Latest / Skin Anarchy / Minimalistic Skincare Backed By Biomimetics Ft. MICHAL MORRISON Skincare- E.420

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Minimalistic Skincare Backed By Biomimetics Ft. MICHAL MORRISON Skincare- E.420 · Skin Anarchy

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1:01
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SPEAKER_03: And I do not say that lightly.
2:07
SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the show, Michael.
2:08
SPEAKER_03: I'm so honored to host you.
2:09
SPEAKER_03: Seriously.
2:10
SPEAKER_04: Thank you, ECTA.
2:11
SPEAKER_04: I appreciate that warm welcome.
2:12
SPEAKER_03: I'm really happy to be here.
2:14
SPEAKER_03: Oh, I am so happy to have you.
2:16
SPEAKER_03: And I cannot wait to dive into the actual um serum and just, you know, all the goodness that's there.
2:22
SPEAKER_03: For everyone listening right before the um recording, I was telling Michael how much I am obsessed with this serum.
2:29
SPEAKER_03: After one use, I saw results.
2:32
SPEAKER_03: No joke, like no exaggeration.
2:34
SPEAKER_03: So before we dive into that, uh Michael, I want to get your background and your just um, you know, all of the things that really led up to you creating your own brand.
2:41
SPEAKER_03: If you could walk us down memory lane.
2:44
SPEAKER_04: Sure, absolutely.
2:45
SPEAKER_04: Well, it's a pretty unusual story, actually.
2:47
SPEAKER_04: My path to entrepreneurship is not a typical one.
2:51
SPEAKER_04: I actually studied um English and history in undergrad, and I actually attended seminary for graduate work and uh spent about seven years in my 20s working in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Europe and the Americas as well in archaeology.
3:07
SPEAKER_04: So I have a real uh love for science, and we have great science in our product.
3:13
SPEAKER_04: It's not directly connected.
3:14
SPEAKER_04: I don't have a background in molecular biology myself, but that work really fostered a love for scientific research and innovation for me.
3:22
SPEAKER_04: So that's where that background really helped me uh, you know, create this brand.
3:27
SPEAKER_04: But why I jumped into starting a company is that I was actually home on a break in between two excavations and I was in a very bad accident here in Austin.
3:36
SPEAKER_04: I suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and that really was a catalyst for redirecting my life.
3:42
SPEAKER_04: I've been very fortunate to make a really significant recovery, but I have a disability now.
3:47
SPEAKER_04: And so uh, you know, going to places very far away from home, uh far from medical care, that kind of thing, archaeology is a really intense lifestyle.
3:56
SPEAKER_04: And so that just doesn't fit where my health is at these days so much.
3:59
SPEAKER_04: So uh, you know, 2020 rolled around like everybody else in the world.
4:04
SPEAKER_04: I was locked down at home.
4:05
SPEAKER_04: And it struck me as, you know, this is my opportunity to do something really different.
4:10
SPEAKER_04: And so that's when I decided I was gonna look into starting my own line.
4:14
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear about your accident, by the way.
4:18
SPEAKER_03: That's gotta be devastating, you know, to be able to have to get away from that work that you love so much, you know.
4:24
SPEAKER_03: So I but I'm glad that you're here and I'm glad that you, you know, pivoted and because you've created something so magical here, you know.
4:32
SPEAKER_03: And I um I always find myself um talking to individuals who've gone through some true adversity, right, in their life and they they create so much magic from it.
4:42
SPEAKER_03: And every time I come across that, I'm just like in awe, right?
4:46
SPEAKER_03: It's just it's like this amazing um realization that even as human beings, like even when we go through so much, we can still create the most beautiful things.
4:54
SPEAKER_03: So I really um hats off to you, you know, for pivoting and for coming back stronger.
4:59
SPEAKER_03: That's phenomenal.
5:00
SPEAKER_04: I appreciate that.
5:01
SPEAKER_04: You know, it really showed me that I had a strength and resiliency that I didn't know that I had and actually laid a really good foundation for becoming an entrepreneur because it's no joke to start a company.
5:12
SPEAKER_04: It's not for the faith of heart.
5:13
SPEAKER_04: And I just come off a couple of very difficult years of really having to dig in and do really hard work.
5:18
SPEAKER_04: And so starting a company didn't scare me at all, actually.
5:21
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
5:22
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
5:22
SPEAKER_03: And you know what?
5:23
SPEAKER_03: I don't think much could after something, you know, the after what you went through, right?
5:27
SPEAKER_03: It it gives you that strength and it gives you just, I guess, um, you know, just the ability to get through a lot of things people can't deal with.
5:35
SPEAKER_03: So I mean, I I love it.
5:36
SPEAKER_03: I I love that you're, you know, you're doing this.
5:38
SPEAKER_03: I love your brand.
5:39
SPEAKER_03: I genuinely just, you know, when I used it, I really knew that, you know, you had done more than just your homework.
5:46
SPEAKER_03: You had gone way extra miles for this because a serum to create results the way it did for me, like just after one use, is almost like it's unheard of.
5:57
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
5:58
SPEAKER_03: It I've never seen it.
5:59
SPEAKER_03: Like when for everyone listening, I want to just say this before I asked Michael about, you know, the formula and all that stuff.
6:05
SPEAKER_03: I want to tell you guys like the story I was telling her before was that um the night that I used it, I had really, really enlarged pores.
6:14
SPEAKER_03: It was just my skin was acting up.
6:15
SPEAKER_03: Maybe it was environment.
6:16
SPEAKER_03: I don't know what it was.
6:17
SPEAKER_03: I just washed my face that night and all I did was put on the serum, just the normal amount, not even like extra.
6:23
SPEAKER_03: It was just normal.
6:24
SPEAKER_03: Two, two pumps, two and a half pumps.
6:26
SPEAKER_03: Woke up the next morning, literally no pores in the area where I have the most enlargement.
6:31
SPEAKER_03: So this to me is like the epitome of good skincare.
6:35
SPEAKER_03: That's what good skincare is supposed to do for you when it's a solid formula, when it's solid backed by science kind of thing.
6:41
SPEAKER_03: So, um, Michael, with that um preface, I want to ask you about your whole process of creating the, you know, the serum and the technology behind it.
6:49
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
6:51
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
6:51
SPEAKER_04: So I was really fortunate when I first got started.
6:54
SPEAKER_04: You know, I found um a place where I wanted to work to create a formula, and they introduced me to Mr.
7:00
SPEAKER_04: Paul Primo, who's my acting CEO right now.
7:02
SPEAKER_04: And I'm so fortunate to have been able to work with him.
7:05
SPEAKER_04: He has decades of experience in luxury beauty, pharmaceuticals, and personal care, and is really looked to as a titan of the industry.
7:12
SPEAKER_04: He's been a huge asset to me and to the company.
7:15
SPEAKER_04: And he introduced me to Dr.
7:17
SPEAKER_04: Michael Kahn, who's out of Los Angeles as well, and he works at the Beckman Research Institute and has been a leading molecular biologist and stem cell scientist for the last 25 years.
7:28
SPEAKER_04: And Dr.
7:29
SPEAKER_04: Kahn had been working on this science in a laboratory in a pharmaceutical capacity and had found through his studies that there were potential cosmetic implications as well.
7:39
SPEAKER_04: So he had started to look for a partner.
7:40
SPEAKER_04: And when he found someone who was really, really engaged with the science and myself, we had like a two-hour conversation when we first met.
