Enrico Frezza of Peace Out: “The beauty industry accounts for a great portion of the waste in landfills; I would love a world where everything is recyclable”
The beauty industry accounts for a great portion of the waste in landfills. I would love a world where everything is recyclable. That said, I’d also like recycling centers to get better at actually recycling. I envision a future where beauty retailers add a recycling drop off area for their customers, possibly with an incentive for recycling.
As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years I had the pleasure of interviewing Enrico Frezza.
Originally from Milan, Peace Out Founder and CEO, Enrico Frezza struggled with severe acne for much of his early life. After three years of research and development, this former cyber security expert created the first to market hydrocolloid acne patch imbued with active ingredients. Peace Out Acne, this first product, was born from Enrico’s never-ending quest for an easy, effective solution for his own breakouts.
Since its debut in 2017, Enrico has developed five more products utilizing proprietary delivery systems in tandem with high quality ingredients to combat common skin issues: Peace Out Pores, Peace Out Wrinkles, Peace Out Puffy Eyes, Peace Out Dark Spots and the newest release Peace Out Dullness. Enrico continues to push the beauty industry forward by producing skincare from cutting-edge technologies and unique combinations of ingredients. Peace Out is based in San Francisco and sold worldwide exclusively through Sephora and peaceoutskincare.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a child and as a teenager, I suffered from severe, pizza face acne. My breakouts ruled every aspect of my life, emotionally and physically. I became introverted and my self-esteem dwindled. Sadly, Accutane wasn’t a cure for me. I continued to suffer through my twenties from acne that would immediately transport me back to my teenage anguish. I needed a quick fix for my breakouts that would allow me to live my life to the fullest. Products on the market were either slow-working or ineffectual. I realized that if I was searching for a one-step, rapid, effective treatment, then others surely were too. Peace Out Acne was born from my never-ending quest for skincare that actually worked.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I went from running cyber security for my family’s business to creating the acne treatment I’ve always been searching for! Sephora, my dream retailer, partnered with Peace Out before we sold a single product. In 2017, Peace Out Acne Dots launched the first hydrocolloid acne patch with active ingredients. Since our debut, we’ve released five more first-to-market products that combine our exclusive patch technologies with high quality ingredients to target specific skin problems, such as dark spots and wrinkles. The company is now moving beyond patch technology into products that expand the Peace Out lifestyle. At the same time, we’re expanding globally. Every day, I get to research and develop skincare that helps people live their best lives. For me, nothing could better than that.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
When we launched Peace Out Acne in July 2017, it took off like a rocket at Sephora and became a bestseller in days, selling out and becoming the juggernaut that it is today. It was crazy and I thought that was success! Very quickly I learned that I can’t do everything. I need a team; I need people who share my vision. My team helps Peace Out continue to grow and we are always learning from one another. To build success, you must have teamwork. We continued to launch innovative first-to-market products every three to four months and they also became bestsellers. But Wrinkles was the tipping point for me and for the Peace Out brand. We had over 3000 people on our wait list and we couldn’t keep up with the demand. Wrinkles far far exceeded our expectations and Sephora’s! Without our team though, none of this would have been possible. Wrinkles pushed our brand and company into a whole new stratosphere.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My husband, 100%. At first, he was actually my biggest naysayer, shaking his head at me. Now he is my biggest champion, the brand’s biggest champion.
In the beginning, Junior couldn’t relate to why I needed to conquer acne breakouts. He always had great skin. My personal struggle with acne was difficult for him to wrap his head around. Then Junior saw how much Isuffered when I got a breakout–that I would shut down and not leave the house or I would hide under hats, hoodies, and cover-up makeup or cancel plans altogether. He realized how much it hurt me and he shifted and turned to championing me every day. Junior told me I could do whatever I put my mind to and he supports me 100%. We’ve built Peace Out together every step of the way. Our vision is a positive, inclusive lifestyle brand. It took me a year and two cities, but I finally got my wish when Junior left his super fun and comfy corporate life in fashion and entertainment to help me build Peace Out
Skincare. He’s my partner in crime, my biggest supporter. Our relationship allows me to take risks and we get to dream big dreams together.
The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?
By far the delivery systems for skincare are what excite me the most. You can take a premium hydrocolloid patch and infuse it with active acne healing ingredients or create a micro-needling patch where the microneedles are produced from the actual ingredients that dissolve into your skin!! I am always designing, searching and exploring new ways to deliver ingredients to treat skincare issues. Right now, we’re working on some new technologies that are game changers.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
What a great question! I’m always wanting to perfect, enhance or fix an issue with my skin. I don’t want others to suffer the way I did and I want to look good and feel good. We should never lose sight of our face’s individuality and uniqueness. The small flaws we hate often turn out to be the things our partners love the most.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?
I’m obsessed with how beauty and tech meld together and change the landscape of skincare. I try a lot of new beauty tech because I am driven by what we can be achieved by combining the two.
