Indie beauty brands are, by their very nature, challengers, but some founders think bigger than others. Launching in 2020, with a David and Goliath strategy, Bubble Skincare is going head-to-head with some of beauty's biggest brands sitting next to them on the shelves of more than 12,000 stores across North America, including Ulta Beauty, Walmart, and CVS, as well as on Amazon.

Shai Eisenman started her bachelor of arts degree  at 15 and began her career in business at 16 years old. While at university, she worked for new business development for an up-and-coming high-tech security start-up, Bullet Plate. Eisenman took that experience to the ad-tech world, where she managed compliance and business development for Babylon.com. At 21, she moved to Playtech, the world’s largest online gaming software supplier.

Eisenman, representing a new generation of independent beauty founders, is laser-focused on what she's building and crystal clear about what it will take. She launched Bubble after falling in love with the beauty industry and realizing that young people were not provided with innovative and accessible products, just the same drugstore skincare brands as their parents.

After two years of rigorous research to determine exactly what young shoppers were looking for in a brand, she disrupted the industry with a brand offering prestige-quality formulations for under $20, launching exclusively at Walmart followed a year later by Ulta.

BeautyMatter caught up with Shai Eisenman founder & CEO of Bubble Skicare and BeautyMatter Entrepreneur of the Year.

What fuels your passion as an entrepreneur?

I was inspired to create Bubble Skincare because when I walked through skincare aisles of major retailers, I realized there were almost no products that were both innovative and affordable. You could either spend a lot on innovative products, or save with the same old-school products your parents have been using for decades. I wanted to give everyone access to something effective, innovative, and affordable and transform the boring, outdated skincare industry. We are successfully doing this in the US and the UK, and the feedback from our community drives us to continue growing Bubble globally so everyone can have access to the best.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?

I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished with Bubble in less than four years. We launched initially as DTC and have rapidly grown to over 12,000+ retail doors in the US, 500+ in the UK, and will be entering a new market this fall. We have brought over 20 highly efficacious and affordable products to market that are changing people's faces. We have cultivated a community of 38,000+ brand ambassadors globally (ages 13-60+) that are the heart and soul of everything we do. We are just scratching the surface of our projected growth, and I’m so excited to see where we are in another four years!

On the flipside, failure is part of being an entrepreneur. What is the best mistake you've made?

One of our best "mistakes" we made was misjudging our inventory needs when we first launched in 2020. We over ordered, and at first, it felt like a big challenge, but it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because we had more stock than we expected, we were able to move quickly into our first retail launch with Walmart in July 2021 and launched into 4,000 stores sooner than planned. It allowed us to be more nimble in the face of the supply chain chaos the pandemic caused. What seemed like a setback became a major advantage, letting us grow faster and make a bigger splash in the market.

In the past decade, the word "entrepreneur" has been glamorized and romanticized. In reality, it's really hard and comes with a lot of ups and downs. What keeps you going?

Community is at the core of everything we do at Bubble, and real stories from members of our community are what keeps me going. Our mission is to create skincare that changes faces and lives by inspiring confidence and uplifting everyone who comes into contact with Bubble—and we are doing just that. Seeing the difference that Bubble is making in people's lives through our community chats, social media, and customer reviews inspires me every day.

Being an entrepreneur isn't something that can be taught in a classroom. What's been the biggest learning from being in the trenches and operating a business you wish you'd known?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to put your blinders on and trust your gut. It's hard not to look at the industry and make similar moves that everyone is making because they feel “safe.” I set out to disrupt the category, which oftentimes means when the industry zigs we zag, and it has served us really well!

The dark side of entrepreneurship can be isolation, loneliness, and burnout. How do you take care of yourself?

I make sure that I spend as much time as I can with my family. 

What is the best piece of advice you've received that has guided you?

The best advice I’ve received is that it's okay to fail, and that failure doesn’t define you. This piece of wisdom has been incredibly freeing in my career. It’s a reminder that setbacks are just bumps in the road, not the end of the journey. Embracing failure as a learning opportunity rather than a reflection of my worth has allowed me to take risks and push boundaries without the fear of being defined by mistakes. It’s helped me stay resilient and keep moving forward, knowing that each failure is just a step towards growth and success.