Mighty Patch founder Ju Rhyu

Summary

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Business Daily—Meet the Founders: Mighty Patch Founder Ju Rhyu

BBC World Service | Aired March 27, 2026
Host: Lianna Byrne
Guest: Ju Rhyu, Founder of Hero Cosmetics

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Episode Overview

This episode of Business Daily’s “Meet the Founders” spotlights Ju Rhyu, the Korean American entrepreneur behind Hero Cosmetics and its flagship product, the Mighty Patch acne patch. Host Lianna Byrne dives into Ju’s personal journey from her early exposure to entrepreneurship, the challenges of launching a skincare product in the US, and the impacts of culture, timing, and acquisition on her business success. The episode also explores broader themes around skin positivity and beauty industry trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Influences and Identity (01:23–05:45)

• Ju’s entrepreneurial inspiration: Exposure from her father, who left a corporate job to start his own company.
  • “Because I was exposed to entrepreneurship at a young age via my dad, I always sort of had that as an aspiration or an inspiration.” (02:01, Ju Rhyu)
• Korean American upbringing: Ju grew up navigating two cultures, which influenced her worldview and ambitions.
  • “You’re sort of like, between two cultures … at home, my parents spoke Korean to me … every summer, we'd go to Korea … you end up weaving both aspects.” (03:54, Ju Rhyu)

2. Education, Career Direction, and First Ventures (04:51–09:32)

• Academics vs. parental expectations: Desired to be a doctor due to cultural respect, but gravitated to marketing.
• Early career path: Entered the workforce during recessions, took a variety of roles before heading to business school.
  • “I graduated into a recession. One was 2001, one was 2008 … I graduated without a job.” (06:33, Ju Rhyu)
• Entrepreneurial itch: Tried launching a design studio in college, always searching for the “right idea.”

3. Eureka Moment: Discovering the Pimple Patch (09:32–10:46)

• First encounter with pimple patches: While working in Korea in 2012, Ju noticed the widespread use of hydrocolloid patches.
  • “The first time I used it, I was just, I was amazed and that was when I started … why is this not available in the US?” (10:06, Ju Rhyu)

4. Building the Brand: From Idea to Market (10:46–12:59)

• Initial setbacks and persistence: Early attempts to rally partners fell flat, but she kept pushing and eventually teamed up with two partners.
• Launching on Amazon (2017):
  • “We launched our first product on Amazon in September of 2017.” (12:04, Ju Rhyu)
• Early sales and validation: First batch of 10,000 units sold out in three months—faster than feared.
  • “We sold out of the 10,000 units … it took us three months. We were very happy with that.” (12:08, Ju Rhyu)

5. Product and Market Insights (13:05–14:45)

• Target audience: Brand focuses on those with occasional or mild-to-moderate acne, not severe cases.
  • “We’re definitely more for people who have occasional to, like, mild to moderate acne. Anyone who has severe acne should definitely be going to a professional.” (13:15, Ju Rhyu)
• Cultural shift in skin perception: Moving from covering up acne to normalizing it.
  • “It’s almost like a badge of honor. Like, I have a breakout, but I know it’s no big deal, and I’m going to put on this yellow star or … the mighty patch.” (14:04, Ju Rhyu)

6. Navigating Global Business and Acquisition (14:45–17:19)

• Supply chain and tariffs: Most product is sourced from Korea, but operational resilience came after being acquired by Church & Dwight in 2022.
  • “We were acquired by Church and Dwight … they have an excellent operations, supply chain team and finance team … we have an amazing supplier.” (14:55, Ju Rhyu)
• Acquisition experience:
  • “It was one of the best days of my life. I felt like we won the super bowl.” (15:45, Ju Rhyu)
  • Sale price: $630 million.
  • Church & Dwight’s global reach enabled Hero Cosmetics’ international launch to 50 countries within two years.
  • “Within like two years they launched the brand to 50 countries and so on our own, we never could have done that.” (16:25, Ju Rhyu)
• Ju’s current role: Advisor; consults as needed but no longer daily operations.

