The Science of Simplicity with Jordan Harper of Barefaced

0:00Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. Today's episode is very special because we are going to be interviewing somebody who is the founder of a wonderful brand that I've been loving recently. And I think it's really important to talk about products that are truly efficacious, but more importantly to kind of spotlight people who get it, that skincare is not one and done and it needs to be made to be flexible and usable by everybody. So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to Jordan Harper, who is a board certified nurse practitioner and she is the founder and CEO of Barefaced. Welcome, Jordan.

0:30I'm so excited to host you. Thank you. Excited to be here. Yeah, I want to dive in. Start at the beginning, if you don't mind. I mean, you spent nearly a decade in aesthetic medicine. What was that turning point that made you realize, you know, the skincare industry needed something simpler? So it's interesting. I look back, I never planned on having a skincare line. That's something, it's so funny how life, if you just keep looking for opportunities, things evolve. And I'm so proud of what bare face is today, but before bare face was ever anything, I was treating patients in office for injectables like fillers and Botox and laser treatments and skin concerns.

1:06And what I saw time and time again, let me just say this before that I was working in the ICU for several years. And I think that helped me to really become a good problem solver. Obviously the problems were high pressure in the ICU, transition that into an office setting, treating skincare and skin issues, a lot less pressure, but a lot of vulnerability that patients express. And they're coming in with some of the things that they're most uncomfortable with and sharing that with you. And I saw time and time again, thousands of patients ready and willing to invest in office treatments, whether that be injectables, laser treatments, what have you, surgery even, but they weren't using consistent skincare.

1:53And what I compare that to is like going to the dentist. You can go to the dentist twice a year, but if you do not brush your teeth morning and night, every single day, what do you think your oral health is going to be like? Not great. The same thing applies to the skin. And I approach, I would say I approach pretty much every aspect of my life in a way of get the basics down, get the foundation down. And skincare is the foundation of healthy skin. And then on top of that, building out a treatment plan, I'm a fan of office treatments and I always will be having that experience and knowing how powerful they are.

2:29But I really believe that 80 % of the quality of the skin that you have is from your at-home treatments. And 20 % is from the office treatments that you choose to get, but you have to properly prep the skin and take care of the skin with skincare first, even to get the biggest bang for your buck with an office treatment. So basically I saw that they were overwhelmed and confused, like they were ready and willing to invest in these office treatments, but didn't really know where to start with skincare and had either been underwhelmed with skincare in the past or just like, didn't think it worked.

3:00And so I really tried to take things down to the basics and started setting like realistic expectations of what they can expect from skincare, but also creating a realistic routine. And that's really where I got the concept less but better because people don't want to do like a 10 step routine. They want to do something that they're, everyone's busy, whether they're moms, everyone lives this busy life. They want to do something that they can do in a couple of minutes, know that they're taking care of their skin and good to go. So I just started doing very simplified routines, helping educate, like we were talking earlier, educating them and explaining the why.

3:36And I saw that that was like so eye-opening. And it really just started, I started to see that opportunity of like, oh, this could, this could be something bigger. That is, I love that because I think when it comes to skincare, I love what you said because you're like less is better because it is. It is. It's really about, it's not even the 10 step that bothers me. it's about no one knows what order to put things in. Or why they're using what. They might be using 10 actives or 10 different hydrating toners. It's like, what are we doing here? Yeah, like exactly. What are you doing and why are you doing it?

4:08And it's really interesting. More actives, more steps, but we both know like, you know, clinically it doesn't, that's not always the case. More is not better. It gets more complicated. The pharmacology gets very complicated. So what were some of the most common mistakes you saw patients making with their routines when you first were looking into this? So, so many, I would say one, just thinking, Oh, my friend uses that. I should use that layering so many actives on top of each other. I think about, I mean, just not knowing that like, Oh, I just use three different exfoliating acids and we're seeing we're in a time now where, I mean, with the Sephora's and Tik TOK and yes, it's really fun to apply product, But what can happen is, is you can really start to disrupt the barrier because you are layering all of these products on top of each other that maybe like you're saying that they don't interact well or they're causing more irritation and sensitivity to the skin.