7:49
SPEAKER_04: There was so much to cover, and I brought a real enthusiasm to the table.
7:52
SPEAKER_04: I think that was attractive to him.
7:54
SPEAKER_04: And so we found a good partner in one another to um, you know, have this deal.
7:58
SPEAKER_04: So we acquired this intellectual property from him, and that's that's the story behind how we got this in incredible science.
8:05
SPEAKER_03: That's amazing.
8:06
SPEAKER_03: And you know, I know you guys have a very um patent pending proprietary, you know, blend of ingredients here, which is the beta stem six, I believe.
8:15
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
8:16
SPEAKER_03: So I really want I want to learn about this because I I did some of my own homework and I know that, you know, um, correct me if I'm wrong, but cellular longevity is at the center of this, I believe, right?
8:26
SPEAKER_03: Um I would love for you to talk to us about that technology and really um what the the main focus of it is in terms of skin health.
8:35
SPEAKER_04: So beta stem six is a biotechnological breakthrough.
8:38
SPEAKER_04: And so what we've created is a new category within skincare entirely called biomimetic skincare, which means that we're mimicking a natural biological process.
8:49
SPEAKER_04: And to get down to the foundation of how skin works, we are all born with cells that have the ability to self-rejuvenate.
8:56
SPEAKER_04: But as we age, uh, that starts to diminish over time.
9:00
SPEAKER_04: I kind of think about it as a dimmer on a light switch that the longer you're on earth, uh, you know, those those cells start to lose their ability to have that level of activity and erasing damage.
9:10
SPEAKER_04: So beta stem six is this biotechnology that restores that self-rejuvenating power in your skin.
9:17
SPEAKER_04: So it awakens the millions of cells that are responsible for visibly healthy skin and recruits them back into the process of rejuvenating your skin.
9:25
SPEAKER_04: So the result is incredible skin longevity.
9:29
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
9:30
SPEAKER_03: I really love that.
9:31
SPEAKER_03: You know, what I really um think is so important to highlight here is that you're not just putting like I looked at the inky, like, you know, um very, very closely.
9:42
SPEAKER_03: And I realized that you have all the great stuff in there, you know what I mean?
9:46
SPEAKER_03: Like for hydration, for peptides that can peptides can smooth over, you know what I mean, wrinkles immediately.
9:51
SPEAKER_03: And now what you guys are really focusing on here is, you know, you're targeting the causes of intrinsic aging, which I find to be so novel.
10:00
SPEAKER_03: You know, it's like we can easily find skincare brands that are like, you know, plumping or hydrating, and people get this like, you know, this feeling of, oh, look, my wrinkles went away, or look, look, my scars, like, you know what I mean?
10:13
SPEAKER_03: Like the pick scar or something got filled in more.
10:15
SPEAKER_03: But that's like a that's something that is not um, it's transient, is my point, right?
10:20
SPEAKER_03: So to be able to reprogram your skin, that's a whole different level of science.
10:26
SPEAKER_03: And so I love that you guys have this built in to your DNA, you know, in terms of the formula.
10:31
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
10:32
SPEAKER_04: And that's where my motivation came in uh to go ahead and move forward with this intellectual property, this proprietary molecule that we have in beta stem six, is there are so many brands that are using the exact same ingredients as everybody else.
10:44
SPEAKER_04: And so, really, what you're being sold is, you know, there's some effective ingredients, but there's very rarely something new that enters the marketplace.
10:51
SPEAKER_04: And many times what people are buying into when they buy a product is a promise that might not really be delivered on and really great marketing.
10:58
SPEAKER_04: And to be fair, there's a lot of brands that have succeeded in creating beautiful communities of people who really believe in um, you know, in the brand and the products, but there's not a whole lot of new science.
11:10
SPEAKER_04: And so for me, when I was, you know, inspired to start this process, I knew there's no point in diving into a really flooded market unless we have something that's totally differentiated.
11:19
SPEAKER_04: And like you, I didn't want something that just covered up an issue that you had to use it over and over and over to keep that same result.
11:26
SPEAKER_04: This gets down to the root of the problem.
11:28
SPEAKER_04: And that's why you saw that incredible result from that, that overnight use.
11:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, no, it makes sense.
11:34
SPEAKER_03: And you know, it's really cool that you saw something, you know, worthwhile and you you went for it.
11:39
SPEAKER_03: I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs out there, you know, we hesitate, I think as people in general, but especially women, you know, women, for some reason we just always hesitate, we always second guess ourselves.
11:50
SPEAKER_03: But for you to just say, you know what, this is a really cool piece of you know intellectual property.
11:55
SPEAKER_03: I really want to get involved with this and just to do it, that's I mean, amazing.
11:59
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
12:00
SPEAKER_03: That is such a cool message to spread to all the female entrepreneurs that are tuning in, is to really go with your gut, you know what I mean, and to do it because sometimes you never know, man.
12:11
SPEAKER_03: You could create something that's just you know what I mean, next level.
12:14
SPEAKER_03: And Michael, I really think you have done that here.
12:16
SPEAKER_03: I mean, you've when I am looking at your your serum, I mean, this is for me personally as a consumer setting the bar way, way higher for serums.
12:26
SPEAKER_03: Like, really, I mean that, you know, it's like now it's like you remember how like when skin seuticals blew up with their um their vitamin C and frulic acid serum, and everyone was like comparing everything to them.
12:38
SPEAKER_03: That's how I feel about this serum, is that it's thank you for real.
12:41
SPEAKER_03: No, for real.
12:42
SPEAKER_03: Like it's like it's so good that I feel like if you are not delivering on the same level, like as a brand, then you need to re-like, you know what I mean?
12:50
SPEAKER_03: Like reassess, like what are you doing, really?
12:52
SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, what what's your formula?
12:54
SPEAKER_03: So, with that being said, I want to ask you actually about the entrepreneurship journey because you had mentioned that before, and I really want to, you know, where was the where did the process begin?
13:04
SPEAKER_03: Because I know science takes a long time, right?
13:06
SPEAKER_03: But then you have all these other things like business and marketing and all this.
13:10
SPEAKER_03: So, how was that whole journey for you?
13:12
SPEAKER_04: And building out the team.
13:14
SPEAKER_04: So, you know, your first few hires are incredibly important.
13:18
SPEAKER_04: And um, I've been fortunate that that's actually been pretty easy for me.
13:22
SPEAKER_04: I found excellent people right out of the gate.
13:24
SPEAKER_04: And that's how I started my journey is about six months of time, where I did some research around who's doing the best work in the space.
13:31
SPEAKER_04: I interviewed dozens of people, everything from people in marketing to formulators, um, and you know, people who'd been really experienced in establishing brands.
13:40
SPEAKER_04: And that's when I found Paul and just nobody could compare it to Paul.
13:43
SPEAKER_04: I knew I had to have him.
13:44
SPEAKER_04: So I was really fortunate to be able to work with him.
13:47
SPEAKER_04: I would also say really hire slowly.
13:50
SPEAKER_04: Um, take your time in that because once you get the right person in the right role, that's when the magic really happens.
13:57
SPEAKER_04: So I've been very fortunate to be surrounded by people who have decades of experience in this.
14:01
SPEAKER_04: And that was important to me because I'm new to this space.
14:05
SPEAKER_04: Like a lot of listeners, most likely, I was a really enthusiastic consumer within the beauty industry, but I didn't come from a beauty background.
