Who's That Gal: Meg Maupin, Co-Founder and CEO Atolla Skincare

Name: Meg Maupin
Age: 30
Occupation: Co-Founder, CEO Atolla 
Currently living in: Hudson Valley, NY
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Currently reading: Hooked by Nir Eyal
Favorite workout: FHIT w/Rick Logan 
I never leave home without: Sunscreen on

Let’s start with the basics. What made you want to become an entrepreneur? 

I worked at an early-stage tech startup before grad school, and it inspired me to see a company’s growth from 40 employees to 400. While working there as a designer, I got more and more interested in business development and how to bring a product to market. Eventually, I left that startup and went to MIT for the Integrated Design and Management grad program, which combined Engineering, Business, and Design.

You started your career in design. Can you tell our audience what made you pursue a significant career change pivoting your focus to skincare? 

Atolla was born from my own personal struggles with skincare and figuring out what products and ingredients I could use for my sensitive skin. Before Atolla, I was keeping a skin diary to keep track of what I ate, what I used on my face, and what the weather was like to see if I could pinpoint the cause of my skin issues. Drawing from my background in design and mass customization, I knew there could be a better experience for skincare that didn’t involve an expensive, wasteful, trial-and-error process. It didn’t seem like a pivot, but instead the application of my background and skills to a problem I was living every day. 

Can you tell our readers more about Atolla and its mission? What sets Atolla apart from other custom skincare programs? 

Our mission at Atolla is to help people feel more confident in their skin and skincare. For us, that goes beyond personalized skincare products and includes personalized guidance like 1:1 esthetician support, skin health tracking, and helping people put together an entire skincare routine (including non-Atolla products). What powers this is a patented model for skin analysis and creating custom formulations and our feedback loop for continuously refining formulations based on customer feedback. 

Atolla claims to be a data-first skincare company leveraging AI and Machine Learning. Do you think this will be the way forward for the skincare industry?

I think that we’re just starting to see the beginning of the beauty industry becoming more data-driven. Most skincare products are developed from a trendy, seasonal ingredient, and designed to work for most people. But that product might only be tested on a “representative sample” of 10-20 people before it launches, and really miss the mark on aligning with the consumer need. We take the opposite approach: we use all the data we collect to develop formulations based on thousands of customers and what we know about their skin (including oil, moisture, and pH ranges). While I don’t think every company can take an Atolla approach, especially if they’re not direct-to-consumer, I do think there is a shift towards more data-backed skincare, including products that have been through clinical testing and are evidence-based, not trend-based. 

Where did the name ‘Atolla’ come from? What does it mean?

An Atolla is a type of jellyfish and serves as a great metaphor for skin because of its transparency, adaptability and luminescence. It’s a visual metaphor for us as well, and our primary brand color is a deepsea blue. 

How did you meet your Co-Founder, Dr. Ranella Hirsch, and when/how did you know it was time to start a business together?

I met Ranella through connections at MIT. She was an advisor to companies I knew building technology in the skin cancer diagnostics space. Originally, she joined Atolla as an advisor but was extremely passionate about our approach to solving mass problems in the skincare industry, so she came onboard as a co-founder. 

Any insights or words of encouragement for someone thinking about a substantial career change and/or starting their own business? 

You have to wake up motivated to solve the problem you’re working on every day because that passion for what you’re doing will get you through the hard times. For me, I have personally felt the lack of confidence from not being able to solve my skincare problems, and I know that Atolla can make a significant difference in how people feel every day. My other piece of advice is to always make sure you are learning. I have made a major change or shift in my career when I have felt like I’m not learning anymore. 

What are the biggest challenges and biggest rewards of what you do?

The biggest rewards are hearing from our customers and celebrating huge wins with my team. The biggest challenges are trying to model out unpredictability (who would have expected the pandemic last year) and constantly zooming in and out between short and long-term time frames. 

How do you balance your career and your personal life? 

I have a consistent morning ritual of getting up early, working out, and doing my skincare routine. I drink a gallon of water a day and this really helps manage my stress levels! On the weekends, I go hiking, rock climbing, or skiing to clear my mind and connect with nature. I consider getting 8 hours of sleep key to doing my job to the highest ability, and I always take time to think through major decisions. Fortunately, my partner is also an entrepreneur so we’re able to support each other and live the crazy lifestyle together. 

What’s next for Atolla? What’s next for you personally? 

Atolla is launching custom routines, including new offerings of custom moisturizer and custom cleanser! These products have been in development for years and I couldn’t be more excited to reach a broader customer base. And personally, I am in the process of renovating a farmhouse at the foot of the Adirondacks, which I am very excited about! 

If you could give our audience one ‘pro’ tip about maintaining their skin, what would it be?

Consistency is key: follow a 3-4 step daily routine (cleanser, serum/treatment, moisturizer and SPF). Daily sunscreen is a non-negotiable! If you’re going to switch out a product, just change one at a time. 

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Julia Blanchard is a content contributor for JUGs by night, by day she works a Senior Technical Program Manager at HERE Technologies. You can follow her @jcblanchard6 on Instagram.

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