5:04So I would say not knowing common mistakes would be like using something because a friend is using it, but not easing into it or testing it out, layering way too many actives over exfoliation and not understanding their own skin, which why would they? It's an organ. And I think we, because of social media and because of places like Sephora Ulta, you don't see people managing their diabetes without oversight. And really like with the skin, the same thing. It's our largest organ and there's so many skin issues and we're seeing just an increase in that every day with whether it's eczema or acne or melasma, you know, we're seeing all of that and people are expected to just manage that on their own.

5:48I saw they're not thinking, oh, this is something I should even ask a professional about. I should just know how to manage this on their own. And I mean, that's simply not true. It honestly should be a relief for people. Yeah, no, I mean, it's really interesting because I think with skincare, people think that it's, I'll figure it out. I'll just buy the products and I'll figure it out. And it's just, that's not how it works. Like you can't. And so I know what you mean. I mean, it's really kind of apparent these days, but it's amazing how something as simple as like just too much enthusiasm can really backfire.

6:18Right. I mean, especially with health, your skin is an organ. So, but I love that. They want to do the right thing. Yeah. Yeah. You're just like, I don't know. I'm just going to do a lot. I'm going to do the most. And we think that doing the most is actually better. and it's just not. Yeah. I mean, but I also love that with bare faced, it's not just about stripping things down to be minimalist for the sake of aesthetics. It's about actually being strategic. Can you define what less but better really means from like a scientific point or a clinical point? So when I think about less but better, I would say for bare faced, I think about starting at the foundation.

6:53So we talk a lot about the core four, and I want to make sure the skin is functioning optimally. So yes, we're treating concerns and maybe visible concerns, but we're also focusing on long-term skin health, the skin longevity. And so less but better to me means start with the foundation. All you really need to do is the core four. So you need an exfoliant, you need a vitamin C, you need a retinoid, and you need an SPF. I consider this to be the foundation of your skincare routine, your less but better routine. Obviously you need a cleanser and a moisturizer, but the core four are the transformative products in your routine.

7:31And then from there, you can build out your routine further, whether you're like, Hey, I, you know what? I just like to use extra hydrating serums, or I want to use a mask a couple of times a week. That's great. That's not going to change the skin. So when we talk about less but better, we talk about stripping everything back, getting the skin healthy, getting the skin functioning optimally, and then building a routine based on skin type and concerns on top of that. So the first thing I see people want to treat, I think of skin as like a priority pyramid. So the bottom is like getting the skin to actually function properly.

8:03The top is treating concerns like anti-aging or breakouts or hyperpigmentation. The skin, but what happens is, is people go in and they just buy a brightening serum or it's like, well, yeah, that's, that can work. But if you're adding that in without the skin functioning properly, you're just not going going to see the result that you want to get. And so really, I would say it's about starting with the basics, knowing that we've got to get the skin functioning optimally to actually even see results from skincare at all. That's really, I really like that you said that. I think that's something that a lot of times we miss that point because it's easy to see something go wrong with your skin and then be like, I'm just going to keep trying and I'm going to keep adding stuff and I'm going to keep exfoliating.

8:46And it's like, oh my gosh. And then you end up with these like chronically destroyed barriers. And I like that you brought up longevity. I really, really like that point. Longevity skincare. This is something that I've seen a lot right now. It's buzzing, but I really want to get to the root of this. When you say longevity skincare, what does that really mean in the context of health for the skin? Yeah. So I think of skincare in two buckets, longevity and anti-aging. And I really think they go hand in hand. We have been in a season where anti-aging, you can't, I mean, you're going hear that everywhere.

9:17And I think of anti-aging as like corrective. And I think of longevity as sustaining that cellular and barrier health for the longterm. And so we need, this is the only skin we're going to get. And we're not about like blasting the skin, overwhelming it with a ridiculous amount of actives to make it look good tomorrow. We want to make it look good for years to come. And to do that, it all starts with that skin health and going back to the core four, getting the skin to function optimally. And I mean, you could apply that really to any aspect of the body and we're entering in, thank goodness, honestly, we're entering into a longevity phase.

