852 Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali: Co-Founder of Elm Biosciences

0:00Kara Goldin:I am unwilling to give up, but I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be. You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin Show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders. We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Upwork.

0:46Kara Goldin:As your company grows, so do the demands on your time. The most successful founders know they can't do everything alone, and they shouldn't have to. Whether you need creative marketing operations or tech support, Upwork helps you quickly find trusted experts so you can stay focused on what matters most. Upwork is a one-stop platform where you can find, hire, and pay expert freelancers across web and software development, data and analytics, marketing, business operations, and more. It helps growing teams move faster by giving them access to specialized talent across more than 125 categories so you can get the help you need exactly when you need it without adding full-time overhead.

1:33Kara Goldin:You can browse profiles, review past work, and even get help scoping the role so you can hire with confidence and get started quickly. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1 % of talent on Upwork and with AI-powered shortlisting, you'll get matched to the right freelancer in under six hours. No endless searching required. Upwork also takes the operational hassle off your plate by handling contracts and payments in one place, freeing you up to focus on running and growing your business. And it's no surprise that thousands of growing companies already trust Upwork for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support.

2:18Kara Goldin:It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Upwork.com. This message is a paid partnership with Dell Technologies. Hey everyone, Kara here, and I've got something I've just got to share. Dell PCs with Intel Insight are built for the moments that matter, for the moments you plan and the moments you don't, built for the busy days that turn into all-night study sessions, the moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet is taken, the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto update throwing off your momentum.

3:14Kara Goldin:That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work, built with long lasting batteries so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet and built-in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it. They don't build tech for tech's sake. They build it for you. Find technology built for the way you work at dell.com slash dellpcs. built for you.

3:45Kara Goldin:Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Kira Golden Show. What happens when a dermatologist takes everything happening in the clinic, the best research, the most advanced treatments, and turns it into products you can actually use at home? Today, I'm joined by Dr. Duval Bonicelli, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of one of the most incredible skincare brands called Elm Biosciences, a clinically advanced skincare brand built on breakthrough science and a true lab-to-patient model. So Elm is all about taking what's happening at the cutting edge of dermatology, backed by an advisory board of hundreds of dermatologists and researchers, and making those innovations accessible to consumers.

4:32Kara Goldin:And it's a completely different approach to skincare, focused on real results, not just marketing. I cannot wait to hear more. Dr. Duvall also goes by Dr. B. So in case some of you may have heard of him in his day job, his regular practice, we'll continue to call him Dr. B. So welcome to the Kara Golden Show. So nice to meet you. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. Managing risk for your business may be complicated, but your relationship with your insurance broker doesn't have to be. NFP, an Aon company, can help you navigate insurance markets and negotiate with carriers to build the right coverage for your business, helping you turn your risks into leverage.

5:21Kara Goldin:NFP's advisors are total business partners who help you protect your business and connect you with solutions to your toughest financial and workforce challenges. Whether your goal is to manage risk more effectively, attract top talent, empower your workforce, or grow your legacy, NFP is ready to help you succeed. Visit nfp.com slash Kara Golden to unlock your full potential. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Hi, Kara here. For small businesses, every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive in time, money, and team morale.

6:11Kara Goldin:And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast. That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical. Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job. Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates.

6:54Kara Goldin:Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed. Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week. With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. Pleasure to have you.

7:36Kara Goldin:So for listeners who may be new to Elm Biosciences, what is the brand and what makes it unique? So Elm is, you know, to your point, it's kind of a fundamental evolution, all the different things we've learned over time. The idea is, you know, it's co-founded by my incredible partner and myself, Martha Stewart. Martha has been my patient for I don't know how many years now. and one of the things, you know, she's been an educator to the world for decades and she has a lot of, if you've ever met her, she's very inquisitive. She loves asking questions and she loves looking for answers. Myself as a dermatologist, I'm very similar.

8:16And one of the things we realized, you know, I like to tinker with different formulations. I've been lucky enough to build some pretty successful brands and I've worked in therapeutics and all sorts of different things. And when it came to skincare, the question was, was this good enough, right? And And the question of trying to solve new problems or at least looking at old ones and trying to solve them a bit better. We start with something like vitamin C. Vitamin C, most germs will tell you, it's a very good antioxidant, no question. But most people can't tolerate it. The percentages matter. It's not very stable.

8:50So you can open up a vitamin C product. It's already degrading in real time. But we've kind of had it for a long period of time and kind of accepted it as traditional dogma. And so the idea is like, can we start challenging, you know, some of the traditional thoughts and build new molecules? You know, in 2025, 2026, what is the evolution of all the science and the data we've accumulated over the years? And I didn't want it to be a me project. You know, I was lucky enough to bring over 350 of my closest dermatology friends and truly build this thing out. You know, I love that Martha has given a platform to science and to all of us.

9:22And it allows us to really do what we do best, which is be scientists.

