Inside Indeed Labs and Their Innovative Solutions for Skin Health

0:02Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Care Anarchy. This is your host Ekta. I'm so excited about the brand we are hosting today because I really believe in you know just tried and true brands that have been around they've seen the industry and you know this week.

0:30And I think the lineup that we are looking at with Indeed Labs, which is the brand we're hosting today, they're really great. So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the founder of the brand, Dimitra Davidson. Welcome to the show, Dimitra. I'm so excited to host you. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm excited to speak to you today. Yeah, I'd love to get started because, you know, I know you come from a very unique background. You did some shifting in your career focus, and I'd love to learn what got you interested in the beauty industry and what made you want to come on over and kind of innovate in the space?

1:05Yeah, that's a great question. Thank you. I did start off my early career in finance. I have a background, studied the Bachelor of Commerce here at U of T in Toronto. And I thought I was going to be a stockbroker early on. I came, I was trying to put myself through school and I was working in the banking world and I loved it. I was always pretty strong with numbers, thought I was going to stay in that industry. But sadly, when I came out, and this is a long time ago, I'm going to age myself here. But there was a recession, and it was very difficult to find work in that field. So as you know, lots of student debt, I needed to pay my debts off.

1:41And I was just going to accept a job to get myself my career going. I started working in luxury goods, I ran corporate sales for Tiffany Company Canada, actually, that was one of their first stores outside of the US. And it was an unbelievable company to work for at the time. So I had a background in finance, shifted to retail. And then at some point, I went back to school, and I studied for an HR specialist. And at that time, I was a young mom, I have three daughters, and I was trying to figure out what's the next thing for me. And I love that I had a passion to help people and help grow teams of people and help to inspire people in business.

2:29And so I started consulting, doing some consulting work. And through that journey, I met my initial founding partner. And together, I had a need and together we launched Indeed Labs. Wow, I love that you came from that, because I think that, you know, in terms of like beauty, it's very unique to see like how different people approach it. And I feel like when you come from a different field it's like you're not in the industry your whole life so like you have this new outlook you know and I love seeing that some of the best brands I've tried and I fell in love with are from people who come from I mean a lot of them do come from a finance background believe it or not because I don't know I don't know what it is but you know that's really cool I wanted to ask you you know in terms of like the beauty industry at large right like I feel like everybody looks at it differently than we just discussed but what was the really the white space that you saw you know, when you wanted to enter the space, especially within the skincare industry that made you want to innovate and make products here?

3:30Yeah, I mean, definitely in my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined that I would be in the skincare business. If you could think back 2008, when we were conceptualizing this brand, you know, indie, smaller brands, independent brands were not coming into the industry, especially not in mass market, the way we did. I was a young mom, my youngest daughter at the time, she was really little, six months old, I had some melasma hypopigmentation, I went to my dermatologist, he prescribed hydroquinone, I had started really paying attention to my health in a holistic way, being a young mom, I was looking at what I was eating, how I was living.

4:14And so I was very intrigued by this ingredient, I didn't want to use it, not knowing if, you know, if it's going to be too strong, is it safe to use? So I started looking it up. And I realized that hydroquinone didn't sound as safe as it presented itself. My dermatologist said here, just use this. And so naturally, as a young mom, I was afraid to use it because I was maybe still nursing at the time. And so I thought there has to be a different solution. So I went to the drugstore, where I bought my children's diapers. And I said, Do you have something that can help with this? And the beauty advisors at the time, they hadn't been trained on ingredients, what became very obvious to me at the time was that, really, if you weren't a dermatologist, and you're a regular consumer, or anybody working in the field, it was really hard to know what ingredients actually did what, and I just wanted results.

5:14And so when I was asking questions that I was being asked when I was looking for product to help me was what's your skin type? Is it combination? Is it dry? Do you want to use this three step system? But I could never really get an answer as to how I was going to treat this problem I had. And it was very serendipitous because I was a young mom with a need. And I met somebody at the time who actually had started doing a deep dive themselves from a different perspective and said, well, why don't consumers know what ingredients are in products? And are they safe to use? And also, I had bought products that were$200.

