September 2023
INSIDE A SMALL BUSINESS: Q&A WITH JUDY CHEUNG-WOOD What was the inspiration behind you ultimately launching your own business? I owe a lot to my grandfather. He was a chemist and serial entrepreneur who ran marketing agencies, made wooden toys (so ahead of his time!) and manufactured natural skincare products. I believe I inherited his entrepreneurial spirit and his passion for traditional, nutritional medicine and the creation of skincare products that work. My grandfather was incredibly wise and knowledgeable. As a young girl, I was always fascinated by his creations and was constantly learning from him. Upon having my own acne challenges, I was determined to find a solution, in the way he would have done – by caring for the whole body. In 2005, I came across a medical hypothesis on the use of high dose Vitamin B5 for acne, which showed promising results. I didn’t believe in supplements then, but was desperate for something else other than the same old acne creams and washes that didn’t work.
I then embarked on intensive research and started experimenting on myself with a combination of high potency Vitamin B5 and other acne fighting nutrients, such as Vitamin B3, that are supported by the best scientific evidence. After two months, my skin completely cleared up and even started to glow. I was amazed at the results and decided that I need to bring this real acne solution to other acne sufferers!
Soon after, SkinB5 was created and launched, supported by Austrade and seed capital from a prominent doctor from Tasmania. The rest is history. Why did you choose the skincare sector for your enterprise? As a child, I always suffered from mysterious skin issues. When I became a young teen, acne
emerged, and my skin continued to break-out regularly well into my twenties. I blamed it on the oily skin genes that I inherited from my father. I was a shy teenager and having acne didn’t help with my confidence, as I was very selfconscious. When others looked at me, I avoided eye contact, particularly when my skin was breaking out.
Throughout university and the early years of employment, I continued to get pimples. Even as a student with limited resources, I would spend money on expensive Dermalogica and Clinique creams thinking, ‘Surely these expensive ones would work better than the cheap supermarket products?’ And when they inevitably didn’t, I moved onto the next cream. Each time the experience ate away at my self-esteem. So when my own concoction with high potency Vitamin B5 cleared my acne, I decided to bring it to the world!
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