Discover the Cross-Cultural Ingredients Revolutionizing Skincare with Regelica

0:00Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Skin Anarchy. This is your host Dekta. I'm really excited to introduce you guys to a new brand today. I'm going to be hosting both of the co-founders, but I think it's really important to find options that are rooted in different cultures. And I think that's really what attracts me to the brand that we're going to be hosting today. And learning a little bit about the blend of, I guess, different cultures coming together and creating such a beautiful line. So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys, the co-founders of Rogelica Skincare. Alisa and Regina are here with us.

0:31Welcome to the show, guys. I'm so excited to host you. Thank you for having us, Ekta. It's such an honor to be here today. This is Alyssa Park. And this is Regina. So nice to meet you. We're so proud that we've been selected for your podcast. Yeah, it's wonderful. It's wonderful for me to be hosting you. Thank you for the opportunity. And I really love your products. And I think they're so wonderful because they're gentle, but really effective. And I can't wait to dive into that. If you don't mind my asking, what led you guys to create the brand? If you can walk us down memory lane a little bit.

1:03Sure. Regina and I actually met while working at a gaming company which had nothing to do with skincare but we both had shared the passion for it. We really enjoyed working together and over time we became close friends. Regina is from Eastern Europe and I'm from Korea so we have very different skin types with Regina having slavic skin and me having Asian skin. So having very different skin types. Regina often complimented me on my Asian skin, joking that Asians don't seem to age. And I've heard it from other people commenting similar things like it's hard to tell their age by their looks or Asians look so much younger than their age and so on.

1:46So this difference and this type of comments intrigued us to dig deeper to discover the science behind Asian skin. So we decided to reach out to one of top Korean skincare labs, and what we learned was so interesting. A skin morphology research found that Asian skin has a thicker dermis with higher collagen level, which makes it more resistant to wrinkles and sagging. That's why Korean and Asian skincare products heavily focus on skin barrier reinforcing formula to preserve their collagen level rather than boosting collagen. So we were inspired by Asian age-resilient skin and leveraging skin morphology research.

2:32We wanted to create a product line that marries the best of Korean and Western skincare approaches, as we truly believe that the best anti-aging results come when collagen production comes with collagen protection, with potent yet gentle ingredients. That's how Vigelica was born. Yes. And I can add on like my skin. I have a very thin slavic skin and I had issues with my skin forever. When I was a teenager, I had acne and my post acne scars won't go away. And I started like seeing fine lines and wrinkles pretty early in my late 20s. So I was truly jealous of Elisa's skin when I met her. She was in her late 40s, but her skin looked younger than mine.

3:20so as an immigrant woman here in the u.s i also love the fact that we got inspired by asian skin because you know same way we get more knowledgeable and educated by learning from different cultures it helped us to innovate with our skincare approach you know by learning from the science behind asian skin that is one of the most age resilient skin types yeah that's so fascinating to me that you guys both I mean I love that you had two different viewpoints right on skin health coming in because I feel like that's really where so many of us get lost you know I think some people gravitate more towards like one skincare type you know than other types of you know products because they resonate with the founders you know what I mean so a lot of people look at Asian brands or Asian inspired brands and they think okay well my skin is more I think similar to Asian skin you know and so I'm gonna go with these brands but then to have the universality of you know having like two different types of people come together and say no we both have like you know skin concerns and we want to figure out like that common ground that's really cool you know and yeah exactly it's like a blending of like kind of I think beauty cultures and I really love that because I mean your products to me really stand out I immediately fell in love with them especially the serum the mandelic and edelweiss renewal serum is like one of my favorites is literally on my vanity next to my next oh that's so great to hear thank you no it's i love it it's so good it's so hydrating and it really does make my it helps my pores it you know it just does so many things so i want to ask you guys about this product because i've literally fell fallen in love with it what was the you know what was your vision with this product Why did you create it this way?

5:10And can you tell us about the ingredients? So I can talk about mandelic acid as is your favorite product. Mandelic acid is truly the hidden gem of alpha hydroxy acid family. It's not much used in skincare products yet, but it has so many great benefits. First, mandelic acid is a gentlest of AHAs that include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid. Glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size, so it penetrates quickly and deeply into your skin, but it could sting and cause irritation. Mendeleg acid, on the other hand, has the largest molecular size, so it penetrates more slowly and evenly.

