Fresh Chemistry

Breaking out of the beauty industry’s stale approach

Grant | $25k

Fresh Chemistry quote

2 months
Time it takes for most skincare ingredients to weaken and become stale

9 months
Age of many skincare products before being purchased

For years, Nisha Dearborn worked in the beauty industry, helping grow brands such as Aveeno and Johnson & Johnson. It wasn’t until she moved to Maine and discovered the state’s nurturing entrepreneurial community that she decided to go from working for beauty brands to starting her own.

Having had experience in the industry, Nisha knew how long beauty products usually sat on a shelf before actually being purchased, and how much the ingredients used in those products broke down and became weaker during that time. Inspired by the idea that fresh ingredients make better food, Nisha set out to bring the same approach to skincare products.

Her company, Fresh Chemistry, sells skincare products directly to consumers. Instead of mixing the ingredients at the factory — like most other products — Fresh Chemistry ships their ingredients in separate containers. This allows customers to mix the base and active ingredients when they’re ready to be used, making the skincare product more potent and effective.

Though the company is barely over a year old, Fresh Chemistry has already been featured on QVC (and is in talks to appear again), and Nisha — who never thought of herself as an entrepreneur — now can’t imagine doing anything else.