very heartwarming to see so many friends from all over the country in one room and even better knowing they all donated to a cause so important to me!

Q: What’s next for you? Any other events coming up on the horizon?

There are a few things coming soon this fall, but I have to be hush hush on most of them for now. However I am excited to share that we will be producing the SkinWatch event for Skin Cancer Awareness month again next year with a new exciting beauty partner!

For more of Ian's favorite products, check out his shop: