We both grew up on skincare. For Charlie, we mean that in the literal sense: His parents have been making skincare and cosmetics for other brands for 30 years, like his grandfather before that. Beauty was dinner table conversation in the Denton household. Factory visits and formulas went hand in hand with  family vacations. Charlie grew up knowing that anyone can find ingredients, but the best formulators are what separates the good products from the great. 

Tracy emotionally grew up on skincare. Facing skin issues from a young age through adulthood, she became obsessive about finding out the “secrets” to great skin. As beauty brands became part of her professional life too, her obsessive curiosity gave way to a more pessimistic skepticism. In a sea of so many beauty brands, she found herself feeling like marketing and the hype were at odds with the customer’s best interests. Even in her behind the scenes view, she couldn’t seem to separate the noise from the facts. 

When we were introduced by a mutual friend in 2018, we had one common belief -- that the ‘secrets’ to great product shouldn’t be a mystery to the people who are buying them. We wanted to pull back the curtain on the industry and make better products, better conversation and a better beauty future.