7. Reflections and Future Outlook (17:19–18:19)

• Looking ahead: Ju is intrigued by future innovation, especially the effect of AI on consumer brands.
  • “If I were to launch anything, like, I just know that I’d have to do it totally differently because the world is so different.” (17:22, Ju Rhyu)
• Concerns about youth and skincare: Recognizes the pitfalls of young children adopting adult skincare routines, but attributes much of it to aspirational behavior.

8. Advice for Aspiring Founders (18:19–19:15)

• Resilience and timing: Encourages founders to trust intuition and recognize that timing can be crucial for success.
  • “If things just like, aren’t working, like maybe it’s not the right time … sometimes they’re great ideas, but oftentimes, you know, they can be too early.” (18:23, Ju Rhyu)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Acne happens. Like, why are we so ashamed of it? Because it’s really a very natural and common occurrence for a lot of people.” (01:42, Ju Rhyu)
• “I was sort of an entrepreneur looking for an idea. And I just never had my idea until I used my first pimple patch.” (09:05, Ju Rhyu)
• “Had I actually gone forward and launched it in 2013, I don’t think it would have been the success that … we saw when we launched in 2017.” (18:23, Ju Rhyu)
• “It is very rare for a founder led brand to be able to see it all the way through acquisition.” (15:45, Ju Rhyu)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01:23 – Introduction of Ju Rhyu and her background
• 00:03:21 – Discussing dual cultural upbringing
• 00:06:33 – Career challenges and business school
• 00:09:32 – Origin story of the pimple patch idea
• 00:10:46 – Journey from idea to founding Hero Cosmetics
• 00:12:04 – Early sales, product launch details
• 00:13:15 – Product market and brand philosophy
• 00:14:45 – Addressing tariffs and global expansion
• 00:15:45 – Reflections on acquisition and legacy
• 00:17:22 – Thoughts on the future and next opportunities
• 00:18:23 – Advice for founders: the importance of timing

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Recap

This episode provides valuable insights into Ju Rhyu’s unconventional path to launching a bestselling skincare brand, the power of cultural persistence, and the importance of timing and resilience as an entrepreneur. It also highlights the modern shift in beauty culture toward acceptance and normalization of skin imperfections, offering both practical business wisdom and inspiration for future founders.

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Transcript

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[Lianna Byrne]

Hi, I'm Liana Byrne and this is. Meet the founders from Business Daily on the BBC World Service. This is where we speak to innovators around the world about the ideas, risks and realities behind starting a business. Today, a Korean American entrepreneur trying to get people around the world to embrace their skin blemishes.

[Ju Ru]

Acne happens. Like, why are we so ashamed of it? Because it's really a very natural and common occurrence for a lot of people.

[Lianna Byrne]

My guest is Ju Ru, founder of Hero Cosmetics, a skincare company focused on finding solutions to skin breakouts. She's someone whose interest in business started early on in life.

[Ju Ru]

Because I was exposed to entrepreneurship at a young age via my dad, I always sort of had that as an aspiration or an inspiration.

[Lianna Byrne]

That's Ju Ru, creator of the Mighty Patch, our founder this week.

[Ju Ru]

Do you think that I am less attractive because I have acne? I always want to see people with acne so that I feel better about myself. If you struggle with your self image because of acne, give me one minute and I'm going to change perspective.

[Lianna Byrne]

It's one of the most common skin conditions out there, affecting millions of people around the world. Acne, although crops up most often during the teenage years, it can linger well into adulthood too. For many people, its impact goes beyond the physical, affecting confidence and how they feel about their appearance. There are long established treatments for it, but new ones are emerging all the time. You may have seen people wearing small stickers on their face, covering Up a pimple. These hydrocolloid or surgical gel patches are designed to cover and treat the spot at the same time. And they're becoming increasingly mainstream as a way to tackle those unwelcome little visitors. Among the leading names in this growing market is the mighty Patch. But before diving into the product that's made the brand famous, let's get to know the entrepreneur behind it. Ju Ru.

[Ju Ru]

I am Korean American. I was actually born in Korea, moved to the Seattle area when I was three. My dad was working for a big Korean conglomerate and then moved to Seattle as an expat. So that's why we moved. He was in the lawn broker industry and then eventually left his corporate job to start his own company. So that's sort of where my entrepreneurial, I think, inspiration comes from.

