Latest / Skin Anarchy / E.378: Colgate-Palmolive Skin Health Brands Are Leading The Way Towards Skin Protection

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E.378: Colgate-Palmolive Skin Health Brands Are Leading The Way Towards Skin Protection · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
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• 0:43
  SPEAKER_02: Hi guys, welcome back to Skin Care Anarchy and happy Diwali to everyone who celebrates.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I am so excited because today's a very special day at Skincare Anarchy.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: As you guys know, I'm a huge fan of Lta MD.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_02: I had interviewed one of their executives a while back.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, the group of brands that Alta MD fat like falls under is known as um CP Skin Health.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm very, very excited um to be hosting the CEO of the US sector of CP Skin Health, uh, Joanna Zucker.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: So welcome to the show show, Joanna.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited to have a chance to chat with you and learn from you.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: So uh welcome to skin care.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Ecka.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: Glad so glad to be here.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Appreciate it.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: No, I'm I'm very glad to be hosting you, very honored to be hosting you.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I would love to get started by you telling us about yourself and really how you um ended up at CP Skin Health and just everything that really led up to that.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um wonderful.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I I I'll just stick with the professional side, and if you want personal, we can go into that next.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: But um uh I I like to say I grew up my post, uh I got my MBA at Michigan and was hired by Procter Gamble right out of there.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: So uh we shared a town for a while.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: I was in Cincinnati and I worked for PG for 18 years.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: And no way, I'm in Cincinnati.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I know.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I looked you up.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: You're in Westchester, yeah.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: I was in Anderson, so right around the corner, right around the loop.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, so I I I got my you know feet wet, I guess, at at PG and brand management and general management.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: And the last nine years of my career there were on the beauty side of the business, predominantly hair care and personal care.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we were a dual career couple.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: My husband worked there as well.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: And when he took uh early retirement, I decided to leave at that point as well, which was 2015.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I wanted to do something completely different at that point in my career.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so I took a three and a half year, I would say, little detour into the pet care industry and uh worked at Pet Smart for three and a half years, running their pet services division, which was fantastic.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: It taught me a ton about operations and compensation and training and all the stuff that I've now been able to put to work uh at CP Skin Health.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: But um I left Pet Smart in 2018 and in transparency, fully intending to retire and join my husband in retirement.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I did that for uh about six months, and then the phone rang um from a head hunter um for Colgate, uh saying that they had acquired a professional beauty brand in Scottsdale and they were looking for someone to run it.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so I did my research uh on PCA skin, got appeal for the first time in my life, and decided um it was a worthwhile opportunity.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have to uproot my family.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: I had three teenagers, three high schoolers at that time, and I didn't want to move, which is why I retired.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but this was in my hometown, it was in Scottsdale, and um it was a great opportunity, great brand, and I felt like I could add a lot of value, so I jumped back in.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's so cool.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: I love the the flow of that.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, honestly, um, you know, I feel like Cincinnati, especially because since you brought it up, um, it has such a a nice hub of companies, you know what I mean?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Like uh when you think about like how to get your career started and where you you know young professionals can really go.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: I like the I like the city because of that, because um a PNG is here and we have you know General Motors and all sorts of stuff.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's that's very interesting.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so you know, when you ended up with CP Skin Health, I know um, you know, things are mostly uh like under you, it's uh within the US, right?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_02: But it's it's such a large group of companies that could you I would love for you to walk us through, you know, uh like PCA skin.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like I would love to learn about PCA skin and like especially your role there and um, you know, everything really.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: So absolutely.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so Kolge Pomalov has owned PCA and ALTA since um 2018, January of 18, they acquired both brands.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it'll be almost five years here.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um for the first four years, they ran them independently.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: So there was someone running PCA, that was me.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: There was someone running LTMD, and they're both professional skincare brands based in the US, but with global um distribution.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so I had PCA globally, but about a year and a half ago, they came to me and told me that we're gonna bring all three brands together, we're gonna have you run it in the US.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so we started planning for that transition about a year and a half ago, and uh starting in January of this year, so the calendar year 2022, we now are CP Skin Health.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: We have a new company name, and I run all three brands, so PCA Skin and LTMD, which we've talked about, and then Falorga, which was the last acquisition Colgate made, and that was made in September of 2019.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And Falorga is predominantly an anti-aging brand distributed um through pharmacists who are the skincare professional in southern Europe.