The Skincarma® Pod

Acne is often treated as a surface-level problem — something to be managed with cleansers, serums, and spot treatments.But what if acne isn’t primarily a skincare issue at all?What if it’s a signal of deeper imbalances happening inside the body?In this episode, Carmine sits down with returning guest Dr. Katie Varman, a board-certified dermatologist who combines conventional dermatology with a functional, root-cause approach to skin health.Together, they explore the gut–skin connection — and how diet, the microbiome, inflammation, hormones, and even environmental exposures can influence the development and persistence of acne.At the center of the conversation is Dr. Varman’s new program, Clear Skin From Within — a three-month course designed to guide participants through elimination, reintroduction, and optimization phases to better understand what’s driving their breakouts.Rather than focusing on topical solutions, this episode reframes acne as a systemic condition — and offers a more comprehensive, inside-out approach to healing.You’ll learn:• Why acne is more complex than oil, bacteria, and clogged pores;• How diet and high-glycemic foods influence inflammation and hormone pathways;• The role of the gut microbiome — and how “good” bacteria support skin health;• What chronic, low-grade inflammation is — and how it shows up on the skin;• Why eliminating dairy, sugar, and processed foods can make a measurable difference;• How environmental factors like plastics, BPA, and artificial fragrance may contribute to acne;• The importance of fiber, spices, and fermented foods in restoring gut balance;• Why skincare alone often isn’t enough — especially for deeper, more persistent breakouts;• And, how estheticians can play a critical role in bridging internal and external care.Key takeaway:Acne isn’t just a product problem — it’s a systems problem.And while topical skincare has its place, lasting change often requires looking inward — at the gut, the diet, the environment, and the underlying drivers that the skin is trying to reveal.Connect with Dr. Katie Varman on LinkedIn at Shine Skin Academy and on Instagram and TikTok. Explore the Clear Skin From Within program here and enjoy a complimentary Gut-Skin Lesson here.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

Superoxide dismutase — or SOD — is one of the most important antioxidant enzymes in the body, yet it’s rarely discussed in modern skincare.Often referred to as the “enzyme of life,” SOD plays a critical role as the body’s first line of defense against oxidative stress — a key driver of skin aging, inflammation, and cellular damage.For decades, however, SOD has been considered ineffective as an oral supplement due to its instability in the digestive system.So what happens when that problem is solved?In this episode, Carmine sits down with François-Serge Lemaire, former L’Oréal executive and CEO of IsoCell, to explore the science behind GliSODin — a stabilized, orally bioavailable form of SOD supported by more than 40 published studies.Together, they go beyond topical skincare to unpack how oxidative stress impacts the skin at a biological level — and why the future of beauty may lie in combining internal and external approaches.You’ll learn:• What superoxide dismutase (SOD) actually does in the body;• Why oxidative stress is central to skin aging and inflammation;• The difference between antioxidant enzymes and traditional antioxidants like vitamin C;• Why SOD has historically been considered non-bioavailable — and what changed;• Clinical insights on UV resistance, recovery, and skin health;• How combining oral supplements with retinoids and procedures may enhance results;• And, the growing shift toward “inside-out” beauty and skin longevity.Key takeaway:Topical skincare can only go so far. Supporting the body’s internal antioxidant systems may be the missing layer in how we approach skin aging — and skin longevity more broadly.Connect with François-Serge Lemaire on LinkedIn at @François Vix. Explore GliSODin on Instagram at @glisodin_skin and discovery GliSODin products and science at glisodin.com. You can browse the research studies and publications at glisodin.org.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links: Glisodin V-SODGlisodin Anti-Aging / DermalGlisodin Skin BrighteningGlisodin The Antioxidant Enzyme—Publications and research:A review of the science and health benefits for GliSODinImmunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of an orally bioavailable sod-gliadin complexEffects of 6-Week Supplementation with GliSODin on Parameters of Muscle Damages, Metabolic, and Work Performance at International Level Rowers after Specific Maximal Effort—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down once again with cosmetic chemist and regulatory expert Mark Broussard to revisit one of the most significant shifts in the beauty industry: the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) — and why it’s only the beginning.Mark, founder and Managing Director of Desert In Bloom Cosmetics Lab, works directly with brands to formulate, test, and bring products to market — giving him a front-row view into how cosmetic regulation actually functions in practice. In this conversation, he breaks down what MoCRA truly changed, and where critical gaps still exist when it comes to product safety, transparency, and enforcement.Together, Carmine and Mark explore the real-world implications of modern beauty regulation — from microbial contamination risks to misleading ingredient labels — and why retailers, not just regulators, may hold the key to protecting consumers.You’ll learn:• What MoCRA actually changed for brands, labs, and the FDA;• Why “safety substantiation” remains one of the biggest