Podcast Summary: The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast With Steve Chou

Episode 613: From Zero To Skincare CEO: How Cristina Brooks Potts Built Her Dream Brand
Air Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Steve Chou
Guest: Cristina Brooks Potts, Founder & CEO of Authentic Ego

Episode Overview

In this episode, Steve Chou interviews Cristina Brooks Potts, a former student of his "Create a Profitable Online Store" course and founder of Authentic Ego, a rapidly growing, research-driven skincare brand. Cristina shares her journey from concept to CEO, revealing the immense market research, product development work, and challenges behind launching a new skincare brand for hormonal, sensitive, and acne-prone skin. Her practical advice and transparency make this episode a powerful guide for prospective e-commerce founders, especially in highly competitive niches.

Main Themes

• Turning personal and observed market problems into a unique skincare brand
• The difference between R&D-led and marketing-led product development in skincare
• The realities of manufacturing, formulating, and funding a new beauty business
• Skincare marketing, SEO, and organic growth—how to build without heavy social media or pre-sales
• Honest reflections on mistakes, learning, and advice for new founders

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cristina’s Origin Story: From Sephora Sales Floor to Market Gap Identification

[03:01]

• Cristina’s interest in skincare began while working at a busy Sephora in Toronto.
• She recognized a recurring issue: Women in their 20s-50s experiencing a second wave of hormonal acne, often combined with sensitivity and other skin concerns.
• “I just noticed that there wasn’t really anything to tailored to women... there was a real gap in the offerings of skincare.” – Cristina [03:41]

Academic & Professional Background

[05:18]

• Cristina studied political science and law but later pursued professional accreditation in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology in Canada.
• Her scientific research skills enabled her to deep dive into skincare formulation, ingredient selection, and the physiological processes behind acne.

R&D-Led vs. Marketing-Led Skincare Brands

[06:19–07:44]

• Two “buckets” of skincare brands:
  1. Marketing-led: Start with a trend or vibe, then white-label or minimally modify existing formulas.
  2. R&D-led: Start with a specific problem, deeply research active ingredients, and craft new, purpose-built formulas.
• “Most skincare brands… go to a third party manufacturer… basically give you a formula that’s already existing…” – Cristina [06:52]
• Cristina’s vision was strictly problem/solution-driven and research intensive, contrasting the “trend-chasing” dominant in the industry.

Formulation, Finding the Right Chemist, and Manufacturing

[09:11–13:03]

• Cristina designed formulas herself, then partnered with a veteran chemist in California for lab manufacturing.
• Finding the right partner required intensive research: “It was just like days of forensic Googling… I find the best people in the industry, they don’t have a good website… they don’t even need one.” – Cristina [12:38]
• Most large manufacturers ignored her due to small initial runs (1,000 units). Her chemist both developed the formula and handled small-batch manufacturing and bottling.

Startup Costs, Funding, and Launch

[13:32–15:10]

• Initial startup cost: ~$80,000 for formulation and first production runs of two products.
• Cristina self-funded by withdrawing her retirement and life savings.
• She spent two years on market research—primarily on Reddit—to validate demand and deeply understand end-users.

Zero Audience, No Pre-sales, and Organic, SEO-Driven Launch

[15:51–16:29]

• No pre-orders, no waitlist, no built-in online community, and little/no social media presence.
• Launched with strong on-page SEO and relied on organic customer discovery.
• Sales were slow at first, but “trickled in and built” as customers shared their experiences on Reddit and review sites.

Why Differentiate: Intellectual Property, Tariffs, and Supply Chain Choices

[17:16–19:01]

• Cristina deliberately kept manufacturing and IP tightly controlled (formulated and owned in the US) to avoid risk from international tariffs and to retain control of her formulation.
• She cautions about labs holding on to your product’s IP, making it impossible to move elsewhere.

Regulatory and Testing Landscape

[19:45–23:54]

• No patent due to high cost; competitive moat comes from unique ingredient selection and formulation principles.
• Authentic Ego does not use monographed FDA acne actives; considered a cosmetic, requires responsible product claims but no pre-market approval.
• Plans to invest in real clinical testing (not “consumer perception” studies or misleading claims).

