Women to Watch
I N T E R V I E W W I T H C A R I N A W O O D R U F F, M D - V E T T E D D E R M L A B
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS AND BECOME A FEMALE FOUNDER?
WHAT UNIQUE PROBLEM DOES YOUR BUSINESS SOLVE, AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ADDRESS IT?
Many people in the US experience skin allergies in the form of rashes - and ingredients in personal care products are among the most common causes. Many of these ingredients don’t need to be there and others could easily be substituted. As dermatologists, we are confronted by this problem everyday. Patients come into our clinics having spent thousands of dollars trying to find products that didn’t aggravate their skin; often using products labeled “hypoallergenic”, “dermatologist tested”, and “clean” only to find out many of these products were the problem. We knew it didn’t have to be this way and felt compelled to use our unique expertise in skin allergy and personal care products to solve this common clinical problem. We truly never set out to be entrepreneurs. We are all practicing dermatologists involved in research and education and are very fulfilled by our jobs. We are also all moms! We definitely have our hands full now but every step of this journey has felt so worthwhile because the three of us believe so deeply in what we are trying to accomplish with VETTED.
Skincare options for patients with sensitive skin or contact dermatitis are limited. We knew there were no truly hypoallergenic, high-performance skincare lines available on the market. We thought we should create something that had powerhouse ingredients like vitamin C, retinoids, and niacinamide; omitting the allergens in so many products unsuitable for those with skin sensitivities. One of the repercussions of the clean beauty movement seen frequently in dermatology is an increase in allergic skin rashes to botanicals and essential oils. Most people don’t realize that botanicals are actually a common cause of contact allergies! We understood why terms like “clean beauty” were important and appealing but we felt the concept (and these products) was missing a critical, scientific lens; are they hypoallergenic. We wanted to make products that combined sustainability with what we know is also good for the skin - non-irritating, non-toxic, and truly hypoallergenic ingredients. At VETTED, we say: “If it’s not hypoallergenic, it’s not clean.”
E L L A I NS P I RE S / I S S UE 31