unresolved issues in the law;• The three essential tests that should define product safety — and why they matter;• How small, unregistered brands can still bypass key regulatory oversight;• Why Amazon and other retailers could play a critical role in preventing unsafe or counterfeit products;• The truth about microbial contamination in water-based skincare;• Why fragrance allergens are one of the most common causes of skin reactions;• How the “1% rule” in ingredient labeling can mislead consumers;• And, what most people misunderstand about how cosmetics are actually regulated in the U.S.The episode also explores the growing gap between consumer perception and regulatory reality — and why many people assume the beauty industry is far more tightly controlled than it actually is.This is a conversation about science, safety, transparency, and accountability — and a reminder that when it comes to skincare, what’s not regulated can matter just as much as what is.Follow Mark and Desert in Bloom Cosmetics Lab on Instagram here and on Linkedin here. Are you a brand founder wading through the complexity of MoCRA compliance? Learn more about Mark’s regulatory expertise at desertinbloomcosmeticslab.com/#MoCRA.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with Angela Jia Kim, founder of Savor Beauty, to explore the deeper philosophy behind K-beauty – beyond the trends, sheet masks, and viral routines.Angela shares the piece of skincare wisdom passed down from her mother that shaped her entire approach to skin health: “Treat your skin like the most expensive silk on Earth.” Together, Carmine and Angela unpack what that metaphor really means in practice – and how a gentler, barrier-respecting approach to skincare contrasts with the more aggressive, results-driven mindset often seen in Western beauty.The conversation dives into the real meaning of glass skin, the historical roots of Korean beauty rituals, and the influence of hanbang herbal ingredients in traditional Korean skincare. Angela also shares insights from years spent working directly with clients, revealing why consistency, ritual, and respect for the skin barrier may be the true secret to healthy, luminous skin.If you’re curious about the philosophy behind K-beauty – or wondering what “glass skin” actually means – this episode offers a thoughtful look at how ancient beauty traditions continue to shape modern skincare.Connect with Angela on Instagram at @angelajiakim and on LinkedIn here. Explore Savor Beauty on Instagram at @savorbeauty and learn more about the products and brand ethos at savorbeauty.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links:Coconut Jasmine Cleansing OilToning MistCaviar Collagen Eye CreamTruffle Face CreamPumpkin Seed Serum—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

The beauty industry sells aspiration, transformation, and perfection. But what does that culture do to the people building it from the inside?On this episode of The Skincarma Pod, host Carmine Montalto sits down with executive coach and former beauty industry leader Elyse Conroy, founder of Soul Makeup and creator of Beauty Career Lab. After more than a decade working inside the corporate beauty world, Elyse now helps high-performing women navigate leadership, burnout, and reinvention.Together, Carmine and Elyse unpack the emotional architecture of the beauty industry — and why so many successful professionals quietly struggle behind the scenes.They explore how perfectionism shapes corporate culture in beauty, the growing conversation around executive burnout, and the difficult reality of ageism and salary compression facing women in mid-career leadership roles. Elyse also shares insights from her coaching practice, including the psychological patterns she sees in founders, executives, and high achievers who feel trapped between success and exhaustion.This candid conversation looks at the human side of an industry built on image — and what it really takes to reclaim identity, confidence, and purpose after stepping away from corporate life.If you’ve ever wondered what lies beneath the surface of beauty leadership, this episode offers an honest and deeply relatable perspective.Connect with Elyse on Instagram at @elyseconroyxo and on LinkedIn here. Catch her podcast The Confidence Lounge with Elyse Conroy on Apple Podcasts here and explore her executive coaching programs and events at soulmakeup.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with materials scientist and inventor Eric Pressly and to explore the science of repair — and why rebuilding beauty from the inside out matters more than ever.Eric is the inventor behind some of the most influential bond-repair technologies in modern beauty, and the founder of Epres haircare and ePhD nail treatment. In this conversation, he explains the molecular science behind repairing broken keratin bonds in hair and nails — and why most beauty products focus on coating damage rather than truly fixing it.Together, Eric and his wife and COO Natalie share the origin story behind their newest brands, the creative process behind scientific innovation, and what it’s like building a company as partners in life and business.You’ll learn:• What “bond repair” actually means at the molecular level;• Why most nail and hair products only provide surface-level fixes;• How Eric developed new repair technologies during the pandemic;• The surprising connection between materials science, chemistry, and creativity;• Why the beauty industry often prioritizes marketing over innovation;• And, what Eric and Natalie believe the future of beauty should focus on: health first, youth second.The episode also explores sustainability in beauty, the challenge of proving scientific claims in an era of AI-generated marketing, and why true innovation often happens outside of large corporations.This is a conversation about chemistry, creativity, entrepreneurship, and rebuilding — both scientifically and personally.Connect with Eric on Instagram at @ericpressly and on LinkedIn here. Explore Epres on Instagram at @epresbeauty and learn more about the products and brand ethos at epres.com. Explore ePhD on Instagram at @ephdnail and learn more about the products and brand ethos at ephd.