Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng are not your typical beauty brand founders. They’re young (Gen Z, represent), they’re women of color, and they are encouraging their customers to embrace their chronic skin conditions. While Topicals’ products are made with scientifically-proven ingredients aimed to help issues like eczema, rosacea, and acne, they aren’t meant to “fix” your skin. Olamide and Claudia want their fans to know that flare-ups can be fun or at the very least, not the end of the world. That said, their hero products — Faded, a brightening gel and Like Butter, a hydrating mask — are amazing. We are both huge fans and we are not alone — the brand launched in August and has already amassed a large, loyal following. During our conversation, Olamide and Claudia share how they came to launch Topicals, what they think the beauty industry gets wrong about chronic skin conditions, and why mental health is such an important part of their brand. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.