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

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.

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)

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)

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

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.