5:56And as a young mom, that was a lot of money for me to spend, as well as products that were$30, and none of them seemed to work. So I felt like I, I didn't think I honestly never thought let's start a skincare brand. I was just a consumer. When I met this individual, I said, Well, can we kind of mix something up for me? All I cared about was, can I fix this problem was making me feel really bad about myself. And so together, the idea so my needs, and this vision were kind of married and indeed labs was born and all of those different elements factored into the ethos of the brand i was a real person i wanted real results that was our caption real people real results i wanted to know what ingredients were in my products because none of the products i was buying really led with an ingredient i wanted those ingredients to work so it wasn't enough to actually have an ingredient in there.

6:54I wanted to know, did that ingredient meet my need, my specific needs. And I started to realize, even in just serving different people, asking them, how can I fix this, that everybody's needs were different, and everybody's skin was different. So we launched this brand, which was very much a problem solution brand, because everybody's skin was different. And it was difficult at the beginning, when we launched, I couldn't convince people to use hyaluronic acid because the word acid was so scary to them. Yeah, I remember that. I remember they were like, I'm not using that. Right. And, and then, and I can't tell you how many years it took for us to evolve from that same question that everybody asked me.

7:42well like what steps like you know what's the moisturizer what's the and to this day and in fairness of course people want ease they don't want a complicated daily routine but everybody's skin is different and it'll always be different and our needs are different and in fact as you know our own individual needs change from day to day so my communication to our consumers now is trust yourself to tell you what your needs are. Your skin will talk to you. You just need to listen and trust your own intuition. Absolutely. And I'm, you know, I'm really kind of glad we're having this conversation because you brought up hydroquinone, you know, you mentioned it.

8:27And it's so interesting you bring that up because I trained in allopathic medicine as well. And I understand the role that, you know, prescriptions play in our lives and, and all that stuff. Right. But here's what I don't understand is like when it comes to skin health, there's just so many like the drugs that are out there, like FDA approved like options are genuinely not safe in pregnancy. Like they're just really not like hydroquinone. I mean, for anyone listening, it's category C, you know, and it's not. It's very heavily absorbed, you know, in your skin. Like it's really like it's not safe.

9:03And so the idea is that if we have these, and it's a very old drug, mind you, you know, it's very old, like the actual drug itself. So what that leads me to just kind of, you know, think is, well, why aren't we adopting these, like, you know, newer, like ways of treatment, I guess you could say, you know, and that's where the skincare industry is so fascinating. And I mean, indeed, labs, when you founded it, nobody was really doing much with skincare back then, right? I mean, I'm sure you didn't see it a lot. I mean, I know I wasn't into it that much, like as a consumer. So it just makes me think like, you know, that's really, I mean, just the evolution, right, of the space must have been so interesting for you to watch, you know, from that perspective of like, here's something that's not safe for you.

9:47And here you are trying to create something that is safe, you know, and bring it right. Right. And I was scared. Let me tell you, I was scared. I think the number one question that I was asked very early on that used to scare me was, are you a chemist? How can you be doing this? People were suspicious. Well, I don't need to be the chemist. Unlike some indie brands, again, budgets are restricted as a new brand owner. We built a lab and hired scientists right away. So we've always known that the science of our products would be important for us. We had our own in-house scientist from the get-go.

10:28He's still here to this day. The science of the products and those ingredients and that integrity of the ingredients was so important to me because like I said, I was afraid to use this, you know, hydroquinone. I was afraid to use that. I didn't want to put products in market ever unless really understanding. But that's the point is the evolution in this industry. There's so much more information that is available to us today. You probably know this though as well, that a lot of it still gets swept under the carpet. Yeah, a lot. A lot of it gets swept under the carpet. My latest is benzoyl peroxide, but I can talk to you about my journey with that in a minute.

11:12and we still keep going and there's better solutions out there it's crazy better solutions it's crazy we are yes and we are here to change that i'm here to change that i want to change that so i think you know that we just launched our acne system which doesn't use any harmful ingredients and the clinicals on it are just as strong as anything else in the market in this category and it doesn't use benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid it doesn't break down your skin's microbiome so it can be done yeah the question is why are we not being held accountable that's the question right so exactly we we launched to do it we launched to make a difference we really did and i have never i was i obviously took pride in my parents cared for my skin i really wanted to feel good always as a young consumer.

