Latest / Skin Anarchy / From Engineering to Elegant Skincare: Priscila Fadul's Pioneering Journey in Skincare Innovation with Lendava

Transcript

From Engineering to Elegant Skincare: Priscila Fadul's Pioneering Journey in Skincare Innovation with Lendava · Skin Anarchy

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
0:02
SPEAKER_01: This is your host, Ekta, and I am really excited about our guest today because I'm obsessed with her brand.
0:08
SPEAKER_01: It's really, really amazing, especially for like um those of you that are looking for just more nourishing and more hydrating options.
0:15
SPEAKER_01: I've been really falling in love with it.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: So I can't wait to dive in.
0:17
SPEAKER_01: But I love everything about this brand, guys.
0:19
SPEAKER_01: I love the aesthetic, I love the look, the vibe, the way it feels, obviously, and the formulations.
0:25
SPEAKER_01: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the founder of Lendava Skincare, Priscilla Fadul.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the show, Priscilla.
0:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to host you.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: Hi, how are you?
0:36
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm very excited to be here and discuss skincare.
0:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, me too.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited to host you and I love your brand.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: I really love it.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I Priscilla, I always see like on uh social media, uh, people have these like really like aesthetic brands, and I'm always like, yeah, but those products probably aren't great.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
0:58
SPEAKER_01: And I think that, but then I look at yours and I'm like, she has the coolest packaging and her products actually work.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Like, so I'm really excited to host you and it's an honor.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: But I want to get started by you telling us a little bit about your journey and how you ended up in um, you know, the entrepreneurship route and why you wanted to start your skincare brand.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: If you could like tell us a little bit.
1:19
SPEAKER_00: Of course, yes.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: So I'm originally a Latin engineer and I have a degree in advanced cosmetic science.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: And I've been working in the beauty industry for many years because my family has more than 50 years of experience in the space, including um distribution rights to global prestige beauty brands around the world, uh, beauty retailers, duty-free, a little bit of everything.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: So for years I've been attending uh brand trainings, trade shows, visiting labs in Europe, and I learned so much about skincare.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: And I'm I'm an engineer, as I told you, and I'm also a mom of uh twins boys.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: They are two years old and a new baby girl.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: So I literally look for efficacy in every aspect of my life and in business as well.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
2:15
SPEAKER_00: And after all the years in the beauty space, what I realized is that there is so much conflict information out there, so many skincare steps to follow, so many new skincare trends, uh, the industry that encourages us to live in a culture of non-stop novelty, that uh I discovered that the path to healthy skin for most of us is really hard.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to create something that was more streamlined, uh, more effective, and more pleasurable to use, a brand that would have all the necessary ingredients that would take care of our skin without the excessive steps.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: And that's basically how Lendau was born.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: After talking with so many chemists, after studying all skincare rules out there, I learned I learned what we really need for our skin, which ingredients really add value to the health of our skin, which are the products that really help us and benefit every skin type.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's how I created Len Java.
3:16
SPEAKER_01: It's beautiful, it's a beautiful brand, and it shows because the thing is, you know, and I love what you said, you know, your the efficacy is at the center of everything for you, you know, because for me as well, I think the older I'm getting, like, you know, I'm in my late 30s.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: So for me as a consumer, are you still very young?
3:35
SPEAKER_01: Well, I I'm I mean, you know, I I love being the age I'm at, and you know, like I really embrace age.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm just I really think that we all should embrace our age, you know, and and love getting older, which I of course, yeah.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: I I always say potential has not limits, not age limits.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: There's no limits, but it's at the same time, like we have needs, right?
3:55
SPEAKER_01: And skincare is one of them.
3:57
SPEAKER_01: And I think for me as well as a consumer, I relate to what you said because it's not just about, you know, it has to be efficacious.
4:05
SPEAKER_01: Like that's my number one.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, if it doesn't work, I don't want it.
4:09
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
4:10
SPEAKER_01: And that's where I'm at now.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: Like, I know there's a lot of Gen Zers or even younger, the younger generation that are just, you know, they are more into like just buying everything, right?
4:18
SPEAKER_01: But it's like for me as a consumer, I look for that first and foremost at this point in my life.
4:23
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, I really, really like resonate with what you said, and I and I wanted to like make that point because your products, like the cool eye-catching part of it, which is the packaging, like you didn't compromise on the aesthetic, which I'm obsessed with that, you know.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: That's a goal.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a goal, effective skincare in acute packaging.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: I think it's in its style, I would say.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: But uh exactly, I feel that most we always enjoy a really good skincare ritual, one every week or sometimes, right?
4:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, but the truth is most of us don't have time for a 10-step skincare routine every night of our lives.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: I think like choosing really effective and good quality products is essential for our skin health.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: No, I completely agree.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: And I know you have some really great products.
