E.S.K – Evidence Skincare was founded by Sydney-based GP, author and TV personality, Dr. Ginni Mansberg, alongside her husband, Daniel Rubinstein. We chat about the brand’s point of difference and starting a business from a place of passion.
Tell us about E.S.K – Evidence Skincare. What makes this brand so unique?
There are a few things, but the most important is in the name:
- We started Evidence Skincare (ESK), because while there is some really good scientific evidence for what works in skin care, we simply couldn’t find any brands which were manufactured according that evidence. ESK products use ingredients with some of the best scientific evidence – and that continues to make us unique. What that really means is that ESK customers should expect to see real results through changes in the underlying architecture of the skin!
- We like to sleep well at night, so being ethical is not negotiable. We exclude known and suspected harmful ingredients, use airless bottles (recyclable where possible) and we’re cruelty free.
- Part of being ethical means that customer service is core to us. So we go above and beyond to make sure customers are happy.
- And finally we realized skincare was unnecessarily complicated so we have a smaller range, with easy to understand regimes that makes things easy for users. That is something that has really delighted customers.
What inspired you to start E.S.K – Evidence Skincare?
It all started with a conversation that Daniel (my husband) and I had on a date night in 2012 and it was based on:
• A realisation that there were no evidence-based brands on the market.
• The knowledge that there were consumers who wanted simple to use, BS free, effective skin care.
• My total outrage at the pseudoscience and marketing hype that played on our insecurities.
• And probably the most important element was a brain fart where we thought that with absolutely no small business experience, 6 kids (all of who were at school or uni at the time) we could do this.
E.S.K – Evidence Skincare adopts a customer focused approach. What’s your point of difference?
We want users who are not only happy with their experience but who get real results. So customer service is core to us and we really focus on the user. That starts before purchase with staff who are available to answer any question and a tool to help users work out which kits would be right for you. We call all customers after your first purchase to make sure that everything is OK and tweak the regimes if necessary at our expense. And finally we offer a money back guarantee. We think that if we can’t provide customers with the right advice and products that work for them, then they shouldn’t have to pay.
Tell us about your career and background. How does this benefit E.S.K – Evidence Skincare
At my core I’m a GP seeing patients. That’s been constant since 1993! I’m a science nerd and always scouring my fave medical journals for the latest up-to-date studies. But I’m also in the media, so having rubbish skin as I did until I started using ESK (acne, combination skin with dry patches, easily irritated and pigmentation!) was a daily hassle. When I started getting stacks of emails and Facebook messages from TV viewers asking me to point them towards an evidence-based skin care range, or even just a single product, I couldn’t find any. I kept meeting with dermatologists and plastic surgeons. no joy! It started as an itch and became an obsession. I roped Daniel in and we went from there. We still relax with a good medical journal and as new evidence emerges we hone our range!
E.S.K – Evidence Skincare sports an impressive catalogue of products containing impressive ingredients. How can customers navigate the range to find what’s suitable?
There are 3 ways that customers can work out which products to use. They can:
- Self-select from the kits that we have on the website – that’s quick and easy, but not tailored to each user and their particular skin condition and needs
- Call our staff (1300 884 875) to chat about their needs and work out which products are best; or
- Complete our online quiz and get a solution tailored to them
And after that’s done, don’t worry, we’ll be in touch to check how things are going and make sure that we adjust the regime if necessary to get things right for you.
Describe a typical work day for you.
Well this morning started at 5am, with an alarm and a greeting from my puppies (that and a coffee with my husband are part of my morning ritual). Then I was off to the TV studio to talk the latest health news items. From there I went to my surgery to see patients. And this evening I have some Board papers to review for a meeting later this week. Somewhere in there Daniel and I will chat about E.S.K., how things are tracking, the new products we are working on, our learnings from customer interactions, the next production run and setting some time aside to write some articles for ESK and discuss the marketing calendar.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
If you feel that it’s what you want to do…. just do it! It will almost certainly take longer and cost more than you think… so plan accordingly. But once you get thrown in the deep end, you will surprise yourself with what you can do and how quickly you learn.
What’s next for you, and E.S.K – Evidence Skincare in 2020?
We are spending most of our time trying to get more people to know about us. So hopefully you will see our name a bit more. We are still the same science nerds we always were and continue to read the latest studies to ensure that ESK skincare is still providing the BEST and LATEST evidence-based skincare. I guess you could say that we just want to keep doing what we’re doing now, just better.