Priscilla Jiminian started struggling with hormonal acne in her late 20s. She tried everything in the U.S. market that was supposed to be good for hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and acne marks. Almost nothing worked.
“I was incredibly, incredibly frustrated with everything that I tried,” she said. Dermatologists were also prescribing products that weren’t catered to people of color. Jiminian decided to take skin care into her own hands. And she recalled, as a young girl, her mother bringing products from the Dominican Republic that would work wonders for their skin and hair.
Her journey down that memory ritual ultimately turned into a business, Skinergy Beauty, which has since become a trusted solution for people of color seeking effective and gentle skincare products.
The origin of Skinergy
In 2017, for her grandmother’s 80th birthday, Jiminian traveled to the Dominican Republic. There, she connected with an experienced cosmetic formulator and aesthetician. Jiminian asked for a specific cocktail of ingredients that wouldn’t cause her skin to react; the formulator gave her options.
This collaboration resulted in what would become Skinergy’s flagship product, the Dark Spot Correcting Cream. It has kojic acid, a natural alternative to hydroquinone, popularly prescribed for hyperpigmentation in the U.S. Yet hydroquinone tends to work best on fair skin and may actually make hyperpigmentation worse in darker skin tones, according to some sources.
Back in New York, Jiminian saw results within weeks. As she shared her progress on Instagram, where she had already amassed a sizable following, interest in her creation grew quickly.
“I had a ton of women say, ‘Well, what are you using? You showed us your before and after, and your skin is looking so much better,’ ” she said. Jiminian went from being the sole guinea pig to asking her collaborator to make a larger batch she could share with others dealing with severe skin issues like cystic acne, dark spots, and melasma. About 40 to 50 people tried the product and reported dramatic improvements in their skin.
Encouraged by their results and glowing testimonials, Jiminian decided to turn the personal experiment into a business. The name “Skinergy” came to her in a dream, and after confirming it wasn’t already taken, she got to work. She spent the years between 2017 and 2019 learning the ropes — from registering trademarks to connecting with experts who guided her in perfecting the formula.
In 2019, Jiminian officially launched Skinergy Beauty. At the time, it was a side project while she worked in real estate. But when her broker retired and the pandemic hit in 2020, Skinergy became her full-time focus.
The growth of Skinergy
As people turned to skincare during the Covid lockdown, Jiminian’s products gained traction: “No one was wearing makeup, everyone was excited to concern themselves with skincare and vitamin C and serums and toners,” she said. “It was an incredible time to be a skincare founder.”
Jiminian lacked previous experience or background in the skincare field. Still, her audience resonated with her real talk about the psychological effects of hyperpigmentation and its impact on people of color.
She embraced the challenge of running every aspect of the business herself: “I’m very much a doer, I like to execute, but being a founder is a completely different monster,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also incredibly gratifying and incredibly freeing.”
Jiminian poured herself into every detail — from creating formulas to designing packaging and learning FDA regulations. “It was like a work of art for me and self-expression that was completely just guided by something otherworldly,” she said.
As interest in Skinergy grew, Jiminian began expanding her product line. To have a local purveyor, she connected with formulators in the United States, including Nicole Simpson, a biochemist and esthetician. She chose product names that felt personal and meaningful. For instance, “Skin Guardian,” named with the help of their sister, highlights the moisturizer’s ability to shield the skin from environmental damage. “Come Correct” made sense for a serum with corrective properties, but it was also tied to Jiminian’s Bronx roots: “ ‘Come correct’ is a term that you use in the hood. Like, ‘you better come correct.’ … It’s very much my personality to say something like that.”
Both are part of her five standout “hero” products. Skinergy ultimately landed in multiple publications and won four beauty awards.
Jiminian’s vision for Skinergy is to enter retail, recognizing it as a crucial step to reach new customers. The financial challenges of 2024 shook her confidence in sustaining the business. She decided to double down on what drove their early followers in the first place: community engagement and education about hyperpigmentation, especially the shared personal stories among people of color.
Meanwhile, Jiminian’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: take action — ideas alone aren’t enough. Drop the excuses and take regular steps, “atomic habits,” towards what you want. And focus on a clear and concise message about your story and mission.
“Don’t do things because it’s trendy; do things because it’s coming from the heart,” she said. “I started the company because of my community. I wasn’t intending on being a skincare founder, but here I am, and that’s what motivates me, keeps me going.”
Follow on Instagram at @skinergybeauty and on TikTok at @skinergybeauty.
Email at info@skinergybeauty.com.