12:12I was a fashion girl. I came from luxury goods, retail. I wanted jewelry and fashion. I thought that that was if I was ever going to leave the finance world and be my own boss, I was going to do it in fashion. I never ever expected to be in beauty. But I do realize today that this was my calling. I was meant to be here. yeah 61 awards later right all the signs in the universe so yeah thank you no I mean honestly it's it's a beautiful thing that you've made this brand from such a genuine place like I really want to say that because the thing is that when we go into the skincare industry now I mean I know that you know we were talking about before there was almost nothing here and then all of a sudden I feel like we've exploded you know and there are so many products and so many brands and a lot of it is redundancy.

13:04Let's be real. You know, it's a lot of redundancy. So to find your footing in that kind of a market, one, it's very difficult. Another thing is that to find true innovation in that kind of space is very difficult as well. So, you know, I really applaud what you've created with Indeed Labs, because I think that when you create something from the beginning, from this understanding of there is a real need here, and then I'm going to try to find solutions, you know, as I go, that's what it, to me, that's true innovation. You know, science is done that way, you know? And I think that at the end of the day, the way that medicine is and the way that it's now integrating with OTC products now is the best time to introduce these kinds of options to consumers, because at the end of the day, you have to take your health in your own hands at some point, but you also have to have clear options available to you.

13:52So, you know, you mentioned your acne system I would love to talk about that for a little bit because I think acne is one of the biggest driving forces behind consumers coming to the skincare industry and looking for options and looking for products I know it was for me you know back when I had acne for me it was proactive you know back in the day and it was like proactive changed my life literally like it was like I come from a family that had acne you know so I was predisposed to it and I remember finding a product that worked for me and I know a lot of people out here are like that so you know what is that like how does that fit in in terms of like your entrepreneurship goals you know and your journey right as as a founder in creating products is like that personal connection with consumers definitely okay so like you mentioned proactive and I have a story around my again my own personal journey with my, you know, my acne and I, and it's such an emotional journey, as you know, having had acne yourself.

14:56So our products are definitely born out of an idea that I have, we talked about sustainability, we talked about flooding the market with a lot of products that mimic another product. My answer to sustainability is always having a point of difference. And that's where the innovation comes in. As it relates to an acne product. So what I mean by that is I don't want to ever launch a product in the market, if it doesn't have a point of difference, whether it's a different application, in a different component, whether it's tweaking a formula, whether it's making it more accessible in its price point, if something currently exists in the market, I'm not going to do it.

15:41Because I don't want to do that to consumers. And I just don't think it's fair to it's not not fair, but it doesn't make a lot of sense in our world where there's just too much to begin with. So as it relates to acne, being in this industry, as I mentioned earlier, has always been obviously a journey for me, and a very twisted winding road where I've learned so much along the way alongside my chemists about ingredients, formulations, consumers have taught me so much. One of the things that is the driving force behind my brand is consumers and consumer needs. And always, of course, I'm going to factor in my experiences in that as well.

16:28And so when I was a young girl, again, I had acne, I used this three-step system that promised me results I bought it on an infomercial I was again at that time I I couldn't find solutions that would work and it was I was successful it was very good for me 18 months later I found myself in my dermatologist office and he was trying to firstly this was a long time ago we were again we're not talking about ingredients back then. I started to look at my face. And I thought, is my face a different color than the rest of my body? Is it lighter than my, my skin was being bleached by the actus in these products.

17:14Oh, that's true. That is true. And I'm very fair to begin with. And so I thought I was imagining it went to my dermatologist, he tried to sell me a cleanser that in his office, and he I didn't I didn't really have an acne issue at that time anymore because you know it was that big right and so he asked me what are you using I said oh I've been using proactive I can't stop using this product I'm not changing because I will break out if I stop right an emotional journey you're emotionally now connected to these products because if I stop I'm going to go back to that place that I was really sad. I don't want to do that anymore.

