W-Suite: Time is a precious commodity for most women - Meera Iyer, SkinQ

We, at Adgully, have always saluted and honoured women managers and leaders across diverse fields. W-SUITE is a special initiative from Adgully that has been turning the spotlight on some of the most remarkable women achievers in the M&E, Advertising, Marketing, PR and Communications industry. In the refurbished series, we seek to find out how women leaders have been managing their teams and work as well as how they have been navigating through the toughest and most challenging times brought about by the global pandemic.

SkinQ, a dermatologist formulated, active solutions brand for people with skin of colour, has been making waves in the skin care industry. It is akin to having a dermatologist in a bottle. In an Interview with Adgully, Meera Iyer, CEO & Co-Founder, SkinQ, shares about her venture with Dr Chytra Anand and also about how entrepreneurship is tougher for women, who have the added responsibilities of managing their homes, finances and bringing up kids as well.

Please take us through your success journey?

My success, like many others coming out of Ivy League colleges, started with getting placed at JBIMS for my Masters; it really opens up better opportunities at the beginning of your career. The door it opened for me was Hindustan Unilever Limited as my first job—a dream job and a must-have stint for anyone wanting to learn marketing. After 9 years there, there was a large shift that propelled me further in my career—that was my foray into the CXO teams of well-funded consumer internet businesses—Bigbasket and Medlife. Being part of the digital ecosystem early on and privileged to be part of two unicorn journeys taught me business at the grassroots level and propelled me into top leadership roles much sooner than if I had continued at HUL. Both of these stints—one in a large organized MNC and the others in chaotic turbocharged start-ups—have given me the confidence to step into the world of entrepreneurship.

Did you have the passion for being an entrepreneur since the beginning? What inspired you to start SkinQ, a beauty brand?

I had quite the opposite thought of never wanting to explore entrepreneurship after having seen the hard life of my husband through his journeys at his two start-ups – Inkfruit and Simplilearn. Honestly, life can be much more comfortable if you choose to be salaried rather than break back building a start-up. My motivation to join hands with Dr. Chytra Anand at SkinQ was born out of a personal experience. My pre-teen daughter, like millions of others, started having acne breakouts. From a happy, sweet child, she transformed into someone who disliked social interactions and was sulky. And there was literally nothing in OTC that could help her, prompting me to visit the dermatologist—by providence, Dr. Chytra. We discussed the lack of evidence-based, efficacious offerings for common skin problems in the OTC segment, and I was introduced to SkinQ, which she was developing to fill that gap. I took baby steps in being an advisor to start with for a good nine months before developing conviction in both the business and myself to jump into it as co-founder and CEO.

Please do share about SkinQ. What all products are in your portfolio?

SkinQ is a dermatologist-formulated, clinically proven brand of high-efficacy skin and hair solutions, made specifically for skin of colour—the melanin-rich skin that we Indians have along with 3/4th of the world population. It’s an awfully underrepresented population, with just 7-8% of world skincare having been formulated and tested for this group. It is ill-known that melanin-rich skin has to be treated differently as compared to white or oriental skin while solving common issues faced by this skin type: pigmentation, acne, and dry or sensitive skin. That’s where SkinQ comes in with its extremely potent clinically tested products that solve these problems with an efficacy that’s unmatched and has wowed dermatologists across the globe. SkinQ has 14 SKUs that try to simplify your everyday regimes with its multi-active formulations that eliminate the need to layer products. Rather, with SkinQ, you just need to use one product for one problem and get multi-benefits for your skin. SkinQ range comprises of:

• Products for Pigmented skin/ Dull skin – 15% Vitamin C serum, Brightening serum (Proven to reduce melanin by 5.7% & increase skin brightness by 35% in 4 weeks), Glow Bright mask (Proven to reduce surface tan by 97% & smoothen skin by 20% in 1 use) & the De-tan Active Facial kit
• Products for Acne prone & Oily skin – Acne & Oil Control Serum and Acne Control Mask (Proven to shrink acne size by 50% in 3 uses & fade scars)
• Products for well nourished & hydrated skin – Hydrate Serum, Hydrate & Nourish Mask and Hydrate Active Facial Kit
• Products for everyday skin maintenance – Sun Protect Ultralight Gel (Best seller & winner of Vogue & Elle Beauty awards. Proven to reduce tan by 15% & halt pigmentation in 4 weeks), Daily Gentle Cleanser, Micellar Water, Moisture Balm & Smooth & Bright Body Lotion.

What makes SkinQ different from its counterparts as there are a lot of beauty brands in the country? What is its USP?

SkinQ is an R&D and clinical trial-backed brand with proof of efficacy that is superior to any other published results by competition. SkinQ is the only dermo-cosmetic brand that is made for and tested on Indian skin. Our formulations address the concerns of melanin-rich skin, which products made for white or Korean skin or their copies do not. SkinQ is the first brand made in India to have had a podium launch at MAC, an international dermatology conference in the USA, by distinguished practitioners who have lauded the results SkinQ products give. Subsequently, it has been presented at DASIL, Bangkok, and ASDS, Chicago, too. It is also the first dermo-cosmetic brand from India to be retailed from derm offices in the USA and Africa, and it will soon be in the Middle East.

What marketing strategies have you employed for the brand’s success as it is quite a newbie?

We want to position SkinQ as a dermatologist in a bottle. It's made by a doctor with years of R&D, and it works! This is what we have tried to bring out in our communication. Most of our marketing communication has dermatologists endorsing the brand for the great results that the brand promises on your skin, backed with proof. We have also invested in a diversified sales channel strategy, with a big part of our business coming in through sales to dermatologist clinics globally and salons, apart from selling online through our own website and marketplaces.

According to you, what qualities are a must in women leaders to succeed?

I don’t feel that professional success mantras are any different for men and women; you just need to be more competent at the job than the rest of the crowd and have a bit of luck on your side. However, it’s your personal space that has completely different demands for men and women, which, if not handled right, spills over and affects your professional output too. Most women, including me, tend to carry the bigger burden of managing families—from nutrition to education to the extracurricular schedules of children; managing bills, housework, and religious activities; managing extended family expectations; and socializing—somehow, it just lands on our laps. Therefore, ‘time’ is a precious commodity for most women, and the ability to manage it is critical to success. The other critical aspect that helps women succeed is their ability to handle stress and manage their health. Often overlooked is that if you don’t nurture your health, it makes life miserable as you get older, and all the success you may have had seems vain.

It is well understood that women have to juggle many roles simultaneously, being a daughter, wife, a mother, as well as working individual? To you, what has been the most important and most difficult role?

The most important relationship I have is with my husband. When we are happy and click as a unit, not just the household but the whole extended ecosystem of family, neighbourhood, and workspace all magically function without a glitch. That ensures the well-being of all the individuals in this system—the kids, parents, friends, relatives, peers, staff, and so on. That being said, the most important role I have is being ‘amma’ to my two children. No success in anything professional matters if I am not able to raise my two kids right, prepare them to be good people, and find a successful way to lead their lives happily and independently. It’s also the most difficult role—unpredictable, often strewn with worry, seemingly never-ending, and requiring every bit of your patience and creativity.

Where do we see ‘Meera Iyer’ in 10 years? What all is in your bucket list?

In 10 years, I see myself in a university setting learning something new and getting down to doing my thesis. Either I am doing that along with some teaching or with consulting on the side. With a life expectancy of 80, I feel we all need to plan for a second career that we settle into from 55–60 onwards. I am sure I’ll smash that one too, starting from the bottom.