9:54We want our skin and our bodies to, we want to live well. We want to look and feel our best for as long as possible. And moving away from that quick fix mindset and really thinking about, okay, how am I like making my skin and helping my skin to function for the longterm? And some of that, of course, it's going to be skincare. And some of that is also the things that we consume, the lifestyle that we have. And so yes, we have things to correct and that won't change. And that's why I think anti-aging and longevity do go hand in hand, but it's like, it's not all about correction. And I think sometimes too, longevity isn't as exciting because I think it's a buzzword.

10:30So it's like fun in that sense, but I think it's not as exciting because people want these quick results. They want these overnight treatments. And it's just like, well, sometimes you just got to focus on prevention because prevention is so much more effective than correction. Well, that is longevity. I mean, that's the thing. It's like you and I talking about longevity is so different than what it's being projected right now into the space. You know, there's all these biohackers everywhere and they're talking about like peptide injections and stuff. I hate this stuff. It's really for anyone listening out there, you guys, I feel very strongly about this because at the end of the day, it's exactly what Jordan is saying.

11:03That is longevity. That's true longevity. When you're preventative, when you're simplifying your routine. That is the core of it. And it's not a word that's not been around. It's been around for a long time. We've been in medicine. We've been talking about it for decades. It's just that now everyone's like, oh, longevity, everything, you know, let's hop on this bandwagon all of a sudden. Yeah. So it's interesting. Yeah. It's definitely a buzzword right now. Yeah, definitely. I want to move on to understanding medical grade. I think this is really, really interesting as well, because talking about throwing words around, medical grade is one of the big ones.

11:36People love using that term. And you've been very clear about what it actually means. Can you kind of break it down for our listeners? Like what qualifies a product as truly quote medical grade? So this is, this is an interesting POV that I have. And I, it's definitely a word just like clean and non-toxic and medical grade. And I, I do, we, we refer to this. It's not an official regulated term. But to me, I think it represents a standard. So products that are thoughtfully formulated, clinically studied with effective ingredients that are at meaningful concentrations that are really focused on supporting the skin's transformation, that are results driven.

12:17And a lot of times that means medically dispensed that you're getting from a medical office because having that medical oversight, because they're results driven, you need that medical oversight to make sure, or you can benefit, excuse me, you will benefit from that medical oversight to make sure that you're using the products properly. And so I do consider our products at BareFace professional grade products, medical grade products. I almost hate to be a part of that conversation because it really boils down to being ethical. And so I think it's something, And the same thing applies with clean, with non-toxic.

12:53There's a part of that where like, I want to be associated with, and that's a standard that we abide by and we are a results driven brand. So yeah, we're not going to sell at a drugstore. That doesn't make sense because they do have to be, some of these products have to be at certain levels. So that way you're not having these like ridiculous reactions from them. So that way you're using them properly. So I think that formula integrity, we're getting to a place where everyone needs to be going to have formula integrity. Everyone should have testing. I mean, that should just be an absolute standard.

13:27And honestly, we're getting to a point where everything should be clean. Now clean is obviously a buzzword too. And also like a perception of different, different people think different things, but I would say the sophistication and formulation delivery systems, there's ways that products are going to be more effective. And that's what we're really leaning into, especially as we're moving into our next like phase two iteration of our products is really these really cool technologies that we're investing in for delivery systems and ingredients. And so I think there's ways that you maintain that medical grade standard.

14:01But I do also think it's important to know, like, yes, it's not a regulated term as so many terms are. But I think of that as that medical oversight is really impactful. And that's where we as a brand, we are direct to consumer right now. We're not selling an office, but we offer so much direction. And I think this is what we have thousands of before and afters. And I think this is why time and time again, people come back to our product line. We have a 90 % returning customer rate. And this is why, because we are so almost prescriptive on like, this is how you start your routine. This is how you build your routine.

