This week, Noelly Michoux—co-founder and CEO of 4.5.6. Skin, customized skincare designed with phototypes IV, V, and VI in mind—discusses her and her co-founders’ journey in creating a skincare brand that is good for both overall skin health and for the planet’s health: “Everything we do, it has to be good for, yes, that condition we're treating, but for the skin health, for the overall health, and then for the planet. And we do not compromise.” She dives into the challenges she and her co-founders faced in starting the company, opening the first Skin Tone Research Lab in France, and approaching product development in a unique way. 

Noelly also emphasizes one of our BrainTrust Founders Studio pillars: education. She dives into the importance of knowledge and education in skincare, then shares her excitement for the future of the brand, including plans for retail and expanding their product line. While there is a long way to go for diversity in the beauty industry, Noelly reveals how she is one of those changemakers advancing the industry forward.

Follow @noellychouxx and @456skin on Instagram or visit https://456skin.com/!

Noelly Michoux is the co-founder of 4.5.6 Skin, a brand that aims to close the skincare research equity gap. She started the brand after realizing that most skincare products were only tested on non-melanin skin. To address this issue, Noelly partnered with a leading dermatologist and skincare researcher and opened the world’s first Skin Tone Research Lab in France. The lab examines, develops, and manufactures high-performance biomimetic skincare products for skin phototypes IV, V, and VI. 

Noelly's interest in skincare started when she worked with luxury fragrance and makeup brands in New York City, where she supported Black UP Cosmetics, one of the first brands to offer true-to-skin-tone luxury makeup for darker skin. As a Black European, she was surprised by the lack of beauty products specifically formulated for darker skin. Noelly recognized a correlation between melanin levels in the skin and dissatisfaction with skincare performance. She learned everything she could about the Fitzpatrick scale, which classifies skin tone phototypes based on the amount of melanin pigment in the skin. 

Noelly founded 4.5.6 Skin in 2017 to democratize the science of skincare and develop clinical-grade formulas that specifically target the key concerns of darker skin, including dryness, excess sebum production, dullness, and hyperpigmentation. The brand's vision is to create a truly inclusive skincare landscape that addresses not only skin type but also the foundational science of skin tone. In addition to her work with 4.5.6 Skin, Noelly is starting a Melanin Preservation Association to fight against skin bleaching and decolonize beauty concepts. She currently splits her time between Brussels and Paris with her husband and two young children.

Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: Bossy Cosmetics

""I wake up every day and I'm so excited to just be in this line of work. This is my life mission.""

Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Noelly!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.