873 Karen Behnke: Founder of Beauty Crush Skincare

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 LinkedIn Hiring Pro.

0:47Kara Goldin: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. 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.

1:39Kara 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.

2:19Kara Goldin:Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. This message is a paid partnership with AT &T Business. Hey everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business. Not the highlight reel, the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it. And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice to have. It's the lifeblood of your business.

3:03Kara Goldin:As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time. That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners. And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to The Cara Golden Show. What does it take to help define a category and then decide to build again? Today, I'm joined by Karen Benke, founder of the incredible brand new brand called Beauty Crush Skincare, a regenerative skincare brand bringing together biotech, sustainability, clean beauty, vineyard luxury, and decades of product innovation.

4:07Kara Goldin:So Karen is not new to this. She is a serial entrepreneur, multi-time founder who has built incredible brands. Most recently, you may have been familiar with Juice Beauty, incredible, incredible brand that was really, really at the forefront of clean and organic and all things that Karen really killed it to bring to the forefront. So now with Beauty Crush Skin Care, Karen is building again, and this time from her solar-powered organic beauty vineyard in Sonoma County in Healdsburg. So the brand brings together regenerative biotech and sustainability and clean, as I mentioned. But I am so excited to hear much more about this brand and got a chance, an early chance to try the products.

5:06Kara Goldin:And wow, I mean, so, so good. Not surprised because Karen works magic and knows what she's doing, but Beauty Crush Skincare is going to be massive. So, Karen, welcome. So excited that you're here. Karen, it's so great to be here. And we've known one another as entrepreneurs for a long time. So it's just fun to be on camera with you. And I'm excited to launch Beauty Crush Skincare, my fourth business in my 60s. We won't say where I am in my 60s because it's advanced, but my fourth business. My goodness. It's so incredible. Well, so Beauty Crush Skincare, how would you describe the brand as the founder?

5:53Well, I wanted to go into a much more elevated modern era of science and biotech and compared to what I did before with formulations, which was leading clean and organic formulations. These formulations have all of that foundation of organic ingredients and sustainability, but much, much higher biotech and regenerative medicine, regenerative medicine, sorry, regenerative skincare. So my husband's a physician, so we were just talking about regenerative medicine, sorry, regenerative skincare. And that's all about skin longevity and skin health and not masking a problem for, you know, five minutes or an hour or three hours, but really rejuvenating the skin for prevention and for long-term health.

6:39So using the power of exosomes, which we developed a proprietary ingredient with a leading biotech company from our vineyard, and peptides, so biomimetic peptides. Our biomimetic peptide mimics vegan collagen action on the skin, and then supported by all the tried-and-true ingredients of vitamin C and hyaluronic acid and the foundation with our Superglow grape, which is a powerhouse antioxidant.

7:09Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Monarch. Summer is here and I'm thinking about the fun part, planning trips, making memories, and actually being present. What I don't want is to be on vacation worrying about whether I overspent. That's why I like getting my finances organized ahead of time so I can enjoy the summer knowing my money is taken care of. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything. accounts, investments, savings goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch Core for half off just$50 with promo code CARAGOOLDEN. What I love is that Monarch is always working in the background.

7:50Kara Goldin:It recently showed me my travel and dining spending had quietly crept up and my savings rate had slipped a bit. That visibility helped me make adjustments before it became a bigger issue. It really feels like having a financial advisor in your pocket. The AI Weekly Recap catches spending trends. The SandKey diagram makes it easy to see exactly where your money is going. And I love being able to ask the AI assistant questions like, can I afford this vacation without touching my savings? It takes so much of the mental load out of managing my finances. Use code CARAGolden at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just$50.

8:34Kara Goldin:That's 50 % off your first year at Monarch.com with code CARAGolden. This episode of the Cara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. 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.

9:23Kara 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.

10:06Kara 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 message is a paid partnership with AT &T Business. Hey everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business. Not the highlight reel, the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it.

