Eva Soh, the brainchild of a local iconic skincare brand, left her high flying position in the finance industry to fulfill her second calling – provide solutions to save people from the physical and emotional pain of battling with acne. She took a leap of faith to create under-the-radar skincare brand, mySKINBAR, which she established following a breakthrough discovery of the Demodex Mite over 10 years ago.
Here, Eva Soh tells me her story (and boy, is it worth the read).
Eva, please give my audience a general summary on what you do and your early days in this field
There’s this quote by Steve Jobs that goes, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
I think it quite aptly encapsulates how I approach my life.
When I was a young girl in my early 20s, I broke the news to my family that I would be leaving for the UK to study, and it was just a month before I left. Needless to say, my decision was a massive shock to my family and relatives.
And the pattern repeats. In 2011, I plunged into the skincare industry a highly competitive domain saturated with many well-established brands. Overcome with an inexplicable desire to share my findings with people who were struggling with skin troubles, I started mySKINBAR after a bizarre encounter with the Demoxdex Mites; an act that went against all conventional notions of pragmatism, especially since I was then an experienced professional within the financial industry.
A decade on, I am delighted that mySKINBAR continues to run independently and almost entirely online at myskinbar.com, alongside our Instagram Page (@myskinbar) and Facebook page (@myskinbar). We pride ourselves for blending the efficacy of a visit to the dermatologist and over-the-counter treatment through natural-ingredient-based solutions with the customisability of our menu; to create a gender-neutral skincare routine that is unique only for the customer and his or her skin.
So your brand is a decade old – what does that mean to you?
Since the inception of mySKINBAR in 2010, it’s been a good 10 years. But in the world of building a brand from scratch, these 10 years are absolutely necessary for establishing our credibility and reliability. The journey to building a credible and noteworthy brand from the ground up is long and arduous, but it is a critical one to ensuring a stable foundation upon which we could continue to excel.
And given your previous finance industry background, what made you switch down this new avenue to a completely different occupation?
To me, I don’t see it as an occupation – it’s my passion.
It really all started when I met a doctor who, incidentally, had also a similar work philosophy as me. He was very passionate about the human complexion and the science of formulating better solutions that would work for the skin. I was very much influenced by his passion and commitment to formulating effective solutions.
There was this particular instance when he and his team of doctors were puzzled about why a patient with chronic acne could not fully recover despite treatments. So, they decided to extract oil from the patient’s nose and observe it under a microscope. Lo and behold, upon magnification, the Demodex mite showed up. While this has been more widely researched in recent years, it was truly groundbreaking 10 years ago. Shortly after this discovery, we worked on formulations for The Crux (pimple corrector gel) to nip the problem in the bud. And when we tested it, it worked consistently. It brought the previous success rate of our holistic ASAP Acne treatment from 60% to over 90% because it tackled the root problem of the mites.
We had a working cure in our hands. Plus, it was gentle and non-invasive. The doctor who was so obsessed with wanting to find a cure now needed someone with equal passion who could share his products and knowledge with the world, since his bandwidth was mostly spent on managing his research network and solution development. Naturally, since our work philosophies were so aligned, our collaboration was a fantastic match.
View this post on Instagram
Has this been your dream career path since you were a little girl? If not, what was your original career goals and dreams?
One thing that comes with experience is hindsight. And in honesty, I never envisioned myself to be owning my very own skincare brand. Growing up in a conservative Asian household, the norm was always to go for the safest and most secure track. It was so deeply ingrained in me that whatever I did then was driven by pragmatism.
Starting mySKINBAR completely challenged this long-held belief. However, I have no regrets about my decision to buck the trend. I always felt like I was never quite meant to be in a prescribed box, metaphorically speaking, so I had to break it. And with mySKINBAR, I really did. Because in life, there isn’t actually a safe track – it’s how much you can and want to push beyond the boundaries.
Did you have to go through education to get to where you are, or did you work your way up?
Since I came from a vastly different career track, I learnt various life skills that had benefited me when I started up mySKINBAR. This I believe is the education of life.
Having no prior experience in skincare, I had to study a lot. Post-mySKINBAR’s genesis, I spent 3 years studying on my own and also partook in heavy understudy with my partner-doctor. This worked out very well for me since I’ve had always harbored an interest in science, and even took a science track when I was still in school. While the heavy lifting, the deep science and research is still left to the science team, it was important for me as a founder to get my hands involved in the process.