[Lianna Byrne]

What is it like being a Korean

[Interviewer]

American, and how do you think that influenced who you are today?

[Ju Ru]

So the Seattle area, there were a lot of Koreans actually. There's a big Korean and Korean American community there. There are some stories of, like, immigrant families where, like, there's. There was no one that looked like them, which was not the case in my life. So I had a lot of people who did look like me. You know, the schools that I went to, there were a lot of Koreans or Korean Americans. You know, it's always like, a balance. You're sort of like, between two cultures, because on one hand, you're growing up in the American system, and then on the other hand, like at home, my parents spoke Korean to me, I spoke Korean to them. We ate Korean food at home. Every summer, we'd go to Korea and spend our summers in Seoul and see our relatives. And so you're sort of, like, bouncing around two cultures in a way. A lot of people end up weaving both aspects of the cultures into their

[Interviewer]

lives at the time. When you were younger, did you ever have an idea of what you would like to do in the future?

[Ju Ru]

Well, my college application was around. Around wanting to be a doctor. You know, I think there was something around, like, wanting to help people in a lot of Asian cultures, like being a doctor, being a lawyer, or being a professor. Those are, like, very respected professions. So perhaps there was, like, some of that influence also for me wanting to be a doctor. My parents told me to be an ophthalmologist. They did not want me to be, like, a heart surgeon, where it's, like, high stress and a lot of blood and just, like, you can't control your own schedule. But in the end, I ended up actually, during college, deciding that I Wanted to go into marketing because I have this creative side, but then I also have this analytical side. So for me in college, it was always sort of like, what is something that I can do that can leverage both.

[Interviewer]

Were your parents happy with that change?

[Ju Ru]

Well, I mean, yes, because I don't think they ever really wanted me to be a doctor. My dad is a businessman. And so for him, like, business is a way that, you know, who make money or can find success. In college, I majored in history and international relations. I went to Brown, so it's a very, like, liberal arts college. And I remember my dad always saying, like, what is this? You should be studying economics. Because again, he had more of a bias towards business. But for me, I mean, you know, I was there to study what I wanted to study. And yeah, I mean, eventually found myself going down the business route.

[Interviewer]

I find that a lot of people who study the arts actually do end up getting a business job afterwards because that is where the money is. So what did you end up doing after you graduated?

[Ju Ru]

I graduated into a recession. Basically. I graduated into two recessions. One was 2001, one was 2008. I mean, I graduated without a job. I mean, 2001 was also when 9, 11 happened. And so the world was. There was a lot of chaos in the world and also in the US So I ended up just getting like, whatever job that I could get, which was at a startup called Compete. After that, I ended up going to a nonprofit, a private school in Dorchester, Massachusetts. No way. It was marketing and sales, but for this nonprofit.

[Interviewer]

Then you graduated again? What. What did you graduate in that time?

[Ju Ru]

I. I never had that traditional kind of business experience that I wanted, so ended up going to Columbia Business School. But I was an intern on the Planters. If you know Planters. It's a Planters Peanuts. I did my internship there and then I graduated business school and then I went back full time.

[Lianna Byrne]

You're listening to Business Daily from the BBC World Service.

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[Lianna Byrne]

I'm Lianna Byrne and in Meet the Founders. Today I'm talking to Ju Ru, founder of Hero Cosmetics, a skincare company trying to reshape the beauty world with a stick on skin patch designed to treat acne.

[Interviewer]

Did you always have an idea percolating in the back of your mind that you said, oh, I really want to start a business or where did that come from?

[Ju Ru]

Even in college I wanted to start a business and I tried to start a design studio with two classmates. Again, I think because I was exposed to entrepreneurship at a young age via my dad, I always sort of had that as an aspiration or an inspiration. And you know what? I was sort of an entrepreneur looking for an idea. And I just never had my idea until I used my first pimple patch.

[Interviewer]

What is a pimple patch and how does it work?

[Ju Ru]

A pimple patch is, it's like a little, almost like a sticker. They come in different shapes. The ones that we're known for, they're round and they're made out of something called hydrocolloid. Hydrocolloid is a type of gel that absorbs fluid. You put it on the pimple and then that, the hydrocolloid gel material, it gets all the gunk out of the pimple. And then what happens is that helps speed up the recovery process.

