The Truth Serum: 3 Experts on How to Source Trustworthy Skincare Advice in a Click-Bait World
An entrepreneur, influencer, and celebrity dermatologist explain in this week’s episode of WorkParty podcast.
This post is in partnership with RoC Skincare.
Dr. Anna Guanche (left) and Lauryn Evarts Bosstick (right) sat down with C&C founder Jaclyn Johnson at our San Francisco Conference to discuss sourcing trustworthy skincare advice online. Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate
How many of you have tried to Google answers around skincare and anti-aging without success? It can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming to find out what works and what doesn’t. Believe it or not, 3.6 million searches were carried out for phrases related to “anti-aging” over the past 12 months. There is just so much information out there!
Well, RoC Skincare—a brand that was born in Paris in the 1950s and is still here today with game-changing retinol formulas that are clinically proven to treat aging skin and help minimize the appearance of concerns like fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles—wants to help you sort through that clutter. At our San Francisco conference, we sat down with some educated women to find out what people are really looking for, what they’re actually finding, and why they keep searching.
Our founder, Jaclyn Johnson, chatted with Dr. Anna Guanche, affectionately known as “Dr. Beauty,” and Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick, creator of The Skinny Confidential podcast and franchise, about how to source trustworthy skincare advice. The conversation was just as informative as it was hilarious, so be sure to listen in on the podcast below. Then keep reading for some of the most memorable quotes from the interview.
Rapid-fire questions:
My favorite anti-aging hack is…
Lauryn: “A facial massage—it tightens the skin.”
Dr. Guanche: “Using retinol every single night.”
The weirdest home remedy for skin I’ve tried is…
Lauryn: “Ordering olive oil from room service to remove makeup.”
Dr. Guanche: “A bird poop facial. The geishas used to use this. It has enzymes in it to exfoliate your skin.”
Lauryn Evarts Bosstick:
“I think people do have a lot of these questions that they’re embarrassed to ask, so they ask Google… I’m trying to create a space where we can talk about taboo topics.”
—Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick, Founder, The Skinny Confidential
On the craziest topics discussed on her podcast:
“I put myself in the audience’s position. I want to know the nitty-gritty. I want to hear from different walks of life.”
“I think people do have a lot of these questions that they are embarrassed to ask, so they ask Google. I’ve always been an over-sharer, so I feel really comfortable to talk about these taboo subjects. I’m trying to create a space where we can talk about them.“
“I feel like we’ve talked about everything… I feel like there isn’t anything we haven't talked about (on The Skinny Confidential).”
On peer-to-peer beauty recommendations:
“I’m really, really specific and strategic with who I choose to work with. I’ve left a lot on the table because it wasn’t the right fit.”
“I try to use the product for at least a month, sometimes I give it to my husband because he’s really into being dewy right now—he thinks it’s his thing—but I basically manipulated him into it.”
“It needs to be something that keeps showing up in my life… I’m really careful about what I promote. I also like to have a product that I keep going back to and something I know the audience will actually use. “
On finding the right products:
“I sit and watch the French girls. I like to observe and see what they’re doing differently. I feel like Americans have a ‘more is more’ approach. I try to watch and observe and see what other people are doing and then implement it into my routine and then see if it works.”
“I’m really inspired by other countries. I like to observe and see what they’re doing differently—it's a lot of oil, retinol, and facial massage.”
On the rise of skincare:
“People are starting to understand that prevention is key. We’re in a day and age in 2019 where a lot of women don’t want to look like someone else. Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves and self-care is that, investing in the best version of yourself.”
On general skincare advice:
“I am batshit crazy about the sun. I have driving gloves in my car, sunscreen on my hands, chest, and ankles. I am wild with the sun. When I get out of my car to walk to 7/11 I have a giant hat on.”
Dr. Anna Guanche:
“Manage stress, meditate, wear your sunscreen.”
Dr. Anna Guanche, Celebrity Dermatologist
On skin aging:
“You reduce your elastic production over time, your collagen is decreased in your dermis and you start to see your skin no longer compensates the damage done to it over time. Your skin can no longer compensate for the skin damage that has happened to you since you were born.”
On common anti-aging questions:
“Does anything really work?”
“Why is this happening to me?”
“What active ingredients do reverse aging?”
On the benefits of retinol:
“Retinol is a vitamin A derivative and is naturally found. It helps remove old, dull skin cells and reduces pigmentation and the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles. Because of the retinoid reaction, your skin will adjust so start every other night and slowly build up if needed.”
