From Chemist To Entrepreneur

This week’s Feature Friday is Nicole, the founder of NICO&ROBO. Today, we learn about how a chemist turned business woman built a natural skincare company that creates products to promote self-care and accommodate busy lifestyles. She shares the journey that led her to her passion, lets us in on her skincare routine and provides tips on pursuing entrepreneurship.

The startup journey is just like a self-discovery process. 

Tell us about Nicole

N: I am a mother, a chemist, a runner, a clean beauty enthusiast, and the founder of NICO & ROBO. When I am not working, you will probably find me playing with my toddler, cooking a nice meal, exercising, or planning my next travel.

N: I am from Taiwan and I moved to the US in 2005 for my undergraduate degree at Grinnell College in Iowa. I love to challenge myself and coming to the US for my education was definitely one of the biggest challenges in my life. My time at Grinnell was very special to me; this is where I met many great professors and discovered my passion for Chemistry.

What is Nico & Robo and how did the idea come to you?

N: NICO & ROBO is my skincare startup. Since my junior year in college, I’ve wanted to use my degree in Chemistry to build a career in the skin care world. However, I ended up getting a PhD degree working on drug discovery research. During my second year in my PhD program, I decided to take a summer off and intern at a skin care manufacturing company in Taiwan. I continued my work with them after my summer internship focusing on R&D and marketing projects. I knew I wanted to come back to this industry and create something of my own.

N: I started working at MIT’s Technology Licensing Office after I completed my PhD. It was through this job that I was allotted the opportunity to interact with many startup companies. I also began my MBA at Questrom School of Business at Boston University where I learned about all the great resources this school and the city of Boston has to offer to entrepreneurs. I was encouraged by my colleagues, classmates and professors to give my business idea a try.

Tell us about your efforts in creating clean natural products.

N: It started when I was pregnant. I switched all of my skincare items to safe and clean alternatives. I am cautious about words companies use like “organic” and “all natural” as they don’t always mean that a product is safe. As a chemist, I like to do my own research and understand why each ingredient needs to be in the product. In fact, many “harmful” ingredients have limited data to show how it may harm us in the concentration you would normally use when formulating skin care products. I continue to follow that research but I also know that you don’t need a whole lot of ingredients to make something effective.

N: Overtime, I found myself attracted to products with simpler formulations with no added fragrance, and that’s what our team keeps in mind when we formulate our products. Each ingredient we use has its purpose. We want to create something appealing, textually make sense, gentle and effective.

Can you share your skincare routine with us? 

N: I like to keep it simple. I normally only use sunscreen and no (or minimal) make up, so I would start with a cleanser. After washing my face, I either use a toner and follow up with face cream or simply use my FIRM BELIEVER sheet mask and follow up with face cream, if needed (usually during winter time). All the products I use currently were formulated by me, but they are not available for sale yet except for the FIRM BELIEVER sheet mask.

N: I started to use sheet masks when I was 13 and I’ve done it at different frequency. Once a month, once a week, or daily. I am now pretty much using it every other day if not everyday and it feels great. Hydrated skin is naturally beautiful and much easier with makeup application. If you have not yet tried a sheet mask, I would highly recommend giving it a try. Note that because you usually need to use a sheet mask for a long period of time (15 – 30 mins), I would suggest simpler and cleaner ingredients to avoid any possible adverse reactions.

For our readers who are looking to switch to safer cleaner products, what tips do you have for their transition?

N: I would say just like switching to a healthier food diet, you should start by reading the labels. You need to know what you want to avoid and why. Additionally, be adventurous and be patient. You may not find the right products for you immediately. Give your skin some time and you will feel the difference.

It is very important to have a strong support system, research various resources available to you, and find a way to motivate yourself

You are a chemist by trade and now an entrepreneur, what advice do you have for those looking to align their work with their passion? How did you get there?

N: It is way harder to be an entrepreneur than a chemist! Let’s say that! It only took me about 10 years to finally take the risk and get this business going. It is a very emotional journey. I think it is very important to: have a strong support system, research various resources available to you, and find a way to motivate yourself from time to time.

N: My husband and co-founder of NICO & ROBO, is incredibly supportive. He listens to all my fears and complaints and then say something encouraging and loving. I also appreciate many affordable resources offered to me by Boston University, MIT, and city of Boston. Finally, I highly recommend the “How I Build This” podcast to everyone. It usually gives me a good dose of motivation when I feel stuck.

Many people have great ideas but allow fear to hold them back. How have you overcome fear in your entrepreneurial journey and what tips do you have for those currently struggling with that?

N: I still have so much fear and I think it will always be there. I think you need to find a way to cope with it. I decided to give it a try now because there is really no best time in life to take such risk. Many things will always happen in parallel in life and it is hard to predict when to do what can truly minimize your risks.

You have one product currently on the market and a few in the pipeline. Tell us what makes your products unique?

N: Our mission is to offer “smart, clean skin care that works around your schedule”. We want to promote wellness through skincare and we aim to design something that is unique, convenient and safe for people to use at home. More importantly, we want to minimize our impact to mother earth.
We pay attention to details from where we source the raw ingredients (read about our recent blog post – Taiwanese Dongfang Meiren Tea) to formulations (we check each ingredient against EWG, WholeFoods and Follian’s list of forbidden ingredients) and packaging (no shrink wrap to decrease plastic usage).  

What are your plans for Nico & Robo and what products should we look out for?

N: As a startup with limited resources and a founder like me who is very particular with the quality of the products, we hope to introduce 2-4 new products this year in addition to our FIRM BELIEVER Face & Chin sheet mask. I like sheet masks because it is the best way to deliver intense skin nourishment and hydration conveniently and affordably. We are exploring more eco-friendly materials and raw ingredients in our future products. Additionally, we are collaborating with an ophthalmologist to create something everyone needs to care for their eyes. Keep following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@nicorobobeauty) and be the first to know and try our new products.

Any other advice you have for our readers?

N: The startup journey is just like a self-discovery process. Curious if you can build something? Try to build it and you will know.