Co-founder of tbh Skincare, Rachel Wilde, started the company in 2019 and launched to market six months later in March 2020.
"I was lucky enough to come across the technology that is now in our hero product, our acne hack spot treatment, when I worked in the medical devices industry before founding the business," said Wilde.
Wilde happened upon a career in the medical sales industry with initially a marketing background. Wilde came across a medical research company that had developed technology that could break through Biofilm in the body to treat infections. With a range of products created for hospitals and healthcare with novel technology, Wilde said the company realised that the technology could also be used for skin care, specifically acne.
"I ended up trialling the acne product out of the lab on my skin, and this is really where the spark for tbh Skincare was born."
After Wilde used the product on her skin and loved the results and technology, she decided there was a significant opportunity to bring the patented product to market and create a brand and product line that Wilde herself would have wanted when she was dealing with the worst of her acne as a teenager and still in her early twenties.
Wilde continued that when dealing with her acne, her approach was to punish her skin into behaving with harsh ingredients and lacked love or nurture in her skincare routine. Knowing firsthand the impact acne can have on individual overall well-being, Wilde said that she had lost all her confidence and felt isolated while dealing with her skincare troubles.
Whenever she sought professional help for her acne, the conversations were clinical and focused solely on fixing the physical problem with little consideration for how she was genuinely doing or coping with the emotional aspects.
"There is a lot of negative language used around acne, and I felt the shame around growing up with acne."
That's why with tbh Skincare, she aimed to have a play-free, shame-free brand that was supportive and community-based, one that Wilde would have liked to have had.
The most significant point of difference that gives tbh Skincare its competitive edge is its patented technology which it uses to treat acne. Tbh Skincare's hero product, the acne hack spot treatment, can target bacteria within a biofilm (which accounts for 90 percent of bacteria), and this is an entirely novel thing that the other traditional products on the market can't do.
Wilde explained that Biofilm is a colony of bacteria that forms together via a slimy glue-like substance known as EPS. The EPS forms a layer around the colony of bacteria and shields it from attack.
"It is tough to break through, and unless you can break through the protective layer, you can't treat the bacteria within."
This makes the product unique as it's been clinically trialled against traditional treatments such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid and outperformed them.
Secondly, the brand has brought a fresh approach to a clinical and outdated category. Wilde said that she didn't want to add another white bottle to the shelf to be taken seriously, and to be honest, Skincare questioned why clinically backed skincare couldn't be fun too.
"We've created a brand that adds excitement and builds a strong community of customers who resonate with our mission."
Inspiration for products is sourced directly from customers. Wilde said having such a clear focus on tbh Skincare's customer group was a blessing. Tbh Skincare is an acne brand and doesn't shy away from that.
"Whenever it comes to new products, it is just about going to this customer group and asking them what they need and are missing."
Tbh Skincare's range is arranged between its 'treat' and 'maintain' products. 'Treat' products actively fight breakouts with their patented technology. These products are the anti-bacterial cleanser and the acne hack spot treatment.
The 'maintain' products revolve around supporting breakout-prone skin and providing really friendly formulas for this skin type. Tbh Skincare has a rebound barrier support serum created to calm and restore the skin barrier, which was a challenge for the customers as Wilde added that it was common to use very harsh products on the skin for an extended time, damaging customers' skin barriers.
"Damaged skin barriers can lead to more breakouts, so we created a product full of things like ceramides, Centella, and panthenol to calm and build back the skin's strength."
Tbh Skincare also has products like its thirst trap moisturiser and skin shady SPF 50+ in its maintain part of the range. These products are non-comedogenic, won't clog pores, are designed to feel super lightweight on the skin and have been formulated to compliment the hero products whilst not flaring skin.
This way, customers know everything is working well together and that they aren't risking messing with the excellent results the treatment products should achieve for customers with acne breakouts.
When advising her younger self, Wilde said she would probably ask herself to reminisce on her favourite memories and question whether she remembered what she looked like on those days or how much her skin had to do with those special moments.
"The answer would likely be zero. I think sometimes that helps to put it into perspective. How bad of a breakout you have one day won't matter in five years, so don't let it control how you live your life now."
Wilde's proudest achievement was how many people the tbh Skincare brand has been able to help with people. Following this was how proud she was of the team built up within the business.
"It takes a lot of grit to get through those early days of a startup, and I think I appreciate now having a team who share my vision for the business and are equally as passionate about it."
Wilde loves sitting back and watching her team have fun with tbh and seeing everyone feel proud to work for the business.
For the future, Wilde wants to continue what tbh Skincare is doing now, only on a larger scale, to provide greater accessibility for its patented technology, products and services, both domestically and globally.
