Normally, an acne emergency is nothing to be thankful for, but Ju Rhyu attributes her almost overnight business success to a few bad breakouts.
The founder of skin-care brand Hero Cosmetics vows to be the savior of your acne problems, and she describes her career path as anything but “straight.” Lu recently told wealth It wasn’t until she was recruited to work in Seoul, South Korea, that she stumbled upon a big business idea: launching a skincare line focused on aggressively treating troublesome acne.
The Mighty Patch allows wearers to embrace their acne and let go of the shame often associated with severe breakouts. These small patches are approximately 0.47 inches in diameter and have a clear appearance, allowing wearers to cover blemishes at night or even in public. They are a stand-alone alternative to other acne-covering solutions, such as makeup that can draw more attention to your face.
“I always joke that I worked for some of the biggest brands in the world — Kraft Foods, Mondelēz, American Express, Samsung Electronics — and then ended up starting an independent skin care brand,” she said.
Ryu, 35, was working in corporate marketing for Fortune 500 giant Samsung and was suffering from severe acne when she noticed something strange: Her coworkers in the office were all wearing hydrocolloid patches on their faces. piece.
Confused, Rui asked why her colleagues had the audacity to put Band-Aid-like squares and rectangles on their cheeks and chins, something she had never seen in the United States. Their simple explanation? Tame acne.
“I went to a drugstore and tried one and it changed my skincare routine because it worked better than anything I’d ever used before,” she recalls. “I put it on at night and by morning all the gunk is gone.”
This gunk, a combination of bacteria and dead white blood cells, is often the cause of acne on the face. For those who suffer from acne, being able to get rid of it overnight is a game-changer, as it can often have a negative impact on self-esteem.
This experience started the young entrepreneur’s skin care “education”. After trying “every possible” method of acne relief, including dermatologists, toothpaste, and sticky pink cream, Rhyu set her sights on revolutionizing skincare, starting in the Band-Aid aisle.
Leveraging her corporate background, Ryu began working with her two co-founders to strategize how to bring her idea to market.
“One of the consumer behaviors I’ve noticed is that hydrocolloid patch forms have actually been around for quite some time, but they were on the Band-Aid aisle,” she said. “There was nothing in the beauty section.”
In 2017, the three decided to strike out on their own, pooling $50,000 in funding rather than looking for investors, which was “very counterintuitive” at the time. However, after the successful launch of Mighty Patch on Amazon (their original inventory sold out in just 90 days), Ryhu and her team were primed for mainstream success.
By 2022, the brand had sales of more than $100 million and agreed to be acquired by Church & Dwight, parent company of Arm & Hammer, Nair and OxiClean, for $630 million.
“I never thought in a million years that heroes would be as successful as we are,” Rhyu said.
Exposure to global cultures not only inspires Rhyu’s business, it’s a constant theme during her tenure as CEO of Hero Cosmetics. After leaving Seoul in 2014, Ryu eventually moved to Paris for six years, where she continued to run her New York City-based company.
“I’ve been traveling a lot for the past six to seven years,” she said. “When I lived in Paris, I spent three weeks in Paris and a week in New York, so I’m definitely a pro.”
The CEO recently decided to move back to the United States, settling in Los Angeles. While she still lives in a different time zone from Heroes HQ, that doesn’t make her any less involved.
The key for her, she says, is not work-life balance but work-life integration.
“It’s really just about finding a schedule that works for you. It’s going to be different for everyone,” she said. “I don’t think we can expect anyone to be online 24/7.”
The founder gave wealth An exclusive look at her daily routine, which begins at 6 a.m.
Good skin care with rich nutrition
6:00 am: As soon as Ruiwu wakes up, he will prioritize breakfast “no matter what”. Her typical breakfast consists of two eggs and a piece of toast with a cup of coffee. After breakfast, she completes her morning skincare routine, which includes a quick rinse with water, followed by a vitamin C serum and sunscreen.
As the work day for his colleagues in New York had already begun, Ryu walked to his desk and got straight to work, catching up on emails and getting ready for the day.
8:00 yes: Now that he’s had a lot of coffee and caught up on the day’s news, Ryu starts a Zoom call with his colleagues, which changes every day.
“Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I can have anywhere from three to five meetings a day,” she said, adding that Monday and Friday were “much clearer.”
12:00 good afternoon: At noon, Ryu breaks for lunch, she always likes to prepare a meal herself.
After lunch, if the CEO doesn’t have a meeting, she uses the time to attend to work or personal needs.
“This is when I do my thinking work,” she said, adding that she usually sets aside time to complete tasks that are “a little bit annoying, but I have time and quiet time to focus on it.”
3:00 good afternoon: After lunch, Ryu goes out to exercise with a personal trainer every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The entrepreneur recently purchased a Pilates reformer, which she uses on her days off.
“I try to incorporate walking into it because we live in Los Angeles and the weather is really nice,” she said.
6:00 afternoon: After finishing the rest of the day’s work, Ryu eats dinner and spends time with her husband.
“We’ll cancel Netflix, or we’ll cancel a movie,” she said. “We just try to watch something that helps us relax at night.”
As for her nighttime skincare routine, Rhyu always double-cleanses with Hero’s Dissolve Away Cleansing Balm and Tatcha’s Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder (a trick she learned in Korea). She combines this combo with retinol or a hydrating serum.
“All in all, it probably takes me five to 10 minutes,” the skincare executive said.
9:30pm: The last thing Ryu does before falling asleep? Reading a few pages is a staple in her daily routine and helps her doze off.
“I try to go to bed around 9:30/10pm and fall asleep shortly after.”