17:55So he said to me, well, how long have you been using? I said 18 months. And he said, what? You can't be using this product for 18 months. I said, why not? They send it to me every 30 days. And he said, well, there's benzoyl peroxide in it. Okay, so that was when I was younger. I came off of it. Thankfully, I had only gone through it was a hormonal acne at the time. So my skin had cleared up. And I only had acne acne breakouts after that. But now fast forward, I launched a skincare brand, I'm traveling the world, I'm trying to bring products to market to help consumers. The number one concern is acne, I don't have an acne product, I can't bring a product to market, because I know that I don't want to use benzoyl peroxide.

18:39So for years, I would task our scientists to find something that's going to help treat acne and something that is actually clinically proven. I don't want to over promise. This is, this is a very emotional problem for people. And so I started to read about microbiome, and how our skin functions, and started talking to our scientists. And they started doing their own research and their deeper dive. And we learned about not what triggers acne, as you said, it could be genetic. For me, it was hormonal, it could be stress, it could be anything. That's not the point. The point is acne is formed the same way.

19:21It's an overproduction of an oil gland that's there to protect our skin. Overproduction of sebum. This acne-causing strain of bacteria called C-acnes thrives off of that overproduction of sebum. It multiplies. That overproduction of this bad bacteria, we call it, gets stuck in the hair follicle along with the excess sebum. and that's how acne is formed the treatments are the same they're killing all bacteria but do we not know today what breaking down our skin's microbiome does in the long term I think we do I think we know that killing all bacteria in this community is not a good thing and we allow it to happen and people perpetuate month after month after month after month and expose our skin to that, which is the biggest organ in our body, it protects us, our skin is there to protect us.

20:24Exactly. We're allowing it, right? So are there studies that are now tying down your skin's microbiome, the weakening of your skin's microbiome to bigger problems? in theory yeah there are and so i you know again i don't i don't want to be alarmist but it's true and you know that and we know that and the science is there to back it up the science definitely is and i'm glad you brought up benzoyl peroxide because you know one thing and this is also something that i realized later unfortunately later on my life was because i mentioned you i was on practice as a teenager right trying to clear this acne but one thing that benzoyl peroxide also does and it's never discussed is it sensitizes your skin for future hypersensitivity reactions so like people can use it and like they think that it's going to be tolerated and this is one ingredient we're talking about benzoyl peroxide but a lot of ingredients do this mind you you know and no one's discussing it for some reason that you can use this stuff yes but what's it going to do to you five years later you know like you talked about the microbiome right so So like in that context, of course, absolutely.

21:38I agree with everything you said. You know, we don't want to destroy our normal microflora. But also, I find it to be actually even more interesting when you look at the angle of not only do we not want to destroy it, but I don't want to predispose my skin to being like populated by the wrong new flora. You know what I mean? you're literally cleaning out everything and making it susceptible to species that are not going to be good for you you know and then to rebalance that I mean that's like I don't know it's crazy to me to even think about that we're you know kind of putting ourselves out there for that kind of a reaction later on in life and so why I'm saying all this because now like literally now if I were to put even like a drop of benzoyl peroxide on my skin it turns like beet red like I'm not exactly it's crazy exactly it's it and that's where I feel like it's so important to have this conversation because it's like you know yes you've created a safe acne system I think your three-step system is awesome by the way it's really good thank you it works so good it works on adult acne it works on everything so it's a ph balancing system which means that you don't just have to have acne to use this.

22:55Yeah, it's a microbiome skin strengthening system. It is the only it's the only thing that is clinically proven microbiome certified. And dermatologists recommend it, we put it through three rounds of clinicals, because once we found out how to actually treat acne, and we put it through the first round of clinicals, and I got the results back personally looking at the results going wow okay this is too good to be can we put it through a second round get me another 30 you know 40 subjects whatever and put it through again i want to hear what they have to say a hundred percent of the participants saw no irritation how many people can say that that you are clearing up acne without irritation a hundred percent of the participants said their skin looked brighter why is that because we're protecting the skin's microbiome.

