Episode 004 – Bringing Eye Health to the Clean Beauty Conversation with twenty/twenty

In episode of our podcast, The Heart-led Brand, we’re chatting with Dr. Diane Hilal-Campo of twenty/twenty beauty!

twenty/twenty beauty is a collection of products designed by a board-certified ophthalmologist to help enhance the natural beauty of your eyes while keeping them healthy. Their founder, Dr. Diane Hilal-Campo, was tired of seeing people struggle with their eyes as a result of their beauty routines. She set out to create her own line of eye-safe beauty products that can be used on even the most sensitive eyes. Each product, from the innovative hygiene spray to the effective, nutrient-rich (and hormone-free!) lash and brow serum, has undergone rigorous clinical testing to ensure they don’t disrupt, but rather support, the delicate ecosystem of the eye. Since launching in 2021, twenty/twenty has been featured in places like Vogue, InStyle, Well + Good and more.

Episode Highlights:

On why Dr. Hilal-Campo decided to create her own beauty products as an ophthalmologist:

“Prior to doing this, I've been a board-certified ophthalmologist in private practice in New Jersey for over 25 years. During that time, I saw a dramatic increase in ocular complications in patients. Number one, from ingredients in their eye makeup, poor hygiene techniques, and newer hazardous beauty habits that were being popularized by social media, TikTok, and Instagram. So I would treat all of these problems. […] a lot of it is because of the ingredients that are in the eye makeup are not good for the ocular surface. I would see corneal abrasions from patients who had lash extensions that were improperly affixed. […] So I wanted to make a line that gave women these better options, keep them outta my office.”

On challenges that she faced with getting her foot in the door with the beauty industry:

“I live in New Jersey and there are a lot of cosmetics labs here. I would approach these labs and they would not talk to me because I am not a big brand. I am just a single person. They want the business of a huge brand, not an indie startup. It was very discouraging at first. I went to a patent attorney on my own and I got really nowhere.

Then I happened to have a patient who had been misdiagnosed by three other eye doctors in the area and her internist referred her to me because he knew that I was a good diagnostician. […] I had to see her a few times a week for about eight weeks. At the end of it, she started telling me that she was in the beauty industry, that she was in new product development for Bobbi Brown and helped Bobbi Brown on Jones Road. So I told her, “Wow, that's interesting. I have this idea. I've been hitting dead ends. Is there any way that you can help me?” And she said to me, “It is brilliant because all of my friends in the beauty industry have problems with their eyes, with eye makeup. There is nothing like it on the market. Give me your cell number. I’m gonna help you do this!” So she put me in contact with a team of women, a company that helps beauty brands like a beauty incubator. And they were the ones who helped me put this together.”

On the first step of brand building that helped her get twenty/twenty off the ground:

“Figure out what you want your brand to be. I knew who I wanted to appeal to. I wanted to appeal to women who wanted healthier alternatives, who were health conscious. wanted to be a brand that could be used every day, not a going out, sparkle brand, you know? So you have to define who your customer is going to be, who you want to appeal to. What your brand's goal is. That's the first thing you should do. Then align everything with your brand.

For example, when it came to even picking the colors, I wanted it to be the colors of my original scrubs that cornflower blue. 30 years ago when I was a resident, we surgeons, that was the only color scrub we had. So that's the color of my packaging. And the white is the white of my white coat. I wanted that specifically because I wanted it to show I was a doctor's brand.”

On what changes she hopes to see in the beauty industry:

“I'm hoping that there is more of a focus on safety. Healthy eyes are beautiful eyes. I'm hoping that companies will also continue with sustainability issues, which is important for our environment. And also ethically sourcing ingredients like mica. You want ethically sourced ingredients. You want better, safer ingredients. They should have eye doctors on their boards helping to advise them which ingredients are good and which are not.”

You can follow twenty/twenty on Instagram and Tiktok and check out their products at trytwentytwenty.com!