Podcast 197: Skincare for Racial Equity with 4.5.6 Skin

In this episode, we embark on a journey with visionary founder Noelly Michoux, the driving force behind 4.5.6 Leather at the forefront of skin care innovation with the world’s first Skin Tone Research Lab.

Shaped by experiences living in France and now reshaping the rules of beauty, Noelly’s evolution from corporate background to vanguard of a skincare revolution is a narrative that resonates.

In conversation with podcast host and CEO of Formula Botanica, Lorraine Dallmeier, Noelly shares her insights into navigating the multiple challenges faced by skin types 4, 5 and 6. We hear about the intricacies of setting up the Research Lab Skin Tones and Noelly’s and her company’s deep commitment to bridging the racial equality gap in the beauty space.

Tune in for an enlightening conversation that goes beyond conventional beauty narratives. Join us as we unravel the layers of Noelly’s journey, gain exclusive insights into skin care tailored for different needs, and explore the transformative power of scientific integration. Play now to immerse yourself in a dialogue that transcends beauty standards.

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Inspirational Quote:

“Inclusivity isn’t just about deepening foundation shades or showcasing different models. it’s about truly integrating different needs and experiences into every aspect of your brand, from ideation to marketing. True inclusion begins with empathy and understanding.” – Noelly Michoux

In this episode with guest Noelly Michoux, you’ll hear:

• Noelly’s Unconventional Journey: Explore Noelly’s unique journey from her start in the corporate world to discovering her true calling in the beauty industry, informed by her personal experiences as a young black woman.
• The birth of the 4.5.6 Skin: Dive into the fascinating story of how Noelly founded the Skin Tone Research Lab inside 4.5.6 Skin, challenging industry norms and creating a skincare brand dedicated to bridging the racial equality gap.
• Skin Challenges for Phototypes 4, 5 and 6: Gain insight into the specific challenges that melanin-rich skin types face, with a focus on topics such as dehydration, inflammation, and hyperpigmentation.
• Research-driven strategy: Gain a deep understanding of how 4.5.6 Skin’s strategy comes from comprehensive research into the structural and functional differences in darker skin tones.
• Challenges in testing: Explore the challenges faced by 4.5.6 Skin during the testing phase, exploring the lack of industry samples for skin phototypes 4, 5, and 6 and the need for internal testing procedures to ensure effectiveness on darker skin tones.

Packed essentials include:

• Passion for diversity: Explore Noelly’s passion for promoting diversity in the beauty industry, manifested through her journey, mission and commitment to creating complete skincare solutions.
• Ethnobotanical knowledge: Recognize the value of integrating ethnobotanical knowledge with dermatological expertise, which forms the basis for innovative and effective skin care solutions.
• Engagement beyond marketing: Understand Noelly’s perspective on authentic inclusion, going beyond marketing strategies to deeply integrate diverse needs and experiences into every facet of the skincare industry.
• Scientific integration: Embrace the concept of scientific integration, where empathy leads to a thorough scientific understanding of different skin types, paving the way for personalized and effective skin care.
• Open dialog: Noelly invites listeners to reach out with questions or discussions, fostering a community dedicated to addressing skin care challenges for different skin tones.

Meet our guest: Noelly Michoux

Noelly Michoux, founder of 4.5.6 Skin, grew up in Normandy, France and moved throughout Europe during her young adult life before landing in New York as an e-commerce director for luxury beauty and skincare brands. Surprised by the lack of products specifically designed for people like her with melanin-rich skin, especially in a country as culturally diverse as the United States, Noelly became fascinated with researching skin physiology and wanted to understand why there was such an apparent lack of exclusivity in Buy.

Passionate about educating people with melanin-rich skin about their common skin concerns, Noelly dreamed of a personalized physiology-led skincare company that designs safe and effective formulations for people with skin phototypes IV, V and VI . He founded 4.5.6 Skin and the world’s first Skin Tone Research Laboratory in France to test, develop and manufacture high performance products based on the functional and physiological differences of phototypes IV, V and VI.

Learn more about Noelly Michoux and the 4.5.6 Skin:

Website | Instagram | Facebook

4.5.6 Special skin offer for our podcast listeners

Noelly Michoux is offering Green Beauty Conversations listeners a special discount code giving you 25% off all individual products (not valid for duos or kits). Use this code at checkout at 4.5.6 Leather:

456 FORMULABOTANICA

If you’d like to hear more from other founders, innovators, and beauty industry insiders working to bring inclusion and awareness to the needs of people of color in the industry, check back in the podcast archives. We have several episodes on the topics, but go and listen specifically:

Episode 68: Talking about diversity in the beauty industry – with Erica Freemantle
Episode 101: Why Black Skincare Matters – with guest Dija Ayodele
Episode 153: From mainstream neglect to indie beauty success – with Equi Botanic founder Ekwy Chukwuji-Nnene

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode at iTunes, Spotify the Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier is a biologist, certified environmentalist, and CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetics school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica team.