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10:11Kara Goldin:Their pure science-backed C15 ingredient is designed to help repair age-related cellular damage, protect cells from breakdown and support, sleep, cognitive health, metabolism, and overall wellness. Fatty 15 is available as capsules, apple mint gummies for teens and adults, and berry blast gummies for kids. And here's the important part. Fatty 15 is on a mission to support healthy aging for all, including all ages and stages of life. You can get an additional 15 % off a 90-day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com slash Kara and use code Kara at checkout. That's an additional 15 % off a 90-day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com slash Kara and use code Kara at checkout.

11:00Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Hi, Kara here. For small businesses, every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive. in time, money, and team morale. And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast. That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical.

11:45Kara Goldin:Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job. Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates. Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed. Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week.

12:27Kara Goldin:With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Upwork. As your company grows, so do the demands on your time. The most successful founders know they can't do everything alone and they shouldn't have to. Whether you need creative, marketing operations, or tech support, Upwork helps you quickly find trusted experts so you can stay focused on what matters most.

13:11Kara Goldin:Upwork is a one-stop platform where you can find, hire, and pay expert freelancers across web and software development, data and analytics, marketing, business operations, and more. It helps growing teams move faster by giving them access to specialized talent across more than 125 categories, so you can get the help you need exactly when you need it without adding full-time overhead. You can browse profiles, review past work, and even get help scoping the role so you can hire with confidence and get started quickly. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1 % of talent on Upwork. And with AI-powered shortlisting, you'll get matched to the right freelancer in under six hours.

13:58Kara Goldin:No endless searching required. Upwork also takes the operational hassle off your plate by handling contracts and payments in one place, freeing you up to focus on running and growing your business. And it's no surprise that thousands of growing companies already trust Upwork for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com, Upwork.com. So how long was this concept to actually launch Elm kind of in the works?

14:50Kara Goldin:I mean, you've done some other entrepreneurial ventures in addition to your practice in New York. But how long was it kind of in the works that you were thinking, I've got to go and do this product? And what else? Probably, I don't know, five, six, seven years ago at this point. We started early in the pandemic playing with it, actually even before the pandemic, because Martha had asked. She has very sensitive skin when it comes to things like retinoids and things like that. And so, you know, she kept asking me and I formulate. So I started working with labs to kind of create fun, you know, just formulas for her to experiment with.

15:26And at some point, we kind of had a couple of eureka moments. And the idea was, you know, if we're lucky enough to be able to find this for one person, why not try to solve this problem for many people? And I think with her, you know, one of the other conversation points were, you know, again, every I'm a big believer, I think everybody just thinks one solution for all problems. I'm a very big believer in that everything has a unique solution. And when I say that, I mean, your skin in your 20s is different than when you're in your 30s. When you're in your 30s, it's different than when you're in your 40s or 50s.

15:55You know, I think for more mature skin, you know, menopause happens, perimenopause happens, your skin changes, your oil glands are different than they were when you're younger, your hair changes, there's so many different things. So we wanted to solve the problem for, you know, a specific demographic that I think more longitudinally wanted a solution that was more science-backed and can solve those problems.

16:16Kara Goldin:So can you talk about the line that you launched with and what were you trying to really achieve that you felt like wasn't out there? yeah so i mean the initial one was what i mentioned with the vitamin c i just had looked at it and you know i have rosacea we have a lot of patients with rosacea sensitive skin i can't tolerate pretty much any vitamin c i start breaking out i get irritation again the dirty secret i think in dermatology is that the vast majority of these vitamin c's aren't very stable they don't last they start turning you know brownish and it's not something i would want my own family members to use and and again not to say the ingredient itself is not a great ingredient it's just the way with which we formulate is not the best.

16:57You need a lower pH, so that can cause irritation. So we started working on the serum. And then the idea was, you know, it started one place, kind of evolved. And we built this very unique serum that had three different components, the A3O complex. You have anti-aging because you stimulate collagen. You have the antioxidant, it's more stable. We have very specific ingredients we apply to the complex that we've done the research studies in our office. And then you have the anti-inflammatory kind of out of all of these things, which is just more calming ingredients. We also look at longevity through a scientific kind of way.

17:29I think longevity truthfully has been more of a marketing term for most that you've seen out there. But as a doctor and a scientist, I think it's a fascinating thing, right? It's very simply put, instead of just trying to treat the problems that we have, how do we look forward and prevent them from actually happening or at least slow down the progression of certain things? And so then we looked at things like senescence and how do we objectively measure skin age and can we actually objectively reverse it? We're publishing a study soon, sharing our data and our, you know, I think best in class work trying to prove you can slow down skin aging or at least reverse it somewhat.