5:10
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, one of the things is that you mentioned style, and it's interesting because on, you know, in Eugen, for everyone listening, that's that's our magazine that goes with the podcast.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: And we're work we're really focusing on style because I feel like this conversation is coming up more in the industry where people are resonating with, you know, a lot of celebrity brands coming out, and they're just it's just about packaging for a lot of these brands, um, versus brands that are in the industry that are giving you a vibe.
5:38
SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, I think for millennials, this might resonate more because as a millennial, I love like looking at my countertop and seeing good products that also look amazing, you know what I mean?
5:49
SPEAKER_00: So exactly.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: That was the goal when I created and dab.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: I wanted products to look nice on urbanity, more on of course being effective, right?
5:57
SPEAKER_00: That's the main priority.
5:59
SPEAKER_00: But uh, but yeah, I agree 100%.
6:01
SPEAKER_01: It elevates it, yeah, it elevates the product, but it's also like you have like a really uh cool way of doing your products too.
6:07
SPEAKER_01: So I want you to tell us a little bit because I know you have like a good morning and a good night system, you know, like a morning and night system.
6:13
SPEAKER_01: So if you could tell us a little bit about what made you go in that direction rather than the 50 products, exactly sure.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, actually, the brand was born with our day cream and our night cream, just those two products, good morning and good night.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: Super simple, sophisticated simplicity.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: So uh the idea behind these two products was to find the ideal combination of those ingredients that would benefit our skin during the day and during the night.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: And we formulated the product with the highest quality of these ingredients we selected, and we chose uh the product has the correct pH of the skin.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have any of those ingredients that can risk irritation or harsh preservatives.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: So it was smartly crafted to benefit every skin type, every gender, and every age during the morning and during the night.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: So, good morning and good night, what they do is they contain the um concentration that we usually find in a serum, the hydration we usually find on a moisturizer, the gentleness of an eye cream, and the nourishment of an oil.
7:19
SPEAKER_00: So it replaces these four steps in just one product.
7:23
SPEAKER_00: That's the idea behind good morning and good night.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh, offering what our skin needs without the excess of steps.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: And that's how Lendava, my brand, was born.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh later, I added a super gentle but effective cleanser.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: I can talk about it later because every product I launch has a really thoughtful uh formulation behind.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And then I launched Body Care, which is a body lotion with 1% of retino.
7:50
SPEAKER_00: It's one of our hero products.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a good one.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: It's a good one.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: That's a great one.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: And eventually when I became pregnant, this wasn't originally an idea I had, but I became pregnant with twins.
8:03
SPEAKER_00: I didn't know I was pregnant with, I found out I was pregnant with twins, and I was so scared about my stretch marks.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: So at that time I was looking for the perfect body cream for my belly, and uh and I was formulating body, I was formulating body care.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: So I talking with my chemist, we got to the conclusion that the best thing we could do was formulate our best body cream for pregnancy, right?
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Because I was already in the process.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: After all the research I did looking for other brands pregnancy body lotions, I decided to formulate mine, and that's how uh my uh body cream mom, which is for pregnancy and post prior to was born.
8:47
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it's a way of reminding us a woman we are able to do whatever we want, even if we are pregnant, we are capable of everything, I mean, even if we are pregnant.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: No, I think that that is such a strong message to send, as you know, especially now, like the day and age we're in, you know, there's a lot of things that women I think are dealing with right now that we haven't had to deal with for the last like you know, 50 years.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: And and what I mean by that is like an added layer of stress.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: Like literally every woman I talk to these days, Priscilla.
9:19
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it's the same, like you've had this experience, but all of my friends, everyone's stressed out, you know, whether you're a mom, whether you're pregnant, whether you're becoming a you know, going down the journey of motherhood, whether you're freezing your ex, it doesn't matter like this whole process because there were so many things that happened, like Roe v.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: Wade being overturned.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: Like there's just angst going on, you know, and it's a lot of anxiety, and and people are getting more stressed out, you know, during pregnancy, before pregnancy, you know?
9:46
SPEAKER_01: And so like I think this is a topic in a in an area of this, like the skincare industry where like we need as much as we can get here, you know what I mean?
9:55
SPEAKER_01: Because the worst thing you can do, and I know you know this, you know, like I'm not a mom, but I'm sure you can agree that like when you're a mother, you're going to always be stressed, you know, whether it's through your pregnancy or afterwards.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: You need to take care of yourself and do whatever you love to do, but of course, yeah, skincare is all something to take take care of during pregnancy because there's so many ingredients that can irritate your skin and make things even worse.
10:19
SPEAKER_01: So exactly.
10:20
SPEAKER_01: No, I have a question because I really love your body care.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: Like I really love it.
10:24
SPEAKER_01: I think the even if um you like there's a the mom cream, and then there's also just the normal body cream.
