Ju Rhyu, co-founder of Hero Cosmetics, created the Mighty Patch acne treatment, inspired by similar products from her time in Korea. Alongside Dwight Lee, she shares how they identified a unique market opportunity and successfully launched their product on Amazon. Their journey highlights cultural contrasts in business, innovative marketing strategies like a college ambassador program, and how social media propelled their brand's growth. They reflect on the blend of hard work and timing that led them to a $630 million acquisition in just five years.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Parental Discouragement
Ju Rhyu's father, a log broker, discouraged her from pursuing medicine.
He believed there were easier paths to financial success.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Discovering Pimple Patches
While working in Korea, Ju Rhyu noticed people using pimple patches.
Intrigued, she tried them, was impressed, and saw a U.S. market opportunity.
question_answer ANECDOTE
First Launch Attempt
Ju Rhyu initially tried launching the patches solo but hesitated due to the financial risk.
She had even designed packaging and contacted manufacturers.
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1984
None
George Orwell
Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.
Prophet Song
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Prophet Song is a dystopian novel that depicts a terrifying and suspenseful vision of Ireland careening towards authoritarianism. The story follows Eilish Stack, a scientist and mother of four, whose life is disrupted when her husband, a trade unionist, is taken by the newly formed secret police. As Ireland descends into civil war and tyranny, Eilish must navigate the bureaucratic intricacies of the descending chaos to save her family. The novel is a deeply human portrait of a mother’s struggle and serves as a warning about the potential for political and social breakdown in modern society[1][3][4].
The company behind the blockbuster acne fighter, Mighty Patch, was launched in 2017 with a single product sold exclusively on Amazon. It was inspired by similar patches Ju Rhyu had seen while living in Korea. Ju struggled with breakouts herself, and when she tried a patch and saw how well they worked, she was inspired to tailor a patch for the U.S. market. So, while the product wasn’t new, Ju recognized a niche to be filled.
Over the next five years, Ju and her co-founders—brothers Dwight and Andy Lee—grew Mighty Patch from a niche product to a cosmetics industry sensation. Seemingly overnight, teens and young adults across America and all over social media could be seen proudly wearing patches on their faces. The Mighty Patch became so successful that in 2022 Hero Cosmetics sold for $630 million. And today, Hero is the number one selling acne treatment brand in the United States.
This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei and Sam Paulson.
Edited by Andrea Bruce, with research from Olivia Rockeman.
Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Robert Rodriguez.
How I Built This with Guy Raz 