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so um we are bringing that into the US.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's a new brand into the US, and I have that business as well.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, that's very cool.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: So um yeah, Falorga so it's coming from the UK, then it's a completely European-based brand.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's a French brand, so it's based in Paris.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, lovely.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it's about um most of its business is in Europe, but it is also distributed globally.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So it has distribution in Asia, it has distribution in Latin America um as well.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but um very strong shares in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy are its uh big European markets.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_02: Now, Joanna, I'm very curious because I always hear about brands going from the US into the EU, you know, and the stringent criteria and all of those things that come with like regulations.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: How has that been for you as a CEO bringing a brand that is from, you know, the France and European side of things and bringing it into the US?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: Have there been any hurdles or, you know, anything that you've had to really kind of you know navigate to bring it here?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you are correct that we have different regulations around the world and the EU has pretty stringent right regulations, much more limiting in terms of ingredients versus the US.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: So bringing it to the US was not difficult.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: And Falorga is not a big Sun Care or acne brand, and that's where the big our regulations are in the US with the FDA.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: Those are really the only two monographs related to skincare.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: So because we didn't have to deal with that, it was a fairly smooth to be able to bring the product over, register it, obviously, and and do all the the legal steps.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: But um, I would say Europe to US is typically much easier than US to Europe.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I figured I I just I wanted to know your your thoughts on that because I know a lot of brands are making the move.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_02: I was just talking to a brand new um entrepreneur the other day, and she was explaining how you know her brand is mostly based based in Lithuania, but she wants to bring it to the US market, and it's it's a lot of paperwork.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I was I was very curious.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, this is one of the benefits of when you have a large company behind you, right?
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: And being known by Cool Data.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: We have regulatory experts, legal experts who can help us navigate through that.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: Now, I want to actually talk about the extremely heavy science focus of these three brands.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I mean, I'm always blown away.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like I had mentioned, you know, I had uh interviewed Echo for um ELTA MD.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: And um, if any of you listening had, you know, had a chance to catch that episode, you must have heard that, you know, we really kind of went into the science of things.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: We I I really went product by product with her because um ELTA MD for me is a true Hallmark brand, you know, it's science, it's science to its core.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: And um, I know PCA skin is as well.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know much about Philorga, but I'm sure it is, you know, in line with that.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_02: But I want to know how that is for you, you know, being a CEO and really being um at the head of this, how is that in terms of the science and merging that science with your business background and and you and really keeping you know the science true to these brands?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: Because, you know, right now, as you know, a lot of people are meshing things, you know what I mean?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: They're meshing marketing with science, they're meshing um, you know, trending trending stuff with the scientific-based uh skin health products.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: So, how is that, you know, for on your end of things?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it I think it starts with defining who your consumer is, who your customers are, and what your brand purpose is, right?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: We are professional skincare brands, right?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: We are serving medical doctors, licensed estheticians, pharmacists who have degrees um and expertise in skincare and know that skin is the largest organ on the body.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: It is different for every person.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, everyone has unique skin conditions, it changes throughout the month with hormones, it changes throughout seasons.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so um to truly address skin concerns, albeit anti-aging or the signs of aging, hyperpigmentation, acne, sensitivity, um, you need true science to transform the skin, to not just topically, you know, hydrate skin, but to truly transform the health of skin.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're fortunate that um due to our positioning and what we're delivering and our value equation, that we can formulate with the best ingredients, with the best delivery mechanisms to get those ingredients to where they need to be in the skin, not just in the epidermis, but down into the dermis and where they need to work to truly correct, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not just mask, but correct the skin concern that's going on.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: And in the case of PCA, to start in the treatment room, right, with treatments, which can then go even deeper, right, with our peels and our professional peels and what they can do to start the process of renewal of that healthy skin.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: So everything we do is about scientifically backed, both in vitro research, clinical research to prove the transformation and the change it makes to the skin because that's what our customers expect.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: When someone is walking into an aesthetician or a PA or a nurse or a medical doctor because they have a skin concern, they pretty much have exhausted all the normal options, right?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: They've tried the mass merchandise, the you know, beauty store products, and it hasn't met their need.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so they're looking for the best of the best at that point to transform.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, as you're sure you know, what we're seeing now is people aren't waiting to have the need, right?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: They're saying, wait, I want to protect what I have in my 20s, in my early 30s, and start investing in my wellness and my skin health early so that I don't ever have those problems.