Caroline Hirons Has Thoughts on Exosomes, Eye Cream, and Beauty’s Copycat Problem

Caroline Hirons (0:01)

G-L-A-M, Gloss Angeles.

Kirbie Johnson (0:14)

Caroline Hirons has spent decades telling us what our skin actually needs and calling out the beauty industry when it would rather sell us something else. Now she's the founder of Skin Rocks, which gives her an even closer look at how products get made and how trends take off. Today, she's joining us to talk about the ingredients she believes in, what it really costs to build a skincare brand, undisclosed partnerships, and her theory about why three major brands unveiled such similar eye patches at once. Caroline has thoughts, many of them. Let's get into it.

She literally needs no introduction. We're getting right into this. Caroline Hirons, welcome to Gloss Angeles.

Sara Tan (0:50)

Thank you.

Caroline Hirons (0:50)

That's the quickest introduction I've ever had in my life.

Sara Tan (0:53)

We'll do your longer introduction on our own, but we need to milk every second we have with you.

Caroline Hirons (0:58)

Yes.

Kirbie Johnson (0:59)

Agreed. So Caroline, please tell us what's on that gorgeous face. And by the way, you see Caroline in real life and you're like, wow, the fantasy is sticking. It's there.

Caroline Hirons (1:11)

Smooth, glowy, tight.

Kirbie Johnson (1:14)

You see you online.

Caroline Hirons (1:15)

I'm so jet lagged, so thank you.

Sara Tan (1:19)

Tell us your secrets.

Caroline Hirons (1:20)

Okay. What's on my face? Well, Skin Rocks, obviously, antioxidant gives you a great glow, moisturizers, eye cream, blah, blah, obviously, makeup. Oh, Westman Atelier truffle bronzer, tool blush. I mean, there's a lot of Westman Atelier.

Veev, Skin Dew, Pat McGrath, the glass skin spray thing. Oh, God. I mean, there's a lot. I don't know how many was that, 10? Yeah.

Kirbie Johnson (1:45)

I mean, and also your hair looks fabulous, but this is a blowout.

Caroline Hirons (1:47)

It's a blowout. But what's always on my hair is the Shortskoff Got To Be, the one that's like rock hard.

Kirbie Johnson (1:53)

Yes.

Caroline Hirons (1:54)

So when I'm in it, I always think it find it entertaining when hairdressers go, are you okay with product? I'm like, babe, nuke it. That's my term, nuke it. I want my hair to knock.

Kirbie Johnson (2:02)

Yes.

Caroline Hirons (2:03)

I want it to be hard because hairdressers don't want to give you crusty, crispy hair. That's what I want. I want, literally I said, God for me, I came out of dry bar, paid for it, no plug, hashtag not an ad. And I said to the girls, I'll be back in 10 minutes. I've got to make my hair look less like Dolly Parton in the coffin.

I'd said I'd like it curly. They did it justice, but I had to just, can we take a minute?

Kirbie Johnson (2:27)

Well, you know, we're filming this the day before Dolly Parton day in Los Angeles.

Caroline Hirons (2:31)

No, what's happening?

Kirbie Johnson (2:33)

I don't know actually, but they've...

Caroline Hirons (2:35)

Is this like a new holiday? I think it's like a California thing. And we're here for it.

And we're here for it. Oh, fantastic. I know. I'll say that with the utmost respect. She's my kind of...

Kirbie Johnson (2:43)

God, God love Dolly. Listen, hey, I wrote a story that on her like dying days, the only person that was seeing her was her hair and makeup artist.

Caroline Hirons (2:49)

She wouldn't let anyone else in.

You know what? As it should be.

Sara Tan (2:52)

She is all after our own heart. Caroline, what brings you to our neck of the woods? What are you doing over here? Well, we're listening labs.

Caroline Hirons (3:00)

So one of our labs is here. And so we've done a few days at the lab, just doing new product for next year and the year after and innovation. And yeah, it's been great. So our brains are frazzled, but in a really good way. You know, when your brain is so full, you think I have to get somewhere and just deposit this like that.

Sara Tan (3:18)

YLA for a lab.

Caroline Hirons (3:20)

It was a recommendation actually from Kate Somerville, who's my girlfriend. So we have more than one lab, but this has turned out to be just a fantastic, fantastic lab for us.

Kirbie Johnson (3:30)

God, I love Kate.

Caroline Hirons (3:31)

I love her. She doesn't love her. I've got so many great stories.

Kirbie Johnson (3:32)

I've got a spa day with Kate tomorrow.

Sara Tan (3:34)

Jealous.

Kirbie Johnson (3:35)

So jealous. We absolutely love. The one on Melrose Place, are you going with? No.

Caroline Hirons (3:39)

Where are we going?