10:30
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, like I'm really curious, like, you know, when you were crafting your body care, right?
10:37
SPEAKER_01: Like as a brand, like how was that transitioning from like facial skincare to body care?
10:42
SPEAKER_01: Because I'm just curious, like in general, what's the process like as an entrepreneur?
10:46
SPEAKER_01: You know, like is it more expensive?
10:48
SPEAKER_01: Is it like the labs you have to find a new lab or something, or how does that work?
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's a great question.
10:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh uh no, in my case, I didn't I the same lab that manufactures my face cream manufactures every product because I really like them.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: I have a good relationship with them, they understand exactly what I want uh and the values behind my formulas.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: So they help me with every product I launch, they're helping me with every product I'm launching.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, so body care depends.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, most of the brands usually uh have uh lower cost for body care products because the body care product is usually cheaper than the face care.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: But in my case, body care is extremely high quality and it's actually one of my most expensive formulations, even though it's its price is lower than the face care product.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: Because I always say we could use our body care as face care too, because when I choose ingredients, I just choose the best quality of that ingredient, regardless if it's face care or body care.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: The only thing that changes is concentration sometimes, and how uh thick the cream is.
11:56
SPEAKER_00: Because, for example, for body care, I chose a thicker cream than for the face care, because I wanted to give the body extreme hydration and moisture.
12:05
SPEAKER_00: And then I chose retinol 1%, liposomes, which is the most stable uh retinol on the market, and in a 1%, which is a great percentage for efficacy, because I wanted the product to help the skin be firmer.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: So it's a combination of which are your goals for the product you are formulating.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Okay, that so that makes sense because I think, yeah, this is a very good product, it's very sophisticated, and I really like the the 1% liposomal retinol because I really believe in the power of like these like delivery technologies.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: Like, I really believe in them, and I think like for me, also like I've seen better results when there's like a better delivery mechanism in the actual formula.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so like yeah, not all products are created equal ingredients and processes matter, so yeah, you're right.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Like if product has good quality ingredients, process is safe, and uh the method is ideal, of course, the end product will be much better than a regular product, even though it contains the same ingredients on their claims, right?
13:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that's also like a conversation, right?
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Because I feel like people are now asking, like it's we're living in the dupe society right now, I think, like of dupes, you know, like, oh, like such and such brand has this thing that works really well.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: Let me create a replica of it.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: But no one's really congratulating, like truly like cutting edge, like new new innovations, right?
13:34
SPEAKER_01: And space like in the skincare and beauty space.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: And I feel like I your moisturizer is very unique to me, you know, like the it the impact I it's had on me as a consumer has been very positive.
13:45
SPEAKER_01: And I don't have anything like it in my collection, you know, because it's one thing to say you're formulating, and a lot of you might see that, like anyone tuning in, you guys might see like you know, actives coming into body care now.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: But it's what Priscilla was saying, like it matters if you like the ingredients really matter, and it's not just the ingredients, but like those delivery mechanisms are everything.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: So if you're not choosing like liposomal or like something that is like uh, you know, it's geared to interact with the skin barrier and get into the deeper layers.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know what I mean?
14:17
SPEAKER_01: If they're not, if you're not doing that, it's at this point, it's really hard to see real results, you know what I mean?
14:23
SPEAKER_01: Because science can't be faked.
14:24
SPEAKER_01: Like you can't fake this stuff.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: Like I see a lot of creams that are like, oh, we have acids and retinol and whatever, but it really matters how you're delivering it, and especially right now, and in the way that we're looking at body care now, I think we're taking body care to the next level, you know, and and we're realizing as a society that we have to take care of the body like we take care of the face, it has to be sophisticated.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: Of course, yeah, for sure.
14:47
SPEAKER_00: You can many brands claim they have ingredients, but they put them, they include them in their formulation in the lowest percentage as possible, which is the same as nothing.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: There's a term very popular in the industry called angel dusting that talks about this topic.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, angel dusting means literally putting like less than a 1% of one of our marketing good ingredients just to make the marketing claim, but the percentage is not enough to actually make a change in the formula.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yes.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: There's so many things that you have to take into consideration when you're formulating a product.
15:20
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the quality of the ingredients for sure, the percentage, the final pH of the product, the processes, the preservatives you're choosing, because it's preservatives choice is really tricky, actually.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: You have to find that perfect balance between a strong broad spectrum preservative, strong enough to protect the formula from contamination, but not too strong to damage the product and also risk irritation to the skin.
15:51
SPEAKER_00: And how do you find that perfect balance?
15:54
SPEAKER_00: It's really important for the manufacturer to have good manufacturing practices, uh clean space, uh training their employees, uh using clean machines.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: There's so many things you need to follow because you cannot just rely on using, okay, let's put a really strong preservative on the formula so we make sure there's no product contamination and we don't take care of anything else.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: No, you need to do like a perfect balance between everything to get to an optimal, really good product.