On dark circles:
“I love the RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream. It has clinically proven results and helps with dark circles. You can see improvements in 4 weeks and at 12 weeks, fines lines are visibly reduced by 50%—equates to eyes looking 10 years younger.”
On anti-aging:
“You can drink plenty of water, don’t stress out, get lots of sleep, sleep on your back, low-salt diet, wash every single drop of makeup off every night—good skin takes discipline.”
“There is no shame in being beautiful and wanting to be beautiful—putting your best foot forward. Self-care and self-love at a younger age is a great thing to do—actively doing something to overcome those insecurities.”
On general skincare advice:
“Manage stress, meditate, wear your sunscreen.”
“Wash your face completely at night.”
“I try to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. You need to have a routine and you need to have discipline.”
“A lot of time we take great care of our face but we forget to take care of our neck and hands and chest.”
C&C Founder and CEO, Jaclyn Johnson in conversation with celebrity dermatologist, Dr. Anna Guanche and Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential for the RoC Skincare panel at the San Francisco Conference.
For more information on RoC SKincare visit, rocskincare.com.
How a Former Exec Channeled Her Frustration Into a Multi-Million Dollar Company
The Caulipower founder inspires as she sets the freezer aisle on fire.
This post is in paid partnership with Caulipower.
Gail Becker, founder and CEO, Caulipower chats with Create & Cultivate editorial director, Sacha Strebe at the San Francisco Conference. Photo: Smithhouse Photo
Have you ever considered leaving your cushy, well-paying corporate career for a completely different line of work? It’s hard to put aside a steady paycheck (and benefits) to take a leap into the unknown but that’s exactly what Gail Becker did. She is real-life proof that following your gut and leaving your comfort zone can actually pay off—literally! At our San Francisco conference this year, we had the pleasure of hosting a fireside chat with the founder and CEO of CAULIPOWER and we were blown away by her incredible entrepreneurial story.
Not only did she leave her high-flying position as president of strategic partnerships and globalization at Edelman to pursue a business in frozen food (who would have thought?)—she made a product that everyone can enjoy, that is nutritious, convenient and tastes good. But where did it all begin? After discovering both of her sons had celiac disease, Becker was desperate for nutritious gluten-free food options. When she couldn’t find any healthy (or tasty) choices, she did what every mom would—she made her own. She found hundreds of thousands of recipes for cauliflower-crust pizza online and decided to try it. Her sons loved it, but it took 90 minutes—time she didn’t have as a working mom—so she figured she could find it in stores, but it was nowhere to be found.
Becker channeled her frustration with the lack of gluten-free options and the industry’s slowness to innovate into a groundbreaking idea to make cauliflower-crust pizzas available in stores. She quit her job to start CAULIPOWER and now, a little over two years later, her company is on track to generate $100 million in revenue this year—that’s the power of a frustrated mom! In that time CAULIPOWER pizzas have become the #1 better-for-you pizza and #8 frozen pizza brand in the U.S., and the company has expanded their family of better-for-you products, with a mission to reinvent our favorite foods, one healthy meal hack at a time.
Drawing from what consumers are meal hacking at home, their products now include cauliflower tortillas, sweet potato “toast” and their most recent innovation: baked not fried chicken tenders, the healthiest tenders on the market at only 490 calories for the whole bag (seriously!).
Follow along for a deeper look into why Becker started her business, what it takes to be successful, and so much more.
On not hiding the healthy ingredients…
“We’re so proud of being a vegetable, we put it in our name”
“We like to celebrate the magic of vegetables.”
On starting CAULIPOWER…
“Why did I wait so long to do what my heart wanted me to do?”
“CAULIPOWER was born out of the convergence of this realization that I needed something more meaningful, and my own frustration of trying to find more foods that are gluten-free.”
“Why can’t we all share from the same plate? That’s the ethos behind CAULIPOWER.”
“When you care about something so much that you’re willing to risk everything for it, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do—there’s no amount of hours of sleep you wouldn’t give up.”
“It’s (CAULIPOWER) more rewarding than anything I could’ve ever dreamed.”
“It does take a toll. I want to be super honest about that. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and literal tears behind all of that. People never talk about that part.”
“When you care about something so much that you’re willing to risk everything for it, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do—there’s no amount of hours of sleep you wouldn’t give up.”
—Gail Becker, Founder and CEO, Caulipower
On how to hire the right people...
“Every single person at CAULIPOWER today feels like it’s their company, and that’s how it should be. Those are the kind of people you should hire.”