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're seeing more and more people enter what I would call professional or medical grade skincare, even before they have a skin concern, because frankly, they never want to have one.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, that is an excellent point.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's so funny that you you mentioned it the way you did because you know, when I look at, for example, you know, I keep you going back to Alta MD, but I think this is such a great way to explain what I mean is when you look at the packaging, even right, when you look at up any product Alta has, it's such a uh it's such a unique experience as a consumer because you're not dealing with fluff, it's straight to the point.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's like as if you did go to your dermatologist, they gave you prescription for something.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_02: Here you go.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, this is it does what it does.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I really love that from a consumer standpoint, and that's really where my question stemmed from, because I feel like, you know, um CP is really staying true to this true core science, you know, science to the core, fundamentally, and you know, from a bird's eye view, it's no BS products, you know what I mean?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: No BS brands.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what I really adore and I love because I really, you know, to your point, you made an excellent point about how people are, you know, they're going for the expert treatments, they're going for directly to get the real stuff done.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I want, you know, a lot more consumers to end up gravitating in that direction, you know, and so that's where I think my question really stems from because I'm trying to understand how, you know, a a family of brands such as you know the ones represented by CP, how they can survive in this social media landscape and this trend-based landscape, and you know, um, where it things like word of mouth or selling products rather than efficacy and clinical trial data and you know, things that matter, right?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I know you guys are very established, you know, everyone knows about you guys, and and I love that, you know, I want it to stay like that, but to get people on board, I mean, what are some of the things that you guys utilize on a day-to-day, you know, basis, maybe educational material, whatever you think is um fitting in that category to like help.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: With consumers or with professionals, Ecta.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_02: No, with consumers, the consumers, because the professionals I know they understand, you know.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's a fine line, right, with consumers, um, because they want content, but you also need to dial it down that it's not only digestible but understandable at the same time, right?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: So they know the ingredients, they've heard vitamin C, retinol, pylonic acid, whatever it is, but do they really understand why they need that ingredient, what it's doing?
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's just, you know, it's the elevator pitch, it's the translatable messaging and just trying to find um for social media, right, enough of whether it's an infographic or um, you know, a claim about it, but then maybe they can click through to a landing page that goes into a bit more detail, right, about the science.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because as you know, there's all different types of consumers.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's, you know, the skincare junkies who want to go down to the granular level and truly understand how it's working um at the molecular level or you know, how it's inhabiting tyrannocytes when you're going after hypervenutation.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: And there's other people that just want to know, okay, it's gonna diminish the eight spots I have, right?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: And that's enough, and I don't need to know how it's doing that.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's you know, understanding the consumer journeys, understanding where they absorb information, how much information, and then building out our communication channels accordingly, right?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: What we're gonna put in TikTok or Instagram won't be the same as what we put in our blog, won't be the same as what's in an education course that we're teaching to licensed estheticians, right?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so it starts with the professional, that's where it's, you know, science, science, meaty.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: It gets dialed down to I would say media, right?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Your editors, your people blogging, your skin fluencers.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then for your basic consumer, it gets dialed down even more, you know, to what they can digest.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I think one of the great things that you guys do, which I really love, is you show results.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: That's something I love.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I love that about your brands because you know, it's it's really about showing people data, you know, and I that's really I I feel like I worded the question very in a very difficult way.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: So I I really applaud you for answering that so articulately.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: I I, you know, for me it's it was more of a I think um indirect compliment because I often see, you know, not just social media, but I think in general, we see skin health products that are over the counter depicted as this, you know, this trendy fashion kind of thing.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's not a it's it could be, you're right, it could be.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: Beauty is always linked to fashion and it's linked to you know the aesthetic world.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: But I think when it comes to the real science of why a product is working, the one of the best ways that you can do that is results.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there's there's a TikTok I just want to share with you, you know, Joanna, it was interesting.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: I think you would have found it to be interesting as well.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, a young woman was talking about a product by another brand, you know, and she was trying to explain the science.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: And she's she was talking about um, you know, the docking proteins and neurons that bring the vesicles down and they dock them on the you know, the exit point of a neuron.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: And she was trying to say that this brand that she's representing is it's working on that specific target.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: And when I asked her the question of, what do you mean?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: That's a very general target, right?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: I actually I actually challenged her with the science, they had she had nothing to say.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's that's where I get very angry, right?