Interview with the Founder of LeCerre Skincare: Cathy Beaupain

Introduce yourself! 

I am Vietnamese American and came to the States in 1981. Coming from a large family with 10 siblings, my parents were always busy making ends meet to provide for the family and didn't have much time to sit with each one of us. Therefore, I learned early on to be self-reliant, resourceful, and independent. It is with these habits that have helped me in life and eventually led me to start LeCerre Skincare to solve the skin care needs for people like myself.

Can you explain the origins of LeCerre Skincare? How did you begin the company?

I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have acne issues growing up. Unfortunately, my luck ran out after my third pregnancy. All the changes in hormones and perhaps just stress of balancing my duties of motherhood and work caught up to me - my skin started having severe acne and melasma. every morning I would wake up to about at least 5 new pimples on my face. Pretty soon, my entire forward and sides of my face and neck had dark blue and purple acne marks. I tried all kinds of clinical and professional products in an effort to treat the acne and reduce the marks - nothing worked for me. I relied upon my background in Biochemistry to research on WHY these established and clinically proven skincare products didn't work for my skin. After years of research, I realized the answer was in the differences in skin biochemistry in skin with melanin and with this fact, I embarked on formulating products specific for dark skin tones.

What is LeCerre’s philosophy?

LeCerre Skincare's philosophy is to minimize the complexity of skincare and focus back on healthy skin. We use ingredients that are clinically proven to be good for your skin - by helping your skin rejuvenate and renew. Each product offers multiple benefits that can replace at least 2 to 3 products. For example, the Rapid Brightening Serum and the Intensive Repair Cream are light and clean that they can be used near the eyes as an eye cream.

Your mission mentions your background in biochemistry. What is the science behind LeCerre’s skincare and its focus on skintone?

Skin that has high melanin concentration often suffer from post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and dark marks. This is because dark skin has melanocytes with higher melanin production rates. Melanin is produced by the skin whenever stress is introduced - mechanical, heat, UV - to protect itself. Therefore, dark skin tans quickly and scars easily. It is also due to this that dark skin tones are not good candidates for aggressive treatments such as laser and topical hydroquinone. LeCerre Skincare's factors this into the formulation by keeping concentrations of active ingredients to a level that has been proven to be effective but mild enough to not aggravate the skin. The Rapid Brightening Serum combines 5 key ingredients that synergistically work well to reduce melanin synthesis: Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) + Dong Quai + Vitamin E + Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane (Turmeric) + Rosa Damascena Flower Oil  

How have you adapted to life during the Covid-19 pandemic? How is life at home? How is running your company changed during this time?

Covid-19 has changed the way we all work and frankly think about what is important in life. Covid-19 has given my family more time together - we now cook, clean and share responsibilities of keeping our home safe and fun. My kids are learning skills that will help them be more independent and with homeschooling, we have flexibility to adjust the content and pace of their curriculum.

As for Covid 19 impact to the company, it has been difficult to be a new brand to grow during this time. The balancing act of being a mom, wife and entrepreneur becomes more difficult during this time because there isn't a buffer. Work and home life is even more fluid than before.

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment? Personally & work-wise?

My biggest accomplishment is having the relationships that I have with my kids. Although they are still young 8 -11 years old, we are close and have open dialogue. They remain curious and confident with a love for learning. A big inspiration for me professionally is to do work that I can talk with my kids and be a good example for them. Therefore, at the core of LeCerre Skincare is a mission to make the world a better place through our products as well as our work with donating 1% of sales for planet. 

Your company is incredibly open about what goes into your product and why, going so far as to have an “Ingredients Library” listed on your website. What inspired these measures? Why give this information? 

I truly believe that educating consumers is the key to helping them achieve their skin goals. Most important is understanding different ingredients and what it does. Armed with this knowledge, consumers will be able to shift through all the products available and I hope they will see the value of LeCerre. For example, to find all the good for skin ingredients at a clinically effective concentration found in the Rapid Brightening Serum, consumers would have to buy three different products: Azelaic acid, Niacinamide, Arbutin, acetyl glycosamine, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E. Additionally, combining natural ingredients such as Dong Quai, Rose Oil, and Turmeric.

Who inspires you? Do you have any role-models in your life? 

My inspiration is my mom. Although she is no longer with us, my memories of her keeps me motivated to always move forward. My mother possessed a quiet strength and the biggest, most generous heart. Professionally, I admire Melinda Gates because of her intellect, compassion, and humility.

What do you think are the biggest issues Asian American women face today? 

I have a daughter who is 10 and so I think about this question often. A challenge that Asian American women have is a lack of a support network. I think culturally, we were raised to be independent and resilient. Unfortunately, a by product of this is that we take this too far and interpret being independent and resilient as not needing help - so we never got comfortable asking for help and therefore, as a group of women, we didn't receive the experience of being vulnerable.

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Have patience. I tell myself this everyday. All good things require hard work and time. Sometimes, it may never come. But developing patience is good for your soul.

What is next for you and for LeCerre Skincare?   

This is just the beginning of LeCerre Skincare. Our goal is to introduce LeCerre Skincare to North America, Europe, and Australia.