882 Keith O’Briant: CEO of HYDRINITY

27:26Kara Goldin:Yeah, that's amazing. So how do you know when a formula is strong enough to put the Hydrenity name on it? You launched with three products, five SKUs. How has that changed and how do you make those decisions? Yeah, well, we develop everything internally. I'm the first person that tries everything just because if something goes wrong, which it hasn't so far, it should be me. And then the team does it internally. And so what we've done is we've held a very high standard. We've been lucky. We've launched 11 products in the three and a half years. But what most people don't understand is I've said no to four.

28:10There were four other products that could have come, but they weren't worthy. You said Hydranity. We say the H. It wasn't worthy of the H. And so we just said no because it wasn't better. One of our mottos is we're not going to have a Me Too product. If it's not better than something that is already available on the market, there's no need to bring it out. If people are satisfied with what's there, it's okay. We don't need to do Me Too products. There's enough of that out there.

28:41Kara Goldin:Hyaluronic acid is core to your brand, and you're actually using patented injectable grade hyaluronic acid. But there's a lot of products out there that are using hyaluronic acid. And if you can generalize kind of what maybe consumers are being sold, I guess, by some other brands and what makes yours different, that would be super helpful. Yeah, I think that's easy. We launched with this tagline, not all HAs are equal, and they're not. I love hyaluronic acid. I think it's one of the most misused and underutilized molecules there is out there. They're not all the same. You said it. We're the only company that uses 100 % injectable grade HA as a topical.

29:31It costs more to do that, but it's the same hyaluronic acid that people are getting fillers with the needle injected. We're just using it topically. The other thing is HA's work based on the size of the molecule. They're called Daltons, but that's just the size of them. And so we're very specific. We use dual molecular weight. We use a high molecular weight, a large molecule for skin barrier. It helps protect you. It keeps you hydrated. Our low molecular weight, we use that as a delivery system to take the peptides down to the dermal layer. That's where true skin rejuvenation happens is at the dermis, not on the surface.

30:13Most HA's that are in other products, they're cosmetic grade. They're mass produced. We do ours in micro batches so we can really control. We control everything about it, the amount of material chemicals that go into it to make it. And the other thing is the molecular weight. There are a lot of products out there. People have used HA products. They say it's tackier, it's sticky. That's just because they're using the wrong size molecule. Ours is very specific. And if you use the wrong size molecule, you're not going to get the results. And I think that's where most people are not precise enough in their manufacturing methods.

30:56There's a lot of HAs out there, you're right. But there's only one brand that uses 100 % injectable grade for their topicals. And that's hydrinity. And that's the reason you will never feel tacky or sticky with our products. It's very intentional in how we make things.

31:14Kara Goldin:This episode of The Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Third Love. One of the things I love most about talking to founders is hearing about the problem they set out to solve. The best companies don't create products just for the sake of it. They make everyday life better. That's one of the reasons I've admired Third Love since they first launched. They looked at something millions of women had simply accepted, that bras are supposed to be uncomfortable, and decided to change that. I've learned over the years that when something fits well, whether it's a great pair of shoes, a favorite jacket, or a bra, you don't think about it.

31:49Kara Goldin:And honestly, that's exactly the point. You're free to focus on your day instead of constantly adjusting something that should have been comfortable in the first place. Third Love has spent more than 13 years obsessing over fit. They offer 78 sizes from AA to H, including exclusive half cup sizes. And their fitting room quiz, built using insights from millions of women, makes it incredibly easy to find your best fit. It's one of those small upgrades that can make a surprisingly big difference. 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.

32:36Kara Goldin: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.

33:20Kara 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.

34:03Kara 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 Chime. I love companies that take something we've all accepted for years and ask, why does it have to work this way? Banking is one of those things. QIIME looked at the traditional banking experience with all the unnecessary fees and complicated rules and built something simpler. It's a smarter, more modern approach designed to help people get more from their money instead of paying more to access it.

34:52Kara Goldin:QIIME offers the most rewarding, fee-free banking with no overdraft fees, no monthly fees, and no minimum balance fees. What I really like is that you get 5 % cash back on your Chime card in a category of your choice, like gas or groceries, while building credit through regular everyday spending with no credit check. You can also grow your money faster with a savings rate that's nine times the national average. And if you're ever in a pinch, SpotMe lets you overdraft up to$200 fee-free. Join the millions who are already banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to Chime.com slash Kara Golden.

35:37Kara Goldin:That is Chime.com slash Kara Golden. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required. Terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for details. Can you explain some of the technologies that you have trademarked in your line? Supercharged HA, microfusion, and retosome. That's incredible. You and I were talking briefly about your Retin-A product that you have as well, which is super great. Can you talk a little bit about all of those? Yeah, I think our Ray Che, and again, it's the manufacturing process that we have the patent for, it's just made without heat.