16:25
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
16:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: And I love that you you actually uh mentioned this in such detail because I think when we think of preservatives, we like for us as a consumer, right?
16:37
SPEAKER_01: Because I think from the brand side, once you've become like you've you've taken the journey to creating these products, you know, but for the rest of us, like we haven't seen that side of it where like, you know, where you get to see like how a formula is made and like you know, what really goes into like making these decisions.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of times on our end, the consumer end, words get, you know, kind of like misunderstood, you know, like preservative is a big one, you know, preservative is a word that I've been hearing in the industry uh a lot, like in a negative way.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: And I've never understood why, because it's like you need something to preserve your products.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: But I agree with what you said.
17:15
SPEAKER_01: You can't go in with like, you know, too much concentration of anything, you know, with any ingredient, because you're gonna kill the skin barrier.
17:22
SPEAKER_01: But it's an absolute necessity in a formulation.
17:25
SPEAKER_01: And I think with consumers, and especially now, like I'm sure you've seen it, the clean beauty argument now has evolved, you know, where now brands want to be clean, but they want to not really be transparent about that.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: And what I mean by that is you might be clean, but you still have preservatives in your formula, you know what I mean?
17:43
SPEAKER_01: Like you still have certain things that are crucial to making this effective.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: And so it's time, I think, now, like that we as consumers we have to shift our understanding.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, okay, you might as well hear these words, these like uh ingredient words, right?
17:58
SPEAKER_01: But they don't mean bad things.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: They just it just means you have to like find a brand you can trust because you trust that they've done the homework, you know?
18:05
SPEAKER_00: Exactly, exactly.
18:06
SPEAKER_00: There's so many good preservatives and so many bad preservatives, as well as every ingredient that we put into a formulation.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: That's wise.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: I used you said the great the best thing you can do is just find a brand you trust and let them do their job.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: Uh because there's so many details you have to take into consideration.
18:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm fascinated with the world of skincare and I'm fascinated with formulating.
18:29
SPEAKER_00: I became so deep involved in the process in the last few years, and I really enjoy it.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: And as I see that there's so many details that it's impossible for a customer, a consumer to learn everything and understand everything.
18:41
SPEAKER_00: I also feel like consumers are becoming aware that this clean beauty uh topic is not a non-FTA regulated term.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: So they are really demanding a more streamlined routine with products that are rooting in science and efficacy, as you were mentioning before.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: So that's where biotechnology comes in, which is something we use a lot in our formulas and we're trying to use.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, biotechnology, for those who don't know, is basically uh recreating natural ingredients in a lab.
19:13
SPEAKER_00: And this means that these ingredients are produced with better quality control, ensuring they are effective, they are pure, they're safe, and they are also better for the environment.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: So each of the ingredients we do uh using biotechnology is scientifically validated for skin improvement, which is something very interesting because biotechnology is something new in the industry.
19:37
SPEAKER_01: Iotech right now is like the new conversation, the new frontier of I think uh OTC products.
19:44
SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, before, I think for a lot of us, like, you know, you're an engineer, right?
19:49
SPEAKER_01: So you understand, and I think a lot of people in STEM understand, but before it was kind of a gray area, I think, where we didn't know like where is that point of evolution for these like products, you know, like where do we make like where's the inflection point for the industry where we start to see a lot of those sophisticated um things like biotech, like bioengineering, you know, like where are they coming in?
20:14
SPEAKER_01: Because you can't always source mint from mint leaves, you know, you have to find more renewable resources and you have to find better options.
20:22
SPEAKER_01: And the then, you know, you got the sustainability conversation that came in, you know.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: So we are evolving.
20:27
SPEAKER_01: And I think that biotech is definitely one of those examples.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: You know, another one, Priscilla, I think, you know, this is interesting too, where now it's not just about chemistry anymore either.
20:37
SPEAKER_01: I think consumers are realizing that too.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: That it's not just chemists behind the scenes, you know, like it's a lot of like like you know, engineering, it's a lot of um like science other than chemistry, like biology, physics, you know, physiology, like a lot goes into skincare that doesn't go into like, for example, a lipstick, you know?
20:56
SPEAKER_01: And that's the interesting part now for me, you know, as a consumer, I'm almost like that's the cool stuff, you know?
21:02
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I love it.
21:05
SPEAKER_01: And I love that you use biotech.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: So, what was some other innovation, like innovative stuff that you did that you were like, you know, I come from a science background, so I have to do this, you know.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: What were some of those moments like for you where you made a decision about an ingredient or like how you wanted to go about your formula?
21:20
SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, great question.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: So, no, I basically tried to formulate with a combination of evidence-based actives.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: I mean, those traditional ingredients that we know they work.
