Linda Wang is the Founder and CEO of Karuna Skin and sister brand Avatara, known for being the first to bring Asian sheet masks to the U.S.
Before starting her company, Linda spent 11 years in fashion merchandising, the training shaped her gusty instincts for spotting trends.
Her interest in skincare stemmed from an ongoing struggle since childhood with allergies, rashes, and eczema.
As an adult, her focus sharpened on resolving this deeply personal issue since it affects so many others around the world.
She launched Karuna in 2009, sensing these revolutionary time-saving masks would be a hit among American beauty aficionados.
The sharply-packaged retail line has gained the interests of beauty giants like Sephora, Ulta, etc.
From her years of training as a buyer and knowing how trends work, in 2017, she launched her second brand Avatara, inspired by her teenage nieces by offering fun, quality, clean, and affordable skincare products launched in Target stores nationwide.
During the last 12 years of building both brands, Linda encountered her share of challenges; increased competition, the explosion of interest in fast beauty, and the rise of more store brands entering the category.
In 2018, the Karuna brand faced hardship as the sheet mask category became commoditized, and in response, she pivoted and created the Balancing Collection, a daily topical skin care line now available at Whole Foods Market nationwide.
Sister brand, Avatara has also seen tremendous growth with Target, and anticipating more national doors rollout this year.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
Resources:
If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!
241 | Developing a Wellness Product Like a Tech Product | with Peter Reitano
240 | Bruises, Sweat, and Tears to Create a Product | with Shay Sim
Bonus Episode: Subscriptions is a Performance Channel with Gina Perrelli
239 | Creating a Brand to Fund a Bigger Scope | with Ravi Kurani
238 | Getting The Idea of a Subscriptions from a Podcast | with Meghan Foster
Bonus Episode: Attending Conferences is an Overall Benefit with Kristin Schoenstein
237 | Off-The-Shelf, Custom, or Composable? | with Andrei Rebrov
236 | The Unusual Model of Selling Unusual Skincare Products | with Alex McIntosh
Bonus Episode: From Wall Street to Silicon Valley with Adam Robinson
235 | Developing a Child’s Future Through Toys | with Annamarie von Firley
234 | Cater to Customers That are as Passionate as You | with Paul Voge
Bonus Episode: Breaking Free From the “Acquisition Hamster Wheel” with Isaac Hyman
233 | Play Safe Bets But Also Take Risks | with Keith Eshelman
232 | Why You Should Patiently Scale Your Business | with Scott Crumrine
231 | Launching with a Coach and Knowledge from FB Groups | with Jennifer Lea
Bonus Episode: The Truth About Launching on Kickstarter with Khierstyn Ross
230 | Don’t Be Scared of Growing Fast | with David Gaylord
Bonus Episode: Creating a Campaign vs Creating a Community with Nicolas Bailliache
229 | The ‘Stealth Mode’ Approach to Building a Brand | with Mikey Goldman
228 | Shopify Themes: Off-The-Shelf vs Custom Built | with Shawn Khemsurov
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
NABOR® TALKS
U.S Property Podcast
Aligned Money Show
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money