In a small lab in Silicon Valley, Carolina Oliveira peers through a microscope at what looks like ordinary human skin tissue. But there's nothing ordinary about it–this skin was grown in her lab, and it might hold the key to reversing aging.

Join Bora Celik as he chats with Carolina Oliveira, Founder/CEO of OneSkin.

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Carolina's journey to becoming a skincare pioneer began far from the tech hub of Silicon Valley, in a small town in Brazil. As a young girl with a passion for science, she dreamed of finding cures for diseases and making a real difference in the world. This drive led her to pursue a PhD in stem cell biology and tissue engineering, where she mastered the art of growing human tissues in the lab.

But Carolina wasn't content with just publishing papers. "I didn't see myself staying in the lab," she recalls. "I wanted to really make a difference."

That desire for impact led her to start her first company with three other women PhDs in Brazil. Their initial goal? To validate whether the countless anti-aging products flooding the market actually worked. Using their expertise in growing human skin in the lab, they developed a method to measure skin age through DNA analysis.

What they discovered was shocking–most products didn't work at all, at least not at the cellular level. "They can make your skin look younger and fresher on the surface," Carolina explains, "but because they're not addressing aging at the cellular level, they can only promote temporary results."

This revelation sparked a new mission: instead of just testing existing products, why not create something that actually worked? For four years, Carolina and her team tested countless molecules, focusing on peptides that could potentially reverse skin aging. The breakthrough finally came with a peptide they named OS1.

When major beauty companies showed interest but moved too slowly, Carolina faced a crucial decision: license their discovery to an established brand or build their own. Despite having no experience in building a consumer brand, they chose the entrepreneurial path.

"A lot of people really discouraged us," Carolina remembers with a laugh. "'Hey, you guys are a bunch of scientists. What do you know about marketing? What do you know about commercializing a product?' We said, 'Okay, we don't know anything, but we'll figure it out.'"

That determination paid off. Five years later, OneSkin has grown from a scientific discovery into a brand that's changing how we think about skincare. Their approach isn't just about looking younger–it's about making skin function like younger skin at a cellular level.

The science behind their products has caught the attention of longevity experts like Peter Diamandis and David Sinclair. But what really drives Carolina is the feedback from customers who see real, lasting results.

"I want to be dancing on tables in my 80s," Carolina says with a grin, embodying her brand's philosophy that aging is something to be optimized, not feared. "We're helping people take charge of their health. It's more than just aesthetics–it's about helping your skin protect your body as you grow older."

Looking ahead, Carolina isn't content to rest on her success. She's already thinking about expanding into broader longevity treatments, including regenerative therapies. But for now, she's focused on building OneSkin into a lasting brand that can reach more people.

"It's not because we have a successful product that this company will be successful," she reflects. "How do you continue to maintain that position as a leader in this category with the most innovative, most effective product? It requires constant iterations and fostering innovation. That's part of who we are."

In a world of quick fixes and empty promises, Carolina's scientific rigor and authenticity stand out. She's proving that sometimes the best person to build a beauty brand isn't a marketing expert–it's a scientist who refuses to accept that aging is inevitable.

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