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When existing skincare fell short, this founder decided to create his own

Intro: From personal experience to a product idea

Ilyass never expected to start a skincare company.

His professional background was in cybersecurity, not beauty or product development. But after dealing with seborrheic dermatitis himself, finding relief became personal.

For years he dug into the research - studies, ingredient science, and the hard experiences of others with the same condition. Batch after batch mixed at his kitchen counter, he eventually found a combination that worked for him.

He began sharing what he'd learned with friends experiencing similar concerns. Their feedback made him wonder whether there was an opportunity to create something for a much larger community.

That idea eventually became Octaskin.

But knowing what he wanted to create and knowing how to manufacture it were two very different things.

Industry

Skincare

Audience

Beauty Entrepreneurs

Products

Cleanser

Gel Creme

Facial Mist

A close-up of a person's face and ear as a hand holds a clear dropper above the skin, with a small amount of golden serum being applied.

The problem

Creating a custom product from scratch.

Coming from outside the skincare industry, Ilyass found the early stages of product development overwhelming.

He knew the ingredients he wanted to include, but he wasn't looking for an off-the-shelf private-label formula. The product needed to be custom developed.

Finding a manufacturer willing to do that at an accessible scale proved difficult.

Several potential partners required minimum order quantities that were simply too high for an early-stage founder trying to validate an idea.

Without a background in skincare manufacturing, Ilyass was also navigating an unfamiliar process with plenty of questions - from formulation and testing to packaging and production.

He needed a partner that could help him work through those questions rather than simply hand him a catalogue of existing formulas.

“I couldn't spend that much just to get started.”

“I'm someone who chases perfection. I wanted my customers to have the best product.”

Ilyass, Brand Owner

Octaskin serum in an amber glass dropper bottle with a black cap, shown next to its white product box and a folded stack of white towels on a light gray background.

The solution

Custom formulation with out the traditional barriers.

When Ilyass found Blanka, the model immediately addressed some of the biggest obstacles he'd encountered.

Blanka could support custom formula development while offering minimums that made more sense for an emerging brand. But what stood out most was the level of support.

Octaskin worked directly with Blanka's team throughout formulation and testing. The process wasn't about accepting the first sample and moving into production - Ilyass wanted to get the product right. That meant iterating.

The formula went through multiple rounds of development and feedback before reaching the version Ilyass was excited to put in customers hands.

Blanka supported Octaskin with formulation, testing, packaging, and printing, while giving Ilyass the opportunity to work closely with their in-house chemist throughout development.

Weekly conversations and direct feedback gave him visibility into the process and helped turn an unfamiliar manufacturing journey into something he could navigate with confidence.

“There was so much transparency. Whenever I had questions, I had answers right away.”

The result

Early customers are coming back.

Octaskin is still in the early stages of its journey, and Ilyass is deliberately taking growth one customer at a time. He personally reaches out to customers for feedback and views every sale as an opportunity to learn.

One milestone has been particularly meaningful: seeing customers return.

As Octaskin has introduced lifecycle marketing, repeat customers have become an increasingly important signal that the brand is beginning to build the loyal community Ilyass envisioned.

CUSTOM FORMULATE

“Having Blanka's support means I don't have to worry about production and development. I can stay focused knowing the products are going to show up exactly as I designed them.”

Ilyass, Brand Owner

With Blanka, Octaskin was able to:

Make custom formulation possible

Lower minimums gave Ilyass a way to develop his own product without the inventory commitments he encountered with traditional manufacturers.

Iterate until the formula was right

Octaskin went through multiple formulation rounds with Blanka's team instead of settling for the first or second version.

Work closely with product experts

Direct access to Blanka's team and chemist gave Ilyass support throughout an unfamiliar development process.

Bring formulation and packaging together

Blanka supported formulation, testing, packaging, printing, and more as Octaskin prepared to launch.

Spend less time managing operations

Manufacturing and logistics support gave Ilyass more time to focus on customers, marketing, and growing the business.

Advice from the founder

Ilyass's biggest lessons for other entrepreneurs are simple.

Be patient and ask all the questions:

When he didn't understand something during product development, he asked. And when he needed to understand his market, he researched. His approach combined scientific research with listening closely to the communities experiencing the same problems he wanted to address.

Understand the people you're building for:

For Ilyass, that came naturally because he was already part of the community Octaskin was created to serve. His advice to other founders is to take the same curiosity into their own markets: learn what people are trying, understand where they're struggling, and look for the gaps where you can genuinely offer something different.

Don't rush the process:

"Take your time before launching something." For Octaskin, taking that time meant turning years of personal research into a custom product - and building the manufacturing foundation to see where it can go next.