[Lianna Byrne]

Well, tell me about that. When did you first use your first pimple patch?

[Ju Ru]

So the journey started in Korea because I spent two years as a, an expat at Samsung and someone quantified it as Korea being 15 years ahead of the US in terms of beauty innovation and beauty adoption. And so when I was living there in 2012, just walking around the city or going to work, I saw people with these patches on their faces. So I went to pharmacy. I tried it for myself because at that time I was breaking out a lot and the first time I used it, I was just, I was amazed and that was when I started. I started thinking like, well, why am I learning about this now? Why is this not available, available in the US So that's kind of when the wheels started turning.

[Interviewer]

And did you go back immediately and started, or did you have to maybe get some of your ducks in a row?

[Ju Ru]

Before that, the friends that I had that were fellow expats with me, I would tell them about this idea. Oh, my gosh, acne patches, I think. I think it's going to be a thing like, do you guys want to do this? And I had no takers. No one really wanted to do it. So then it was just me. And so I started buying a product and then turning over the package to see who the manufacturers were and just contacting them. I got so far as finding a supplier. I hired a designer to create kind of packaging, the brand name. And then when it got to the point where I had to issue a purchase order and pay for the first, like, 10,000 units, I chickened out around, like, 2014, 2015, 16 is when K Beauty in the US started picking up again in terms of popularity. And so I had two colleagues. And again, it was sort of like, oh, I have this idea. I think acne patches are gonna. They're gonna be great. I think it's gonna be a thing in the US and so one of them, one of my colleagues said, oh, okay, you know what? If you wanna do it, I'll do it with you. And then. So then we were two, and then he roped in his brother, and then we were three. And then we just. We made it happen. We gave it a shot. And so we launched our first product on Amazon in September of 2017.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about those early days. It's just the three of these sales come in.

[Ju Ru]

The first purchase order was 10,000 units. And when you're starting a new venture, you have no idea how long it's going to take to sell out of the 10,000 units. I mean, it could take a year, it could take a month. Like, you just have no idea. And so we were kind of going in blind. But we also. We also had our own kind of benchmarks. Again, I remember, you know, for us, it was defining, like, what is good? What does success look like? Like, if we sell 10,000 units in a month, well, clearly that's a good result. But if it takes us a year, like, what are we going to do? Because maybe, maybe that means, like, the market isn't ready or there isn't demand, so maybe we should just, you know, fold and like, do something else. But we sold out of the 10,000 units. Actually took us three months. We were very happy with that. We got some press pickup and we were selling on Amazon and, you know, had influencers talking about us.

[Interviewer]

So they come from Korea, essentially. But you have staff in the US and that's what expanded.

[Ju Ru]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer]

Where does it go from then? I mean, who is your target market, essentially? Is it kind of just anyone who breaks out? Would it be for some people with just like one or two pimples?

[Ju Ru]

So Hero Cosmetics, we are an acne care brand. And so I always like to say that we. Any pimple problem that. That you have, like, I want you to come to this brand if you have an early stage pimple or a whitehead or if you have dark spots after your pimple. Like, we're going to have all the solutions for any pimple problem. That said, you know, we have, like, we're definitely more for people who have occasional to, like, mild to moderate acne. Anyone who has severe acne should definitely be going to a professional.

[Interviewer]

It's interesting, that cultural shift from people wearing a patch on their face, because when I was growing up, people would just cover it with makeup. Do you think that that was because there was such this K beauty influence? Are people more happy with their natural skin these days?

[Ju Ru]

Well, you know what? I have to say, I credit Hero Cosmetics. I also credit Starface and some of these brands because I think we've done the education to say, hey, like, like, let's normalize acne. Acne happens. Like, why are we. Why are we so ashamed of it? Because it's really a very natural and common occurrence for a lot of people. So as people apply these stickers on their faces, it's. It's almost like a badge of honor. Like, I have a breakout, but I know it's no big deal, and I'm going to put on this yellow star or I'm going to put on the mighty patch. And they almost like to show it off. It's almost a fashion statement or fashion accessory in a way.