14:35And this is how you every day do your routine step-by-step AM PM. And I think that's what people are looking for. They're looking for that one, do you understand my skin? We just invested in this AI skin analysis because people think they understand their skin, but they don't, they have one breakout. They think they have cystic acne. So we have an AI skin analysis that analyzes your skin. One teaches you about it. And then also helps you helps to curate a routine, kind of build it appropriately. So that way you're building your routine in a way that serves your skin type. So there's that level of personalization.

15:08And then along the way we have touch points with our patients, or I call them patients all the time with our customers is like, I want to treat them how we did as closely to an in-office experience where we're kind of hand-holding them through using their products. So using our products. So we connect with them over DM or text or email and doing things that are going to serve them in a way that they understand how to use the products, when to take breaks. And so anyways, long, long-winded answer of medical grade, but that's really that oversight and that hand-holding with medical grade products and medically dispensed products, I think is that's where you see real change in the skin because you're using products for your skin type that are results driven and you're using them properly.

15:48Yeah. I like that a lot. I think that's very, very like solid. And it's really commendable that you're doing this because it's very rare to see brands stick to this kind of discipline, especially when they're scaling. I mean, I think I've seen many cases of where a brand blows up and then ethics is out the door. And it's all about your sales. It's all about all of that stuff. So how does that work for you? I mean, how did you kind of resist the temptation to expand too quickly or chase these trends or like fall into those traps that a lot of, I think, founders fall into? I think this is where truly having our why and having that less but better philosophy.

16:26Yes, that applies to our products, but that also just applies across the board on what we do. And what's crazy is, and I'm sure you've experienced this too, but the larger you get, the more opportunities that you're exposed to and that you're offered. And I think, and this is something I probably should talk about more just to our community, but like the amount of stuff that we say no to, like we're sifting through the noise so that we are offering a product line that we feel like is best in class, that is innovative. And that's also tried and true. It's not trends. And there's, there's things that like, I want to make sure ultimately at the end of the day, I want to live a life of peace and integrity and have good sleep every night.

17:10And I do that by doing things, only putting out things and doing things that I truly believe in. And so we have several products, like the amount of products that we haven't launched is, I think it would be like shocking to some people. And some products have gotten really far along. We have an eye cream that was almost went into production. And I just, my gut, I was like, this isn't innovative enough. It was fine. I don't want to launch a fine product. I have to talk about these products. And if I'm not passionate about it, and if I don't believe in it, I'm not launching it. And so you'll see there's several different products that we don't have yet.

17:46Will we eventually? Yeah. When I feel like they meet the standard that we have. And we had these eye patches that we produced 50 ,000 of them. These are medical grade silicone eye patches. And they were like a couple millimeters off. I wanted them to be like really comfortable. They're reusable eye patches. I wanted you to be able to wear them for like hours if you wanted to and not feel them. Anyways, they were like 0.8 millimeters and they're supposed to be 0.4. That sounds like nothing, but it was annoying. I like would put them on. They were in production or they were produced, paid for them.

18:19And I was like, no, these are not right. And we took, I mean, that was a couple hundred thousand dollar like hit that we took, but it's never worth the expense of our integrity as a brand. and I know our customers trust us and I don't take that lightly. I don't want to ever risk that trust for a quick win. Yeah, because once that's gone, that's gone. Like that's never, yeah, I love that. I love that you're saying that because I mean, honestly, so many people can learn from that statement alone is that I have had this same exact problem as a consumer. There's so many times where I've been in love with a brand.

18:56You fall in love, you're like, oh, this is amazing. and they do something and you're just like okay well thanks for ruining that for me never again it's just it becomes it's very very tainting for the consumer and I said I really I like that a lot that you you kind of stick to that ethos of no like either I do it right or I'm not going to do it it's not there's no compromise that's awesome I want to talk about some of your cult favorite products I know the toning pads are huge and I love them I've been using them myself I think I recommended them to somebody a couple of weeks ago because they're really nice.