23:47We're having your skin is doing what it's supposed to naturally do itself. We're just giving it the tools to do that. So I couldn't believe it. We also did a third round of clinicals under the direction of a board certified dermatologist, as well as our scientists, we brought people in house, I did not meet these people until the study was over. We are about to launch the brand, I brought them in here. And we had a consumer focus group. and I said guys tell me everything I need to know about this brand it is about to go into the market acne is such an emotional journey for people tell me about your experiences I want to hear and almost unanimously they had nothing bad to say the only thing they said is where can we get more now that the system now that we've completed our 30 days where can we get more they were again they were afraid to not be on this system.

24:38The testimonials have changed people's lives. Question is, the question is, when we know that ingredients that are harmful are out there, why are we not doing anything about it? But one thing I will say, when I launched this, when we launched it, I thought it was no brainer. The science was there to back it up. we had a dermatologist working alongside we got the microbiome certification that's unheard of for an acne treatment there's nothing out there that doesn't break down your skin's barrier other other than this brand and i thought oh for sure what i didn't realize is the emotional connection that people like i said when i went to my dermatologist and he said you got to stop that I was like oh my god oh my god what am I gonna do if I stop this my acne is gonna come back exactly exactly it's fear it's literal fear like I don't want to go through this again yeah exactly I mean that's the thing is like what what really gets me is the testinials I'm glad you pointed that out because for anyone listening if you guys go on to indeed labs.com and you look at the ph and healthy skin system that's the one we're talking about the three-step routine for acne the oh my god like the before and afters are phenomenal like it's awesome to see that you know what i mean like i really love seeing that people are treating severe cases of acne like it's really helping and it's not just getting rid of the the blemishes and the lesions it's really helping with that post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that process you know and and i you can see it clearly in the pictures i love that you have testimonials from people of color on there because that's one of our biggest pain points when it comes to skin health is this idea of like I'm scared to have a breakout not because I'm scared of the breakout because I know it's going to leave a mark you know and getting rid of that mark is going to take me months if not years to get rid of it you know yes I got terrible you know so I love that you you guys have really thought about this you know in the sense of like it's not just another thing that just quickly clears up you know what I mean it's really treating your skin it's like you said it's balancing the pH and it's really priming you for long-term skin health.

26:51I think that should be the goal at the end of the day, you know, for every product that we use. So absolutely, absolutely, you know, do what you say you're going to do, which is, that is the foundation of Indeed Labs, but also people ask me all the time, what are you most proud of through this journey? And I will say this brand thin because in terms of next generation in terms of understanding the way our bodies function in terms of what it can actually prevent down the road epidermal water loss fine lines and wrinkles even things like rosacea eczema a lot of them have been tied and i'm not suggesting by all means i haven't studied this brand with those particular issues but what i will say as we've studied what breaking down your skin's barrier can do, as you said, long term barrier strengthening system is a pH balancing system.

27:51It's a smart system that only goes after that overgrowth of bacteria and leaves all the other bacteria intact. And that's key. Also, we do know that the brain, gut and skin access are connected. And so your overall health, this is a bigger issue, right? It's a much bigger. I'm super proud of it. Yeah, I'm super, super proud of it. I think you should be. It's really cool. And I really love that you're doing it. It really just, you know, I think we need to see actual innovation and solutions in the space. I really believe that i think that you know having a way to treat acne that's not going to cause long-term damage for me that's like i mean that's groundbreaking at the end of the day because it changes lives i had a conversation with someone a while ago and we were talking about like patients i've seen right and i was like you know what really alarmed me in my life was and my career was people would ask me about some serious cases you know like like they had internal problems and they were more concerned about their outer like you know like a bruise or like something some sort of thing on their skin and that really speaks volumes right at the end of the day because it is the largest organ of our body but it's also the most influential part of our body on our mind and that's something that it's it's huge you know and it really ties in so yeah we have the gut skin brain all that stuff going on but we have a mental connection to our journey with our skin and that has to matter you know and brands have to care about that and and create products that are going to make a difference in people's lives i mean people say you know it might sound idealistic and cheesy i'm sorry but it's true you know if i didn't clear my acne when i was a teenager it would have it would have been terrible you know i would have felt terrible about myself and that's just the truth and so to know that you know there's so many people out there that are still struggling with even adult acne you know to me that's unacceptable as a physician I look at that and I'm like, it's 2024, almost 2025.