“You need people that are going to be as passionate and care as much as you—I hired people who wanted to take a leap, too.”
”They have to really have the passion to try to make the world a little bit better.”
On raising capital...
“To grow a business, you have to have money, and you have to have some sales before you raise money, ideally.”
“Don’t let the thought of raising money get in the way of actually building your business.”
On the brand...
“Everything about the brand is accessible—accessible in the way it looks, the way it tastes, the stores it’s sold in, and the fact that we donate to teaching gardens.”
Sign up to be a Create & Cultivate Insider and watch the video of Gail Becker in conversation with our editorial director, Sacha Strebe at the San Francisco Conference, and so much more from our video vault.
I Was Drowning in Self-Doubt Until Create & Cultivate Shifted My Mindset
Gems to keep with you forever.
Written and submitted by Patrice Boswell after attending her first-ever C&C conference in San Francisco.
Photo: Courtesy of Patrice Boswell
Like most Create & Cultivate first-timers, I did my homework to prepare for the big day. I scoured C&C's site for articles on networking, what to pack in my purse, and what to wear. Anything that would give me insight on what to expect.
Even so, I arrived at the conference feeling anxious and out of my depth. The hours of note-taking, online shopping, and designing business cards didn't boost my confidence.
Because my problem wasn't unpreparedness, it was self-doubt. Believing I didn't belong in the same space as creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs. The same self- doubt that has kept me from doing the one thing I desire the most, writing.
They say you should surround yourself with people you want to be like. Create & Cultivate allowed me to surround myself with other storytellers.
And here's how the conference shifted my mindset.
“The little wins matter because they make the big victories more attainable.”
—Patrice Boswell
Sense of Community
I attended the event solo, but I had so many event buddies. I met my first buddy in the entrance line, and we, of course, became each other's photographers. I learned about the history of the venue by talking with someone over breakfast and I had honest conversations about inclusivity between panel discussions and lunch. From the beautiful interior design to the bomb playlist, C&C curated an experience that set the tone for a good time. And you make friends when you're having a good time.
Most Inspirational Moment
The spotlight conversation highlighted the journey of a boss woman, Cindy Eckert who broke down barriers for a cause that was bigger than herself. She fought so that women could have options when it came to sexual desire. She illuminated a problem that was being ignored and provided a solution.
Women are often taught to compete against one another, which leads to independent success. But we're at our best when we're working together for the betterment of one another.
"Speak up, stand up, and lock arms."
Her efforts will transform the lives of many. That's a humbling revelation. The best work is the work where we're in service to others.
“Women are often taught to compete against one another—which leads to independent success—but we're at our best when we're working together for the betterment of one another.”
—Patrice Boswell
Biggest Takeaways
The keynote speakers, panel discussions, and mentor sessions provided the best advice.
"Refine your intention for why you want to do what you want to do."
To create authentic content, you have to stand for something and let it be the center for everything you do. You're less likely to get distracted by shiny fads when you remain true to your purpose.
"Connect unexpected dots that cross your path, at different times in your life."
You must pay attention to what's going on around you. There's inspiration everywhere, and a great idea can come from anything. Experience life with fresh eyes and ears wherever you go. In everything that you do.
"Go where the momentum is."
When you focus on the trees, you lose sight of the forest. This tunnel vision makes it hard to take inventory, reevaluate, and pivot. If something's not working, you're allowed to stop and ask why. You're allowed to try new things and go a different way. Even if it's not the path, you intended.
"If you want to be interesting; be interested."
Just because things are a certain way, doesn't mean you can't deviate. Do what's exciting for you. Whatever makes you tick, focus on that. That's what sets you apart from the person in front and behind you.
"Make and keep promises to yourself. It will build your confidence."
We're busy; things get pushed aside and never get done. But if we make small goals for ourselves, we're more likely to accomplish them. The little wins matter because they make the big victories more attainable.
Victory Moment
For me, being a contributing author for Create & Cultivate's blog is a big victory. After attending the conference, I devoured the pages of my journal. I then promised myself to pitch an idea to the editorial director. And I did. I wasn't sure where things would lead, but the small victory of sending the email was enough. Enough to build my confidence, which put me in the right frame of mind to create.
That's what the Create & Cultivate conference did for me. It inspired and motivated me.
Join us on February 22 for our Los Angeles Conference! It’s going to be one of our biggest ever with panels, experiences, networking, workshops, and so much more. Buy your tickets today because this one is going to sell out!