14:13
SPEAKER_04: So that's why it was very important to me to make sure I had the key roles filled right from the beginning.
14:19
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
14:19
SPEAKER_03: That's that's excellent advice.
14:21
SPEAKER_03: I love what you said, you know, hire slowly.
14:23
SPEAKER_03: I really love that.
14:24
SPEAKER_03: And that's really solid advice, you know.
14:26
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, one of my biggest questions, honestly, Michael, is I want to know, like, you know, working with scientists can often be a little different, right?
14:34
SPEAKER_03: When you're not um deep, knee deep in the bench uh research kind of arena.
14:39
SPEAKER_03: And I I know for a lot of entrepreneurs in the space of skin health or beauty, um, sometimes it can be a little frustrating, you know, because scientists think the way they do and they have their own ways of, you know what I mean, like being adamant about it.
14:50
SPEAKER_03: So when you were working with um the wonderful professor that you mentioned earlier um in California, what were some of the things like from your side that you had to kind of like express, you know, in terms of like what you wanted your formula to be, what you wanted it to reflect, you know, in terms of your own expression through this brand.
15:10
SPEAKER_04: Hmm.
15:11
SPEAKER_04: You know, Dr.
15:12
SPEAKER_04: Khan has been a delight from the beginning.
15:14
SPEAKER_04: And the thing that really stood out to me about him is that he just wanted the science that he had created to be out in the world benefiting people.
15:22
SPEAKER_04: And so we were really values aligned from the beginning, is that I wanted to create a brand that had the health of my community in mind.
15:30
SPEAKER_04: And he comes from a similar place.
15:32
SPEAKER_04: He didn't necessarily want to create a brand and market a product himself.
15:36
SPEAKER_04: He wanted to go back to his lab and continue his incredible work.
15:39
SPEAKER_04: And uh we ended up being very, very good partners with one another.
15:43
SPEAKER_04: Paul has also been great to work with.
15:45
SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, it was very collaborative in terms of putting uh things together with our formula.
15:51
SPEAKER_04: He asked me from the beginning, what is it that you want to be different about this?
15:55
SPEAKER_04: And apart from beta stem six, which is our huge differentiating factor, I knew from experience the pain points that I wanted to solve.
16:03
SPEAKER_04: One of those was that a lot of skincare doesn't feel good to wear.
16:07
SPEAKER_04: I live in Austin, Texas, where it's incredibly hot for about nine months out of the year and humid too.
16:13
SPEAKER_04: And I've tried so many different serums, moisturizers, you name it, that left sort of a tacky feeling on my skin.
16:20
SPEAKER_04: And so with this, I hope you experienced this too.
16:23
SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, with Genesis, it sinks all the way into the skin and leaves this sort of velvety feeling on top.
16:29
SPEAKER_05: It's that steady.
16:30
SPEAKER_04: And so it took us a few iterations of the formula to get to that place where it felt that good and that light while still being moisturizing.
16:38
SPEAKER_04: And I think I hit the nail on the head.
16:41
SPEAKER_03: No, you really did.
16:42
SPEAKER_03: And you know what?
16:42
SPEAKER_03: That's that's so cool that you brought that up because I was gonna suggest to everyone listening this is the perfect serum to mix into your foundation.
16:49
SPEAKER_03: If you're somebody who wants uh, you know what I mean?
16:52
SPEAKER_03: Like if you want that makeup with skincare benefits thing and you really, you know, you guys seriously, like I've tried doing that, Michael.
16:59
SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's perfect for foundation.
17:01
SPEAKER_03: Like the formula and the way that it feels, and you know, that velvety feeling you're talking about, it actually makes my foundation go on and look a lot more natural and still maintain that beautiful, like semi-matte, if you know what I mean.
17:13
SPEAKER_03: Like it just it's like a natural finish.
17:15
SPEAKER_03: And the reason I'm mentioning that is because a lot of serums will pill up with the foundation.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: I understand it.
17:20
SPEAKER_03: I know, I absolutely hate it when that happens.
17:22
SPEAKER_03: I hate it too.
17:23
SPEAKER_03: And it's like, you know what?
17:24
SPEAKER_03: It's like I don't want to compromise on my skincare, but I wanted to put on makeup.
17:27
SPEAKER_03: So it's like, you know, it's it's like this dilemma.
17:29
SPEAKER_03: And so I feel like you've also, you know, uh not knowingly solved a huge problem as well, you know, in this space that's now emerging, where, you know, a lot of beauty brands are like, hey, we want to make products with skincare, you know, benefits in them.
17:43
SPEAKER_03: But it's like my advice to all of our listeners is always, you know, find that skincare that works for you and then incorporate it into your um actual beauty routine.
17:52
SPEAKER_03: So with this serum, you can easily add like a pump or two or whatever you would normally use, and then put like just a little bit of foundation and play around with it because it's really, really great for that purpose as well.
18:03
SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, really great formulation.
18:06
SPEAKER_04: I'm glad to get that feedback.
18:08
SPEAKER_04: I hadn't heard that from anyone yet.
18:09
SPEAKER_04: So I appreciate that.
18:10
SPEAKER_04: And you know, a good point to bring up from that is that skincare only works if you want to use it.
18:15
SPEAKER_04: It's sort of like SPF, where there's so many SPFs, SPFs, excuse me, that are so uncomfortable or they have a white cast and it doesn't work for every skin tone and um or it pills up underneath your makeup that you have a bunch sitting in your bag or on your bathroom counter, but no one actually wants to use it.
18:33
SPEAKER_04: And so making sure that there are formulations that are comfortable and actually wearable is key.
18:38
SPEAKER_03: Yes, absolutely.
18:39
SPEAKER_03: And you know, I want to actually also add to that point because um you shouldn't need too much skincare either.
18:46
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
18:46
SPEAKER_03: You shouldn't need too much of a product.
18:48
SPEAKER_03: Like if you're if you're literally layering on like like half an ounce of serum before you feel like you're seeing results, it might be time to like change your routine.
18:59
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
18:59
SPEAKER_03: Like it might be just like that's another thing, is like people always say, like, you know, my products pill up, my products don't work with my makeup.
19:05
SPEAKER_03: And I always tell them, well, how much are you applying?
19:08
SPEAKER_03: And that's why I really also love about the serum, which I think you had brought up um, you know, a little bit ago, was that you it feels so light, and that's because you don't need a lot of it.
19:17
SPEAKER_03: It's very easy to spread on the skin, it sinks right in.
19:20
SPEAKER_03: It's like you're not wearing anything.
19:22
SPEAKER_03: So that aspect itself is is awesome.
19:25
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
19:26
SPEAKER_03: But um yeah, no, so I want to ask you, I really want to dive into the science.
19:30
SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, I'm a huge geek.
19:32
SPEAKER_03: So like I'm gonna um I want to ask you about the science about the beta stem six because um, you know, from what I know with stem cell research, um, is that you know, there's a lot of testing that needs to be done in vivo as well as in vitro studies.
19:45
SPEAKER_03: So, how was that approach like, you know, in terms of um getting those studies done and and what kind of studies did you guys actually do before coming to market?
19:54
SPEAKER_04: Sure.
19:54
SPEAKER_04: So we actually did a clinical study with Dr.
19:57
SPEAKER_04: Zoe Dreilos, who's uh from Duke University, and she's considered one of the top uh research dermatologists in the United States.
20:04
SPEAKER_04: It was also really important to me to work with as many women as I could.