29:54We need to clear this up, you know, and, and find problems, get a solution to these problems. So yeah, it's, it's. And pay attention. Yeah. Pay attention when someone says there's high levels of benzene and we know that's harmful, pay attention. And I, you know, I think, I will say that as a, you know, as a brand, and I'm very accessible to consumers. That's the other thing. So maybe just being so connected to consumers everywhere. And maybe you don't see that with, you know, maybe brands that are bigger and have more layers and, but me being connected on the ground with consumers, hearing their pain points and knowing, you know, in good conscience, I can't bring products to market.

30:38Like what's the end game. Do you know what I mean? Like, isn't the end game really to help people? Isn't that the end game? And for me, you know, it's really crazy. and this might sound unusual to a lot of people, but maybe because I've lived a little bit longer, I always say that I think that we think that taking care of our skin and our exterior appearance might be vanity, but I believe it's Mother Nature's way of protecting us. Back from the beginning of times, you will see people with rosy cheeks and plump cheeks. That was a sign of good health. Yeah, exactly. And I do believe that our skin tells us so much about our overall health.

31:21And that's why we pay attention to it. When your skin is sallow, when your skin is sunken, when you're, and I'm not, again, I don't want to suggest here for, you know, we're not, I'm not trying to fear monger. I do not want to suggest to people that are listening that there's something wrong with their health because, you know, they have acne. I'm not suggesting that. What I am suggesting is that healthy habits and understanding your overall body and it's speaking to is important. I do believe that it is Mother Nature's way of us taking care of ourselves because it's the first thing we see when we look at ourselves.

31:58And it's the first thing that people see when we go out into the world. And yes, it may have evolved into vanity. And yes, I agree that there are very unrealistic expectations or standards. First person to say that beauty isn't about the way you look. Beauty is how you feel. And it doesn't matter when you look in that mirror and that person is looking back at you. It doesn't matter that person doesn't feel good, then that's not beautiful to them. Right? So, but I do believe it's Mother Nature's way of protecting us. I really do. I love that. And, you know, it's really well said that you brought that up because I, I agree.

32:42I totally agree. I mean, I think it is. And it always has been, you know, our body, like it's, you know, you ask anybody who studied the human body and they'll say it's the best, it's the most sophisticated machine to ever exist. We literally mimic our technologies off of it. You know, like when it comes to like engineering and stuff, like you'll often see either mimic you know the technology is a mimicry of what's happening inside your body so yeah it is i completely agree with you it is nature's way of like kind of your skin is indicating to you what's going on and and at the end of the day if you don't like what's going on it shouldn't have to be classified as vanity you should be able to say i don't like that i'm breaking out right now i don't like that i'm going through this because it is affecting my health at the end of the day mental health is health all of it is health really if you think about it so you know we should be able to say that and then not feel you know shy or whatever when it comes to finding solutions so i completely and also giving each other a break also you know for those people that are struggling and this is their own personal journey understanding the impact of the way that we see them in society it's not about the way we see people it's about the way they see themselves which is what i try to do through our brand is empower and i was just actually recognized recently for my role in empowering people.

33:58And I that was the congratulations on your businesswoman of the year award. Yes. Thank you. That was the biggest honor. It was businesswoman of the year, women empowerment. And that was the biggest honor for me. Because through this journey, I've realized that that's what I was intended to do. And yes, I'm selling skincare products through that. But if I can help people if I can aspire people whether that is to aspire a young entrepreneur or whether that is to help somebody on their professional journey or whether it is to help a consumer find solutions for themselves that are going to help them whatever it is empowering people is the greatest honor in business and I love that I was happier than I've ever been in my career I will know I genuinely congratulations on that.

34:53And I love that you're able to really use this in such a positive way. You know, that's so huge. And I want to ask you for advice because we do have so many young professionals that tune in. And I would love to get your words of wisdom about entrepreneurship. It's hard, you know, it's a hard journey. So anything you can offer, you know, to give some guidance here for them, anyone who's embarking on it, or is currently a new business founder, I will say that I always envisioned myself being in control of my own, whatever that looks like, business, my ideas. They teach entrepreneurship in school now.