10:54Kara Goldin:And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice to have, it's the lifeblood of your business. As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time. That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners. And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T business at business.att.com. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Hostinger. Starting something new is exciting until you realize you need a website.

11:43Kara Goldin:Suddenly, you're choosing a domain, figuring out email, deciding on a design, and before you know it, you've spent hours building instead of actually launching the thing you set out to create. That's what I like about Hostinger. It takes away that friction. Just describe the website you want and Hostinger's AI builds the first version for you in minutes. No coding, no hiring a developer, and no duct taping five different tools together. Your domain, website, business email, and email marketing are all in one place. And here's what really stands out. Hostinger doesn't stop helping you after your site goes live.

12:23Kara Goldin:Its AI can help with SEO, website copy, email marketing, and even suggest what to do next because getting started is only the beginning. If you've been waiting for the right time to launch your idea, this is it. Go to hostinger.com slash Kara and use code Kara for 10 % off. Again, that's hostinger.com slash Cara and use code Cara for 10 % off. This episode of the Cara Golden Show is brought to you by Third Love. Shh, want me to let you in on a little secret? If your bra is uncomfortable, the problem isn't you. It's the bra. I've been watching Third Love since they first launched and what I've always appreciated is that they didn't just set out to make another bra.

13:13Kara Goldin:They set out to solve a real problem. They looked at something women had accepted for years and said, there has to be a better way. And they've stayed true to that mission ever since. And their fitting room quiz, it's so smart. It uses insights from millions of women to help take the guesswork out of finding your perfect size. Plus with 78 sizes from AA to H, including exclusive half cup sizes, they've made finding the right fit so much easier. Whether you're soaking up these last days of summer or juggling work, family, travel, and everything else, life throws your way, comfort matters. I know it does for me.

13:54Kara Goldin:When something fits the way it's supposed to, you stop thinking about it and that frees you up to focus on everything else that actually deserves your attention. Whether you've been wearing the same bra size forever or you're never quite sure you're wearing the right size, give Third Love a try. I think you'll be really glad you did. Head to thirdlove.com and use code CARA15 for$15 off your first purchase. Again, that's thirdlove.com, code CARA15 for$15 off your first purchase. I'm so excited that you did this. And as you mentioned, your husband is a retired physician, but was more and more involved in this process than maybe he's been with some of the other ventures that you've done.

14:46Kara Goldin:And so why do you think that that was so important for him to join you? You know, and I mean, he's sort of doing a next act as well, right, through this. And it's a lot of fun. He is. And, you know, Howard thought that he was just going to golf after he retired from interventional cardiology. And I was like, you know, I kind of have other plans for you. But he is doing a lot of golf. But he's so smart. And he manages a vineyard. And so I pulled him in along with our chemists. And of course, at the biotech company, they have amazing scientists. And we really developed, we used our rare Falangina grape.

15:28We have two rare grapes on our property, Falangina and Sagrantino. And Falangina we use for the exosome. And exosome, plant exosomes act as carriers. So they can act as carriers for our powerful ingredients. So they really, really, really can absorb in your skin. And that's what we worked with the biotech company on. And then, of course, how we're managing our vineyard. We grow our Sagrantino grape, another rare grape, for the skin, not for taste. So we grow it to have the highest antioxidants possible. And we've tested it, and they have up to 8.5 times higher antioxidants, 750 % higher. What that does for your skin is it fights oxidative stress.

16:12It fights free radical damage. And all the stuff that's happening to us right now, Kara, as we're under lights, we're in and out of the sunlight, we're aging an hour while we're here, etc. All of that, the Superglow Great, which is only for Beauty Crush skincare, is an antioxidant foundation for our skincare. And that's all grown in our vineyard in an organic, regenerative way. So regenerative viticulture, taking care of the soil and instead of spraying, you know, we plant red clover to add nitrogen to make the nutrients more active, taking it all the way straight through to regenerative skincare.

