Key Takeaways:
The skincare industry has a problem that’s been papered over for decades. Hundreds of products, thousands of claims, and almost none of them capable of actually changing your skin at a biological level. Not because the science does not exist, but because the regulatory framework makes it effectively illegal. If a cream can genuinely interact with your skin cells or alter the biological structure of your skin, it is, by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA's) own definition, a drug. And drugs require prescriptions.
The global teledermatology market is projected to reach $41.08 billion by 2030, and California-based Musely has quietly positioned itself at the center of that expansion. What started as a beauty tips app has evolved into a teledermatology company that Musely says is among the fastest growing in the United States. With over 1.2 million patients, more than 5 million prescriptions dispensed, and nine-figure revenue, Musely’s model is one that its competitors have consistently failed to replicate.
At the same time, menopause and hormone health are emerging as their own multibillion‑dollar categories, as women look for platforms that connect the dots among skin health, hormone balance, hair loss, and longevity, rather than treating each in isolation.
This is how and why founder Jack Jia built Musely.
From Trusper to Telederm
Before Musely existed, Jia ran Trusper, a lifestyle and beauty platform that evolved into an e-commerce destination. The catalyst for the pivot was his wife, Cherry, who had been living with melasma for over two decades.
"We committed a couple of million dollars to build a marketplace with 900 skincare products to hopefully solve my wife's problem, and that didn't work,” Jia told BeautyMatter. “In that process, by [working with hundreds of] brands, we started to really dig in and realize it's not just the issue of the products themselves, it's the regulation. Nonprescription creams on the market are not allowed to work. If you put a cream on your skin that can interact with your skin cell or change the biological structure of your skin, that's the very legal definition of a drug—and therefore, it's not allowed."
The revelation reframed everything. For anyone serious about treating conditions like hyperpigmentation, melasma, or hormonal hair loss, the only real solution was compounded prescription medication.
So, in 2019, Trusper became Musely. And Cherry became patient zero. Jia's team started with two compounded prescription treatments: a spot cream targeting hyperpigmentation and an anti-aging formulation incorporating tretinoin. Cherry’s melasma cleared within a month, after more than 20 years of failed attempts.
"And it turned out she wasn't an exception. She was the norm. Over the next few years, 90% to 95% of the women we encountered had a similar experience,” Jia said.
Cherry’s results inspired a blueprint.
Building a Different Kind of Telederm Business
Musely's proprietary, vertically integrated prescription telemedicine system unites diagnosis, compounding, and delivery under one roof. Two pharmacies built from scratch at 40,000 square feet each, proprietary software developed in-house because the existing pharmacy tech industry was still running on outdated systems, and mini assembly lines designed for personalized prescription batching. Every bottle is physically signed off by a licensed pharmacist, and none of that complexity is incidental.
Proposed federal legislation, including the Safeguarding Americans from Fraudulent and Experimental (SAFE) Drugs Act of 2025, is not expected to affect Musely’s operations: Its formulations are developed in-house and are not commercial copies, and its pharmacies already operate under extensive state and federal inspection regimes.
"We have reduced the cost over the traditional pharmaceutical model by 700 times for tretinoin acid," Jia said. "Therefore, we can pass on all those savings to consumers." An online dermatology consultation through Musely costs around $20, compared to $200 or more for a traditional dermatologist visit. Treatment plans run $27 to $99 per month, including approximately 60 days of dermatologist access, versus $400 to $1,000 for comparable in-office regimens, according to Musely.
According to Jia, Musely has raised roughly $40 million from investors; however, he has remained cautious and conscious, often spending five to 50 times less than typical Silicon Valley operations. Jia even fitted offices with Craigslist furniture to cut costs, further demonstrating his commitment to Musely’s consumers.
And it’s paying off: From January 2024 to April 2025 alone, Musely fulfilled more than 2.4 million prescription treatments, with retention rates two to three times higher than industry peers, as well as a 95% satisfaction rate.
By late 2024, revenue was growing at 100% year over year, and the company had been recognized as an Ad Age Breakout Brand Leader and named the fastest-growing telemedicine brand for the second consecutive year.
From two treatments in 2019 to more than 20 active prescription products today, the expansion into hair loss, hormonal health, and longevity was never a pivot—it was the logical conclusion of listening to patients.
The results? Trust. In 2025, USA Today and its research partner, Plant-A Insights Group, surveyed over 23,000 US consumers across more than 20,000 brands. Musely ranked number seven in beauty and health, placing it alongside household names that have spent a century building that equity. "We were a little shocked," Jia admitted. "The brands ranked were household names. We are definitely one of those unique brands that somehow people have elevated to a trust level that belongs to a hundred-year-old brand."
That trust didn't come from marketing; it came from results and from knowing exactly where to go next.
When Skin, Hormones, and Longevity Collide
Research from nonprofit Let’s Talk Menopause states that 27 million women, roughly 20% of the US workforce, are currently in menopause, with 40% saying symptoms make work harder, and one in five having considered leaving work because of them. In response to the demand for solutions, the menopause product and services market is forecast to grow from $15.4 billion in 2021 to $24.4 billion by 2030, while the global hormone replacement therapy (HRT) market is projected to nearly double to $49.25 billion in the same period. Musely saw this coming.
Two years ago, the teledermatology company introduced HRT—both topical and systemic—into a category clouded by decades of misinformation following the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study. The administrators of the study halted research, announcing that the treatment was linked to an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, and breast cancer—the risks outweighed the benefits. Decades later, its approach was revealed to be flawed. But stigma lingered.
The timing proved right: Menopause is now one of the platform's fastest-growing segments, with over 85% of patients still on treatment at four months, above the platform average, and stronger conversion from one-time prescriptions to recurring care. The launch also drove a measurable lift in overall platform engagement and traffic, reinforcing what Jia had already observed in the data: Women don't want siloed solutions. They want a platform that treats skin, hormones, and hair as part of the same conversation.
Jia noted that by the age of around 45, roughly 80% of women have experienced some degree of hair thinning, yet very few brands have developed serious treatment options for them, so Musely moved into hair. Then hormones. HRT is now available in pills, patches, and cream formats, both compounded and FDA-approved, with treatment plans guided by physicians based on individual medical history.
Longevity came next. In September 2025, the Californian company launched the Age Well Pill, a five-compound formulation combining metformin, fisetin, CoQ10, calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, and NAD+ boosters, targeting mitochondrial function, metabolic activity, and anti-inflammatory support, at $45 for a month’s supply. It’s a direct extension of the same philosophy that built the skincare business: Find the medication that works and make it both accessible and affordable.
Four to six new prescription launches are planned for Q2 2026, spanning new hormone formats and longevity-oriented treatments. "Our patient is really guiding us to where to work next," Jia added.
The Future Roadmap
The next phase is already in motion. Four to six new prescription launches are planned for Q2 2026, spanning new hormone formats and longevity-oriented treatments. New formulations, delivery formats, and deeper personalization are in development, alongside continued expansion of Musely's OB-GYN network to strengthen long-term menopause care.
"Healthcare shouldn't be called healthcare," Jia said. "It should be called sick care. It's really for sickness, not really for health." Musely is the correction.