How Jamika Martin's Acne Struggle Inspired Rosen Skincare

From Accutane to harsh do-it-yourself skincare routinesJamika Martin has tried just about everything to get rid of her acne, from her teenage years to her college years. When she was a student at UCLA, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create Rosen Skin Care. The brand stands out in the crowded acne market with its Instagram-friendly packaging. natural yet effective ingredients and a generally inclusive and positive atmosphere. Here Martin talks to us about the lost acne advice she got when she was young how she would like to see inclusivity in the beauty industry develop and much more. 

Tell us about your acne journey. When did you first start fighting acne and what have you learned about its treatment over the years?

I started battling breakouts in sixth grade, so I had to get into skincare very early. Skincare wasn't in the same space as it is today, so the way I treated breakouts was super drying and removing. I was always told to avoid oils or moisturizers, and my mom even made me rub rubbing alcohol on my rashes. Aside from the terrible skincare hacks I've tried over the years, I've done a ton of beauty treatments and tried a lot of foods and medications. I did Accutane twice, but it didn't really help my skin. 

Prior to the launch of Rosen, what do you think was missing in the acne skincare market?

So much! I distinctly remember walking down the acne aisle at Target and seeing literally the exact same products I used for my skin back in high school. This was at a time when pure and indie beauty was becoming popular and I remember that people with acne prone skin were left out of the conversation. Where was the cool branding or packaging for us? Where were the founders I could talk to or ingredient lists I could understand or trust? I knew there was work to be done in space. 

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A post published by ROSEN Skincare (@rosenskincare) on September 4, 2020 at 10: 02am PDT

How was the process of creating Rosen?

I was in my second year of undergraduate studies at UCLA when I had this idea, but it was such an early version that I don't even think it's like what Rosen is today. While I was at UCLA, I was offered a degree in entrepreneurship, so I took several courses in my third year. It helped me think of Rosen as a scalable business. I ended up graduating early because Rosen's idea got more and more of my attention. When I graduated, I went to Startup UCLA Accelerator and launched the brand.

What does your current skin care look like?

To be honest, I'm so bad at trying other skin care products that aren't Rosen. As a developer, I usually do things for myself before buying another brand. My typical daily routine looks like this:

• Rosen Super Smoothie Cleanser
• Rosen Tropics Tonic
• Rosen Bright Citrus Serum in the morning
• Rosen Tropical Moisturizer or simply Dew for the face with rose water in the morning
• Sunscreen
• Serum Versed with Retinol, through the day at night

How do you feel about the beauty industry and the Black Lives Matter movement? How has this affected your brand?

My feelings are super divided on all of this. On the one hand, I think it's amazing when people support black people in every possible way, and I'm very pleased with the light that has been shed on those who do this. Better late than never, you know? But at the same time, I'd be lying if I said that I don't have any feelings for the influx of people who come to me because of the murder of a black man on camera. I really appreciate organizations that do more behind the scenes and support internal discussions than those that ask me to launch them or partner with them just so they have a black person in their feed or website.

All things considered, we have received tremendous support and growth through all of this. What concerns me most is the number of black founders who have seen this growth and will be able to continue the discussion after all this.

What do you hope to see in the beauty industry in terms of diversity, representation and inclusion in the future?

I want behind-the-scenes inclusiveness. I don't care about your Instagram feed or the influencers you work with if you still don't have a diverse team. When you hire different decision makers and initiators, diversity comes through in all your efforts because everyone is involved in the process. When you're aesthetically black or diverse, it's a forced afterthought, not just an honest attitude to the process. 

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A post posted by Jamika Martin (@jamikarose_) on Mar 13, 2020 at 8:14 am PDT

Do you have any tips for aspiring entrepreneurs in the beauty industry?

Get started and find people who will answer your questions! Build relationships with people you think might be helpful; more often than not, people like to give advice and feel like an expert. Find these people so you don't have to recreate the wheel and you can get started with a solid foundation.

Finally, what does Rosen's future look like? 

My goal with Rosen is to truly innovate massive acne care. I want to change the way we talk about acne and how we think about treating it. We don't need super harsh treatments and we need more knowledge about skin care for acne prone clients. We also need a lot more positivity about breakouts and scarring because it's all so normal and the last thing an acne brand should do is shame their customer into making a purchase.