36:29So what it does, it gives you a better molecule. It's not fragile and it's not weak, and it allows the peptides to attach to it. And it's more like your normal body's hyaluronic acid. And that's the reason that the body takes it so well is because of the size of it. And it just recognizes it very close to what the body produces. The microfusion technology is really, it's a great, it's a great technology. It's made from fulvic acid. Fulvic acid is one of only a few molecules that has both a positive and a negative charge. It has dual polarity. So when it enters the body, it's a very small molecule.

37:08And so it can penetrate and it can take other ingredients with it, antioxidants, peptides. It takes them. And then what happens is the polarity changes on the product. And on its way out, it takes dirt, grime, and it just it's a cleaning agent on the way out. And because it both has a positive and a negative charge. And we have several of our products that use that technology. And we'll probably have more in the future because it is a great delivery system on one hand, but it's a cleaning mechanism on the other, on the way out. And it's really, what it allows, it doesn't allow reoxidated stress to really destroy the ingredients before they penetrate down to the dermal layer.

37:55It's a great delivery system. And then you talked about retinol with our new vitamin A. And that's really the biggest advancement in vitamin A in 10 years. So what we did is we took a retinol with an A, encapsulated it into a synthetic or biomimetic exosome. And what that allowed is vitamin A is the only product that the FDA says everyone should have. and you can make clinical claims as far as anti-aging on it. And it's one that every dermatologist recommends that everyone use. The problem with vitamin A's and retinols are, is they're very irritating. They cause redness, dryness, and flakiness.

38:40So we thought, you know what? If we can solve for that problem, then you really have something special. And that's the reason we put it in an exosome. And because the exosome is a thousand times smaller than a stem cell, So it takes it, not only does it take it to the dermal layer, it gets inside the cells. And so in our clinical study that we did, we had zero patients that dropped out. It improved erythema redness by 68%. Most of these vitamin A's cause you to turn red and flake. This actually treated the patients that had the redness and the inflammation. Not one patient dropped out in the study.

39:19It's, we launched that last fall and it has just done really, really good because it, everyone needs a vitamin A. This, the other thing is you can, you start, you don't have to titrate a lot of vitamin A's. You have to, you have to, you know, a retinoids, you have to start, go two or three days and then do again. This, it's therapeutic from day one. You take it every night. And so it's just, the delivery system is what really makes, what really makes this product.

39:49Kara Goldin:That's incredible. So Hydrenity has grown into more than 4 ,000 professional practices around the U.S. and more than 40 countries globally. It's a big undertaking in just a few years. What has surprised you most about the pace of growth that Hydrenity has experienced and what are some of the challenges when a brand grows this quickly? Yeah, I think we knew we had good products. But again, coming in, myself was lucky enough to get some teammates to come along that had some industry experience. The way that the industry has embraced us is kind of surprising. I knew we had good products, but they were looking, I think we were at the right place at the right time.

40:39They were looking for a company that had good science, had simple products that worked and didn't try to charge an arm and a leg for them. So I think the rapid growth, I knew it was going to be good, but it's probably even outpaced a little bit of where we're probably 12 months ahead of where I thought we were going to be. And with that, you're building the plane as you're flying it. And so sometimes it's a lot of it's just been internal, the systems and the data. How do we keep up? How do we make sure? Because we have this standard for shipping is when an order comes in at 48 hours, it has to go out, has to go out the door.

41:17And so when you grow this fast and get that many orders, you got to make sure you have the right systems in place to capture, capture the data, get the shipments out the door, make sure people are where they're supposed to be. So there's a lot of logistical and moving parts to it. And then you throw the international aspect on there, then it's, we tell everybody, it's not, it's hard work, but it's not complicated. It's just the execution part. It really is. You just have to, you just, you can't think about today. You got to think about next week, next month, and then next year. And you got to put your systems into place to be ready for that.

41:55Kara Goldin:Yeah, definitely. Systems are so, so key. And I think that that is you hit the nail on the head when it comes to growth, because if you're not ready to be able to scale, then you've got to, you know, slow it down a little bit in order to scale. Would you agree? I would agree. And I think speed is something that we take great pride in here. Being able to launch 11 products in three years is you got to be able to work fast to make that happen. 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.

42:40Kara Goldin: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.

43:26Kara 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.

44:06Kara 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 Chime. I love companies that take something we've all accepted for years and ask, why does it have to work this way? Banking is one of those things. Chime looked at the traditional banking experience with all the unnecessary fees and complicated rules and built something simpler. It's a smarter, more modern approach designed to help people get more from their money instead of paying more to access it. Chime offers the most rewarding, fee-free banking with no overdraft fees, no monthly fees, and no minimum balance fees.

44:53Kara Goldin:What I really like is that you get 5 % cash back on your Chime card in a category of your choice, like gas or groceries, while building credit through regular everyday spending with no credit check. You can also grow your money faster with a savings rate that's nine times the national average. And if you're ever in a pinch, SpotMe lets you overdraft up to$200 fee-free. Join the millions who are already banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to Chime.com slash Kara Golden. That is Chime.com slash Kara Golden. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank.