21:31
SPEAKER_00: I I'm not allowed, I'm not in love with trendy ingredients just because they are trendy and because every brand is including them in their formula.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: I really do a lot of research before uh choosing a new ingredient.
21:45
SPEAKER_00: So most of my products contain, as I said, a combination between the traditional really good ingredients in their highest quality.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: I'll give you some examples.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: For example, we have, I love peptides, but I'm not choosing any type of peptides.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: We have Matrix fields.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: 3000, which is a really uh really good peptide complex with a lot of proven efficacy behind.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: Then we have uh vitamin C in a stable form, T C50, that's the name, because it's uh more stable than traditional sobic acid.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: And for every skincare ingredient we pick, we make sure, as I said, we choose that stable, best quality version of the ingredient.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: And we also use biotech innovation, which is what I'm trying to bring now to my formulas.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: For example, we are now working on a new serum, it's gonna be a retinol serum.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm gonna name it Good Weak Retinol because I think retinol is a really good ingredient, but it's also a very strong ingredient.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: So I always suggest using it just a couple of times a week instead of every night.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: So this serum will complement greatly with our good night face cream that is intended to be used every night.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: What I'm including in this serum is again retinal 1% liposomes with a combination of a biotech complex that we are bringing from Switzerland.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: And it's I think it's amazing because I'm as I said, I'm constantly researching for new ingredients.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: And when I found about this complex, I saw the evidence and it's really promising.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: So what this combination with this biotech um complex does is basically um reduces the skin cell stress to make our tire skin look less tired.
23:38
SPEAKER_00: So it improves skin longevity.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: So the combination with retinol and this new biotech innovation, as I said, will improve skin longevity in general and yeah, help our entire skin look less tire.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: And of course, we are supporting these two ingredients with CoQ10, which is a great antioxidant that helps um protect our skin from stress, from pollution, from sunrise, and hyaluronic acid, which is which will ensure extreme hydration for recovery and other also great ingredients we chose.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: But these two of the biotech complex and retinal of the stars ingredients of the new serum that we are launching.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: That's a good question because I I spoke a lot.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: Is I for each of the products I formulate, what I try to do is that perfect combination with evidence, evidence-based strong ingredients and biotech innovation.
24:32
SPEAKER_01: Wow, I love that.
24:33
SPEAKER_01: That's like that's the goal.
24:36
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
24:36
SPEAKER_01: Bring the science forward.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: That sounds really interesting about your new product.
24:41
SPEAKER_01: And it's what's intriguing to me is longevity science right now is focusing a lot on like NAD.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: Like they're talking a lot about like NAD plus, and like a lot of the brands I've seen that are talking about like longevity, they're focusing there.
24:54
SPEAKER_01: But what's interesting about what you're saying, like is that retinal aspect because we use retinal so much.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: I think everybody knows or has a product that they're using that's a retinal product.
25:07
SPEAKER_01: But the problem is that we as an industry, I've seen this happen a lot where we focus only on one ingredient.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: We don't focus on the combination of synergistic ingredients.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's interesting what you're saying, because when I look at retinol, I know immediately this causes damage to my skin because you're causing cell turnover.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: You're causing things to happen on a cellular level that's you know requiring some extra protection or like, you know, synergistic effects, like antioxidant.
25:35
SPEAKER_01: You mentioned CoQ10.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: It's interesting.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: You mentioned CoQ10.
25:39
SPEAKER_01: I wrote a paper on this because it's such a powerful antioxidant.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: But the cool part is you can combine CoQ10 with anything else, any other active.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: Like it's exactly.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's balanced, CoQ10 balances the strong ingredient of retinol.
25:53
SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: Because you're damaging the cells, the cells are turning over and they're releasing reactive oxygen species, and you need to combat those with antioxidants.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: And so that's where I love that.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: You know, that's really cool.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: Yes, the goal behind my this product was to formulate a serum, a retinal serum that would be suitable for every skin type.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: And the way I think we would be able to do this is by um encouraging customers to use this retinal product just two or three times per week.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Because, as you said, retinol can lead to skin irritation.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: So if you use it just a couple of times a week and it has a good concentration, in my case, I chose 1% because it's not too much, it's neither too little.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: Uh this product can easily complement your night routine.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: Right.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that makes sense.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: No, it makes a lot of sense.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: And I think that because the face moisturizers you have in the collection right now, like they're very nourishing.
26:54
SPEAKER_01: Like they're very like, I find like the the morning and the night ones to be, I mean, really great for my skin, especially now.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: Like in my late 30s, I'm experiencing more like drier skin type.
27:03
SPEAKER_01: I used to have really oily skin when I was a teenager.
27:06
SPEAKER_01: And one of the problems I know a lot of people go through this with other things you use in your skincare routine, like you need something that's going to just protect your skin barrier.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: And I think your more your face cream does that really well, you know.