My personal philosophy therefore is: if you’re interested in something and are presented with the opportunity, seize it, even if you think it’s too challenging or impossible. Educate yourself. It’s the most powerful tool that would allow you to Break The Box™ and pass these arbitrary limits.
What kind of obstacles have you met along the way to reach where you are today?
Starting a business from scratch inadvertently comes with a lot of challenges and obstacles. From financing this passion-driven project into a sustainable passion-driven business myself, to finding a foothold within an already saturated market, I’ve had my fair share of challenges to overcome.
10 years ago, the idea of establishing a bar for the skin was very unconventional. Despite having our doctor’s vast research-based experience backing us up, building credibility initially was challenging. However, we knew our products are effective and we just needed to push through, and we achieved that on the firm belief that skincare should be fun, like being in a bar.
Another evergreen obstacle stems from the inherent fact that science is ever evolving and there are always differing opinions on scientific discoveries. 10 years ago, the Demodex Mite wasn’t really considered in the skincare or acne scientific discourse. Fast forward to 10 years later, researchers the likes of Michelle Trautwein at the California Academy of Sciences corroborated the effects of the Demodex Mite on the skin. What mySKINBAR hopes to do is to do the hard work of distilling the scientific research into a simple-to-use bottle for you to use.
Were your friends / family supportive of your career choices?
It was a risky choice, but I knew that I didn’t want to have to look back and think “what if I started that skincare business…” Now that I’ve tried it, I can safely say there won’t be regrets at all.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
To be honest, I love every part of my job. When you start a company from scratch, you have to dip your fingers into everything, and that is something I utterly enjoy. I’ve overseen product formulation, design testing, logistics, accounting, video ads production… You name it, and I probably had done it. While it may be unfamiliar at first, I found that it’s most rewarding when you cross that line of triumphing over these micro-obstacles. Incidentally, this is also when I start to appreciate the diversity of my job scope.
What’s your least favourite part of your job?
As cliché as it sounds, I don’t have a part of the job that I don’t particularly favour. As with every job, there are always highs and lows. In addition, I like to think that it’s my personality to view things more positively that I find it so much easier to love everything about my job. In fact, I unabashedly love it, warts and all.
After all, Mark Anthony did say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life – this resonated with me. But what I truly identified with was artist Adam J. Kurtz’s cheeky take on it: Do what you love and you’ll work super hard all the time with no separation or any boundaries and also take everything extremely personally. For me, my work is an integral part of me because it’s become so deeply personal and intertwined with my life.
If I were forced to pick, perhaps my least favorite part of running mySKINBAR is exactly what I love about it — it’s deeply personal, because it’s impossible to completely extract myself from it. When you’re starting something from scratch, it’s hard to build up faith or trust. Not even just in your products, but the idea itself. I had questions “Why would you want to give up that cushy finance job?” or “Are you really sure?”. The lack of faith was honestly really trying for me. Compounding it with faith in terms of a difficulty in getting external financial support, I dominantly had to pour in funds for what I believed in and what I knew could help people. But sometimes, it was difficult to even sustain my own convictions without the support. I thought, was this selfish to financially compromise my family for this ambition, for this greater good that it could bring to people? And this was something I continue to grapple with on my worst days, but it is always the result of bringing people joy that reminds me– I’m doing the right thing. And these toughest moments don’t feel as challenging.
What is your best life lesson you’ve learnt on your journey?
I think the best lesson I’ve learnt can be simply encapsulated in three words — perseverance, resilience, resolution. With them, I am confident that I can continue this journey.
View this post on Instagram
Have you ever had any doubts or considered giving up?
In establishing mySKINBAR, I encountered moments that questioned my conviction sometimes. However, what really drove me, and even so today, were the stories of my clients who had successfully managed their skin issues with our products.
A few years ago, my brother suffered burns from a car accident where the airbag exploded, he had to live with an painful burn wound on his forearm for weeks that wouldn’t quite heal right even with prescription medication. So I made him take a shot with The Sidekick and The Pacifier. After a week, his wound started to heal. The Sidekick managed to eliminate the bacteria and accelerate the closing and healing of the wound, and The Pacifier helped to accelerate its healing. Today, what remained of that wound was a faint and small scar.
