Can Parëva Beauty Fix Your Routine In Three? | Biohack-it

Iman Hasan (0:00)

When I started Biohack-it and I look back at all the data and research, either it's relationships or beauty that have crushed it on this show, and so I know my female audience loves these two topics. I am a massive beauty junkie, but I always say less is more. I don't like to complicate my life. And I'm known for having really good skin, but it's been a work in progress over the years. So my team discovered Parëva Beauty. I started using their vitamin C and I absolutely loved it. And so I was like, I have to bring the founder onto the show. What I loved about Smitha is, you'll see the episode itself. She's a scientist. She got her first patent at the age of 20 She's consulted for some of the biggest brands in the world before she launched her own brand. And it's all about giving the consumer something that's affordable, that works, that's clinical grade ingredients, transparency, results driven, at an accessible price point that all of us can afford and enjoy and use month after month. That's gonna be good for your body. So I hope you enjoy the episode. And please, as always, remember to like, subscribe, share. It is because of this community we're able to put out this incredible content. Bring you brands, bring you founders, bring you these real authentic conversations that I think are changing how we look, feel, and interact with the world and with ourselves. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Smitha? Hi. Hi. So listen, I get extra excited when I get to sit down with one of my favorite people of my own kind, South Asian Founders, and building an incredible brand in a very saturated market in America and killing it.

So thank you for being here.

Smitha Rao (1:39)

Oh my gosh. Thank you for having me. This is such a treat and the kind words mean a lot.

Iman Hasan (1:44)

Yeah. Thank you. I was so fascinated by your background. Not only is the brand super young, but you guys have been crushing it with all these incredible beauty awards, products that work. But you also have this incredible background that you are a scientist.

Smitha Rao (1:58)

Yes, I am. Classically trained scientist.

Iman Hasan (2:00)

Yeah. So I want to explain to our audience a little bit about your background, how you really got into coming up with a brand, formulating it, and you've had a really impressive career to get you to this point.

Smitha Rao (2:10)

Yeah. I'll be happy to. So I'm classically trained in biotechnology, got my first patent in my 20s. I didn't fall into beauty at all. It was not a career path I thought I would ever be, but I'm very happy I'm here. I got recruited by a Swiss life science company called Lonsa, and they wanted somebody who really understood science to create new molecules for skincare and wellness. That's how I accidentally fell into beauty. I came for the science and I fell in love with what beauty represents. So I'm a veteran skin scientist. I've created over 200 products, led innovation for 15 brands like Strivectin, Olaplex, SugarBear. Almost always as an operator. So I would come in, create very disruptive first-to-market innovation, transform skin, hair. And that led me to my new chapter today.

In 2025, I've launched Parëva Beauty. Parëva means joyful transformation. I saw an opportunity, Iman, where beauty became too many SKUs, too much, too much complexity, lots of marketing, fear-mongering.

And no brand was bringing clean and clinical, radical transparency and joy.

All with the power of longevity. So that's how Parëva was created.

Iman Hasan (3:27)

And with Parëva, what I love is you guys just have four SKUs. That is it.

Smitha Rao (3:31)

Yes.

Very intentional. For me, if there's one trend that I would kill is the 13-step skincare. I'm a mom, I have a career. Now I'm a startup founder. I mean, who has the time? And what it is is genius marketing. They'll send you a product with one ingredient, then they'll make you buy 15 more.

It's really destroying your skin barriers. So our goal is to bring medical-grade products with skin longevity, but we want to simplify it. So each of our formulas are multi-benefit. So it's acting as three to four steps in your routine. You have incredible results, and that was a lot of intentionality. And if you talk to any dermatologist, they will tell you that people, men and women, are going in there with destroyed skin barrier because you're putting too much stuff, and it's not good for you.

Iman Hasan (4:21)

What I loved is that I obviously tried your vitamin C and your eye cream, and I was blown away not only on my skin with the vitamin C, but I saw your before and afters, and the results were incredible. So can we talk about what alone is in your vitamin C?