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on Substack and LinkedIn – and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links: epres Bond Repair Treatment Starter Kitepres Healthy Hair 3-Step System Starter KitePhD Bond Repair Nail Treatment—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with Angel Olavarria — chemist, founder, and formulator behind Strive Skin — for a candid, deeply nerdy conversation about what actually makes skincare work.Angel didn’t enter beauty as a marketer chasing trends. He started as a DIY enthusiast reverse-engineering expensive vitamin C serums in his kitchen, eventually turning thousands of hours of experimentation into a science-led brand built on restraint, transparency, and real-world performance.Together, Carmine and Angel unpack:Why many men’s skincare brands underdose actives — or avoid listing concentrations altogether;The truth about retinaldehyde vs. retinol (and why Angel built a formula around it);Why niacinamide, alpha arbutin, and urea deserve more respect;The myth of “collagen serums” and what actually stimulates collagen;Whether glycolic acid is overrated for anti-aging;Why sensory experience can “buy time” for results-driven actives to work;The psychological — not just biological — differences in how men approach skincare;And, what it’s really like to launch and bootstrap a science-driven skincare brand in today’s volatile market.Angel also shares the unfiltered reality of being an early-stage founder: Reddit traffic disappearing overnight, Amazon algorithm chaos, and the emotional rollercoaster of building something from scratch.If you care about ingredient transparency, concentration levels, formulation philosophy, and skincare without the marketing spin — this episode is for you.Connect with Angel Olavarria on Instagram at @themodernman_ig and on LinkedIn here. Explore Strive Skin on Instagram at @striveskin and learn more about the products and brand ethos at striveskin.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on LinkedIn here and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links: Strive Miracle Face MoisturizerStrive Deep Clean Men’s Face WashStrive Apex Anti-aging Retinal Serum—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with Evelyn Wang, founder and CEO of The Silverist, to talk about gray hair, ageism in beauty, and what it really takes to build a brand from scratch.After years inside major beauty companies like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, Evelyn saw something hiding in plain sight: women embracing their natural silver and gray hair were being treated as an afterthought. Instead of formulas designed specifically for natural gray hair — which loses melanin and behaves differently than color-treated blonde hair — brands were simply relabeling purple shampoos and calling it a day.In this candid and wide-ranging conversation, Carmine and Evelyn explore:Why gray hair is fundamentally different from color-treated blonde hair;How big beauty brands miss nuance when marketing to women over 40;The tension between corporate marketing polish and founder survival mode;What it really means to speak to Gen X consumers authentically;Why “pro-aging” messaging can feel patronizing instead of empowering;and, the reality of building a lean, profitable beauty brand without bloated overhead.They also revisit their shared L’Oréal experience, debate the lost art of the focus group, and unpack the decision paralysis that comes with spending your own money as a founder.Smart, funny, and refreshingly honest, this episode is for anyone interested in beauty marketing, entrepreneurship, and the cultural conversation around aging — especially if you believe women over 40 deserve more than being lumped into a single “mature” category.Connect with Evelyn Wang on Instagram at @the.evelynwang and on LinkedIn here. Explore The Silverist on Instagram at @the.silverist and learn more about the products and brand ethos at silverist.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on LinkedIn here and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links: Silverist Lustrous Rituals Buildable Tone ShampooSilverist Holistic Benefits Leave-In Hair SerumSilverist 3-Step System: Shampoo, Conditioner & Leave-In—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

What if “that’s just how it is” wasn’t good enough when it comes to childhood eczema?In this episode of the Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with Jemila Alharazim, a Physician’s Assistant in asthma and allergy care and the founder of Ocean Olive, to explore how personal experience and clinical insight led to the creation of a new kind of eczema treatment for kids.For years, Jemila prescribed topical steroids to eczema patients while hearing the same question from parents: Is there a gentler alternative? When her own son developed eczema, that question became personal. What followed was a three-year journey to develop Ocean Olive’s Whipped Gel Nourishing Eczema Spot Treatment — a microbiome-friendly, fragrance-free, OTC product designed for babies and children three months and up.In this conversation, Carmine and Jemila discuss:What topical steroids actually do — and why some families hesitate to use them long-term;Why eczema is far more than “just a rash,” impacting