45:37Banking services and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required. Terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for details.

45:47Kara Goldin:So trends in professional skincare and longevity-focused beauty, I'm so curious, what do you think is out there that you think is really just noise? You know, obviously, you don't have millions and millions of products in your lineup. It's a pretty simple system, right, that you're offering to consumers. But are there ones that are out there that are just a lot of noise? You know, there have been brands in the past. I think a lot of them have already gone away in the last four years since we've been here. Over-promising and under-delivered. I do think there is a lot of noise out there about longevity, regenerative medicine.

46:32But actually, I think there's some companies out there, and I hope that we're one of those, that people think, hey, they're starting to deliver on that promise now. You know, I think exosomes are here to stay. I like them. I like growth factors, things that I've used in a previous life. They are great delivery systems to be able to get whatever you're trying to transport down to the dermal layer. So I think exosomes are here to stay. They're really good. And I think the synthetic, the biomimetic exosomes that we use, actually, I think they're even better for a delivery system than human or plant exosomes because you get to systemize, build them.

47:16You put exactly what you want. There's nothing in there that you don't know about. When you use other types of exosomes, you don't get to pick and choose what's in there only to a certain extent. You can't fully develop it. I think that, I think some of the longevity, I think it's really good. I think we've always said in other medical disciplines, you have to heal from the inside out. And skin is no different. And so I think there's some things with, I'm a big fan of NAD, super hard to work with. You know, you can do injections and you can do IVs. That's still not getting it into the cell. And that's where it needs to be.

48:03But there are some things coming that I've heard about that are coming, I think, are going to be really, really exciting, really exciting in that part of it. And peptides are not going anywhere either.

48:16Kara Goldin:Yeah, definitely, definitely. So you've been in life sciences for three decades now and building one of the fastest growing professional skincare brands. For anybody listening who's thinking that their career is just, once you start in something, that you have to stay in that industry, you're clearly a great example of somebody who has expanded beyond what many people do. Did you ever think that hydrinity, when you were first starting your career, was going to happen or be in your future? I tease people all the time I said you know four years ago I couldn't spell aesthetics I'm still not sure I can some days but no absolutely not and I do I think that's that's great people have to when the opportunity is there sometimes you just have to take it I tell people I'll say bet on yourself if you won't bet on yourself why should somebody else bet on you and you just and you know what it's the same.

49:27Science is the same no matter what discipline. You're just looking at different things. Execution is the same no matter where you are. People are the same no matter where you are. If you'll come in and you'll listen and you'll be humble and you'll try to learn, you'll try to learn the core elements of that business or that discipline, you'll get there. But I also tell people just because everybody else does it that way doesn't mean that you have to. we do a lot of things different than other companies is because we don't have those unwritten rules that this is the way that you have to do it. We don't do minimum orders.

50:03There's a lot of things that we do that other companies just don't do. And it's just because we're, I like to think we're open-minded enough to do it that way, or maybe just not smart enough to not know how to do it that way. I don't know which it is, but it's worked out pretty good so far.

50:20Kara Goldin:I love it. Well, Keith, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing all of your wisdom. And Hydrenity is just so incredible. Everyone needs to try. These products are available, as I mentioned, in professional offices, but also online at the website. We'll have all the info in the show notes as well for everybody to check it out more and purchase. for everyone listening. Hydrenity, Accelerated Skin Science, including it in your next purchase. Definitely follow along on the company and also check out what Keith and his team are doing next. So thank you again, Keith. And thank you everyone for listening.

51:07Kara Goldin:We'll see you next time on the Kara Golden Show. Thank you, Kara. Appreciate it. Thanks, everybody. Thanks again for listening to the Kara Golden Show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit. And of course, feel free to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of our podcast. Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Golden. I would love to hear from you too, so feel free to DM me. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Undaunted, where I share more about my journey, including founding and building.

51:51Kara Goldin:Hint. We are here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thanks for listening and goodbye for now. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Chime. I love companies that take something we've all accepted for years and ask, why does it have to work this way? Banking is one of those things. Chime looked at the traditional banking experience with all the unnecessary fees and complicated rules and built something simpler. It's a smarter, more modern approach designed to help people get more from their money instead of paying more to access it. Chime offers the most rewarding fee-free banking with no overdraft fees, no monthly fees, and no minimum balance fees.

52:39Kara Goldin:What I really like is that you get 5 % cash back on your Chime card in a category of your choice, like gas or groceries, while building credit through regular everyday spending with no credit check. You can also grow your money faster with a savings rate that's nine times the national average. And if you're ever in a pinch, SpotMe lets you overdraft up to$200, fee-free. Join the millions who are already banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com slash Kara Golden. That is chime.com slash Kara Golden. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank.

53:23banking services, and ChimeCard provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required. Terms and limits apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details.

53:33Kara 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.

54:17Kara 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.

55:00Kara 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.