5:55That's why it's much gentler on the skin. In fact, studies have shown that mendeleg acid not only causes less irritation than other AHAs, but also delivers compatible anti-aging benefits like improving fine lines, wrinkles, and skin texture, as you mentioned. Secondly, mandelic acid has the ability to target multiple skin concerns. With its antibacterial properties, it makes a great option for acne-prone skin. So this type of versatility is another reason why it's so special when you're dealing with aging, hyperpigmentation, or breakouts. There are so many advantages. Third point, mandelic acid is gentle on melanin-producing cells.

6:41So it's great for deeper skin tones or people struggling with redness or darkness of their skin. So unlike glycolic acid, which can cause uneven skin tone, mandelic acid offers a safer exfoliation with much less risk of such issues. Lastly, mandelic acid is compatible with both water and oil, so it's great for both oily and dry skin. I have personally experienced dryness and irritation with AHA product, so I avoided them before using our serum, but in our formulation, we paired it with squalene to ensure it's hydrating. On top of that, since exfoliation enhances ingredient absorption, we've added powerful antioxidant to boost anti-aging benefits yes and to add on like it's not just you it's one one of our best-selling products and i think one of the reasons why it's because it's so comfortable to use right it doesn't cause any irritation it's not drying actually it's pretty hydrating thanks to the addition of squalane but since it has this potent concentration of eight percent mandelic acids you can see the results almost overnight you know everybody loves quick results and this is what you get because it's so helpful with the skin texture as you've said it helps to reduce the appearance of pores fine lines it gives you this like I call it baby smooth effect like new skin and this is what exactly what we wanted to get with this product and like the mix of mandelix acid antioxidants and hydrating ingredients is what helps us to achieve this effect yeah no I really love it for exactly those reasons was when I first tried it I mean my initial feeling with the the whole line I think it's just it's very nice because it immediately smooths skin texture um that's one of my favorite parts is that i think for me i have textured skin because i had you know acne as a teenager and like with darker skin times i think we just it's harder for us you know what i mean to get over like the whole you like you guys said like the pigmentation and then texture and then pores so for me that's always what i look for like for for the best products that fit my skin they're the ones that are going to target things like pores and texture and whatnot so for me when I tried the serum it was immediate results exactly you know as you said just now it was like I put it on and my skin literally felt like baby soft you know and yeah the best part is it gets really plumped and it it looks very hydrated even though you're using it like not overnight like you obviously overnight you're gonna have different results because you have more time for it to sit on your face you know but like even if you're busy and you're just like looking for that boost of hydration especially in the drier months and as we're coming into winter I mean this is just such a phenomenal phenomenal serum you know to have in your collection yeah so happy to hear that it's also my favorite as well as I mentioned before like I was not able to use any product with AHAs and I avoided them until like we had our serum yeah no this is really nice yeah so like my question is then how is okay so in terms of like AHAs because I've always been curious about this you know in terms of Asian skincare is it really common for acids to be utilized in Asian skincare routines I mean I'm not sure how it's because you mentioned the difference in the dermal you know layers between Asian skin and non-Asian skin.

10:26Is it something that's common in Asian cultures to have that in the skincare, like a lot of acids or some of these ingredients? It's not very common. Actually, Asian skin has many benefits. As Alyssa explained a little bit, it has higher collagen volume. So Asian skin doesn't really need this additional collagen boost, right? And many people use AHAs to help with skin cell renewal for sure but also like to boost the collagen and also asian skin has more sensitive skin barrier and like ahas can cause some of irritation and that's why like working with our korean labs it was a constant challenge because we would push for you know potent concentrations science-backed concentrations of acids and since their internal market is not looking for such concentrations and such ingredients it was you know a process with the with our labs to find the right formulations of course you know korean labs produce products globally now so there you can find some ha products but it's not very common so my friends and family like everyone is like very sensitive on potent active so that's why there are sometimes avoiding like the products with potent actives like because i think they have very sensitive skin barrier as regina mentioned they are more protecting their skin barrier with hydration deep hydration or enhancing their skin barrier so if you go to korean like a beauty store then you see a lot of like products claiming like skin barrier enhancement skin barrier protection but not really with the collagen boost or like the uh with potent actives yeah no it makes sense i mean i think that skin barrier is like it's a term that we love in the west too right i mean i think everyone's now getting more educated about skin health and the one of the biggest terms that comes up is the skin barrier and on that note i mean i i think it's interesting because the skin barrier for some reason and I don't know why it means different things to different people and you know I don't think it should you know because it's very scientific like what that is and so you know I guess one of my questions is like I know you guys have for example bakuchiol in your ingredients and I think that's really good because I'm not a huge fan of like retinol right now you know because I think it's just harsh for the skin barrier so what are your thoughts around that I mean, why did you guys want to incorporate Bacuchio rather than, you know, another vitamin A derivative?