sleep, school, confidence, and family life;The science behind Ocean Olive’s pink-hued formula (yes, it’s vitamin B12 — and no, it doesn’t stain);The role of the skin microbiome and Staphylococcus aureus in eczema flare-ups;Why “less is best” when formulating for sensitive, eczema-prone skin;What it really takes to bring an OTC product to market — from FDA requirements to clinical safety testing.Beyond the science, Jemila opens up about how building a brand reshaped her identity — challenging her belief system, strengthening her persistence, and giving her what she describes as “another level of consciousness.”The episode closes with a lighthearted lightning round — from salsa dancing and Spanish fluency to the Real Housewives of Potomac — and a simple but powerful reflection: “Joy to me looks like being with my loved ones and having the freedom to be whoever and do whatever.”If you care about responsible skincare, children’s skin health, or the intersection of clinical practice and entrepreneurship, this episode is not to be missed.Connect with Jemila and Ocean Olive on Instagram at @ocean_olive_ and on LinkedIn here. Explore Ocean Olive and learn more about the products and brand ethos at ocean-olive.com.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on LinkedIn here and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product links: Ocean Olive Whipped Gel Nourishing Eczema Spot Treatment—Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe

For more than 25 years, the U.S. sunscreen market has been frozen in time – while the rest of the world moved on to newer, more advanced UV filters. In this episode of The Skincarma Pod, Carmine sits down with Carl D’Ruiz, one of the key figures behind the FDA’s proposed order to add a new UV filter to the U.S. sunscreen monograph – the first in more than a generation.Carl is a regulatory and scientific affairs leader at dsm-firmenich, and has spent nearly two decades navigating shifting regulations, Congressional mandates, clinical trials, and evolving FDA requirements to bring bemotrizinol (PARSOL® Shield) to the brink of U.S. approval. When finalized, it would become only the third UV filter considered GRASE (Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective) under modern FDA standards.In this wide-ranging conversation, Carmine and Carl unpack:Why sunscreen is regulated as a drug in the U.S. – and how that stalled innovation;What Category III really means (and why it doesn’t equal “unsafe”);The impact of systemic absorption studies and the 2019 JAMA sunscreen headlines;Why Americans have access to far fewer UV filters than Europe, S. Korea, or Australia;How bemotrizinol could enable better broad-spectrum protection and more wearable formulas, especially for melanated skin;What it actually takes – in time, data, and money – to shepherd a new sunscreen active through the FDA;And why this milestone could open the door to a new era of sunscreen innovation in the U.S.The episode also explores Carl’s unconventional career path – from the EPA to tobacco harm reduction to sunscreen regulation – along with the signature lightning round that touches on cycling, risk-taking, mentorship, and what it really means to play the long game in public health.This is a must-listen for anyone curious about sunscreen safety, FDA regulation, ingredient innovation, or why the products Americans use every day have lagged so far behind the rest of the world – and what finally might change.—Follow Carl D’Ruiz on Instagram here and on LinkedIn here. And, you can learn more about Carl’s decades-long work to get PARSOL® Shield over the finish line in the BeautyMatter article, The Great Sunscreen Odyssey: The 25-Year Road to a “New” UV Filter.Follow Skincarma on Instagram and on TikTok. Catch product reviews of Carmine’s top picks of the best skincare on the Skincarma Blog. You can also connect with Carmine on LinkedIn here and explore his extensive work in beauty on the Carmine Montalto INK website here.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Substack, or Spotify to help Carmine reach more curious listeners.Product reviews on the Skincarma Blog:Explore the Best Sunscreens for Face here.Explore the Best Retinol Face Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Vitamin C Serums here.Explore the Best Niacinamide Serums here.Explore the Best Acne Treatments here.Explore the Best Anti-Aging Creams and Serums here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin here.Explore the Best Face Creams for Oily Skin here.The Skincarma® Pod is where indie beauty meets fearless curiosity. Hosted by Carmine, his podcast pulls back the curtain on the beauty industry with sharp insights, candid interviews, and a healthy dose of irreverence. From deep dives into ingredient science to raw conversations with dermatologists, brand founders, and industry insiders, each episode is a no-BS exploration of what really matters in skincare: how to attain and maintain healthy skin. If you’re obsessed with products, passionate about transparency, and love calling out hype, this is the place to learn, question, and glow smarter.The Skincarma® Blog is written and curated by skinfluencer, skincare junkie and Brooklyn writer Carmine Montalto. With 25 years of expertise in beauty across every category, Carmine has helped build multiple consumer brands from the ground up. He’s named 100s of skincare, haircare & makeup products – some of which are probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! And, he’s tested 1,000s of products, the best of which can be found reviewed on his blog at skincarma.com.With the right skincare routine including sunscreen...You CAN change your skin’s destiny!™ Get full access to Skincarma® at skincarma.substack.com/subscribe