Female Founded: Joonbyrd

After getting her Doctor of Medicine degree at Cornell, Dr Alexis Granite spent decades working as a consultant dermatologist in New York and London. Now, with the launch of Joonbyrd earlier last year, she is stepping into her own as a female founder. We caught up with Alexis on the inspiration behind her joyful brand.

What inspired you to create Joonbyrd, and how does your background as a leading dermatologist influence the brand's philosophy and product development?

I created Joonbyrd to unite what I love most about being a dermatologist, helping patients feel confident in their own skin, and my grandmother’s legacy of finding JOY and meaning in self-care. I really wanted to redefine the notion of what a dermatologist brand could be, with equal parts efficacy and emotion playing a role in our formulations. You can think of our products as skin care for the body, developed with science to deliver meaningful results, but designed to prioritise pleasure.

The brand name 'Joonbyrd' reflects your Persian heritage, with 'Joon' being a term of endearment similar to 'dear'. How do cultural influences shape the brand's identity and product offerings?

The name is really a nod to my grandmother and her belief in the power of self-care to bring JOY. As a young girl I would spend hours in her bathroom, playing with her gorgeous lotions and potions, inhaling their sweet scents. My grandmother also had a cultivated sweet tooth, and there were always desserts to be found in her kitchen. Orange and dark chocolate, coffee ice cream and marzipan were just a few of her favorites - and that blend of the sumptuous and the serious, the soft and the sharp, will forever evoke JOYful nostalgia. She always called me Lexi-’Joon’ so this inspired our brand name. The ‘byrd’ is actually from my children’s favourite song when they were young, ‘Blackbird’ by The Beatles. It felt right to bridge the generations of women in my family, celebrating their collective strength.

Your products are powered by proprietary ALXmd04™ technology. Can you explain what this technology entails and its benefits for consumers?

ALXmd04™ technology is built around 4 pillars, all designed to work synergistically together to optimise skin health. Each product’s bespoke formulation contains hardworking actives to target concerns such as dryness, pigmentation and crepey skin, microbiome support to boost the skin barrier, custom blends of botanical extracts and adaptogenic or functional ingredients to reduce the impact of stress on the skin. We take a holistic approach to the skin below the chin!

What’s your personal skincare guilty pleasure? Do you have a product or routine step that you can’t skip, even on busy days?

I suppose it’s more an addiction than a guilty pleasure, but I absolutely cannot skip body moisturiser. I absolutely love the ritual of applying a gorgeous-smelling product after each shower, even if it’s just for a moment or two. And I love scent layering to create your own unique fragrance, to me this is such a JOYful form of self-expression. I feel naked without my moisturiser and a delicious scent or two.

As a female founder launching a new skincare brand, what challenges have you encountered, and what milestones have been most significant in your journey with Joonbyrd?

Quite honestly as a beauty brand founder, every day is filled with challenges. Formulation, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, there are so many considerations, decisions to be made and potential pitfalls. But the important thing is to collaborate as a team, take the challenges head-on as they come and learn from our mistakes. It’s the small victories along the way that keep you going.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about taking care of your skin?

Consistency is key. I think this is important advice from a dermatologic perspective as it can take time to see the results of prescription treatments, but also when it comes to skincare and setting up good habits, a little consistency goes a long way.

Something obviously unique about Joonbyrd is the vibrant and tactile packaging. Can you tell us more about your creative reasoning behind the packaging?

As you can probably tell, I love colour. I wanted to bring to life a brand that was clinical in its formulations, but that didn’t look or feel clinical. After all, why does skincare need to look traditionally “serious” to be effective? We really considered every detail, pouring over pantones, materials and textures to achieve what we hope is a JOYful celebration of skin, self-expression and community.

With the recent launch of Joonbyrd in 2024, what feedback have you received from consumers, and how does it influence future product development?

The feedback so far has been great, with so many of our customers coming back for more. We especially love when people stock up on refills as we know they’re loving the product but also helping to support the environment, a cause that’s very close to our heart. People are often surprised to learn we are a dermatologist-developed brand given the way we look, so we will continue to educate around the science behind our formulations. We do get feedback about fragrances consumers love and new product ideas, so we take that all into consideration as we plan for the future.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Joonbyrd, and how do you envision the brand evolving in the rapidly changing beauty and wellness landscape?

At Joonbyrd our mission is to wash the world in colour, one product at a time. We want to bring JOY through skin confidence and the simple pleasures of a delicious fragrance or a sumptuous texture. We formulate always with the latest innovation so we will evolve as the industry evolves, looking more into longevity and biotechnology, but always in the Joonbyrd JOYful way. We have our eyes on the US next, as I like to say we were born in the US but made in the UK…so hopefully you’ll find us in retail across the pond soon!

Shop the collections by Joonbyrd here