We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carolina Lopez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carolina below.
Carolina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I didn’t come from beauty. I came from tech.
I went to school for Chemical and Materials Science Engineering because I was good at it. I liked solving hard problems. I liked being the person people came to when no one else could figure it out. Over 10 years, I built a reputation. I was known. I had career momentum, a stable paycheck, benefits, leadership opportunities.. Everything people associate with “making it.”
But behind the scenes, I was living with chronic inflammation, asthma, allergies, hypersensitive skin, and years of trying to manage hyperpigmentation on skin that flared up from even the most “clean” products. BEJOU started as a side project. Encouraged by friends and family. Something personal, quiet, and deeply rooted in my story. No one in the tech world knew about it, except my closest friends and family.
When I was ten, my family fled Colombia. My mom and I were separated for five years because of political conflict and kidnapping threats. We stayed connected through something we had always bonded over: skincare. Even when we were apart, we would talk on the phone and share rituals chamomile for inflammation, papaya to brighten the skin, aloe straight from the plant. That was her language of care. And later, it became who am I today.
When I started formulating, I wasn’t trying to make something cute or trendy. I was trying to create what I couldn’t find: skincare that was clinically backed, fragrance-free, safe for chronic conditions like eczema, rosacea, and compromised skin barriers rooted in the remedies I grew up with.
And then I got laid off from the world where everything said I “made it.”
Suddenly, the mental stability was gone. The identity I had spent a decade building was gone too. The part no one talks about is the emotional aftermath. I went through depression. I felt lost. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have funding or a network in beauty. All I had was BEJOU and a decision to make.
That was the risk.
Choosing to go all in on something unproven, even though we had started doing surveys by then. Something that required me to be everything at once: formulator, operations, supply chain, branding, fulfillment, customer support. There were nights I didn’t sleep. Days I questioned if I was being brave or just desperate. Everyone else was dusting off their résumés. I was emailing suppliers and updating INCI listings.
But something kept pulling me back to it.
BEJOU was the first time I felt like my culture and science could finally sit at the same table and be compatible. BEJOU is where my heritage meets science, where Latin American botanicals aren’t a marketing angle, but powerful, clinically relevant, and deeply rooted in how I grew up. Ingredients like Chontaduro—the first Latin American natural retinol alternative that merges sensitivity and hyperpigmentation that is paired with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, clinical testing, and dermatologist approvals.
BEJOU is a foundation of trust, building culture and community all at once. A place where our “celebrities”, I like to call our customers; feel seen, supported, and understood. A skincare built for people who were tired of trying everything and still reacting.
That layoff pushed me to finally choose myself. To choose my dreams, even with my fear of failure and fear of losing it all. To choose BEJOU. To choose the hard path over the easy path.
And it’s the most meaningful risk I’ve ever taken until now.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was Born in Colombia and fled to the United States at the age of 10 after my family became a target of political conflict and kidnapping threats. I was Separated from my mother for five years and we connected through facetime via skincare. We would have nightly phone calls filled with “chismes” and our catch up of my daily life and skincare rituals via the phone. This is how we had our daughter mother bond even from miles and countries apart.
Even though skincare was an amazing bonding experience, it became my personal struggle as I have three chronic conditions asthma, allergies, and sensitive skin. Which meant most products would leave me with irritation, redness, and even hospital visits. I was frustrated and learning that there has been a constant rising challenge in the US where sensitive skin has increased by 55% in the past 2 decades!! Insane! Usually products that are work for hyperpigmentation are to rough on sensitive skin. Everything that works for hyperpigmentation are too rough on sensitive skin and vice versa. We solve this problem by bridging the gap between sensitive skin and hyperpigmentation with our proprietary complex through Chontaduro.