19:28They're not ridiculous. Some of the toning pads I've used before, they're just too harsh. They're doing too much, I feel like. But these are really, really great. So tell me the story behind the creation of a product like this. So as we bring any product into market, so toning pads were actually my first idea, very first idea. And I wanted, so going back to less but better, I try to, if I could get one product to do everything, I would. I want to not think mindless activity, like just get a habit and get it going. So toning pads, they're truly like a serum in a pad. So you're getting that toning benefit.

20:04But we also have exfoliating acids, hydrating ingredients, anti-redness ingredients, calming and soothing. And so when you're saying like, oh, I've used some that are harsher, these were intended for daily use. And so I would say the majority of skin types can tolerate them daily or if you're more oily or depending on your skin type. could even do them twice a day, depending again, a skin type. But I got this idea because people love, okay. So I've said quick fixes, but people do really want a quick fix. Right. And I think if you can start, so think about, I think about skincare, like a workout.

20:36If you think about working out, it takes about six weeks to really start to see changes in your body. And once you start to see changes, you're motivated. Yeah. Toning pads, they're a very simple step. One pad, take it out, swipe, full face, you can bring it down, neck, chest, hands, whatever. You use them a couple times. And because they're taking off that layer of dead, dull skin cells on the surface, and because they're helping to wash out the pores with the BHAs, you start to see this result. And you start to see like a glow in your skin that can be extremely motivating to be like, oh, huh, skincare actually, this skincare actually works.

21:16And you know, I find that to be, and I have found for the past years, if you can't really see a result of something, I would say that's the same with like even taking supplements. If you can't see or feel a result, it's like, I mean, okay, I'm kind of using this, but I don't really know why. And with toning pads, because they give you, I never say instant, but because they give you that quicker result, I knew that would be something that would be really motivating for, well, at first I'm selling this to my patients. So I knew that they would be like, Oh, I'm really motivated to keep using them because I'm seeing changes in my skin.

21:46And so that's really, I wanted to think of something that would be transformative, would be super simple that they would see results quicker. And I would say with toning pads, depending on your skin type, depending on your skin health, you're going to see results in a couple of uses because of that, like just getting the dead dull skin cells off the surface. Right. Right. No, these are really, really good. I I think, and other products I've used, they're very hyper-focused on one acid. It's like you've got 10 % glycolic up in this, and it's completely going to destroy your barrier because that's too harsh.

22:16It's too much. And people who have sensitive skin can't use it. So it's like the formulation itself, I've noticed, gets very tricky with toning pads. People go too crazy on one side. I like that yours are very balanced, and each of the acids, they're doing something different for everybody. so that's a very unique thing to see in a formulation like this so I really like it yeah and something with art whenever we do clinical testing I'm always I have an expectation of what these products should do and something that really surprised me on the testing that we did was I expected them to like make the skin look healthier glowier reduction in those visible fine lines but what was shocked me was that how much they reduce visible redness I was like oh that's interesting like i didn't expect that that's amazing that's why i was like i really liked for because that's for people who have like rosacea like this is what irks mean about a lot of these products because if you have sensitive skin which literally it's reported 70 percent of people have sensitive skin at this point it's reported that's the data and you are everybody's formulating with like i said 10 percent glycolic that's not it that is not it you guys so yeah these are very well balanced, beautiful product.

23:24We sell to real people. We've never been like an influencer brand or I would say like, we're not a cool girl brand. We're just a real brand for like real people. And I don't know if that's, I mean, the brand started with me, like just talking about it on social media. And I don't know if it's just because that's my approach. Like I just show up who I am. And I think that me being the face of the business, either people connect with me or they don't. And obviously, you know, you're not going to connect with everyone and that's okay. I show up as I am. And I think it's interesting as I've started the business, I've had four kids in like three and a half years.

24:02And so a lot of our, we found that our customer base has grown with me. And I think that because I have so much experience in treating patients, I also have a understanding of how people hear things and how people understand things. And so educating first, selling second, third, I don't know. Like, and I, even our team, I tell them if people reach out to us, like our goal is not to sell to them. It's to serve them and not approach. People want to buy things from people who serve them. We don't have, so if someone reaches out to us, they send us a picture of their skin and we don't think we have a product or a routine that's going to work for them.