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: With the pseudoscience BS, where I've I'm looking at your brands, you know, PCA, real stuff, L to MD, the real deal.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: Same with flaggers, I'm sure.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: It just it's a matter of really kind of sifting and getting through this mess of pseudoscience that has been created by marketing, you know what I mean?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: So that's where that's why I really wanted to get your opinion because your brands are on that other side, you know, the the side that I want all consumers to go on, you know, to hop the fence.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why I'm very interested.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I think if there's any any influencers listening, I really urge you to make content about the real deal brands, you know, those the the ones that have the clinical data, like LTMD, PCA skin, because that's where you're gonna get your content from, you know.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: These days we're like, oh, we need more content, we need content creators to create unique content.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, what more unique content can you have than data?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_02: You know, use the data, talk about the data, educate people about the data.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_02: So I find that to be very interesting about clinical grade brands.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I that's why I brought it up.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, my next question really is about um, I think more so, you know, what your opinion is about the evolving landscape of beauty and skincare as it pertains to it.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think that now we're obviously, you know, as I'm sure you've noticed, editorial is kind of dying down a little bit, you know, everyone's in digital.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the way people are telling stories is different as well, you know.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I just I'm just curious, you know, from your standpoint, how have things evolved in this space, you know, and and having watched it as a as a top-tier executive, you know, any insights you have?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um obviously COVID uh had many impacts.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think a positive impact of COVID is um you had more true skincare professionals coming online um as content generators and influencers, in particular residents, Durham residents, but even beyond that, right?
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Licensed estheticians and others who have come in because when TikTok exploded, there was just a lot of really poor information out there, particularly in skincare.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: All these try this, try that, um, that just is really not healthy for your skin.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so I love that the the Durham residents in particular jumped in and said, stop the madness, right?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do not do this.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: This is not good for your skin, and here's why.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I love that.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: I love that trend, and we try to work with them as many as possible because they're getting the right content and the right information out from a medical professional.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think the other trend is just, as I mentioned earlier, just more investment in skin wellness and skin health.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when people weren't spending money on traveling or weren't spending money on fashion and clothing in COVID, and in the same time was staring at themselves, many of us for hours on end as we're in video calls.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: People said, Whoa, is that really what I look like?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Right when you when you look at yourself in the morning and evening versus when you look at yourself for six hours a day, um, you suddenly have a different image of yourself.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of people wanted to invest money.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and because they had more discretionary income, they invested in better products, right?
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: And and we saw more people move into the um, I'll call it higher echelon of skincare in the in the professional or medical uh dispensed skincare.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think there's other trends that are out there, and and I applaud them.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: They're not where we're gonna play.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we're not gonna play in natural, right?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because there's a lot of uh ingredients that aren't natural, but they're wonderful for your skincare, and that's fine.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we will always try to get as much from nature as possible, and and the vast majority of our ingredients do come from nature.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we will also be, you know, clean in terms of we won't have any ingredients of concern and obviously no synthetic dyes, no fragrances and so forth.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I would never market myself as a clean brand, right?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: I market myself as a professional, efficacious brand, and that's what we will deliver.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: But that's certainly a trend that's out there for some people.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: And if that meets your personal values and meets your needs, that's great, right?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that's certainly not a positioning that we'll take because that's not what drives our innovation, right?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: Our innovation is driven by proven efficacious ingredients, combination of ingredients, mechanism of delivery, um, so that we can provide the best transformation of the skin for whatever skin concern you have.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: No, absolutely.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I and I really applaud that and I champion it because I think that it's it's very, very much needed and it's really something that people can learn from a lot.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of companies, a lot of budding companies that are trying to focus on the science can learn a lot, you know, from the brands that you represent.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I I feel like there's um it there's no better teacher than.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: something that you know it's like an example of what you're trying to do.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't have to be the same thing.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I really, I really applaud you know um you guys for having such strong, you know, science heavy like I said, no BS brands.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: I mean that's a huge, huge thing.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: Now one thing I'm curious about um is this you know I know a lot of the kind of uh skincare that you guys create for example a lot of those kind of brands are carried in spas they're carried in uh medical clinics dermatology offices um how has that changed with COVID you know um in terms of the distribution of your lines um has that changed at all or has it been pretty much the same?