[Interviewer]

Now, of course, you source from Korea, and tariffs has been such a huge story around the world for so many businesses. Did that impact your business at all?

[Ju Ru]

Yeah, I mean, I'm now more in an advisory role, so I don't have as much the insight into what's been going on with the business business. But, I mean, it's, you know, impacted everyone. We do source from South Korea, and South Korea, I think, didn't have a tariff. I don't know, I mean, it changes every day. So I don't even know what it is right now. But you know, we haven't raised prices. In 2022. We were acquired by Church and Dwight. They have an excellent operations, supply chain team and finance team and I'm sure they're managing all that. And we have an amazing supplier who is always willing to work with us.

[Interviewer]

Let's talk about that sale back in 2022 to church and White. I'm sure that's a huge deal for an entrepreneur who's built this business from the ground up to sell it to a bigger company and relinquish that control. How did you feel about it?

[Ju Ru]

It was one of the best days of my life. I felt like we won the super bowl. And it is very rare for a founder led brand to be able to see it all the way through acquisition. And my perspective was always, you know what, like, we have a new owner. I don't own this company anymore. I'm still with them, but I'm definitely much more advisory. And I try to guide and try to, you know, lend my voice. But in the end, like they are the new owner and they are the new operator. But you do, you do have to recognize like this is an end of a chapter.

[Interviewer]

It was acquired for $630 million. I mean, that is a lot of money. I'm sure the decision doesn't just come down to money, it comes down to culture, fit.

[Ju Ru]

It comes down to capability. The people we were looking for, people who had international infrastructure because the next step for us was to expand not only in the US but also expand internationally. So I really wanted people who already had that part built out. And actually it really did work out because within like two years they launched the brand to 50 countries and so on our own, we never could have done that. And you know, you want to find good people who are going to be starting, you know, great stewards of your brand. Because you work so hard to build this brand, you don't want to sell it to someone who's going to run it into the ground.

[Interviewer]

So you're there more as an advisory role now. So how does that work within the company?

[Ju Ru]

I'm sort of there whenever they need me, I help them with the hero brand. I'll like jump in for press things or I don't know if they need my opinion on something.

[Interviewer]

Are you maybe thinking, hey, what's my next company?

[Ju Ru]

Yeah, I'm always thinking about what's next. I'm just fascinated by what's going on in the world because it's, everything's changing so fast. I'm curious to see the impact of AI on a consumer brand. And I mean, if I were to launch anything, like, I just know that I'd have to do it totally differently because the world is so different.

[Interviewer]

It's interesting though, isn't it? A lot of people have perhaps criticism, the beauty industry, that people sometimes go too far. The kids are getting into skincare too young. Do you have any thoughts about that?

[Ju Ru]

It's a, it's a slippery slope. I do agree. I mean, you know, does a nine year old need retinol? Definitely not. I think everyone sort of agreed on that. I don't think brands are necessarily specifically marketing to like the younger audience, but it's just that, you know, I think the younger audience, the gen Alpha, is like, they, they want to be cool, they want to be, you know, they want to do what like their older sister's doing or their mom's doing. So it's more like aspirational for them.

[Interviewer]

Is there anything you wish you'd known before starting the company?

[Ju Ru]

I have zero regrets. I think we, we were very lucky in a lot of ways. I tried to launch this the first time around, like 2013, 2014, and then I shelved it. Had I actually gone forward and launched it in 2013, I don't think it would have been the success that it, that we saw when we launched in 2017. So what I would say is, you know, listen to your gut, like, if things just like, aren't working, like maybe it's not the right time because there's just so much to timing that you can't control. And if it doesn't work out the first time, like maybe there's a reason for it and maybe the second time you revisit it, like, maybe that's going to be better timing for this business where the market is more ready. Because sometimes they're great ideas, but oftentimes, you know, they can be too early. I think that would have been the case for me if I had launched in 2013.

[Lianna Byrne]

That was Ju Ru. And that's it for this week's edition of Meet the Founders. With me, Lianna Byrne. The producer was Nev McDermott. To listen to more conversations like this, search and subscribe to Business Daily, wherever you get your podcasts and you can get in touch with our team. Our email address is businessdailybc.co.uk thanks for listening.

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