Every month we talk to a different business owner behind a sustainable business. These brands are inspiring and they’re growing – we call that blooming – and we are lucky enough to share their stories with you. You can read all of these on the Brands that Bloom Series Page!
This month, we have a two-fer! Olamide and Claudia saw a problem, and found a solution for it together! They started Topicals – a highly researched, SUPER trendy skin care brand.
Interview with the Topicals Squad
Tell us a little bit about you and about the spark behind Topicals!
We both grew up with skin conditions (Claudia had severe eczema, Olamide had post-barbae folliculitis) and we never found a brand that resonated with us.
So we always felt embarrassed about our skin conditions and used to hide our ointments because they made us feel like outsiders. We made Topicals to help transform the way people feel about skin by making the treatment experience more like self-care rather than a burdensome ritual.
We want to take the focus off of having “perfect” skin and put the onus on having “funner flare-ups”.
Your formulas are super based in skin science and Topicals is also very trendy with packaging! Talk about finding that balance and how you see the brand growing!
When you have a visible skin condition, you grow up using prescription products that are usually kept under your bathroom sink. We wanted to design products that you could showcase right alongside all of your favorite brands on your shelf.
Our goal is to always be where our customers are. This can be online, in store, or in a different country. We’d love to partner with others that allow us to do that.
We will also continue to transform the way people feel about skin through products, experiences, and social impact!
Topicals products are incredibly high quality – and you only have a few. Are you planning on expanding the line? Tell us how you choose the next product you’ll create!
At Topicals, we get excited about skin conditions and categories that the beauty industry has ignored.
Our goal is to create products and experiences for our community that innovate in taboo categories.
What do you find the most challenging aspect of growing a business online?Â
Fundraising during an economic downturn is extremely difficult because no one knows how long it will last or how bad it will be. On top of that, I’m a 23 year old Black woman so the stats were not in my favor to begin with. I faced my fair share of bias from investors, but ultimately my background and my unique insights into the category got investors excited enough to back Topicals’ vision.
Anything else you think may be important/useful for readers to know about growing a business? Any words of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs out there?
Develop a unique insight and learn to storytell around the fact that you are the best person to bring this idea to life. Successful businesses are built around intuitive knowledge of an under tapped category.
How to Follow Topicals Skin Care
To find out more about Topicals as a brand, check out their website: mytopicals.com OR you can give them a follow on instagram @mytopicals!!