13:10That's a great question because we love Bacuchio at Regelica. And as you've said, retinoids has been one of the primary ingredients for anti-aging skincare. And it has been used since 1970s. I think it was the right time for some innovation, right? Because as you've mentioned, many people can't tolerate retinol because of many side effects, dryness, irritation, peeling. And this is where bakutrol really shines. Bakutrol is a natural compound derived from the babchi plant that has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. but it's not until 2014 when it was truly recognized for its scientific skincare potential because there was a report published in a well-respected publication the international journal of cosmetic science showing that bakuchiol has retinol-like effects essentially it works on the same gene expression pathways as retinol but structurally it's a very different compound that allows it to mimic retinol benefits, like helps with skin density, improvement of fine line and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, but without dryness and irritation.

14:33And it was also confirmed with 2018 clinical study. There were two groups, one tried 0.5 % bacutrol and another one 0.5 % retinol. And both groups experienced the same improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, skin density. But the group that used Bacutrol products had much less dryness and irritation. So that's why it's a great news for people with sensitive skin, but also for people with weakened skin barrier. And another bonus is Bacutrol is stable under the sun. So if you want to incorporate additional anti-aging ingredients in your morning routine, you can safely do so without worrying that it will break down under the sun like retinoids do.

15:22And you can mix bakuchol with other anti-aging actives like vitamin C and glycolic acid, other AHAs. So that's why you can mix, you know, our anti-aging cream with our renewal serum and get, you know, both acids and collagen boosting ingredients in your routine. And even, you know, for people who love retinoids and see great effects, because at some point retinoids help me a lot to treat my acne. So I definitely use them. And Bacutrol has potential to stabilize retinol because it's an antioxidant too. and enhance its properties. So overall, it's a great ingredient for people with sensitive skin.

16:06But I also think it's a great product for people who want to double down on their anti-aging regimen like myself. Yeah, no, it makes sense. It really makes sense. Because it's so much gentler than what we see with retinoid products that are more conventional, I think that it's usable by everybody. You know, there's a lot of people that want to be able to get the benefits of, you know, just I think more heavily used retinoid products like retinol, retinol, you know, and the higher concentrations. But sometimes my philosophy has always been that, you know, when you're doing anything that's damaging the skin or anything, right, it's going to have an effect long term.

16:49And I'm just not a believer in, I guess, like the prescription strength retinol prescriptions that they sell. So for me, a person like me, it's a really great alternative, you know, to consider. But I would love to talk about your essence, too, because this is a really great product as well. For any of you out there that love a really good, you know, just something like an essence or toner that you can really put on your face and leave on. And, you know, I've done this many times. I remember I used to be really into like the seven skin method. I don't know if either of you, you know, remember that a few years ago.

17:21it was a big thing and they were talking a lot about the use of essence you know and toner and how it's like very different I learned a lot about it and when I tried your product it reminded me of that because it's very gentle and it's actually boosting rather than conventional toners I think that you hear about or essences that kind of strip the skin you know they're supposed to be put on like a cotton swab and you wipe them over your face this is not like that so I want to learn about this product as well, the microbiome and vitamin C immunity support essence. We're so happy to hear that you love the essence.

17:55I think that essence is like as a category is one of the most popular products in Korea, but they are not like very popular in the US yet. And I feel like it's something in between toner and serum. This is at least my interpretation of this product and i like this is my favorite product because like first of all i love quick results and i love that almost immediately you can plump your skin because it provides so much hydration hydration so your skin is immediately more plumper more glowing but also it's packed with such great ingredients so you will see long-term benefits from it as well so you have the gentle and stable forms of vitamin C that also have a good effect on hyperpigmentation, but also on acne.

18:49And you also have the microbiome complex with postbiotic ingredients that have DNA repair enzymes in them. So it helps with photo damage on your skin. So it's truly, you know, a wonderful formulation with so many great ingredients in it that helps to you know also restore the ph of your skin after cleansing so that you know your microbiome is supported and it helps other products like serums and creams penetrate better so we're really proud of this product and we're so happy that you like it too yeah it's really really unique i think but it's not too like i've tried different different types of essences I think that were supposed to be similar but nothing was like this because this is it's very light because a lot of times it can be heavy right I mean I think a lot of times when people create these kind of products they become almost like serums and they become a little heavy and I don't think that's the purpose I mean you know that my understanding it's supposed to be light supposed to be gentle so yeah this is a very unique product I really like this, you know, very much.