Organic Marketing: Reddit, Backlinks, and Customer Word-of-Mouth

[24:20–28:12]

• Major traffic drivers were early customers sharing experiences on Reddit and generating backlinks, with no paid influencer outreach.
• Cristina tried TikTok founder videos (simple, direct) and found a highly engaged community.
• “Anyone can buy a product once… but I wanted to make sure that I built a brand that’s product first, like R&D first, not marketing first.” – Cristina [26:39 and 27:38]

Challenges with Social Media and Reddit Marketing

[28:12–30:16]

• Cristina posts resource guides and advice on Reddit (non-promotional), which generate long-term engagement.
• Caution: Reddit mods strictly enforce non-promotional rules. Cristina was banned from the acne subreddit for answering a question about her own product as a brand representative.
• “I love Reddit… I think it’s the last untouched corner of the Internet for sure.” – Cristina [30:17]

Refining the Formula, Testing Processes, and Industry Transparency

[30:45–34:09]

• Friends, family, and acquaintances in target demographic trialed products for performance.
• Industry “dermatologist tested/hypoallergenic” claims are often based on patch tests on volunteers’ backs, not faces, and may be unrepresentative.
• Cristina advocates transparency and real-world testing to build credible claims.

What Cristina Would Do Differently & Advice for New Founders

[34:40–36:39]

• Would have started building a social media presence much earlier, even if initially uncomfortable.
• Would have built a team sooner: “If you are solving a real problem, people are going to want to be part of that journey.” [36:33]
• Bare minimum cost for custom formulation: $25K per SKU; $50K–$80K for one or two products, including packaging, regulatory, photography, and e-commerce site setup. White-label brands may be cheaper, but lack differentiation and IP control.

Practical Supply Chain Tips

[38:10–41:05]

• Bottles and packaging are sourced from Korea (lower MOQs, higher quality, and tariff considerations).
• “Get samples… look at the architecture… this was the highest quality one I could find.” – Cristina [40:45]

Authentic Ego’s Next Chapter: Growth, Team, & Kickstarter

[41:05–43:04]

• Venture capital has shown interest; the company’s “white space” is recognized by investors.
• Next steps: Grow team, 10x revenue, and launch multiple SKUs.
• September Kickstarter planned to fund new product development, leveraging their strong community of users.
• “There is huge pent-up demand… Kickstarter is the best way to go.” [42:04]

Target Demographic and Ethics

[43:08–43:58]

• The core audience is adults with hormonal/sensitive acne, but product works on teenagers as well.
• Cristina chooses not to market directly to teens for ethical reasons; prefers parents to guide skincare choices for children.

Where to Buy & Cristina’s Commitment to DTC

[45:02]

• Authentic Ego is available exclusively via their website, authenticego.com. Cristina is intentionally “never Amazon,” believing in direct relationships with customers: “I’m never Amazon person. Don’t get me started on them.” [45:02]

Memorable Quotes

• “I noticed a trend... of women coming in in their late 20s, early 30s with that second resurgence of hormonal acne... there wasn’t really anything tailored to women.” – Cristina [03:12]
• “Most skincare brands... they’ll just basically give you a formula that’s already existing.” – Cristina [06:52]
• “I wanted to make sure that I built a product-first, R&D-first, not marketing-first [brand]... the best product will literally sell itself.” – Cristina [27:38]
• “I love Reddit. I think it’s the last untouched corner of the internet for sure.” – Cristina [30:17]
• “I think in the beginning, I was very scared of going on social media and I should have just been doing it really early... you do have to show up.” – Cristina [34:49]

Key Timestamps

• 03:01 – How the skincare brand idea started at Sephora
• 06:19–07:44 – R&D vs. marketing-led skincare brands
• 09:11–13:03 – Finding a chemist and challenges with manufacturing
• 13:32–15:10 – Startup costs and market research using Reddit
• 15:51–16:29 – Launching with zero pre-sales/community
• 17:16–19:01 – IP, tariffs, and supply chain issues
• 19:45–23:54 – Regulatory/testing: FDA, patents, and clinicals
• 24:20–28:12 – Organic marketing and the power of customer referral
• 28:12–30:17 – Reddit: benefits and promotional risks
• 30:45–34:09 – Formulation and the truth behind “dermatologist tested”
• 34:40–36:39 – Cristina’s reflections and advice to new founders
• 41:05–43:04 – Future roadmap: VC, team, new products, and Kickstarter launch
• 45:02 – Where to buy: DTC model, no Amazon

Tone & Style

Cristina’s tone throughout the episode is practical, transparent, and humble, often peppered with humor and candid admissions of learning along the way. Steve maintains his signature inquisitive but supportive hosting, guiding the conversation to actionable details. The episode is rich with honest lessons, insider tips for starting in a tough category, and inspiration for aspiring e-commerce entrepreneurs.

Final Takeaway

Cristina’s journey with Authentic Ego demonstrates that meaningful differentiation, deep customer research, product-first thinking, and transparent brand-building can disrupt even the most crowded markets. Her story is proof that you don’t need massive pre-launch hype, but you do need relentless problem-solving, product integrity, and a willingness to adapt and show up—even when it’s uncomfortable.