The constant evolution or discovery of new ingredients is fascinating and exciting. We’re moving towards more powerful and beneficial ingredients both individually and mixed together.
Soon, everything your spa technician uses to make you gorgeous will come in a high-quality home version for less than a full spa visit. You’re already seeing it with light masks and hydrotherapy machines and lasers. Spas will always have their place, but you’ll have the ability to give yourself a beauty quickie for a date night or a little maintenance.
I’m going to add one more. I’m fascinated by the way that beauty and wellness go hand in hand. I am obsessed with gut health and how it impacts not just your skin but mood, energy and overall wellness. The combinations of an infrared sauna with light therapy and lymphatic massage that release toxins and activate your body’s healing. I recently had my gut checked through Viome where you submit a stool sample and the results tell you everything you should and shouldn’t eat for premium gut health. My body has improved since I started following the recommendations. I’ve seen a boost in my clarity, energy, mood and fitness from the loss of internal inflammation. It’s amazing and everyone should try it!
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
I would like to see greater transparency regarding ingredients. Consumers today are hyper-aware and they read every ingredient on the box. They will also call you out if your claim doesn’t match your ingredients. Our customers are smart and educated. They seek out certain ingredients for their properties and they know how they want to use them. Not all ingredients are the same quality.
A standardized beauty review system would be more helpful and useful. We’ve gotten negative reviews with no concrete information why the person wasn’t happy with the product. Brands are also faced with attacks from BOTS, haters and other brands leaving fake reviews. When we released Dark Spots, we had the same BOT leave the same negative review fifteen times in five minutes. We’re always looking to improve and constructive feedback would be much more valuable.
The beauty industry accounts for a great portion of the waste in landfills. I would love a world where everything is recyclable. That said, I’d also like recycling centers to get better at actually recycling. I envision a future where beauty retailers add a recycling drop off area for their customers, possibly with an incentive for recycling.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.) Is this product or treatment focused or more beauty self-improvement?
1. Positivity: You need to remember to tell yourself that you’re amazing! Even if you face doesn’t want to be besties. Junior got me to start taking a couple minutes every morning before I get out of bed and head into the world to pause and say thank you, be grateful and give myself a compliment. It’s a great way to start the day.
2. Treat yourself: Sometimes if I need a pick me up to feel handsome. My go-to is a 45 min Infrared Sauna + massage or a 30-minute HydraFacial.
3. FFT aka Family and Friend Time! Work can be draining. Having a healthy and active family and friend life recharges me and helps me to be more productive. Spending time with those you love and care about is the easiest way to feel centered and realize that life is made of beautiful moments that can make us all feel good. If you suffer from severe acne or skin issues coupled with the stressors of daily life, you can be hard on yourself. Acne can keep you from living life to the fullest but having friends and family to lean on brightens my life and helps me let go of the breakouts and skin issues.
4. The earth is beautiful so let’s keep her beautiful! My husband and I hike every weekend and we pick up the trash that people leave behind in the forest or on the trails. The litter disgusts me, because I love to recycle. I have 4 trash cans inside my house for each type of trash. I recycle all of my beauty and skincare products even my ear plugs.
5. Giving back is a team sport! Peace Out believes in giving back. My team takes pride that we are a company that contributes to society. We all value paying it forward and helping others. We choose different charities each time we give. Right now, we’re supporting those most affected by Covid-19 in Italy and in our SF community. In the past, we’ve supported the LGBTQ+ community by donating skincare products to help people look and feel their best. We’ll also be working with Save the Oceans this summer, and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of SF Gay Pride and the LGBTQ+ community with another give back moment.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Right now, I am most passionate about ending waste and improving recycling. Figuring out how to really, truly, fully recycle everything cheaply and turn it back into usable products will benefit everyone. Our community is super strict about recycling, but there are so many things that still need to be recycling. I make it a point to recycle and return everything!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
JUST DO IT! I mean Nike said it best. You gotta just do it! I found my passion, my purpose, my dream and I knew nothing about how to make it happen, but I had to figure it out and get it done. Sometimes the process was awful and sometimes exhilarating. Once I laced up and took off, I couldn’t stop. The momentum in me to succeed was insatiable. There were many times that I thought Peace Out wouldn’t happen. The ingredients would fail to mix. Many people told me that a hydrocolloid patch with active ingredients wasn’t possible and I was wasting my time. I burnt off layers of my skin testing products on myself. Every time I failed or someone said I couldn’t do this, it made me want to bring Peace Out to life even more. I’ve learned to always believe in my vision. You will fail, but you’ll learn from that failure and you won’t make the same mistake again. Bottom line– JUST DO IT!
How can our readers follow you online?
@peaceoutskincare
Enrico Frezza of Peace Out: “The beauty industry accounts for a great portion of the waste in… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.