The legacy we want to leave with CLEARSTEM is more of a paradigm shift about how we approach beauty from within: Danielle Gronich, Co-Founder & CEO

“Regarding foundational strategies, we prioritize recognizing each other and fostering a solution-oriented mindset to propel both our company and the ‘cleanical’ skincare industry forward.”

CLEARSTEM Skincare is the only toxin-free, stem-cell-based skincare line that uses premium active ingredients to target acne, premature aging, DNA damage, and melasma. It serves clients in the United States.

CLEARSTEM was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

The Silicon Review reached out to Danielle Gronich, aka The Acne Guru^®, who serves as the co-founder, formulator, and CEO of CLEARSTEM. Here’s her response.

Interview Highlights

Please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of CLEARSTEM Skincare.

My journey into the world of skincare began with my own struggle with cystic acne in my twenties. I know firsthand how much suffering acne can cause and how debilitating it can be for someone’s psychology. I had to go through Accutane three separate times because my acne was so bad. The sad part is that it didn’t even work on me because I didn’t have any of the root-cause information. At the age of 28, the third round of Accutane had failed, and the side effects were so brutal that my vision was deteriorating. That became my defining moment; it occurred to me that I could apply my interest in biology to resolving my acne holistically. That’s when I took the leap of faith from the corporate world to research cellular biology and genetics, earning my license as a clinical esthetician and acne specialist.

In 2014, I opened the San Diego Acne Clinic and had the privilege of working with thousands of clients of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, helping them clear their skin through holistic lifestyle shifts. In witnessing thousands of complex cases, I observed that acne has multiple triggers that operate in tandem, and this realization has really defined my approach to skin health. After building this practice as the only 100% acne-focused clinic in San Diego, my next step was to develop toxin-free skincare to address the root causes of acne and aging. That’s when I partnered with a longtime client, the holistic nutritionist and fellow skincare enthusiast, Kayleigh Christina, to formulate CLEARSTEM. It’s the dream career for me because it incorporates all the pieces of medicine that I love without the pieces that I dislike, like relying on toxic prescriptions!

Setbacks are a part of every growing business. Tell us about a few roadblocks and learning lessons that helped CLEARSTEM grow through the years.

There have been many challenges, but that’s just part of being an entrepreneur. One time, our bottles arrived with bright pink metallic labels when they were supposed to be light blue. We didn’t have a choice but to sell them, as we were about to sell out of the product. Luckily, it turned into a really cool social media moment, and we relied on our community to understand what happened; they were madly supportive. The lesson is that 99 percent of the things we freak out about are inconsequential in the long run. Just roll with the punches and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Q. As a revolutionary skincare brand, what are CLEARSTEM’s key focus areas?

CLEARSTEM is the one-and-only skincare brand that targets acne and aging simultaneously without using hormone-disrupting ingredients or pore-clogging fillers. We offer an extensive line of stem-cell-based products that employ premium actives to target the complex and conflicting skin issues plaguing people of all ages, including acne, premature aging, DNA damage, and melasma.

Anti-acne products age you. Anti-aging products cause acne. That’s why we created CLEARSTEM.

Beyond our award-winning CLEARSTEM products, we provide an ecosystem of education, services, and supplements to support acne sufferers as they achieve clear skin for life. To that end, the key offerings include:

• Our line of award-winning skincare products.
  
  
• Our line of supplements, including our wildly popular MINDBODYSKIN, is set to grow further in the future.
  
  
• Our services, including our Ditch Your Acne Protocol and our revolutionary Acne Lab Test, are helping thousands of people identify the root causes of their acne through comprehensive and affordable lab testing.
  
  
• Our research-backed, experiential education is featured in hundreds of top-tier podcast interviews.

Q. What strategies do you have in place to encourage innovation in your company?

My leadership strategy is centered on candid communication and emotional intelligence work. In the age of remote work, it’s critical to invest in communication above all else for the health of your team dynamic, which in turn drives innovation. At CLEARSTEM, we have a talented executive therapist on retainer to help our team navigate any difficult dynamics or even daily struggles that pop up, so nothing gets brushed under the rug and tension doesn’t accumulate. Kayleigh and I have actually worked extensively with this therapist to help us grow in our relationship as co-founders, and that has been absolutely transformative for our entire company ecosystem.

