Normally, an pimples emergency is nothing to be pleased about, but Ju Rhyu attributes her almost overnight business success to just a few bad breakouts.
The founding father of Hero Cosmetics, the skincare brand that guarantees to be your savior in case of pimples problems, describes her profession path as definitely not “straight and linear.” Rhyu recently said Assets It wasn’t until she was recruited for a position in Seoul, South Korea, that she got here up with an enormous business idea: to launch a skincare line that focused on a positive approach to pesky pimples.
The Mighty Patch allows wearers to embrace their spots and overcome the shame that sometimes comes with a nasty breakout. The small patches – about 1/2 inch in diameter – are transparent, allowing wearers to cover their blemishes at night and even in public. They’re a discreet alternative to other acne-covering solutions, similar to makeup, which may draw more attention to the face.
“I always joke that I worked for some of the biggest brands in the world – Kraft Foods, Mondelez, American Express and Samsung Electronics – and then eventually started an independent skincare brand,” she said.
When 35-year-old Rhyu was working in corporate marketing for Fortune 500 giant Samsung, she was affected by a series of bad skin rashes when she noticed something strange: Her colleagues were wearing hydrocolloid patches directly on their faces — within the office.
Confused, Rhyu asked why her colleagues were so overtly wearing Band-Aid-like squares and rectangles on their cheeks and chins, something she had never seen within the United States. Her easy explanation? They were attempting to tame a pimple.
“I went to a pharmacy, tried one, and it changed my skincare routine because it worked so much better than anything I had used before,” she recalled. “I put it on at night and by the morning all the dirt was out.”
This mucus – a mix of bacteria and dead white blood cells – is usually the explanation why pimples on the face are so noticeable. Being in a position to eliminate it overnight is crucial for many who struggle with pimples, because it often results in negative effects on self-esteem.
This experience was the beginning of the young entrepreneur’s “education” in skincare. After trying “each option for pimples relief – including dermatologists, toothpaste, and sticky pink creams – Rhyu got down to revolutionize skincare and began with the patch department.
Rhyu leveraged her entrepreneurial background and commenced working along with her two co-founders to develop a technique to bring her idea to market.
“One of the consumer behaviors I noticed was that the hydrocolloid patch format had actually been around for quite a long time, but they were on the patch shelf,” she said. “Back then, there was nothing in the beauty section.”
In 2017, the trio decided to construct their company on their very own by raising $50,000 of their very own money slightly than in search of investors—something that “went very against the grain” on the time. However, after the successful launch of the Mighty Patch on Amazon—which sold out its initial inventory in only 90 days—Ryhu and her team were ready for mainstream success.
By 2022, the brand had sales of over $100 million and agreed to be acquired by Arm & Hammer, Nair and OxiClean parent company Church & Dwight 630 million US dollars.
“I never thought Hero would be as successful as we are,” said Rhyu.
Exposure to cultures across the globe not only inspired Rhyu’s business, but was also a continuing theme throughout her time as CEO of Hero Cosmetics. After leaving Seoul in 2014, Rhyu eventually moved to Paris for six years, where she continued to run her New York City-based business.
“I’ve traveled a lot over the last six to seven years,” she said. “When I lived in Paris, I was in Paris for three weeks and in New York for one week, so I was definitely a professional.”
The CEO recently decided to return to the US and settle in Los Angeles. Although she still lives in a unique time zone than Hero’s headquarters, she isn’t any less dedicated.
She says her key just isn’t work-life balance, but work-life integration.
“It’s really just about finding a schedule that works for you. It’s different for everyone,” she said. “I don’t think we can expect anyone to be online 24/7.”
The founder gave Assets an exclusive insight into their day by day routine, which begins early at 6 a.m.
Good skincare also includes good nutrition
6:00 am: As soon as she wakes up, breakfast is Rhyu’s first priority, “no matter what.” Her typical morning meal consists of two eggs and a chunk of toast, together with a cup of coffee. After breakfast, she completes her morning skincare routine, which incorporates a fast rinse with water, followed by a vitamin C serum and sunscreen.
Since the workday has already began for her colleagues in New York, Rhyu goes to her desk and immediately dives into work, reading emails and preparing for the day.
8:00 Am: Now that he’s had enough caffeine and caught up on the day’s news, Rhyu begins making Zoom calls with colleagues that modify from daily.
“Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, I could have between three and five meetings a day,” she said, adding that Mondays and Fridays are “much clearer.”
12:00 Clock: Around noon, Rhyu takes a lunch break, a meal that she all the time likes to organize herself.
Unless the CEO has meetings, she uses the time after lunch to deal with skilled or personal matters.
“This is the time when I think,” she says, adding that she often reserves this time for tasks which might be “a little more tedious, but for which I have the time and peace of mind to focus.”
3:00 Clock: After lunch, Rhyu goes to work out with a private trainer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The entrepreneur recently bought a reformer Pilates machine that she uses on her days off.
“I try to incorporate walks because we live in LA and the weather is really great,” she said.
6:00 Clock: After completing the remainder of her workday, Rhyu has dinner and spends time along with her husband.
“We watch Netflix or a movie,” she said. “We just try to watch something that helps us end the evening.”
As for her nightly skincare routine, Rhyu all the time double cleanses her skin (a tip she learned in Korea) using Hero’s Dissolve Away Cleansing Balm and Tatcha’s Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder. After this mix, she applies a retinol or hydrating serum.
“All in all, it takes me about five or ten minutes,” says the CEO of the skincare industry.
9.30 p.m.: The last item Rhyu does before she falls asleep? Reading just a few pages of a book, an everyday a part of her routine that helps her go to sleep.
“I try to be in bed around 9:30/10 p.m. and then fall asleep shortly after.”