20:00Yeah. Yeah. The light texture was also a conscious decision. I'm sure you've heard about the glass skin effect from, you know, K-beauty brands. And like the way you achieve it is when you layer up like a few layers of essence. And that's how like you get this deep hydration and plump on your skin. So this is one of the ways you can use it. Just don't use it once. put several layers of the essence on your skin yeah that's exactly yeah that's what i was talking about was the seven skin method that's exactly it was the layering of the yeah i mean i think it's it's such a cool technique you know because it does work it works really well but this is i mean it's cool that we've come out with products like this from that you know they're really inspired and they're very they're very beneficial and you don't have to have seven layers you can use just you know regularly and you're fine so it's very cool exactly exactly so you know i love that you guys i mean i love that you guys are partners in this you know in this business and i really really love to ask our guests to give like entrepreneurship advice because i think that the beauty industry right now is just such a interesting space i think a lot of people want to create a brand create a skincare line but it's very difficult i'm sure you both know more than i do you know how difficult it can be to be entrepreneurs I'd love for you to maybe give some advice to anyone out there that you know wants to go into entrepreneurship and and what it takes and you know what was your journey and what are some things you learned from it I think it's it's definitely a challenging process like we've experienced so many challenges and as Elisa explained in the beginning our background is not from skincare and i feel like we came to this respected korean labs with some crazy ideas and it was very challenging for them to you know change the way they usually work with the skincare companies to produce the products but you know there is an advantage to it as well when you don't have too much experience in the field because it's something that helps you innovate it's something that helps you to think outside of the box and suggest something that doesn't exist on the market and like elise helped with the with this production process a lot and i know that she has some interesting case studies on that So we had like we faced very big challenges with our development partner.

22:37We partnered with one of the top Korean beauty labs that has over 100 of researchers and chemists. And we demanded to include protein ingredients with higher concentration. So like there had been so many back and forth and took extra longer time than normal development period. but it was like a challenging process but we feel that it was needed to really truly innovate the products so it was like overall we enjoyed the process but I wanted to kind of talk about working entrepreneur as a co-founders Regina and I have very different skin types and very different perspectives so when we talk about one thing we have very different opinions sometimes So we constantly kind of find the middle ground to see what's going to work for our audience and for all different skin types and so on.

23:30So it definitely helped us to kind of like differentiate our products and our brand from other brands. and we are still arguing sometimes but we we i i think i recommend other people to consider like a joint partnership or co-founder to create a new brand for for like uh with some innovative products and so on that makes sense yeah no i think sometimes we want to do things alone but i i think it's easier if you have a partner that can kind of yeah you know sometimes it's hard sometimes it's it's definitely beneficial yeah yeah I think that's that's really interesting and you know I really love your brand I think Vajelica is such a it's a breath of fresh air for me because I've been really following the K-beauty scene the J-beauty scene a lot of Asian brands you know for a long time and I I feel like sometimes it's hit or miss you know Asian inspired brands because they like you said there are differences in skin types and there are differences that we all have And so when you're picking out products, even though they're from a wonderful, beautiful cultural place, sometimes they might not resonate with you.

24:41You know what I mean? Because you don't have those same skin needs. So what I found to be very unique about Rogelica is that it really is crafted for everyone. You know, it's really crafted for just healthy skin, you know, overall. And I really experienced that, you know, from your products, especially the serum. I love the serum. I mean, it's, I think for anyone out there that's looking for that one serum, that's going to hydrate your skin, keep it, you know, gently, but, you know, effectively exfoliated all the time. This is it. Like, it's a really, really great option, you guys. So if any of you are in the market for a great new serum, definitely check it out.

25:19The whole line is beautiful. I mean, flat out. It really is. It's a wonderful, wonderful brand overall, but that's my hero product, I think, you know, for me. So check it out. let me know what you guys think that you know if you're tuning in and thank you guys so much alisa it's been wonderful to host you both thank you so much for having us acta it's been such a pleasure and honor to be in your podcast thank you and so so nice to meet you i think it's so important to educate the audience about skincare because there are still so many skincare myths and your podcast is doing a great job and we were so happy to to be included thank you so much for your kind words that means a lot and you know for everyone tuning in i hope you guys feel the same and then and you know we'll be back next time thank you so much sounds great thank you hey guys so i hope you loved that episode please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform we are available on so many different platforms so wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe.

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