BeautyBio Founder on the Power of Science-Backed Skincare
The skincare company founded by Jamie O’Banion is on a mission to create clean, transparent products that deliver on their promises
BeautyBio was founded by Jamie O’Banion in 2011 when O’Banion and her father, a biochemist, began experimenting with active ingredients. Today, the company aims to create clinical-level tools and topical products to transform skincare.
Some of BeautyBio’s most popular products include the GloFacial, a pore cleansing and hydrating tool with blue LED, the GloPro, a facial microneedling tool, and the Quench, a rapid-recovery face cream. The products’ simple, clean packaging is representative of BeautyBio’s quest to develop simple and effective skincare tools.
O’Banion grew up immersed in the world of “cosmeceuticals.” Her father was a physician and owned one of the top skincare labs providing active ingredients to beauty corporations.
“It was there that I noticed there was clearly misinformation in the beauty industry,” O’Banion tells Athletech News. “From working in the lab and closely with R&D, I learned that oftentimes only fairy dust amounts of active raw materials were being used by top brands. I felt that including an ingredient for marketing claims without a high enough concentration to actually be effective was misleading to the customer.”
From there, O’Banion said she “set out to develop a clean, transparent brand that consumers could trust would deliver on its claims.”
“This is where our motto, ‘Truth in Beauty,’ stemmed from and – to this day – BeautyBio products are tested to ensure we deliver on our commitment to clean, clinically tested performance formulas and tools,” she adds.
Inside the Products
The GloFacial is an at-home version of a hydrofacial, nicknamed the “pore vacuum” by some users. It comes with an original collagen concentrate that infuses the skin as the impurities are removed. Used incorrectly, pore vacuums can lead to hyperpigmentation, bruising, broken capillaries, and scarring. However, the GloFacial has three different pressure options to counteract such risks, and gently remove dirt and blackheads.
The GloPro uses the process of rolling tiny needles over the surface of the skin to help stimulate collagen production and allow the body to create new skin cells. There are risks involved with at-home microneedling, including bleeding, bruising, and redness. However, when done properly, microneedling can smooth the skin’s surface and improve skin elasticity.
Both the GloFacial and GloPro come with extensive instructions and tips to use the tools. Some of the brand’s smaller items boast impressive claims, like the Pout, which increases lip volume after just one application.
“When I decided to start BeautyBio, it was important to me that all products were scientifically tested and proven, not just ‘of the moment’ or with loose beneficial claims,” O’Banion says. “Ironically, skincare products are not FDA required to third-party test for performance so the vast majority do not test finished formulas. This is why most brands focus solely on single-ingredient claims versus a product claim. Imagine baking a loaf of bread and never taking a bite of the finished loaf and instead simply focusing on the flavors of the baking soda or salt.”
Many formulas on the market are not only ineffective, they can harm the skin, O’Banion says.
“We third-party test all formulas and are hopeful the industry will continue to require additional testing by brands and all formulas,” she adds.
More To Come
In such a crowded industry, skincare brands are required to do more and more to stand out. Consumers are demanding better results, faster.
“The beauty industry is an increasingly crowded space with many brands touting ‘better for you’ ingredients,” O’Banion notes. “We really pride ourselves on the research and testing that we conduct on our products to not only ensure efficacy but also to ensure that these are the ingredients we would use on ourselves.”
As for what’s next for BeautyBio, O’Banion says the brand is “constantly innovating and working to bring new products to the market.”
BeatyBio was acquired by Rhyz Inc., a subsidiary of Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., in August.
“We are now part of a publicly traded entity with access to an incredible global ecosystem to expand our footprint in a way that feels authentic and organic to our brand and our core values,” O’Banion says. “We have some exciting new launches that I can’t wait to share with everyone.”
Correction: BeautyBio was founded in 2011, not 2005, as a previous version of this article stated.