27:19
SPEAKER_01: So to add this on would be great.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: Which is your favorite products from our collection?
27:24
SPEAKER_01: Good morning cream is my favorite, like it's just a really good way to start your day if you don't have time.
27:30
SPEAKER_01: You know, like if you I'm always running out the door.
27:33
SPEAKER_01: So sometimes for me, one product is all I need.
27:37
SPEAKER_01: Totally.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: That's why I tell everyone, exactly.
27:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, one products are just good to go.
27:43
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
27:43
SPEAKER_01: And I like the good morning face cream because for me, I don't wear makeup.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: So, like when I do wear makeup, it's usually just a little powder foundation or something like that.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: So when I put this specific moisturizer on, it's really good as for me as a primer as well.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: Because if I'm doing my makeup in my car, it's very light, you know.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: Like in the hospital, I can't scream, I can't scare my patients, you know.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: Thank you if you're not wearing a lot of makeup.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: So great choice.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, but that that thank you.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, I I can't because of my profession.
28:14
SPEAKER_01: And I but I like the moisturizer because even if I choose to, it's like it balances, you know, with my makeup.
28:20
SPEAKER_01: So I that's my favorite product, but I love your body cream as well.
28:24
SPEAKER_01: Like, that's an amazing, amazing product.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: And that's why when you mentioned it, I was like, oh my God, you know, like I love this one because this is a I think body care is a category that we are like seeing come up now, but there's not options.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, if you really look at the body care segment of the industry, there's not a lot of options at all.
28:43
SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, we're talking only about like scented moisturizers still, you know what I mean?
28:49
SPEAKER_01: And like body uh butters and stuff, but like where is the real tech?
28:53
SPEAKER_00: You know, like where is the No that's what I was going to say.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: There hasn't been enough study behind the body creams.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I think body creams should be the same quality as and as elevated as face creams, and the industry is starting to put more effort on body creams right now, which is something positive, of course.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: No, absolutely, and I this I really I appreciate that product that you created that because we do need those options.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: And um, I did, you know, I like to invite doctors on a lot, and I every dermatologist I've spoken to has talked about things like how, you know, there are numerous types of skin cancer.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: Most of them are not melanoma, but that's also scary because you don't know if you have one, you know what I mean?
29:40
SPEAKER_01: And good skin care shouldn't stop at your neck, it shouldn't just end, you know what I mean, the neck and the chest.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: We need something for our arms and our legs and everywhere.
29:48
SPEAKER_01: So I just I really support this category, you know, of beauty.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: I really do.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: And so I I love that you're doing it and I love that you have such great things on the horizon.
29:58
SPEAKER_01: That's really cool.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Of course.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: But tell me a little bit, you know, if you don't mind, Priscilla, I would love to hear a little bit more about your journey from like this like STEM background into entrepreneurship because I feel like right now we live in a time where everyone wants to create their own company, you know.
30:17
SPEAKER_01: Like I hear that from kids all the time.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: Like Gen Z on TikTok is like, I want to be my own boss, I don't want to work for anybody else, you know, and like and a lot of a part of me is like, well, first you need to get like an education, you know, like you need a background in something.
30:30
SPEAKER_01: So can you talk to us a little bit about that?
30:32
SPEAKER_01: Like the how was that for you transitioning into entrepreneurship, you know, coming here?
30:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that's have a funny answer for that because I originally I my intention was not to create a skincare brand, to be honest.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: I just uh once I got my degree as an engineer, I worked for a bank for one or two years uh in the finance department, and I realized I didn't like that.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: And I have always been very intrigued about skincare because I'm my family works with beauty products in general, they sell fragrance, makeup, and skincare.
31:08
SPEAKER_00: I was, I don't know why, but I have always been intrigued in skincare.
31:12
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to learn how skincare could affect the skin health.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: So I was trying every new product we got, uh, just because I wanted to learn.
31:23
SPEAKER_00: I became very interested in that topic.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: I started working with my family.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: As I said, I was doing brand trainings, I was traveling and was doing marketing and was organizing events for the brands we carry, I was helping with the retailers.
31:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, I wasn't thinking about launching a brand.
31:41
SPEAKER_00: But as I said at the beginning, I got frustrated with all the misinformation I learned from the industry, all those claims that are not necessarily true, all the excessive steps people are encouraged to use.
31:53
SPEAKER_00: And as a consumer, I became confused.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: Started thinking that skincare was complicated, and it's not complicated, honestly.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Like having healthy skin is not as complicated.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: So when I met this chemist that they were working with my family, I just wanted to learn.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: I decided to get this degree in advanced cosmetic science, and I really wanted to find the answer of which are the ingredients we really need.
32:19
SPEAKER_00: That's what I was looking.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: That's the only thing I wanted.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't looking to start a skincare plan.
32:26
SPEAKER_00: But then after so many years trying to differentiate fact from fiction, when it came to skincare, I found that answer.