Regarding foundational strategies, we prioritize recognizing each other and fostering a solution-oriented mindset to propel both our company and the ‘cleanical’ skincare industry forward.

Q. Can you provide us with one or two success stories, detailing specific client challenges and how CLEARSTEM’s solutions contributed to their success?

While revenue goals and business growth are great, my most significant success metric is how CLEARSTEM is changing people’s lives on a daily basis, and it took only a few weeks after rolling out our first product, CELLRENEW, to receive incredible feedback (but the process of developing the product took a lot of time before that).

If you have ever had acne, you know how debilitating it can be and how it can affect your ability to fully show up in your career, relationships, and other facets of life. We are constantly receiving messages from people who have tried our products and protocols and are finally getting clear after years of struggling with acne and other complex skin conditions. As someone who’s deeply committed to personal growth and development, there’s nothing better than helping other people grow in confidence and show up as their best and brightest selves.

The most transformative results have come from our MINDBODYSKIN hormonal acne supplement, which has helped thousands and thousands of people transition off of toxic acne medications. This is by far our biggest achievement with CLEARSTEM. Every time I read a review about how people’s lives have been impacted by MINDBODYSKIN, I tear up a bit!

You really have to see the results of all of our products to believe it; some of these before-and-after photos are unbelievable. Check out thousands of incredible CLEARSTEM success stories here or on our Instagram page.

Tell us, what’s next for CLEARSTEM Skincare.

The legacy we want to leave with CLEARSTEM is more of a paradigm shift about how we approach beauty from within. With this in mind, we launched our revolutionary Acne Lab Test in October that specifically analyzes blood work in the context of digestion, gut health, vitamins, and all of the other important areas that get overlooked in traditional Western medicine but that directly impact skin. We are making blood work analysis an integral part of anyone’s skin care routine, and we are committed to making it accessible and affordable for our community.

Q. Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up?

My co-founder, Kayleigh Christina, and I were named the ‘World’s Inspiring Women Making a Difference in 2023’. Our VITAMINSCRUB was named ‘Scrub of the Year’ by the Beauty Innovation Awards in 2020 and 2022, and our SUNNYSIDE sunscreen was named ‘Product of the Year’ by the Beauty Innovation Awards in 2021. Our CLEARITY Serum was named ‘Best Exfoliator For Acne-Prone Skin’ by Women’s Health Magazine in 2020 and was featured in the category for ‘Blackhead Targetters’ by Her Campus College Beauty Awards in 2021.

Danielle Gronich | Co-Founder & CEO

After struggling for over 10 years with cystic acne, including three failed rounds of Accutane and overpriced laser treatments, Danielle Gronich dove into the latest clinical research and discovered that most acne products contain toxic, hormone-disrupting ingredients, and products that address aging are full of pore-clogging fillers.

Determined to deliver a safer, more effective alternative to conventional skincare, Danielle went on to earn her license as a clinical esthetician and acne specialist. She opened the renowned San Diego Acne Clinic in 2014, where she quickly earned her reputation as The Acne Guru™ working with patients of all ages, ethnicities, and skin types.

In 2017, Danielle joined forces with holistic nutritionist Kayleigh Christina to formulate CLEARSTEM Skincare, and the duo recently launched their revolutionary Acne Lab Test to help thousands of people get to the root cause of their acne through accessible and comprehensive lab testing. Beyond skincare, Danielle’s mission is to use CLEARSTEM as a force of inspiration for other women on their entrepreneurial journey.

“CLEARSTEM is the one-and-only skincare brand that targets acne and aging simultaneously without using hormone-disrupting ingredients or pore-clogging fillers. We offer an extensive line of stem-cell-based products that employ premium actives to target the complex and conflicting skin issues plaguing people of all ages, including acne, premature aging, DNA damage, and melasma.”