20:08
SPEAKER_04: You mentioned women before, and I think that's really important to make sure that you're diversifying the kind of people that you're working with.
20:14
SPEAKER_04: And she has just a stellar reputation.
20:16
SPEAKER_04: She's helped a lot of brands pursue clinical studies.
20:19
SPEAKER_04: So we did an eight-week study on Genesis itself.
20:22
SPEAKER_04: So Beta STEM 6 has had a ton of studies conducted on it through Dr.
20:26
SPEAKER_04: Kahn for the last 25 years.
20:28
SPEAKER_04: And so we focused our efficacy studies on uh the Genesis serum specifically.
20:34
SPEAKER_04: And uh we have others in line as well.
20:36
SPEAKER_04: So we did eight weeks before we're going to expand in the future to one that is uh over 16 weeks of time as well, because we saw people get really good results, even starting at four weeks, and then at eight weeks it was starting to really accelerate, and then the study was over.
20:50
SPEAKER_04: And so we were all sitting around like, gosh, I really want to see what would happen at 12 weeks and then at 16 weeks, because we saw immediately people see an increase in uh the moisturization level of their skin.
21:02
SPEAKER_04: And most people start to report that they see a glow or luminosity to their skin at week four.
21:08
SPEAKER_04: I have um an amazing woman who joined us as an investor last year who uh she called me and she said, I'm seeing a glow to my skin that I haven't seen since my 30s, and I never thought I was gonna see again.
21:20
SPEAKER_04: And that to me was just the best thing that you could possibly say about something is I didn't think I'd see this level of rejuvenation ever again.
21:29
SPEAKER_04: And she did.
21:30
SPEAKER_04: That felt that was a good day.
21:31
SPEAKER_04: You know, that felt really good as a founder to hear that.
21:33
SPEAKER_04: And then it's at eight weeks that people really start to see results in uh discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles, even laxity, which you know is is difficult for a lot of people to take care of without doing something more invasive or painful or expensive.
21:48
SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes, absolutely.
21:50
SPEAKER_03: And wow, I love that.
21:51
SPEAKER_03: I love that she said that because you know, um, I mean, maybe I'm the the outlier here in your data points because I saw results in a day.
21:59
SPEAKER_03: So I'm happy to be that outlier.
22:03
SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, it's honestly I I love what you said about the women aspect of it as well, because you know, very few um brands that I see that are truly founded on scientific principles and cutting edge science, mind you, not just science, but like really at the forefront, right?
22:19
SPEAKER_03: I mean, they are very much heavily leaning on a more male-dominant team.
22:24
SPEAKER_03: And I am not saying there's anything wrong with that.
22:27
SPEAKER_03: I think science is science, regardless of who is, you know, behind it.
22:30
SPEAKER_03: But I do think that encouraging women to step forward in this STEM, you know, career place is so important.
22:39
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
22:40
SPEAKER_03: And like you're it's like seeing brands like this and then knowing that women are behind it, it's like very, very, you know, it's it's refreshing to see that because as a woman of science myself, I, you know, I have to argue all the time with people about how, you know, no, women are not represented equally, you know, in science, because a lot of times, like you don't even get the credit you deserve on like paper sometimes.
23:04
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
23:05
SPEAKER_03: Like it's that's the reality of the world of science.
23:08
SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, in the world of publications and academia, like that's what happens.
23:11
SPEAKER_03: And so I love that you got you have taken the stance in a way and said, we're gonna just make this a, you know what I mean, a wonderful place, a safe place for women, you know, in terms of like just being science forward and not being, you know, like unapologetically being science forward is my point.
23:29
SPEAKER_03: So I really, really like that and I appreciate that as a woman of science myself.
23:33
SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, it's wonderful.
23:35
SPEAKER_04: I just want to we live in a really exciting time where change is happening for women in a positive direction, but it can't happen fast enough.
23:47
SPEAKER_04: There are huge gaps and discrepancies in you know women's place in the world.
23:53
SPEAKER_04: Um, and I see that as a founder too, in terms of how difficult it can be to fundraise.
23:58
SPEAKER_04: And the the stories that you hear coming out of, you know, female founding experiences are just um really wild.
24:06
SPEAKER_04: It's it's difficult sometimes.
24:08
SPEAKER_04: Although I found real allies, both male and female, um, that I'm I really, really deeply appreciate because it it's not always an easy road.
24:16
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
24:16
SPEAKER_03: 100% agree with you.
24:18
SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, and uh going back to the the science of it, I mean, I I noticed that in the uh ingredients list, there's a lot of really, really great tried and true ingredients, which I was going to tell you, I love that you did that because I I think that there's this mis uh conception out there in the skincare world where brands think that the more like exotic ingredients they can add as like the baseline of a formula, the better it's going to be.
24:42
SPEAKER_03: And that's just not true.
24:43
SPEAKER_03: Like, for example, like glycerin is the most hydrating and the most efficacious product you can use to truly hydrate your skin.
24:51
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
24:52
SPEAKER_03: And people are like, like they'll stray away from something like that, or like, you know, the use of peptides or the use of, for example, um, you know, what was the other like dimethicone, for example.
25:03
SPEAKER_03: You know, they'll stray away, but it's like these are really, really good ingredients for that baseline formula.
25:08
SPEAKER_03: And I love that, you know, your brand is showing that because what I see from my eyes as a person of science and a consumer is that you have a wonderful base and then you've added this great technology on top of it.
25:20
SPEAKER_03: And it's just making what's, you know what I mean?
25:23
SPEAKER_03: It's it that's allowing that technology to work better because you're creating a base on which it sits.
25:28
SPEAKER_03: And the reason I'm even saying this is there's a lot of brands that are very, very science heavy.
25:32
SPEAKER_03: But here's the thing, you guys still, you know, you can't just have like a great patent pending technology without having a great tried and true chemical base formula.
25:42
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
25:43
SPEAKER_03: So, like that's where I find your product to be so unique is that it's very like it, it's like you're not trying to reinvent the wheel in the wrong places.
25:51
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
25:52
SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's there, it works, and there's this amazing technology on top of everything else.
25:58
SPEAKER_03: So, with that said, I want to ask you about the actual manufacturing process and the formulation process.
26:03
SPEAKER_03: How was that working with the chemists and working with the formulators and getting them to, you know, do this like formula?
26:10
SPEAKER_03: Was it like a custom formula?
26:11
SPEAKER_03: How did that work?
26:12
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so it's totally custom, which is more expensive as people in the industry know, but totally worth that investment.
26:19
SPEAKER_04: And like you said, it is a simple formula because we wanted beta stem six to really be able to shine.
26:25
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's what we've been able to do.
26:27
SPEAKER_04: But like you said, great skincare should be simple, it shouldn't be overly complicated.
26:31
SPEAKER_04: So the peptides that we have in the formula are meant as a foundational base, like you said, to support uh beta stem six and to really allow it to shine.
26:41
SPEAKER_04: Uh, the process of creating the formulation, it took like three or four times alone, actually, to get it exactly the way that we wanted it.
26:48
SPEAKER_04: We knew it we wanted it to be uh simple wearing, you know, like easy to wear on the skin and very comfortable.
26:55
SPEAKER_04: Um, and I knew I wanted a serum right off the bat as well.
26:59
SPEAKER_04: It's hard to mess up a moisturizer, you know, it's it's pretty easy to make sure that your skin is moisturized, but making sure that an active ingredient is in the right environment to thrive can be a little bit trickier.