16:55Kara Goldin:That's it's so, so incredible. And you can just tell the quality of it. It's just it. I mean, just absolutely amazing. amazing. When you look back on, you've created, this is your fourth company, but you've been called one of the OGs of the clean beauty movement. And when you look back, what do you think you saw earlier than most people in the beauty industry? And it changed an industry, a lot of your work. There were some other people involved along the way, not only within your company, but also in the industry overall. But you really pushed the movement, I think, and were just so inspiring and watching your resilience along the way.

17:44Kara Goldin:But what do you think you saw then that maybe you see now in a different time, right, that maybe the capabilities are better? But I'd love to hear your perspective. Well, you know, a funny story before I start that is when Cosmo L and Forbes called me the OG of the clean beauty movement. I didn't know what that meant. I had asked my kids, like, what does that mean? They're like, mom, original gangster. I'm like, well, how does that relate? They're like, nevermind. It's the original, original. I'm like, okay, okay, okay. I got it. But anyway, what I saw then was that in 2005, you know, I bought the name Juice Beauty, started it from scratch, bought the trademarks.

18:26And what I saw then was, oh my God, all of these crazy, potentially toxic ingredients used then, and they're not even great for your skin, a lot of them. So what I saw then was kind of pioneering, finding a better ingredient for every commonly used ingredient that could be toxic to people or the earth. So that's how I drove the former brand. And now there's so much technology available and so much science available in a really clean and healthy manner that's being done if you find the right biotech companies. And so much you can do with plant science. I mean, if you think about pharmaceuticals, they come from plants, a lot of them.

19:08And so that's the same activity that you can have on your skin. So what I'm driving now and what I see is, of course, having all of the organic ingredients base and sustainability that fit my values, but taking the science to a much, much more elevated and modernized era. And I got the best clinicals of my life, Kara. I knew the clinicals were going to be good, but I was jumping up and down. In fact, I think I did a stupid video where I was dancing, which I usually don't dance on social media, but I really was dancing. Because I did the clinicals that not only were the, of course, independent third-party lab, Not only the clinician reported of the 30-some people where 100 % felt and saw smoother skin and anti-wrinkle and pore reduction and brighter skin.

20:03All of the self-reported was amazing. I also did instrument measurement showing that the integrity of the skin barrier and the health of the skin barrier was enhanced. And then I also did before and afters, which are on beautycrushskin.com under proven results. So you can kind of see up close and personal the changes in the skin over 28 days. So I went overboard with the clinicals. And I also did ingredient clinicals with the exosomes and the peptides. So they're all on beautycrushskin.com. But I was so excited. I wanted to put, you know, the leading ingredients of exosomes and biomimetic peptides for, you know, firming appearance and brightening.

20:43But then, again, I also packed it with vitamin C and niacinamide and hyaluronic acid and a lot of the tried-and-true ingredients for three simple steps. So what I saw was an opening in the marketplace again and something that I wanted. I wanted, you know, organic ingredients and sustainability, but I wanted much more elevated science and much more regenerative and biotech action on my skin. And I feel like I'm the lab person as well as the independent lab people. And I'm doing pretty well since I completely fried my skin my entire youth. And it's looking still okay for my age.

21:24Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Monarch. Summer is here and I'm thinking about the fun part. Planning trips, making memories, and actually being present. What I don't want is to be on vacation worrying about whether I overspent. That's why I like getting my finances organized ahead of time so I can enjoy the summer knowing my money is taken care of. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything. Accounts, investments, savings goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch Core for half off, just$50 with promo code CARAGOOLDEN. What I love is that Monarch is always working in the background.

22:05Kara Goldin:It recently showed me my travel and dining spending had quietly crept up and my savings rate had slipped a bit. That visibility helped me make adjustments before it became a bigger issue. It really feels like having a financial advisor in your pocket. The AI Weekly Recap catches spending trends, the Sankey diagram makes it easy to see exactly where your money is going, and I love being able to ask the AI assistant questions like, can I afford this vacation without touching my savings? It takes so much of the mental load out of managing my finances. Use code KaraGolden at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just$50.

