logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
1h 18m

Hero Cosmetics: Ju Rhyu and Dwight Lee

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode
The company behind the blockbuster acne fighter, Mighty Patch, was launched in 2017 with a single product sold exclusively on Amazon. It was inspired by similar patches Ju Rhyu had seen while living in Korea. Ju struggled with breakouts herself, and when she tried a patch and saw how well they worked, she was inspired to tailor a patch for the U.S. market. S ... Show More
Up next
Oct 29
Advice Line with Tope Awotona of Calendly
Today’s callers: Dominic in London faces challenges with profitability and scaling for his foldable bike helmet. Then, Ivana in Vancouver wonders how to maintain the momentum of her pet gear brand as she prepares for the arrival of her first child. Danny in South Carolina wants t ... Show More
1 h
Oct 26
FIGS: Trina Spear and Heather Hasson. The $2.5 Billion Scrubs Brand That Investors Said Would Never Work
Heather Hasson and Trina Spear saw an opportunity nobody else seemed to notice: millions of healthcare workers were spending long days in uncomfortable, ill-fitting scrubs. So they set out to reinvent them. Heather was a designer with almost no money. To join her, Trina left a pr ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 23
Advice Line with Seth Berkowitz of Insomnia Cookies
Today’s callers: Kahindo from New York is looking to reboot her African-rooted fashion brand after losing a few key retailers. Then Tara from San Diego considers avenues to educate consumers about the benefits of her wool sauna hats. And Carol from Houston wonders whether to mark ... Show More
43m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
581: Bootstrapping a $1M Direct to Consumer E-Commerce Brand as a Side Hustle
Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem. As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them. Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their o ... Show More
37m 4s
Dec 2023
Ju Rhyu Had A $630MM Exit. Is She Happy Now?
<p>It&#39;s one of the biggest, most remarkable exits I&#39;m aware of in ecommerce: in 2022, Hero Cosmetics sold for $630M.</p> <p>So in this episode, I brought Hero&#39;s co-founder and former CEO, Ju Rhyu, on to the show to talk about how in the world they accomplished such a ... Show More
43m 50s
Sep 2023
Behind-the-Scenes of a Brand Acquisition With Ju Rhyu of Hero Cosmetics
Ever wonder what it’s like to sell your beauty brand for hundreds of millions of dollars? Same. Ju Rhyu, co-founder of Hero Cosmetics, which was acquired in 2022 for $630 million, is on the pod to shed some light on the recent Naturium M&A news, what really goes down when your co ... Show More
42m 30s
Jan 2021
How the co-CEOs of Glow Recipe found creativity (and heritage) in skincare
Since launching their first line of products in 2017, Sarah Lee and Christine Chang’s skincare brand Glow Recipe has been a driving force in the Korean beauty wave, particularly in the US—and it’s not hard to see why. From their colorful packaging to alluring scents, Glow Recipe’ ... Show More
32m 12s
May 2021
011: From Redundancy To $19k ONE MONTH After Launch: Korean Beauty, Micro-Influencers, And The Manufacturing Challenge
Elita Gluscevic and Stephanie Turzi had an incredible product idea, but suddenly found themselves feeling a little overwhelmed and unsure of where to go next. With a background in marketing and graphic design, the friends knew they wanted to launch a chin-lifting mask based on a ... Show More
41 m
Dec 2022
Beauty Costs: Why is Korean skincare so popular?
In today’s episode of our Beauty Costs series, we’re looking at a part of the beauty world that’s worth over ten billion dollars.K-beauty is one of South Korea’s biggest exports, and in the last couple of years it’s overtaken the United States in becoming the world’s second bigge ... Show More
17m 29s
Jan 2025
Clean Beauty to $228M: Tower 28's Amy Liu on Scaling a Sensitive Skin Empire
Today I am joined by the amazing founder and CEO of Tower 28 beauty, Amy Liu! Amy is a badass woman creating phenomenal products for those with even the most sensitive skin and is always working to connect and uplift the AAPI community. Amy and I chatted all about the start of To ... Show More
53m 14s
Apr 2019
112: Starting a Business & Pressing Reset on the Skincare Industry w/ Liah Yoo
<p>The beauty and skincare industry thrives on “more”: buy more products, put more on your skin, and – if they don't work – use them more often. Today's guest is Liah Yoo, a beauty influencer and CEO of KraveBeauty: a skincare brand that sells “less”. Through her YouTube channel ... Show More
43m 32s
Jan 2023
Why L.A. Had the Right Ingredients for a Wellness-Inspired Skin Care Brand
<p>Youth to the People is famous for its nature-meets-science skin care products, often incorporating ingredients like superfoods and antioxidants. On this episode of <i>Shopify on Location in Los Angeles</i>, founder Greg Gonzalez shares his story, from his grandmother’s skin ca ... Show More
26m 50s
Sep 2020
Katie Rodan + Kathy Fields: Serial Skin-Care Entrepreneurs
Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, co-founders of skincare treatment Proactiv and their namesake brand, Rodan + Fields, tell WSJ's Veronica Dagher what they've learned about partnership and building companies. 
25m 43s