32:33
SPEAKER_00: So now I really know how to distinguish between products that are just trendy and the ones that actually benefit the skin.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: That's what's unique there, and and that's where I think that there's so much to learn, you know, because I think a lot of times people think like, okay, I'll just start a brand, you know, and I'll just become this entrepreneur.
32:55
SPEAKER_01: But they it's like you have to find you have to educate yourself first.
32:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
33:00
SPEAKER_00: For me, it started as a passion.
33:01
SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to understand that for myself.
33:04
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to use the most effective products for myself.
33:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's how we started, and then eventually it progressed into a skincare brand because yeah, I had the answer.
33:13
SPEAKER_00: So I said I need to communicate this, I want to really add value to the health of everyone's skin, right?
33:19
SPEAKER_00: And I also think that today's skincare has become all about trends, and it's yeah, this makes it very tricky for us to figure out how to achieve healthy skin.
33:29
SPEAKER_00: So I always said while I was formulating my products that an engineer's mindset for clarity is ideal because again, not all products I created equal.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: Ingredients, processes matter, and my engineer way of thinking holds focus on what we really need and what really works instead of what is popular.
33:48
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's the thing though.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: Like you are coming from this, from this like STEM level.
33:52
SPEAKER_01: Like, I hope no one listening gets mad at me for saying this, but I am such a supporter of STEM for a very specific reason.
34:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay, when you go into a science or technology or engineering field, you think differently.
34:06
SPEAKER_01: Bottom line, like I don't care what anybody says, like that changes your mind.
34:10
SPEAKER_01: It really does.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: Like, honestly, think about it.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: Like, first of all, you know, like after engineering, you think like an engineer, you think quantitatively, you know what I mean?
34:19
SPEAKER_01: Like numbers, facts, like values, like I do, you know, and in medicine, like for after medicine.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: Well, as we said, I I really strive for a figacy in every aspect of my life as an engineer and also as a mom of three under three, believe me, I really need to make my day effective because yeah.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, I think that's the thing is like, and the reason I keep harping on this is because I really want to like stress that like when you're looking for skincare brands, you guys, don't just look for the, you know, the cool one that your friend recommended.
34:49
SPEAKER_01: Look for the person who made it.
34:51
SPEAKER_01: Because if that person has a background in something like, you know, like with Priscilla, it's engineering, with me, it's medicine, with so many founders I interview, it's like chemistry, biology, whatever it might be, they know what they're doing because science forces you when you study science, it forces you to think a certain way.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: And when you think that way, you're thinking more about how can I actually prove this, what I'm doing, like facts over fiction kind of thing, you know?
35:17
SPEAKER_01: So I really believe in that.
35:19
SPEAKER_01: And I think when we like support brands, we have to support STEM founders.
35:24
SPEAKER_01: We have to because vote with your dollars.
35:26
SPEAKER_01: I always say that.
35:27
SPEAKER_01: Vote with your dollars, like vote for the brands that are showing up, and they're doing that homework for us as consumers, and they're saying, No, I'm not gonna put BS in here.
35:37
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna put the real stuff that I know is gonna work and it's going to treat the skin well, and it's going to actually give you the the results for the money that you're spending, you know?
35:46
SPEAKER_01: So I'm very passionate about that.
35:48
SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry, I can I can rant about it for a long time, but that's my point, you know.
35:52
SPEAKER_01: I agree, yes, 100%.
35:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure.
35:55
SPEAKER_01: So I love so I love it.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: You know, I love that you have like your your offering and your lineup is small as well, like a zero lineup, right?
36:03
SPEAKER_01: That's what I'm trying to say.
36:04
SPEAKER_01: You have a few products that work really well.
36:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I want to ask you like what is the future direction then for you?
36:10
SPEAKER_01: I know you had mentioned another product is coming out, but are you gonna keep the line small and for sure?
36:15
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm I'm working on new products, yes, but for every product we launch, I want to make sure that it really adds value to the health of the skin.
36:24
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't like the 10-step skincare routine.
36:27
SPEAKER_00: There are specific products I know I will never launch.
36:29
SPEAKER_00: My skincare line will always be a curated selection of those products that we really need for our skin, no excessive steps.
36:37
SPEAKER_00: So I spoke about a new coming serum because I know that serum is a popular name and people can think more or less imagine the type of product when you say a serum.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: But I prefer to call it a treatment because my goodnight product already serves as a serum.
36:53
SPEAKER_00: I always say for me, it's more like a treatment because it's a treatment for your skin to use a couple of times a week.
36:59
SPEAKER_00: That's it, and it complements with goodnight, which is a face cream, it's not a moisturizer because, as I said, it's much more than a moisturizer.
37:08
SPEAKER_00: It replaces serum oil eye cream because it can be used as an eye cream and a moisturizer.
