# Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare: Dennis and Carrie Gross

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2025-03-24
- Length: 50m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross

## Summary

Dr. Dennis Gross and his wife Carrie Gross, co-founders of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, explain how they bootstrapped a skincare brand from his dermatology practice into a $450 million company sold to Shiseido. Dennis developed the Alpha Beta Peel to eliminate the downtime of traditional chemical peels, while Carrie managed early sales to spas and retailers like Nordstrom and Sephora. The couple navigated significant challenges, including a forced name change due to a lawsuit from MD Formulations, financial strain during the 2008 crash, and the pandemic's impact on their retail channels, before successfully scaling the brand with private equity and eventually exiting.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=0) Introduction: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare and the $450M Exit
- [3:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=237) Meeting and Identifying the Skincare White Space
- [11:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=661) Developing the Alpha Beta Peel Formula
- [19:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=1168) Bootstrapping and Early Go-to-Market Strategy
- [35:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=2136) The MD Formulations Lawsuit and Name Change
- [34:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=2068) Navigating the 2008 Crash and Pandemic
- [42:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=2521) Expanding into LED Devices and TikTok Virality
- [45:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-24-dr-dennis-gross-skincare-dennis-and-carrie-gross#t=2713) Private Equity Deal and Sale to Shiseido

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, established companies

## Mentioned

- Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (company)
- Shiseido (company)
- Alpha Beta Peel (product)
- LED Face Mask (product)
- MD Formulations (company)
- Nordstrom (company)
- Sephora (company)
- Main Post Partners (company)
- NASA (company)

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- [Founder Feature: JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-05-24-founder-feature-jolynn-henke-and-peter-clarkson) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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## Citing this page

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