18:09Kara Goldin:Today's episode of the Kara Golden Show is sponsored by Acorns. A lot of us think about money in terms of right now, what's coming in, what's coming out, what needs to get paid, but we don't always stop to think about what that money could become over time. And investing can feel intimidating, especially if you think you need a lot of money, a lot of knowledge, or the perfect moment to start. What I've come to realize is that investing is not about being perfect. It's about getting started, staying consistent, and giving your money a chance to grow over time. That's one of the reasons Acorns stands out.

18:51Kara Goldin:Acorns is a financial wellness app that makes it easy to start investing and keep going. And one feature that really makes it feel tangible is the potential screen, which shows the power of compounding and what your money could do over time. It makes the whole process feel more real, more approachable, and a lot less overwhelming. For me, Acorns takes something that can feel overwhelming and makes it automatic and manageable. And that consistency is what really matters. Sign up now and Acorns will boost your new account with a$5 bonus investment. Join the over 14 million all-time customers who have already saved and invested over$27 billion with Acorns.

19:39Kara Goldin:Head to acorns.com slash cara or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non-client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Tier 2 compensation provided. Potential subject to various factors such as customers' accounts, age, and investment settings. Does not include Acorns fees. Results do not predict or represent the performance of any Acorns portfolio. Investment results will vary. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. View important disclosures at acorns.com slash Cara. This episode of the Cara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro.

20:28Kara Goldin:Hi, Cara here. For small businesses, every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive in time, money, and team morale. And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast. That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical. Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job.

21:20Kara Goldin:Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates. Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed. Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week. With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire.

22:01Kara Goldin:Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Upwork. As your company grows, so do the demands on your time. The most successful founders know they can't do everything alone, and they shouldn't have to. Whether you need creative, marketing operations, or tech support, Upwork helps you quickly find trusted experts so you can stay focused on what matters most. Upwork is a one-stop platform where you can find, hire, and pay expert freelancers across web and software development, data and analytics, marketing, business operations, and more.

22:46Kara Goldin:It helps growing teams move faster by giving them access to specialized talent across more than 125 categories, so you can get the help you need exactly when you need it without adding full-time overhead. You can browse profiles, review past work, and even get help scoping the role so you can hire with confidence and get started quickly. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1 % of talent on Upwork. And with AI-powered shortlisting, you'll get matched to the right freelancer in under six hours. No endless searching required. Upwork also takes the operational hassle off your plate by handling contracts and payments in one place, freeing you up to focus on running and growing your business.

23:35Kara Goldin:And it's no surprise that thousands of growing companies already trust Upwork for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com, Upwork.com. So the line of Elm, who is it for? What is the main problem that you think somebody should start using Elm for? So aging, is it? And when does that start? Yeah, I think, you know, it's interesting because, again, as you look at longevity, most of it's been marketing.

24:25But if you think about it, it's like working out. You know, if you work out, if you go to the gym, you'll put on some muscle, but you need to also eat well. And you need to do the simple things to really get yourself in shape. I think when we looked at it, we're not we don't believe in anti-aging, to be honest with you. We know we have it in there, but it's not necessarily one of our core philosophies. It's actually aging well. and when you age well, the idea becomes like, what can you do today to help you tomorrow and into the future? Martha is very consistent in her routine every single day.

24:55She has a green juice. She exercises. She walks around her farm. You know, I would argue she's aging probably better than any human I've ever seen in my life and we've been very fortunate, you know, to be a small part of that. But the idea becomes like, what can you do today? And there's a lot of people, including myself, who was always like, okay, like, what do I have to do so that 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, I'm in a better place? Because most times if you go get, let's say, some sort of aesthetic treatment, you're trying to solve a problem like my cheeks are dropping or I'm having wrinkles and things like that.

25:22The goal is like, how do you now create a better process so that you can kind of push off the need for certain things or at least slow down that process, make it more gradual. We have a supplement that we also formulated. I'm pretty notorious for not being a supplement fan because a lot of it's not regulated to be very candid. So what we did is we started asking our own colleagues. And we have 350 plus officially, probably, I don't know, 500, 600 derms unofficially in our network that we get to ask them, what would you recommend? What do you recommend for your patients? What do you recommend for your family members?

25:52And so we built a supplement stack that kind of mirrored what the dermatologist really wanted you, not you see an encounter somewhere because somebody's marketing it. We wanted to be more scientifically inclined and utilize things like vitamin D, which I love for my hair loss patients. I love it for day-to-day. astaxanthin as an oral antioxidant. You look at different ingredients, something called polypodium leucotomy. It's a big time derm ingredient, not one that you see traditionally, maybe on a shelf anywhere, but all my pre-cancer patients, cancer patients, melasma patients, hyperpigmentation patients, my patients who are worried about aging, I've been recommending the ingredient to them for years.

26:29We just never had a really simple way of getting it to them. So we essentially combined a lot of the actives that we really felt were fruitful, pun intended, for them. And we wanted to make sure that they had something that was, it was a product that we felt comfortable, again, if it was our own family members to recommend.