27:10
SPEAKER_04: Um, but the lab that we used, it's also woman-owned and run, by the way, which was one of the reasons why I chose it, did just an excellent job.
27:18
SPEAKER_04: They made it really easy.
27:20
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, I love how you articulated that.
27:23
SPEAKER_03: That's so true.
27:24
SPEAKER_03: Like the baseline formula, and you know, here here's the idea is that with stem cells, right?
27:29
SPEAKER_03: We're working with, I always say this on my podcast, when you're talking about cellular level um mechanics of how skin uh transforms and changes, and you know, when it comes to seeing results, you have to realize that your skin, because it's an organ, it requires a specific what we call in science media, a media.
27:47
SPEAKER_03: So media is basically just the essential nutrients you need.
27:50
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
27:50
SPEAKER_03: It's just literally when you culture cells in a P2 dish, you add on this, you know, this liquid that's got all the nutrients in it.
27:57
SPEAKER_03: And that's really how I see a baseline formulation when it comes to skincare, is that that, you know, the base, this is what's going to really help something work and to really like kind of provide those essentials.
28:09
SPEAKER_03: So my whole thing is that with the stem cell part of it, were there certain things that you guys realized that, you know, what we need certain ingredients that might not be so common in order for our technology to work, whether that's a delivery system or whatever it may be.
28:24
SPEAKER_03: Was there anything like that?
28:26
SPEAKER_04: That's a great question.
28:27
SPEAKER_04: So I think one of the misconceptions in skincare comes when people think, or it's really because products are marketed in sort of a misleading way, that someone has bottled stem cells and is selling it.
28:38
SPEAKER_04: That's not what we've done.
28:40
SPEAKER_04: We have an ingredient that works on your cells.
28:43
SPEAKER_04: So it attaches to cells in your dermis and works from there.
28:46
SPEAKER_04: So, you know, there are other brands that talk about, oh, we have uh like fruit-oriented or fruit-derived stem cells, but stem cells are species specific.
28:56
SPEAKER_04: And so um putting a plant stem cell on your skin isn't gonna do a whole lot for it.
29:01
SPEAKER_04: It's not like it's gonna seep into your skin and change the way uh like your things are working on the molecular level.
29:07
SPEAKER_04: That is not at all how that works.
29:09
SPEAKER_04: It's not biocompatible.
29:10
SPEAKER_04: So there are that's part of our challenge and our opportunity here is providing uh some scientific uh, you know, research on our website and then also opportunities to learn about that kind of thing.
29:21
SPEAKER_04: And that's one of the approaches that we're starting to take on Instagram in particular, is providing a little bit more context around how stem cells work because there's um there's a somewhat of a steep learning curve with this kind of thing.
29:33
SPEAKER_04: And it's exciting for us as a team to find creative ways in talking about how this works when uh the general public, it just hasn't seeped down from the upper upper echelons of science to everyday people quite yet.
29:47
SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes, absolutely.
29:48
SPEAKER_03: And you know, uh uh just to add to your point, like, you know, you guys are working with a what you called, you know, a biomimetic system, which implies, you know, the use of stem cells, in my opinion, because stem cells are the ideal biomimetic, you know what I mean, like uh blueprint for any anything, you know.
30:06
SPEAKER_03: And so when you're talking about like cells that have not differentiated yet, whatever they're going to be doing, that's like watching life come full circle.
30:15
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
30:16
SPEAKER_03: Like when they start to mature, when they start to differentiate, that's when you're really seeing what is making cells thrive in this specific area of your body.
30:26
SPEAKER_03: And I think that by studying that specific area, you that's where you get the innovation, you know what I mean?
30:31
SPEAKER_03: And over-the-counter products.
30:32
SPEAKER_03: Like that's really, really interesting to me.
30:34
SPEAKER_03: Um, and I and I actually want to um, you know, get more information from you about this bio biomimetic label, you know what I mean, that you're um you're putting out there that, you know, what is your interpretation of that, like the word?
30:50
SPEAKER_04: Sure.
30:50
SPEAKER_04: So we're mimicking a biological process that happens naturally.
30:54
SPEAKER_04: So scientists used to think that stem cells die off as you age, and they don't actually.
30:59
SPEAKER_04: They're with you throughout the throughout your whole lifetime.
31:02
SPEAKER_04: They're technically immortal cells.
31:03
SPEAKER_04: And like you were saying, um, some people call them the progenitor, progenitor cells because they make all the new tissue, they make new blood.
31:12
SPEAKER_04: It's um kind of like mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
31:16
SPEAKER_04: Like this is the mama cell that creates everything else.
31:19
SPEAKER_04: And so uh that's where, you know, if you're working in that capacity, that's where you can make a big difference in skin.
31:26
SPEAKER_04: And so that that natural process of creating new tissue that isn't damaged and can erase uh the damage that's accumulated, that's that process that naturally happens in our body, but that slows down as we age.
31:41
SPEAKER_04: And so this molecule is based off of uh Dr.
31:43
SPEAKER_04: Khan's 25 years of research that found that he could interrupt that process of decaying um, you know, suitability of stem cells to be working in that capacity and uh turning it around.
31:56
SPEAKER_04: So that's why it's such an impactful ingredient to have in skincare.
32:00
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
32:00
SPEAKER_03: And that's really interesting because you know, I'm really curious um with this whole wave right now of everyone talking about epigenetics, you know what I mean?
32:08
SPEAKER_03: It's it's like it always comes in waves, right?
32:10
SPEAKER_03: Like people are now on epigenetics like it's like the newest thing in the world, but it's not.
32:16
SPEAKER_03: Um, so I'm really curious because you know, when you're talking about uh working with things that helps stem cells differentiate, one thing that I've always wondered as a researcher myself and from my own work is that, you know, epigenetics, um, when you're looking at the new cells that have turned over, right?
32:35
SPEAKER_03: Um, you can, I think I I don't want to say you can, but I hypothesize that you can kind of you know modulate this epigenetic um, you know, blueprint on top of those new cells.
32:47
SPEAKER_03: Because that's fascinating.
32:48
SPEAKER_04: I didn't hear that before.
32:49
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
32:50
SPEAKER_03: Like it's like I think that there is a that like that really is a huge thing because at the end of the day, like, you know, when you're when your DNA or something gets methylated, which is what epigenetics talks about, you know, these little uh random molecular groups get added on on top of your DNA, you know, the chain and the the molecular structure, what happens is that it's going to change the way genes are transcribed.
33:13
SPEAKER_03: But you can also like with stem cells, the interesting thing is because they are so um, you know, just like you said, like the mother cell, you can reprogram things on a genetic level with them.
33:25
SPEAKER_03: You really like, you know what I mean?
33:26
SPEAKER_03: So, like that kind of um level of science, I think could really target this epigenetic um, like I guess, concern that we have around aging because it's it's going to be able to target how new cells are now being formed, you know.
33:41
SPEAKER_03: So this is a really cool area that you're getting into because I mean, you know, for just for future direction, like I can definitely see it, you know, someone doing the research and finding this somehow because it makes sense.
33:52
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
33:53
SPEAKER_04: I and I thank you for sharing that.
33:54
SPEAKER_04: I hadn't heard that before.
33:55
SPEAKER_04: I had heard more about epigenetics from a mental health perspective, actually, and how we inherit things that can be passed down from past generations.