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Not for us and we don't have any plans to change.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: So we are professional brands that well we start with the profession um we obviously distribute on our own direct to consumer sites we distribute on any pure play professional marketplaces so dermstore uh comm lovely skin.com skinstore.com and then Amazon's professional marketplace um because you know we know people want convenience and want to be able to purchase the product but you know we obviously hope that most of their professional or their skincare journeys will start with the profession right that's where the recommendation comes from and and that's our hope that that will continue.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: So no significant changes for us um you know ELTA is medical only so only in doctor's offices PCA is what we call skin professional only so also spas that have a licensed esthetician we don't require a medical license um only for PCA so PCA is a bit broader in how it's distributed.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: And then Falor as I said is just e-commerce in the US so a different distribution model in the US market particularly um so we did not see a change with COVID.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: We um we fortunately had the ability um just through our distribution uh warehouse and our our B2B site that we could ship directly to a customer on behalf of our professional so that really helped them during COVID where they even if their clinic was shut they could still bring revenue in by allowing that program and so we we partnered quite heavily during COVID amid the different shutdown periods depending on what state you lived in to still allow them to be able to serve their customers even if their clinic wasn't open.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: That's pretty cool I like that I like that you guys weren't too impacted by you know the the changes that occurred because that's good.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know that really shows I think that's another thing is you know it goes back to science.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: If it's it's true to science then it's never gonna it's gonna be everlasting you know it stands the test of time.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: But I think um one thing I'm really curious about and I mean if there's no real answer I think to this question but more so just would love your opinion is when you know I look at the the scene now with dermatology right I keep seeing like telehealth right a lot of teledermatology practices are popping up and a lot of people want to get on this uh personalization train you know when it comes to skin health and I always wonder like what about those lines and those skincare products that are carried by derms you know are they being incorporated right like in in a derm's practice if they're on telehealth have you guys encountered anything like that you know uh with your brands like where a germ is like well I'm part of this telehealth group and I still want to promote your brand but you know is there anything you've seen like that um nothing too extreme um you know typically the the telehealth is just the start of the journey um and if someone you know has a significant skin concern um they will end up having to go into the office right so what we're hearing from the derms is it's just you know the consult for lack of better terms and then they have to come in and so we've not seen a major disruption at this point.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: And again if the DERM does a check and says you need to wear sunscreen every day, they can still direct them to ELTA's website or to their website if they have one where they sell the product.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: So um and likewise for PCA, you know, we're always developing digital platforms that make it easier to have an affiliate site associated with that business, right?
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: To make it easy for them to digitally dispense if they have a digital model.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so we we we continue to strive for that where we have turnkey solutions um and work with our IT department for that.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say to answer your question, nothing significant at this point and what we hear from our Durham ad boards is it's really just for that initial consultation or a follow-up visit, right?
