This Entrepreneur Is On a Mission To Bring More Transparency in the Skincare Industry

Mandi Nyambi, the founder of Baalm, author of Fresh Face, and the recipient of this year's L'Oréal USA's Women in Digital NEXT Generation Awards, is truly extraordinary.

From graduating with degrees from both Harvard and Columbia to following her dreams of creating her own company and helping others find their perfect skin care routine, Mandi paves the way for female entrepreneurs. Mandi created her company Baalm, which is a digital community that advocates for transparency within skincare. Through a membership program, you are given specific skincare advice dependent on your unique skin type. From there, you will receive product recommendations and tips uniquely for you. Baalm makes sure to only recommend products that follow their core beliefs, such as knowing exactly whats in your skincare products and how they’re made. Mandi is setting new standards within the beauty community and changing the culture of the skincare industry and let me tell ya, we’re here for it!

We were fortunate enough to interview Mandi and pick her brain on all things Baalm, her journey to success, and some skincare tips and tricks.

Tell us a little more about your education and background in science and how that influenced your interest in skin care and building Baalm.
I grew up with eczema and sensitive skin that I found difficult to manage until I was doing research in stem cell biology and regeneration at Harvard. I started to take a science-base approach to my skincare journey, reading the latest research in regenerative research and dermatology to figure out what ingredients mattered for my skin and thus what products to buy. It became clear to me that this approach could be beneficial to other people, and frankly, you shouldn't need a biology degree from Harvard to figure out what to put on your face. Baalm is the resource I wish I had all these years, and hope it can save other people that heart ache on the way to loving their skin.

What was the most challenging part of launching your own company?
Knowing when to quit my day job and dedicate myself fulltime to building Baalm was the hardest decision I had to make. I was on the path to medical school and had always stayed strictly on that path since grade school. So jumping ship wasn't just a big change for me, but also my family who had worked so hard to support me in that dream. Ultimately, my co-founder helped me realize that if we weren't willing to fully dedicate ourselves to this company, we wouldn't be able to make it the success we knew it could be.

You mention how there is no one type of ideal skin and how the industry should reflect that notion. What are some other changes you’re advocating for within the industry?
First and foremost, acne, scarring, fine lines, wrinkles, rosacea are all part of life and skin. Our bodies work so hard to deal with our lifestyles and our environment, these are not signs of failure on our part, but rather the ways that our skin communicates to us about what it needs. If that becomes the underlying premise of the industry, there's no reason why we can't all fall in love with the way our skin looks. If we all accept this then companies would formulate products with ingredients that don't hurt our microbiome. We'd formulate products that are rich in nutrients that help our faces thrive, rather than chock full of fillers to save money and improve their bottom line. And so on, and so forth.

What are some ingredients we should steer clear of in our beauty products?
This really depends on your skin type. If you have acne prone skin, you should avoid products that have comedogenic ingredients that usually create new outbreaks. Everyone should avoid alcohols because they're drying, but especially if you have dry or sensitive skin. if you have rosacea, you'll want to stay away from essential oils and chemical exfoliants which can all increase sensitization. I always recommend taking a product-by-product, ingredient-by-ingredient approach when it comes to skincare.

Tell us about your backstory as the child of first generation immigrants from Cameroon. How has that influenced your career?
My parents worked very hard to build a life here for my siblings and I. They taught me to have a very strong work ethic and that's made me an incredibly ambitious person. Culturally, they also favored career paths that were very stable, like being a doctor. So for a long time I planned to make that my own career. I fell in love with science and research partially because my dad was a tenured professor at NYU studying HIV AIDS. That love of science, coupled with a strong belief that I could do anything, plays the biggest influence on my career today. I'm not going to be a doctor, but instead will contribute my love of biology and unique perspective to the beauty industry. I'd say that's next-gen thinking.

What’s your morning routine?
I start the day with my dog! We go for a long walk in the park every morning and I get to stop off at my favorite neighborhood cafe for a dirty chai latte with oat milk. Then I come home to do my morning skincare routine while NPR plays in the background. Sometimes I'll grab a banana or have some eggs, just depends on how I'm feeling. I love to set aside additional time to read either the news or any novel that I'm currently working through. I like to read things that have nothing to do with beauty because it continues to feed my mind in a new way. Inevitably I get sucked into my email, and start to plan out my work and meetings for the day.

I love how your website states, “Transparency in the cosmetics industry isn't a marketing tool, but should be at its core.” How does Baalm embody this value?
We ask our brands the really uncomfortable questions from what are your manufacturing facility conditions like all the way to how exactly was your product made. It's important that we make sure each product lives up to our community's standards. Then, without giving away any intellectual property, we make as much of that information available on every product page. So when you're shopping you see exactly what went into that product, why it would or would not be a fit for your skin, and how to use it. When we do consultations with our members, we recommend products we sell as well as those that we don't. Our entire mission is to get you to the right product for your skin.

It's refreshing to read your book, Fresh Face: Simple Routines for Beautiful, Glowing Skin Every Day, and not find any mentions of brands or specific products. What's one big takeaway your readers will get from the book?
My goal for readers is for them to feel like they have a roadmap to begin thinking about their skin holistically. I want you to be able to look in the mirror and feel closer to your skin because you understand what it's made of and what it needs. Good skin is not just about the brands or the products. After reading Fresh Face I hope you feel equipped to make the right decisions for your skin, no matter what labels are involved.

What’s your ultimate vision for Baalm and its impact on the beauty/skincare community?
I see Baalm living as a layer above products and trends that have for most of the history of beauty, guided the industry. I want it to continue to be a refuge for people who just feel overwhelmed and want to find a path to loving their skin in a way that makes them feel happy and fulfilled. So far our community isn't bound by age, ethnicity or geography and I want it to expand in that spirit for years to come!