34:04
SPEAKER_04: And so some of the things that you're experiencing in your own body might not have originated with you.
34:08
SPEAKER_04: And so that's that's a context where I've been um, you know, learning more and reading about epigenetics.
34:14
SPEAKER_04: So it's fascinating to see how that could really be applied here.
34:17
SPEAKER_04: That sounds like there's a lot of potential.
34:19
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
34:19
SPEAKER_03: And also things like you had mentioned mitochondria, you know, like for example, people always say, you know, mitochondrial DNA, you get it from your mom, which you do.
34:28
SPEAKER_03: But at the end of the day, like, you know, this whole hype around epigenetics right now is that, you know, you inherit your epigenome.
34:34
SPEAKER_03: Um, and that is true.
34:36
SPEAKER_03: But here's the thing with mitochondria, we know that they're the cell's powerhouse for energy.
34:41
SPEAKER_03: So what you're doing here, and I've noticed with your formula, is that you're really helping those cells get energy, you know what I mean?
34:47
SPEAKER_03: Like help with cellular regeneration of energy.
34:49
SPEAKER_03: And so when you do that, that can really bypass a lot of maybe um like you know, bad programming that's been there, you know, in a person.
34:57
SPEAKER_03: It might maybe you're a person who, you know, lacks energy or on a cellular level.
35:02
SPEAKER_03: You don't know.
35:02
SPEAKER_03: We don't know that, you know, about ourselves, our bodies.
35:05
SPEAKER_03: Like you never know.
35:06
SPEAKER_03: So when you're approaching things on this level of like just truly like, you know, you want to bypass that problem, you can do it by kind of giving your body a boost in a way, if that makes any sense.
35:18
SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's hard for me to describe what I'm thinking, but um, it's a very interesting area of research.
35:25
SPEAKER_03: Let's just leave it there, you know.
35:27
SPEAKER_04: Well, it sounds like you really know what you're talking about.
35:28
SPEAKER_04: And that's one of the benefits of being a science first brand, is that we have two science advisors and Dr.
35:34
SPEAKER_04: Khan and Dr.
35:34
SPEAKER_04: Fuzheng Ruan, that um, as as part of our arrangement, you know, if they make any future iterations of this molecule, different generations um or different molecules entirely, we will have um first right of refusal for that.
35:46
SPEAKER_04: And so that's what's really coming down the pipeline for us is further scientific innovation because that's what I really want us to be known for as a company, as you know, a group of people that's continuing to push the envelope on what's possible in skincare.
35:59
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
36:01
SPEAKER_03: No, I I love it.
36:02
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
36:02
SPEAKER_03: And I love what you're doing because you're really, I mean, this is you're on to something for real.
36:07
SPEAKER_03: Like you like, I can honestly see your brand becoming like a genuinely a gold standard because if your serum is doing this, like I don't even want to like imagine, you know what I mean?
36:17
SPEAKER_03: Are you gonna be coming out with like more products like a moisturizer and stuff?
36:21
SPEAKER_03: Or do you think the serum is like um the way to go right now for a while?
36:25
SPEAKER_04: So we'll probably be in market with Genesis uh for the probably the next year or so.
36:30
SPEAKER_04: I really want to make sure that that's you know well represented in the industry and that people understand what we have prior to jumping into another product.
36:38
SPEAKER_04: But I think when we make new products, they're going to be treatment oriented.
36:42
SPEAKER_04: You know, there's some products that most lines do eventually come out with, like a cleanser and a toner and things like that.
36:48
SPEAKER_04: But those aren't necessarily ones that we're going to be focusing on from the beginning, just because some of those things don't stay on your skin very long.
36:54
SPEAKER_04: And beta stems, you really want it to be on there.
36:57
SPEAKER_04: So if you were to wash your face with a face wash with beta stem six in it, you wouldn't get the benefit, you know.
37:02
SPEAKER_04: So uh we're we're looking into creating more of a product pipeline for 2024.
37:07
SPEAKER_04: There'll should there should be some some pretty exciting things coming down the pipeline for us.
37:10
SPEAKER_03: Can I request that you make an overnight mask?
37:14
SPEAKER_03: Sure, I'll write it down.
37:16
SPEAKER_03: Please.
37:17
SPEAKER_03: I really love overnight masks.
37:19
SPEAKER_03: I feel like your product is like the ideal product for that.
37:21
SPEAKER_03: I mean, honestly, I can't wait to see what you guys come out with next because, you know, like I said, this serum, you guys, it's magical.
37:27
SPEAKER_03: It really is.
37:28
SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, science is magic, but I mean, come on, you know, how many times do you see something that's just like really revolutionary, right?
37:36
SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's the feeling I had as a consumer when I first tried the product.
37:40
SPEAKER_03: And I like just I can't rave about it enough because it's just something that works, you know, and in the world that we're living in now with all of the influencer marketing and like, you know, people who have like thousands of skincare products and just the clutter of it all, I mean, we need to simplify, but at the same time, not lose focus on efficacy and putting science first.
38:03
SPEAKER_03: So that's why I'm just like, I'm such a supporter of what you guys are doing, Michael, because this is a great product for anyone who is like sick of their skincare routine because it's not working.
38:13
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
38:13
SPEAKER_03: Like it's not doing anything for you.
38:15
SPEAKER_03: If you're one of those people and you've got like four steps or 18 steps, just take a minute and realize if it's working or not.
38:22
SPEAKER_03: And if it's not working, this is the place to go.
38:25
SPEAKER_03: Go get the serum.
38:26
SPEAKER_03: Because this will no, seriously, because it's a bar.
38:29
SPEAKER_03: It's it's you've set a bar, you know?
38:31
SPEAKER_03: And I and I really don't say that lightly.
38:33
SPEAKER_03: I'm I genuinely don't, because it's it's something we need in this industry.
38:37
SPEAKER_03: We need more of that.
38:38
SPEAKER_03: You know, people have been screaming from the rooftops, minimalism, minimalism.
38:41
SPEAKER_03: Okay, but you you want me to be min minimalistic, but uh compromise my efficacy of my products.
38:48
SPEAKER_03: That's that's just you know what I mean?
38:49
SPEAKER_03: It's like it's like fixing one problem and creating another one.
38:52
SPEAKER_03: So that's where I find you guys to be so unique, you know.
38:55
SPEAKER_03: It's like you're really are the optimal, minimal, efficacious product.
39:00
SPEAKER_03: So I love it.
39:01
SPEAKER_03: I absolutely love it.
39:02
SPEAKER_04: Well, that's the space that we want to occupy for sure.
39:05
SPEAKER_04: And to your point, people are turning toward more clinically proven brands, and that's where I was coming from as a consumer, is I was frustrated, like you were just saying, about lack of efficacy.
39:15
SPEAKER_04: I've tried hundreds of products.
39:16
SPEAKER_04: Um, I really started getting into skincare when I was 15.
39:19
SPEAKER_04: My mom, thank you, mom, really told me um to get into skincare and protecting my skin from the sun from a very young age because she had a hard time with skin cancer and still does.
39:30
SPEAKER_04: So that's been a part of my worldview for a long time.
39:32
SPEAKER_04: I've tried hundreds of products since I was 15.
39:34
SPEAKER_04: I'm 33 now.
39:36
SPEAKER_04: I can probably name four or five different products that I go back to over and over and that I have on auto ship because they actually work.
39:43
SPEAKER_04: There's that's all the money, you know, all the time, energy, and loyalty as a customer that I put into brands that really weren't delivering for me for the past like 15 to 18 years.
