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Content creator Marjan Tabibzada joins Skin Anarchy to talk about building a career with no blueprint: her start at the MAC counter, representing brown and Middle Eastern women in beauty and fashion, surviving online hate, vetting brand deals honestly, and the Times Square campaign that made a childhood dream real.

Who is Marjan Tabibzada?

A creator who built a following representing women who rarely saw themselves online. "There's so many of us out there."

How did she get started in content creation?

Posting on the side while at Cal State Northridge and the MAC counter. "I really felt like I was doing a bajillion different things." TikTok took off, and she chose creation over law school.

What did she learn at MAC Cosmetics?

That inclusivity could be a foundation. "Every shade of the foundation that you can" imagine was there.

How do you build a following with no blueprint?

Relentless trial and error. "There will be hundreds of my videos that have flopped... and you have to pick your butt back up and keep creating."

How does she keep content relatable across cultures?

By reworking revealing trends into modest looks. "We are the brown girls where we can't really show... so let's make this a little bit more modest."

How does she handle online hate and cancel culture?

By refusing to let it take root. "If you just allow those comments to take over, you're going to go into such a dark place that getting out is going to be very difficult."

Where is influencer marketing headed?

Creators replacing traditional ads. "People trust the influencers, and when you relate to a content creator, it brings such a powerful take on why brands should work with you."

How does she vet brand deals?

Authenticity first. "Would I genuinely recommend this if there wasn't a campaign attached to it?" She has refused deals that asked her to lie about results.

Does becoming an influencer make you rich?

Not how people assume. "Just because you make content does not mean you're gonna be rich." Her first brand deal paid about a thousand dollars.

Why do content creators need a plan B?

Platforms are not permanent. "You need a plan B." She kept her degree and built across Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and more.

What advice does she have for aspiring creators?

Start before you feel ready. "I learned by doing, by making mistakes, and by staying curious." Age is just a number.

Listen to the full episode with Marjan Tabibzada on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Monique Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Mielle Organics, joins Skin Anarchy to trace her path from labor and delivery nurse to textured hair care leader: bootstrapping through millions in debt, protecting the brand's DNA through the P&G acquisition, surviving a viral moment, and where textured hair innovation goes next.

Who is Monique Rodriguez?

A former labor and delivery nurse who bet on herself. "I literally built mine from the ground up by bootstrapping."

How did she build Mielle as an inclusive brand?

By solving for a category, not a demographic. "Textured hair has no specific culture, race, ethnicity... I really wanted to be inclusive of all."

What does bootstrapping actually mean?

"It means that you're making payroll and you're paying other people before you pay yourself." Mielle ran two to three million dollars in debt.

How do you know whether to pivot or push forward?

Read the business honestly, not emotionally. "I knew that we were holding on to something special... it was time for me to keep pushing forward."

How did she get investors and her team to believe?

Data and character. A Berkshire investor backed the founders for their humility and willingness to ask questions. "You can't teach that."

How do you choose the right investors?

Separate your identity from the company. "You can't have an emotional attachment to the brand if you are wanting to take on investors... it's really the customer's brand."

How did Mielle protect its DNA through the P&G acquisition?

By putting it in writing. "Yes, we're selling you the company, but the sole DNA of the brand shall not be touched."

How should a brand handle going viral?

Treat it as exposure, not a foundation. "Having a viral moment can be very powerful, but it's also very temporary."

Where is textured hair care headed?

Toward wellness and scalp care. "Textured hair will continue to be the majority," with innovation moving to a holistic, education first approach.

What advice does she have for founders building beyond a label?

Start before you feel ready. "The biggest difference between people who dream and the people who build is that the builders take action."

Would she do anything differently?

Nothing. "All of the mistakes and bad decisions that we made were all a part of the learning lessons."

Listen to the full episode with Monique Rodriguez of Mielle Organics on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Ever wondered what it takes for a skincare brand to win a prestigious award? In this episode, we spotlight the 2026 Science of Skin awards, where innovation and science-backed formulations reign supreme.

The Science of Skin Awards, hosted by Skin Anarchy, represent the gold standard in skincare innovation. With only ten brands receiving this prestigious recognition each year, the awards celebrate the intersection of cutting-edge technology and pioneering advancements in skin science.

These awards are renowned for their rigorous scientific evaluation process, which ensures that winning brands demonstrate a high standard of scientific validity. They're not just presenting novel ideas, but also proving the effectiveness of their products.

The Science of Skin Awards serve as a global beacon for consumers. By receiving this award, a brand signals that its over-the-counter products are based on sound science, offer tangible benefits, and can be trusted for their claims.

Dr. Ekta Yadav walks through every 2026 winner and the reasoning behind each selection. e.l.f. Beauty is honored at enterprise scale for maintaining formulation discipline across Rhode, Well People, Naturium, and e.l.f. SKIN while keeping proven actives accessible. Exocellure™ Dermaceuticals earns recognition for treating exosome science as a data problem rather than a marketing one, supplying full characterization evidence including CD81 markers and solving the stability issue that has quietly undermined the category by encapsulating individual particles for room temperature shelf life. First Aid Beauty is credited with turning barrier repair into a functional category years before the market caught up, and DRMTLGY for taking formulations developed over decades for dermatologists and plastic surgeons and making them available directly to consumers.

Hydrinity reframes hyaluronic acid as a repair signal and, with Retazone, makes the case that delivery systems have to evolve alongside regenerative actives. Hypothesis Bio applies bioengineered enzymes that target Staph aureus and C. acnes selectively, translating academic microbiome research into products people can actually use at home. XOMD, founded by Dr. Steven Dayan and Dr. Sabrina Fabi, introduces moodceuticals and its patent pending OX Factor technology, opening a commercial path for psychodermatology. Musely closes the access gap through telemedicine and customized prescription therapy paired with ongoing physician oversight. Kate Somerville is recognized for the esthetician instinct behind ExfoliKate and multimodal exfoliation, and Routine Skin for coming out of peptide manufacturing rather than ingredient sourcing, which is exactly why its GHK-Cu formulas are dosed to do the repair biology the peptide is known for.

Tune in as we explain our trailblazing awarded brands!

Listen to the full 2026 Science of Skin Awards episode on the Skin Anarchy podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your shows.

Shop all 2026 Science of Skin winners

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