22:49Kara Goldin:That's 50 % off your first year at Monarch.com with code KaraGolden. This episode of the KaraGolden 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.

23:39Kara 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.

24:21Kara 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. Well, I understand that quite well. Growing up in Arizona, so I was yelled at by my dermatologist the other day. So it's definitely I'm playing cleanup along the way. So I'm always looking for incredible products, but do pay attention to the science behind it, much more so than maybe 10 years ago, 15 years ago. And I do believe even, you know, as low as Gen Z is paying attention to that as well.

25:12Kara Goldin:So it's very, very, very important. So can you talk about, you launched with four SKUs. First of all, how did you come up with the name? And next, can you talk about the four SKUs that you have? You know, the name, it was myself and one of my best friends, ChatGBT, my two best friends, ChatGBT and co-pilot AI, back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Because I wanted it to really portray the vineyard. I wanted it to be active. I wanted it to just be fun also. So I finally came up with Beauty Crush because, you know, and crushes is more than just a name. It's really clean crushing of our grapes and crushing it in a manner without toxic chemicals, but also crushing it in a manner, crushing the grapes in a manner that preserve the antioxidants.

26:06And it's fun on social media, crushing it, crush, you know, etc. So it just all fit. so I love that and the color I actually fun story you know I've done a lot a fabulous collaboration with Kate Hudson in the past and gosh now at this point almost 20 years ago I sat in her bathroom with her and talked to her about clean beauty and we tossed all the less than clean products into a trash can and saved all the good ones and then yeah so we we've had a lot of fun over the years but she came up with the color and I sat with her in her house and we went through the Pantone book. And I just, I wanted her advice on the color.

26:46And I love the kind of pale pinky, fleshy color. And I just, she has great skin, but, and she uses a lot of our products, but so I wanted a simple three-step. So I wanted a head-to-toe cleanser, and this is a refreshing gel cleanser. And I did a head-to-toe because I put facial cleansing for your whole body and put all the great ingredients. So I'm trying to simplify it. So, you know, and I confused myself and my former brand. There were so many regimens, so many products. You know, I didn't even know which ones to grab in today. So a head-to-toe cleanser that you can put in the shower, use head-to-toe, luscious, luscious light plant aroma, and then a powerhouse exocellular, Beauty Crush Exocellular Antioxidant Serum.

27:33And that has our biomimetic peptides, our exosomes, So after you cleanse, use serum. And on your face, neck, decollete, tops of hands, always use the top of your hand as a palette. So just, you know, press a little on the top of your hand, you know, press it into your face, neck, decollete, and end. You know, rub the two tops of your hands together because that's where you show your age a lot. Let the serum sink in a bit with the power ingredients. Do your hair, brush your teeth, you know, just give it a minute to sink in while you're doing other things. And then step three is moisturize. And this niacinamide for pore tightening, light, fast absorbing moisturizer.

28:14The serum and the moisturizer are in airless containers. And they're in this beautiful glass, but also eventually we'll be selling the refillables. And the refillable inner is made from ocean land waste collected plastic. So and then you can recycle it again. and so it's a simple step one two three and then there is an anytime body moisturizer so and that's just anytime you're feeling dry I put three peptides in here light plant aromas and the cleanser and the moisturizer are also in a completely recycled plastic bottle and I used as much glass as I could but I know that everyone puts the cleanser in their shower and customers do not like glass in their showers.

29:03So I use recycled plastic. So we're cleaning up the earth, using it, recycle it again, depending on your local regulations. So step one, two, three, cleanse, serum, moisturize, and an anytime body moisturizer.

29:17Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Monarch. Summer is here and I'm thinking about the fun part, planning trips, making memories, and actually being present. What I don't want is to be on vacation worrying about whether I overspent. That's why I like getting my finances organized ahead of time so I can enjoy the summer knowing my money is taken care of. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything, accounts, investments, savings goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch Core for half off just$50 with promo code CARAGOOLDEN. What I love is that Monarch is always working in the background.