39:54
SPEAKER_04: So it was just wild.
39:56
SPEAKER_04: And so people really do deserve better than that.
39:59
SPEAKER_04: And the story that I'll share briefly that represents this perfectly is I was at Target one time picking up a moisturizer because again, you you can find really good moisturizers that don't necessarily have to be very expensive.
40:10
SPEAKER_04: But I was in the skincare aisle at Target and this woman came up behind me and she said, Oh, just pick one.
40:15
SPEAKER_04: None of them work anyway.
40:16
SPEAKER_04: And she picked up a product and she went and she spent her money on it.
40:20
SPEAKER_04: That's I think people are used to experiencing.
40:23
SPEAKER_04: I hope it works, not I know it works.
40:26
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's how we're going to be creating a heritage product with Genesis um with beta stem six in there, because people will be able to know reliably this works for me.
40:37
SPEAKER_03: That's crazy.
40:38
SPEAKER_03: I can't believe she said that.
40:40
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, that's so that's so true.
40:43
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
40:44
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's everywhere.
40:45
SPEAKER_04: You'll you'll hear it at Sephora, you'll hear it everywhere.
40:48
SPEAKER_04: It's just there's a lot of really fun products.
40:51
SPEAKER_04: People are encouraged to buy them because they look really beautiful.
40:54
SPEAKER_04: And I'm a sucker for good packaging.
40:56
SPEAKER_04: So like I understand that.
40:57
SPEAKER_04: But at the end of the day, we want our products to work.
41:00
SPEAKER_03: I mean, you also have great packaging, though, let's be real.
41:02
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
41:03
SPEAKER_04: I really loved our designer.
41:05
SPEAKER_04: And um, what you see on that packaging is actually a human stem cell.
41:10
SPEAKER_04: So the things that kind of look like little bubbles that are that's our nod uh to what we're doing with beta stem six.
41:16
SPEAKER_04: And I'm not sure if you had noticed, but on the side, we actually have Braille included on our packaging.
41:21
SPEAKER_03: I did notice, and I freaking fell in love as soon as I saw that.
41:26
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
41:26
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
41:27
SPEAKER_04: That that really was part of our effort at making this very accessible and human-centric.
41:33
SPEAKER_04: That, you know, my my own experience with disability opened my eyes to how inaccessible most of the world still is, even after the passage of the ADA.
41:41
SPEAKER_04: And so we have a long way to go.
41:43
SPEAKER_04: And as a founder, it's really important to me to use my perspective and what I've experienced in life to make the beauty industry more um more accessible to more people.
41:51
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
41:52
SPEAKER_03: And I completely I can't, you know, salute you enough for that.
41:56
SPEAKER_03: I I remember when I first got the product, I was like, oh my gosh, she's got the whole explanation in in Braille.
42:02
SPEAKER_03: And I was like, this is amazing.
42:04
SPEAKER_03: I've never seen a brand do this before.
42:06
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
42:06
SPEAKER_03: Like that's it's just so like in sync with your with your vision, you know what I mean, of what the product really represents, which is what you said.
42:14
SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, it's science, guys.
42:16
SPEAKER_03: It's accessible, accessible science.
42:19
SPEAKER_03: There should never be a product that someone can't utilize because they don't know what it is.
42:25
SPEAKER_03: You're there should never be that that we should never have that as a problem.
42:32
SPEAKER_04: And it's easy to fix.
42:33
SPEAKER_04: That that's the thing.
42:34
SPEAKER_04: It took us less than a week to figure out how to do this and to find someone uh to pay to create that for us, and it's not very expensive to put on the box.
42:42
SPEAKER_04: And um, so I hope it becomes industry standard.
42:44
SPEAKER_04: That's that's part of my hope is that we you know start fostering more of a conversation about including more people.
42:50
SPEAKER_04: And the beauty industry is changing in that regard.
42:53
SPEAKER_04: I I'm really excited to see that that we're seeing more diversity, different uh gender expressions being present, and you know, influencers being paid, that it's not just 20-year-old white women anymore.
43:05
SPEAKER_04: It includes a higher demographic.
43:07
SPEAKER_04: I love that we're seeing different ages too.
43:09
SPEAKER_04: That's one of the things that we're going to be branching out into as a brand as well.
43:13
SPEAKER_04: You can be beautiful at every single age.
43:15
SPEAKER_04: And so the idea that there's this very narrow window of time where you get to be included is just BS and it's old and outdated and really misogynistic, too.
43:25
SPEAKER_04: It's time for it to go.
43:27
SPEAKER_03: I completely wholeheartedly agree with you.
43:30
SPEAKER_03: And you know, it it when you were talking, I was just thinking about this because I had a friend a long time ago, and this uh I prom like this is an interesting story because it really links to what you said, and she was blind, you know, and um by birth.
43:44
SPEAKER_03: And the thing is, she said something to me, and it to this day stays with me, and it stayed with me through my medical training, it's here now in my practice.
43:53
SPEAKER_03: And she said, uh, what people don't understand is that blind people uh are not uh we're not.
44:00
SPEAKER_03: Less off, you know, we just feel all of our senses more the other senses more.
44:05
SPEAKER_03: So when they touch their like, you know, for if a person who can't see can feel more than we do because we have vision, imagine how they feel when they touch their skin.
44:15
SPEAKER_03: It must be a completely different, you know what I mean, experience.
44:18
SPEAKER_03: And you know what I mean?
44:19
SPEAKER_03: And it's like so to be able to create a product like this and then make it so accessible, and then someone who, you know, who might be in that situation can understand what you've created and then utilize it and then feel, I mean, that's that's a whole different level of serving humanity.
44:35
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
44:36
SPEAKER_03: Like that's really, really great.
44:37
SPEAKER_03: And I I love that.
44:38
SPEAKER_03: And I love how much thought you put into it.
44:40
SPEAKER_03: I mean, I just it's genuine, okay?
44:42
SPEAKER_03: It's genuine.
44:43
SPEAKER_03: And that's what I don't see enough of anymore, you know, in the beauty industry.
44:47
SPEAKER_03: We all grew up, you know, reading magazines, we all grew up and consuming beauty products, and you know, and brands and marketing teams love shouting from the rooftops about accessibility, sustainability, all these things.
44:57
SPEAKER_03: But really, like how many people do you know that are actually genuinely doing the right thing with that?
45:03
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
45:03
SPEAKER_03: Like there's maybe a handful of brands I can think of, you know, and so it's like a very, very big milestone that you've created here.
45:10
SPEAKER_03: And I I really again, you know, you're setting the bar.
45:14
SPEAKER_03: You're setting this bar very high.
45:16
SPEAKER_03: And I'm really happy to see that you're doing that.
45:18
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
45:19
SPEAKER_04: I appreciate that.
45:20
SPEAKER_04: I was really inspired by my family, actually.
45:23
SPEAKER_04: I'm very fortunate to come from people who worked really hard, created incredible things for themselves, and then shared their wealth, literally, with other people.
45:32
SPEAKER_04: And their success benefited not just themselves, but other people.
45:36
SPEAKER_04: Everything was very values-oriented.
45:38
SPEAKER_04: And so I, from a little girl, I had that experience of watching people who are older than me do the right thing.
45:45
SPEAKER_04: And so that's been in the back of my mind since I knew that I wanted to put a company together is how can I bring something forward that's really different, that actually meets a need for people?