Chontaduro is the first Latin american natural retinol alternative meaning is as potent as retinol but gentle for sensitive skin. I first found out about Chontaduro on a random trip to the amazon where I went to go visit the pink dolphins with my cousin. There I met the Huitoto tribes who would eat Chontaduro but also after being eaten by so many mosquito bites, they use this fruit that looks like a tomatoe and peach put together to alliviate the sensation. With my conditions, I was nervous but being it worked for me. I began being my own guinea pig with my Chemical and Material Science background to develop products that are gently and result driven. Chontaduro is high in vitamin A and C. Our proprietary formulas are neurocosmetic to help you understand with an example If you were to drink chamomille and you smell it, have you noticed how it relaxes you? Well, our formulas have a skin to mind connection to relax you too!
We are rooted in Latin American Botanicals and our seed to shelf approach ensures that every ingredient is sourced and carefully selected for maximum results. Our care collection includes 3 products. 2 moisturizers called Clear Confidence for oily skin and blemish prone and Hydrating Dew for combination to normal skin. Our Pureglow Facial Cleanser is a facial cleanser. All of our products provide 7 in 1 benefits from hydrating to bluelight protection as we wanted to make sure that even our minimalist shopper was accounted for.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
For me, managing a team starts with radical clarity and respect. At BEJOU, we don’t pretend things are easy we name the hard things and move through them with honesty. Whether we’re short on time, budget, or energy, I make sure everyone understands the “why” behind every decision. People don’t lose morale because things are difficult. They lose it when they feel excluded or undervalued.
As a founder, I also check in often not just on progress, but on people. I think managing a team starts with emotional awareness. We’re all human. We carry things into work whether it’s burnout, doubt, or even ambition that hasn’t been given the space to grow. Transparency creates connection, and connection builds trust. And that trust is what keeps momentum going, even when we’re pushing through a heavy lift or tight timeline. I ’ve learned that high morale doesn’t come from constant praise or easy wins. It comes from feeling seen, respected, and supported especially in hard seasons.
BEJOU is also deeply rooted in wellness so I walk the talk. I encourage breaks, I ask about sleep, I’ll cancel a meeting if someone’s burnt out. You can’t build a healing brand on burnout. You build it by holding space, leading with care, and making sure your people feel seen.
I also believe in mentorship through action. It’s not just about assigning tasks. It’s about helping people see themselves in bigger roles. Whether someone’s here short-term or long-term, I want them to feel like this experience aligns with who they’re becoming. I ask questions like: What are your strengths? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you want next? And then I make space for that growth. That could mean shifting responsibilities, recommending outside learning, or simply saying, “I see this in you, and I want to help you move in that direction.”
At BEJOU, we lead with care. That doesn’t mean lowering the bar, it means building a culture where people feel safe to rise to it.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I still feel like I am building my reputation in the beauty world. I came from tech, with no network, no agency, no industry name behind me. But I did have something many brands don’t: credibility rooted in science and lived experience.
BEJOU was built to solve real problems for sensitive skin, hyperpigmentation, eczema, inflammation and everything we’ve created is fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested and dermatologist-approved. I formulate our products myself, using my chemical engineering background, and combine that with Latin American botanicals that are culturally significant and scientifically effective.
I think people are starting to notice “Us, BEJOU” that we live clean beauty. We have earned trust one person at a time and still continue to do so.From being featured in Glossy, Finalist for green and organic beauty for the Clear Confidence Moisturizer and featured as an inclusive beauty with our Hydrating Dew Moisturizer in BeautyStreams, to being a finalist in the BeautyMatter Awards for our packaging design that opens up like a blooming flower, to now launching in being in Macys cohort. it’s been slow, intentional growth.
What has helped us gain credibility is showing up consistently. People see the quality. They feel the difference. And they tell their friends, they see my passion and hard work. That’s the kind of reputation I want to keep building.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bejou.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bejou.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BEJOUSKINCARE
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bejou/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BEJOUCO
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bejouco?si=cYwzw1G_eI3lWFQ5
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1aOPUeXnjZLcmR5PhVPyMd?si=mxOfCl2RS-iTqINMwpFVUw
Image Credits
Aglow.medialab- Angelina
Kmstudio- Kent Miller