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: So for instance I had a a spot on my back that my germ didn't like she removed it um ran a biopsy and um I had to have more margins removed you could imagine that my follow-up three months later when they want to see how it's healing could be you know done through telemedicine right they can look at it I can have someone hold the camera to my back and no need to go in.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: So that's my understanding of of how they're utilizing it for either that initial consult or for kind of ongoing check-ins.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: No that makes sense I mean it definitely makes sense what you're saying.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: I think there's a whole different you know um importance obviously to being able to see a patient and you know really kind of put your hands on them, see what's going on physically but I know that with telehealth it would be kind of cool I'm not gonna lie for me as a consumer you know to see telehealth dermatology kind of um combine forces with brands that are truly clinical grade you know uh medical grade skin health products and and create a way that consumers can kind of not I'm I'm not gonna say shop online because that's getting into the metaverse you know category but just kind of like really explore the the brands that are endorsed you know yeah and that are backed.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: So but as you talk to any send them our way we're always happy to partner and see how we can help them.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely I might even start one myself who knows basically but um you know just to round out the interview you know Jenna I would love to just get your feedback on you know um just any brands out there any young entrepreneurs that want to start a brand that is science backed something efficacious or if someone's got an idea you know um any words of wisdom you have about just starting off because I think that's where a lot of entrepreneurs get stuck and you know I feel like the the more advice the better right so I would love for you to kind of comment and give us your feedback.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: You bet.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: I guess I'll go back to my training and and my brand management roots which is anytime you're trying to develop any kind of business plan, you know, it starts with you know what's your idea right uh is it a product is it a service you know how are you uniquely different right what's going to be your point of difference and why people are going to choose you and who is your target audience right is it big enough so many people have an idea but when you run the the economics behind it right it's not sustainable it's not large enough or you don't have a point of difference or anything proprietary so someone can copy you quickly and put you out of business.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so do your homework right on you know the the who what where how your whether you want to do your four Ps, your three C's, but you know put some work into it to define your proposition, your unique proposition and how you're going to bring it to life.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: It is easier that's the good news than ever particularly with the direct to consumer model right you're not fighting for shelf space in in every case.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_02: So theoretically the barriers to entry are are less having said that um it's still a lot of time and effort um blood, sweat and tears and financial uh backing and so just you know do your homework and and figure out what is that unmet need that you're trying to meet and how are you going to uniquely meet it and then go run the numbers um against again your consumer who you're going after why you think you can get a share of the market what are you going to charge um what are you relying on in terms of repeat behavior and so forth but um I would just say most importantly is know your consumer know your proposition and and have a point of difference that you think you can build a business off of I love that that's really solid advice and I think you know um even making that like a little uh checklist for everyone listening you know the way Joanna laid it out that's brilliant so yeah you heard it from her you know I I really I love hearing CEOs of like very science heavy uh brands like you know give advice because you guys have such a structured way of explaining things you know it it's really I just love it.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for that that was lovely.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah my pleasure well it was wonderful hosting you Joanna and I am a huge fan um to say the least you know of uh LTMD um PCA skin is one of a kind I I think that you know everything you guys are doing is really kind of top of the line you know it's it's the best of the best and I uh really applaud you for you know really spearheading just your whole team and and you know taking them in the in the direction that you would take anything that is really in the spirit of science.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: I mean I always say that you know what I always value and appreciate things that are really in the spirit of science because there's no negotiating with science.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_02: You either do it right or you don't do it at all.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I really really applaud you guys for that.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for taking the time to come on the show.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's been so such an honor to host you.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh I appreciate it.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah and I I think you know the one thing I would add to what you say is what I think makes our brand so unique is that it's science that's cosmetically elegant, right?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_01: We work really hard to not only have proven efficacious products whether they're correcting or protecting or moisturizing or cleansing or whatever it is, but products that you want to use every day, right?
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: The best sunscreen is a sunscreen you're going to wear every day because then you're compliant and you're protecting yourself.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: And so not only is LTA scientifically backed to prove what we do, but it's wonderful to use and that's why you use it every day and why we love it and there's such a cult following of it.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: And the same for PCA right um while we don't add fragrances we also don't have products that you know are so heavy or so off putting that you wouldn't want to use them right and it's important to find that balance of this great science but just that goes on in a very easy way so that you want to use the products and I think that's the magic recipe and what we try we strive for every day.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely no I think you that is such an important point you made because you know real really actually efficacious science real science is elegant there's elegance to it and that's that's very true.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I think um you know I definitely I as a consumer I second what you said you know for example I LT MD is my favorite sunscreen all of their products you know if I use sunscreen it's 99% of the time buy LT MD because I trust them you know so yeah there's there's a lot of value in what you said and I agree with you.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's it's effortless but it's it's still you know you trust it.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's something to trust you know and that's one of the biggest connections you can make with a consumer especially when it comes to beauty and um anything that has to do with goods and services so I really really applaud you guys and again thank you so much Joanna this has been supercome it was a pleasure meeting you and I appreciate you having me on likewise hey guys so I hope you love that episode please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform we are available on so many different platforms so wherever it is that you're tuning in just go hit subscribe you will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes this way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts brand founders industry leaders authors all the wonderful people that we host and that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of.
• 34:01
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• 34:09
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• 34:14
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• 34:25
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• 34:31
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