45:55
SPEAKER_04: It's differentiated and at the same time does good for the community because we have such an opportunity as business owners to change the world.
46:03
SPEAKER_04: We really get to define a lot of the conversations that people are having.
46:07
SPEAKER_04: And so we get, we decide what we are contributing to the conversation?
46:11
SPEAKER_04: Is it more of the same or are we pushing the envelope?
46:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, 100%.
46:16
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
46:17
SPEAKER_03: And it's an everyday decision that you have to make.
46:20
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, 100% agree with you.
46:22
SPEAKER_03: You know, and I on that note, I really want you to speak to our audience because um, you know, going through something that's very, very difficult in your life and challenging and really facing an adversity and coming out from that, I would love for you to comment on that and and and give advice because I think there's not enough people out there that are able to share that perspective.
46:43
SPEAKER_03: So I would love for you to give some like advice to the entrepreneurs out there who feel like, you know what I mean, something in their life has hindered them or, you know, they're going through something and they have to come out of it.
46:52
SPEAKER_04: Hmm.
46:53
SPEAKER_04: I appreciate you asking that.
46:55
SPEAKER_04: You know, it's interesting because I haven't had somebody to call about this, especially my first year when I was starting to put this together.
47:03
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know anybody else who was a brain trauma survivor that I could call and say, honestly, how the hell are you doing this?
47:09
SPEAKER_04: How are you balancing your health and starting a company and trying to hire the right people and trying to stay on top of the sheer number of emails that you're getting every day?
47:18
SPEAKER_04: How are you doing it?
47:19
SPEAKER_04: I've had to do that by myself.
47:21
SPEAKER_04: And that's one of the reasons why I was motivated to share my story is I don't want people to feel alone because entrepreneurship is difficult.
47:29
SPEAKER_04: I think people sort of make martyrs out of themselves a little bit with the entrepreneurship thing.
47:34
SPEAKER_04: Like it's it's awful.
47:35
SPEAKER_04: Like it's so, so hard.
47:36
SPEAKER_04: It's challenging, but it's also so much fun.
47:39
SPEAKER_04: So, you know, I want to shed a light on how wonderful it can be as well.
47:44
SPEAKER_04: I have autonomy over my life that I wouldn't have otherwise had.
47:47
SPEAKER_04: So I'm very, very glad that I've pursued this.
47:49
SPEAKER_04: But I would say, like, reach out to people around you.
47:52
SPEAKER_04: And in sharing my own story, I'll tell you, I woke up to two LinkedIn messages today and four voicemails from people saying, I heard a recent interview with you where you were talking about your traumatic brain injury.
48:04
SPEAKER_04: I've never heard someone talk about that.
48:06
SPEAKER_04: I have a disability, my child has a disability, or I take care of somebody else in my family who has one, and I've never heard anybody talk about it before.
48:13
SPEAKER_04: And that was proof to me just this morning that I'm on the right track because it was a conscious decision for me to share this.
48:20
SPEAKER_04: It's very personal and it was very, very difficult and traumatic to overcome.
48:25
SPEAKER_04: But to me, I got to the point in my life where it felt like this is worth it to share it with others and honestly to make myself vulnerable by opening up about this kind of thing, because I want other people when they start a company to say, I did have someone to talk to, I did have somebody to call because they decided to share their story.
48:44
SPEAKER_04: I would also say, do not disqualify yourself.
48:47
SPEAKER_04: The world will try to do that for you.
48:50
SPEAKER_04: I mean, the number of times that someone has said, oh, you have a TBI, not necessarily around skincare and the company, but in other aspects of my life and have written me off of like, oh, she can't do it, or I wouldn't trust that she'd be the right person for X, Y, and Z.
49:05
SPEAKER_04: We have a perspective.
49:07
SPEAKER_04: If you have a chronic illness or a disability, you are bringing a different perspective to the world that builds value that nobody else can build.
49:15
SPEAKER_04: So I would really encourage you to look at that as an asset.
49:18
SPEAKER_04: It's not easy to do.
49:20
SPEAKER_04: I have daily management of my health that I have to take care of.
49:23
SPEAKER_04: And that can be a bit of a lonely road.
49:25
SPEAKER_04: It's definitely challenging, but I wouldn't change anything that I had done.
49:30
SPEAKER_04: I'm so glad that I've been honest about my situation as well because it helped me attract not just the right investors, but the right team members who've been incredibly supportive of me.
49:39
SPEAKER_04: So there are ways to do it.
49:41
SPEAKER_04: It can take a little bit more doing, it can take a while to find the right people.
49:45
SPEAKER_04: But once you do, it's it's a treasure, really, because I've gotten people walking this path with me who really believe in me.
49:53
SPEAKER_04: And that's honestly helped me heal a lot emotionally from the experiences that I've had.
49:58
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
49:59
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
50:01
SPEAKER_03: You need to be like a motivational speaker, I feel for real.
50:04
SPEAKER_03: No, because you're so genuine.
50:06
SPEAKER_03: And I absolutely love everything you said.
50:08
SPEAKER_03: And I, gosh, you know, I I I'm just almost speechless because it's so accurate and I love it.
50:14
SPEAKER_03: And I hope everyone listening out there, you know, you really got the message that Michael is saying.
50:20
SPEAKER_03: And I uh, you know, I can't stress enough how important it is to build that community, like she mentioned.
50:25
SPEAKER_03: I mean, you it it's a very powerful thing to have a support system, you know, and it's a very powerful thing to find your own tribe, you know, and and so I really love everything you said, Michael.
50:37
SPEAKER_03: And I am a huge fan of everything you're doing.
50:41
SPEAKER_03: You are really truly a visionary, and I cannot wait to see what you know the skincare brand comes out with next.
50:47
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, for everyone listening, I'm genuinely telling you from the bottom of my heart, you know, Scouts Honor.
50:55
SPEAKER_03: This line is phenomenal, you guys.
50:58
SPEAKER_03: Like I'm talking next level of skincare.
51:01
SPEAKER_03: This isn't just your average serum.
51:03
SPEAKER_03: This isn't just another hyaluronic.
51:06
SPEAKER_03: No, this is a serum that is built to reprogram your skin to be as beautiful as it can be.
51:13
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
51:14
SPEAKER_03: To work as it was designed to work.
51:17
SPEAKER_03: So I want you guys to start thinking along those lines when you're investing in your skin health, when you're investing in things that, you know, are going to make you feel better, not only the way you look, but you know, your consumer habits too.
51:28
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
51:29
SPEAKER_03: So it's like it, it's a really, really important thing that we all have to do this kind of self-reflection about and figure out what is good for us.
51:36
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, the my goal on Screen Care Anarchy is always to give you guys options.
51:40
SPEAKER_03: And I and I can guarantee you that this is one of the best options we've had on the show.
51:45
SPEAKER_03: So I really encourage you guys to check out the brand.
51:48
SPEAKER_03: I will be tagging everything in the concept art for this episode.
51:50
SPEAKER_03: And Michael, you are amazing.
51:52
SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for the honor of coming on my show and for you know, for educating me and our entire audience.
51:59
SPEAKER_03: It's truly an honor to have hosted you and to have chatted with you.
52:04
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
52:04
SPEAKER_04: This has been such a lovely conversation.
52:06
SPEAKER_04: I really appreciate the opportunity.
52:08
SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much.
52:11
SPEAKER_03: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
52:14
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52:19
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53:02
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53:19
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