Having had my products work to benefit someone so dear to me obviously was a huge source of encouragement, especially just when I was questioning if I should continue in this business. If one product could do so much more than just treat acne, I could only imagine the positive impact it might have on others who need it.
I had one other client whose journey with us strengthened my resolve to continue mySKINBAR as well. She suffered from serious acne and was about to undergo a severe chemical peel. However, her dermatologist advised her that this would be the last time she could ever get a chemical peel as a last-ditch solution to treat her acne, as her skin had become too thin due to repeated treatments. When we saw her skin during the first consultation, raw from all the treatments, I couldn’t help but empathised strongly with her. With our diagnosis and non-invasive treatment, her skin condition improved with our ASAP Acne Solution set, and she remains to today one of mySKINBAR’s best success stories and loyal customers
Another client had a baby who was experiencing bouts of rashes and eczema. For someone so young, his mother did not want him to have to use steroids, which have long-term implications. She came to us for The Pacifier and it worked beautifully to clear his skin. We found that The Pacifier, infused with the goodness of mineral salt water, pumpkin seed and baker’s yeast extract, repeatedly and successfully helped young children manage eczema-prone and sensitive skin. Their condition actually healed just through the continued application of The Pacifier. Therefore, it was motivating for us to be able to see how just a topical cream can do so much, especially for children at such a young age. And that is really what helped me find conviction in what I do when things get challenging.
At the end of the day, it’s always the cases when we felt that clients’ lives were positively impacted, and when we see that renewed confidence in their faces, that heartened us to continue the business. It might sound a little cliched, but our recipe for persevering in the face of challenges is simply, our happy customers. We are really happy to be able to bring happiness to them.
How do you juggle work life and home life – any tips on ensuring both are a positive space?
I believe that it’s definitely possible to manage both work life and home life. As a cosmopolitan female, I am wholly a mother and a professional, and these identities define me and my contributions at work and at home. There isn’t necessarily a balance, but what works according to your priorities. For instance, when I just had my daughter, I decided to switch up my regional role to a more local-based role so that I could be there for her in her formative years. There are bound to be sacrifices made, I’m not going to sugar coat that. However, I never regretted my choices simply because it was something that felt right to do. Therefore, I believe what would help greatly is that a woman should do whatever feels right for her, based on her priorities — whether they might be professional or domestic.
Of course, for me to even be able to enact upon my choices, I have to thank my husband and daughter. I am immensely privileged and thankful that now my positive space is maintained by having a very supportive husband and daughter.
Do you ever struggle to get through the working week, if so how do you power on?
Some weeks can just get crazy hectic – such is the fact of a life spent hustling to build a brand. Having snuggles from my loving french bulldog, Tomas, is incredibly therapeutic and helps to calm me down a lot to power on.
If you could go back to your 18 year old self and give one piece of life advice, what would it be and why?
Please, please, please, past self, remember your UV protection. I was actually really blessed to be born with good skin. However, as an athlete in my younger days and equipped with an inadequate understanding of how the skin worked, coupled with youthful complacency, I accumulated significant sun damage from staying outdoors without using sunblock.
The significance of using sunblock only really struck me when I was in my thirties and I started seeing pigmentation manifesting. Now, I am using my own products (Whole’istic Cream and Gets Better With Age) to remove and keep my pigmentation issues at bay. Till today, I use our sunblock, Summer Lovin’, that helps to reduce pigmentation while protecting the skin from harmful UV rays.
I can’t turn back the clock for myself, but for everyone else, remember! UV protection is key!
What does the next 5 years look like for you?
Simply put, growth.
With ecommerce as retail’s future, and with being unconventional and forward-looking in our DNA, I believe mySKINBAR would continue to innovate with our online presence. The current global pandemic has expedited the process of innovation and reinvigoration for businesses, and I see it as a change in momentum in the right direction for us. In addition, it has reinforced our conviction that it is possible to bring to people the personal skincare experience and help they deserve and need with the help of technology. mySKINBAR’s focus on ecommerce and online global reach would help to establish important communities and networks overseas so that our cures can reach the people who need it. And most importantly, I think our growth for the next 5 years will still be powered by the same values that brought us to here today from 10 years ago – our belief that mySKINBAR can help to bring happiness to our customers, and a confident smile to their faces.
****************************************
mySKINBAR offers a range of skincare products for both men and women, including primers, sun protectors, treatments and single shot solutions – check out the full range and make your purchase by clicking here.
