When Kristina Orlić sent her brother Matthew skincare packages to Croatia with detailed instructions on which products to use each day, she never expected his confession. Despite her carefully curated regimen, Matthew hadn't used a single product she sent. Instead, he revealed an enormous industrial-sized LED light panel that had transformed his skin.

Join Bora Celik as he chats with Kristina and Matt Orlić, Foudners of Qure.

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When Kristina Orlić sent her brother Matthew skincare packages to Croatia with detailed instructions on which products to use each day, she never expected his confession. Despite her carefully curated regimen, Matthew hadn't used a single product she sent. Instead, he revealed an enormous industrial-sized LED light panel that had transformed his skin.

"I remember looking at it and was like, what is this?" Kristina recalls. When Matthew told her the panel cost around $4,000-$5,000, her heart sank. "I knew obviously I couldn't afford it."

That moment of disappointment sparked what would become Qure, their skincare technology company that grew from zero to $50 million in just three years.

The Lightbulb Moment

"We had a light bulb moment," Kristina explains. "We need to create something for the face."

Their mission formed instantly: everyone deserves good skin without facing the barrier of expensive skincare technology. That conviction drove them to spend two years and nearly half a million dollars developing their flagship product—an LED face mask with a groundbreaking feature.

"We're the world's first in terms of customizable features," Matt says, describing how users can target anti-aging on the forehead while simultaneously treating acne on the chin through their app.

This wasn't just a random feature. Kristina's inspiration came directly from her own skin struggles and an article in Vogue Business about personalization being the future of skincare. "It just clicked to me—wow, we need to create a customizable LED mask that can treat both those concerns on different areas of the face."

Experience as Their Secret Weapon

The siblings brought considerable expertise to their venture. Matt had spent 18 years developing products and brands, with offices in China and product development teams spanning over a decade. That experience proved critical when disaster struck his previous business.

"I lost like $5 million overnight when I was about 25 years old, when one of the retailers went bust," Matt reveals. This devastating blow taught him crucial lessons about concentration risk and pushed him into digital marketing—knowledge that would later power Qure's explosive growth.

Meanwhile, Kristina's obsession with solving her own skin issues gave her deep insight into what consumers truly needed. "I had terrible skin my whole life and it just really ruined my confidence," she shares.

Making the Impossible Affordable

Creating professional-grade technology at consumer prices required difficult trade-offs.

"I think people often think that coming up with the idea is like 90% of the work," Kristina notes. "But in reality, actually bringing that idea to life is where all the work goes into."

The development process forced countless compromises. As Kristina explains, "If you want a faster operating device, then that means a bigger battery, which means it's going to be heavy on the face for the user."

Despite challenges, they remained committed to affordability while maintaining quality. "I was the target market," Kristina says, remembering the pain of not being able to afford the technology herself.

Going Global From Day One

Rather than starting in their home market of Australia, the siblings made the bold decision to launch immediately in the United States.

"What I realized is that going to these smaller markets, I was doing the same amount of work, but my opportunity was just that much smaller," Matt explains. "We wanted to go into the biggest market in the world where we can have the biggest impact and the biggest scale."

Their approach was straightforward: establish operations through a third-party warehouse in the US and partner with American dermatologists to build credibility. The strategy worked brilliantly, especially with YouTube proving to be their most effective marketing channel.

"YouTube really worked well for us because our product requires a lot of education," Kristina says. "With LED light therapy, it's like a long-term game."

Fighting the Copycats

Success attracts imitators, and Qure faces constant challenges from competitors who copy their products while using misleading marketing tactics.

"They use illegal ad copy and claims, which we can't because we're building a brand," Matt explains with frustration. "A lot of these competitors coming in are just cash grab little businesses."

The problem runs deeper than lost sales. "They really just poison the whole market," Kristina adds. "They create a lot of trust issues among consumers."

The scale of the problem is staggering. "Our brand protection agency took down maybe like 150 cases last month of people just taking our content, our customers' before and after photos, and putting it on their website to deceive customers," Matt reveals.

Siblings in Business

Working together as siblings brings both advantages and challenges. Matt describes their dynamic: "I'm primarily offense, meaning I'm more like sales and the marketing side of the business, and she's more product development and sometimes operations."

This division of responsibilities creates natural tension. "I'm pushing for sales, and then Kristina is trying to protect the brand," Matt explains. "She goes, 'Why the fuck does that ad look like that? It's so off-brand.' I'm like, 'Well, it converts. I don't give a shit.'"

Despite their differences, the siblings have structured their team effectively, with about 14 employees in their Croatia office and others working remotely. They've moved beyond day-to-day operations to focus on higher-level strategy.

Looking Ahead

The siblings remain bullish on technology-driven skincare. "Consumers are no longer satisfied with just a cream or a serum that can only do so much for your skin," Kristina observes. "They're really looking for science-backed solutions."

They're also adapting to the AI revolution. "Any company and individual that isn't using AI on a daily basis is being irresponsible," Matt asserts. He predicts dramatic changes in the workforce: "A lot of staff members are going to have to use the creative side of their brain to problem solve."

When asked if AI shopping agents might someday make purchasing decisions without human involvement, both respond with certainty: "One million percent."

Despite their success, the siblings remain focused solely on Qure rather than launching additional ventures. "My rule as I've matured in business is to do only one business at a time," Matt explains. "I had 13 at one stage, and I was just immature the way I used to think through things."

For Kristina and Matt, solving one problem exceptionally well has proven more valuable than spreading themselves thin—a philosophy that has transformed their lightbulb moment into a multimillion-dollar success story.

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