37:15
SPEAKER_01: So, yes.
37:16
SPEAKER_01: I love that, I love that, and I love that you call it a treatment.
37:20
SPEAKER_01: I think that's again, like that's just so needed.
37:24
SPEAKER_01: People need to know if you're using an active, that is a treatment.
37:28
SPEAKER_01: That's not a like, yeah, you're right.
37:30
SPEAKER_01: Like, you can't mislabel things, you know what I mean?
37:32
SPEAKER_01: Like, that's that's really cool.
37:33
SPEAKER_01: And I love that.
37:34
SPEAKER_00: Oh, because the truth is you you can name brands can name their products as they want.
37:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the only product that needs to be regulated that is regulated by FDA is uh SPF.
37:45
SPEAKER_00: Uh any other product can be named as you want, you can name it face cream serum moisturizer.
37:50
SPEAKER_00: So, generally, as you said, serums and treatment contain actives, and moisturizer just contains humectants and uh oils.
37:59
SPEAKER_00: But in my case, my product, my night cream contains actives, humectants, oils, and all the ingredients we need for our night routine, right?
38:09
SPEAKER_00: So it could also be named a serum.
38:11
SPEAKER_00: That's why I'm just naming it a face cream.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: Um the same for like upcoming products.
38:17
SPEAKER_01: I think it's yeah, and you're in your night cream, you have like a lot of stuff.
38:21
SPEAKER_01: Like you have like peptides and you have real technology.
38:24
SPEAKER_01: Like you have niacinamide, you have peptides, you have nourishing ingredients, but also regenerating ingredients.
38:29
SPEAKER_01: It's definitely not just a moisturizer for sure.
38:32
SPEAKER_01: I can see that.
38:32
SPEAKER_01: I like that you're doing it in such a synergistic way, too.
38:35
SPEAKER_01: That's very important.
38:36
SPEAKER_01: I think for like for consumers, we like for me, I don't know if people are, you know, are like this, but when I find something really great by a brand, I usually love to have that whole brand, you know, the lineup because things just work better, you know.
38:48
SPEAKER_01: Like if you have a serum from one brand and you use that moisturizer, so if people buy the treatment and then you have the good night cream, like that's gonna work synergistically together.
38:57
SPEAKER_01: It's it'll give you better results, is what I'm saying.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: So, like, yeah, I would love to send you our new treatment serum one way.
39:05
SPEAKER_01: I would yeah, I'd love to try it.
39:06
SPEAKER_01: It's it sounds amazing, and I'm really into like you.
39:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm very science forward as well.
39:12
SPEAKER_01: So I'd love to try it.
39:13
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
39:13
SPEAKER_01: Of course, yes.
39:15
SPEAKER_01: I just want to you know, round out the interview, Priscilla, and I want to get maybe some like um advice you can offer because a lot of people from different age groups tune in.
39:24
SPEAKER_01: And so, any advice you can offer after having gone on this journey of creating your own brand and you know going through everything you've gone through, like about just success overall, I guess, or just uh being a mom and balancing all of it, you know.
39:39
SPEAKER_01: Like, I think just some words of wisdom would be really nice.
39:42
SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's tough.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I mean, definitely it's it's definitely tough to create a brand, means at least for me, I made so many mistakes.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's never easy, it's never a one one-way journey.
39:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, my advice would be hard work, a lot of hard work and perseverance because you learn a lot while you are creating the brand.
40:04
SPEAKER_00: You won't have everything you need and all the expertise and the talent and experience before creating a brand.
40:10
SPEAKER_00: You will learn and you will improve your skin your skills while developing your brand.
40:17
SPEAKER_00: So just do it and do it with hard work.
40:20
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
40:20
SPEAKER_00: At least for me.
40:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I mean it worked for you.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: So don't get don't get frustrated if you made mistakes because that's part of the journey, for sure.
40:31
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for saying that because I think that's it's just important right now, you know, especially like older generations for us to pass down some things that you know have worked for you because everyone needs mentors.
40:41
SPEAKER_01: I always looked towards people, you know, that were in the industry I was going into or whatever for advice.
40:47
SPEAKER_01: So it's it's very, very helpful to have that.
40:50
SPEAKER_01: So thank you.
40:50
SPEAKER_01: And for everyone tuning in, if you have any questions at all about Lindava, um, you can find the brand actually.
40:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, if you go to www.lindavaskin.com and you know check it out yourself.
41:03
SPEAKER_01: And if you have like any questions for us, if you want, you know, any more information, um, we can definitely connect you to Priscilla and her team as well.
41:10
SPEAKER_01: Uh, let us know.
41:11
SPEAKER_01: But thank you so much for tuning in and I will be back next time.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
41:15
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
41:17
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
41:17
SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
41:20
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41:25
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42:08
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42:25
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