Xin Ma of Filterbaby: How Targeting Water Quality Disrupted the Half-A-Trillion-Dollar Beauty Industry

As a part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Xin Ma.

Xin Ma is the founder of Filterbaby, the first dermatologist tested and approved skincare water filter.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Being raised in a family filled with Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, who are experts in herbal medicine and acupuncture, I was inspired from a very young age to pursue the same path. I decided to pursue my Masters of Acupuncture ten years ago, and have now treated thousands of patients. The foundation of TCM is the discovery of root causes of ailments in the body and then treating patients with natural, simple, and effective remedies. Since I’ve been around holistic healthcare my whole life, I am deeply passionate about finding natural treatments and eliminating toxins in the body- a core tenet of TCM is that simplicity is key.

Three years ago I relocated to a new area, and noticed a correlation between the quality of my tap water and my own facial skin. I was able to deduce that my extremely dry and irritated skin was caused by my water supply. I subsequently did a deep dive and I realized there is a population-wide exposure to pollutants, chemicals, and microcontaminants in the United States tap water system. According to the EWG, (environmental working group), over 200M people in the United States have exposure to these contaminants in their home water supply. Scientists have found links between a number of these chemicals in our water supply, and many health concerns, including skin disease, kidney disease, and immune dysfunction amongst others. Upon further research, according to the WHO, on a global scale, at least 2B people are exposed to water contaminated with feces and pathogens. I just knew I had to do something about it, and after years of dedicated research and experimentation, Filterbaby was born.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I was absolutely astonished by the demand we received for Filterbaby after our soft launch in May 2022. Our inbox was flooded with thousands of messages from individuals who claimed they had been searching for a product like ours for years after discovering something was wrong with their water. Dozens of customers who suffered from acne, rosacea, and eczema thanked us and sent us their before and after photos. I was shocked. When I practiced acupuncture, I thought that nothing could surpass the feeling of helping to alleviate a patient’s physical pain, but receiving transformational photos and seeing firsthand the difference we’ve made in improving the quality of their skin and, ultimately, their general wellbeing is something that I’m eternally grateful for. I’m so excited to help more people improve the way they look, feel, and live.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

My partner and I made some initial videos about Filterbaby, and the tipping point in our career was when these videos started to go viral. We had no experience with social media video marketing, and it was astounding to see how quickly the viewership grew to millions of views within just a few months. Consistency was key; we adhered to the vital rule of posting twice a day at least, no matter how imperfect the video was. As a result, we garnered more than 100K followers in just four months, and it became clear we were solving a universal problem, proving our product was in high demand.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am immensely grateful for all of the mentors and advisors I’ve encountered along the way. However, I am most thankful for my grandmother, Dr. Chen Dai Zhong. She is the epitome of an inspirational person; under the duress of war in China, she dutifully raised her children, often going hungry herself so that she could feed her family. Over the course of several years, she opened her own traditional medicine clinic, and helped thousands of patients improve their quality of life. Many of these patients could not afford treatment and she helped them for free. I have a vivid memory of an instance where a paralyzed patient could not come to her, and so, for two hours, she rode her bicycle with me, in the back, in order to treat that patient. My grandmother would always encourage me to solve people’s pain points, make a difference in this world, be extremely independent, and, above all else, lead a life guided by kindness. She is, without a doubt, the strongest person in my life, and her zeal to help others has shaped me into who I am today.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion-dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?

A majority of the players in the half-a-trillion-dollar beauty industry are singularly focused on what they can add to the face, whether through lotions, serums, and creams or a complex 10-step beauty regime. At Filterbaby, we are currently focused on foundational problems, namely, chemicals and contaminants in tap water. Our goal is to provide users with better and cleaner water specifically designed to enhance skin quality. We are disrupting the beauty industry by inventing a whole new line of skincare around water, which is fundamentally impactful to our skin, the largest organ on our bodies.

Filterbaby is the first dermatologically tested and approved water filter device for skincare. In our clinical study, we discovered that 63% of users measured improved moisture and reported improved radiance in their skin, while 71% of users reported they would never go back to using tap water.

Filterbaby uses the highest quality materials, and our filtration systems have undergone 100,000 stress and durability tests. Our team of scientists is composed of highly experienced PhD chemical engineers and renowned dermatologists who are passionate about skincare. Filterbaby far exceeds NSF-42 standards and we are constantly testing and improving our products keeping our customers at the forefront.

Most faucet mount filters have activated carbon, which reduces some chemical contaminants, but these filters fail to address hardness in water or eradicate physical contaminants such as possible rusts, lead particles, microplastics, bacteria, turbidity and a host of other impurities found in tap water. Our proprietary descaling process turns harsh tap water into softer, cleaner water- designed to protect, hydrate, and improve skin. No other faucet-mounted filters are doing this.

This is just the beginning for Filterbaby. It is economical and incredibly easy to use; in fact, users can install it in less than five minutes as our filter fits 99% of faucets with circular aerators. Because sustainability is so important to us, our filter has an eco-friendly mode that allows users to conserve 30% of their tap water. We are also working on sustainable water filter refills. In the future, we’ll continue to expand our offerings and further contribute to cutting-edge innovations in skincare.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?

• The commitment to beauty through a natural, wholehearted, and unpretentious approach.
• Seeing brands embrace diversity and inclusion.
• The merging of beauty and technology. I strongly believe that beauty and wellness shouldn’t come at the ugly cost of one’s health or our planet’s health. Skincare should no longer be solely focused on serums and facial masks; we are shifting the focus to more natural, simple, and sustainable solutions with the help of technology and data.
• As a TCM practitioner, one of the things I’d love to see more of is simplicity in beauty routines and a deeper commitment to products that optimize beauty and lead to more of an empowered and healthier quality of life.
• Beauty to me is holistic self-care. TCM encourages the body-mind connection rooted in nature, as everything we do is interconnected. I love incorporating routines that boost wellness from the inside out, and I strongly believe that beauty is a journey — an ongoing quest for the best versions of ourselves.

Okay, let’s get to the meat of the discussion please list out Five things you need to know to succeed in the modern beauty industry:

1. Break through the noise with impactful products

• The beauty industry is more crowded than ever. Successful beauty founders should focus on inventing beauty devices or regimens that are meaningful, impactful, and innovative.

2. Where there is simplicity and balance, there is beauty.

• Many beauty products are heavily ladened with ingredients that are toxic and/or unnecessary. For someone with sensitive skin, I’m extremely conscious of what goes on my face; a $500 beauty product does not mean it is much better than a $50 product. Less is more. My own beauty routine consists of just a Filterbaby for cleaner water, a gentle cleanser, and a great SPF/moisturizer.

3. Make data-driven decisions.

• I’m a data-driven founder that strongly believes data can give us new perspectives on the future of beauty. Data science, especially predictive analytics and customer analytics, has been integral in helping us decide on what to focus on, and how to improve our customer experience. For example, in one of our post-purchase surveys, we discovered that 65% of our customers purchased our device because of acne and eczema. With this very specific data, we have been able to focus on addressing our customers’ needs.

4. Keep transparency and sustainability at the forefront.

• Over the past decade and specifically since the pandemic, we’ve seen consumer demand for transparency and access to sustainable beauty increase astronomically. Beauty consumers have become incredibly conscious, and they seek products that leave the earth better than we found it. At Filterbaby, we are currently working on sustainable filter refills.

5. Keep it simple and choose plant-based solutions that encourage the body to get back to its natural state.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people. What would that be?

There are so many influential and amazing founders who have made a dent in this industry. As a woman entrepreneur, I’ve overcome many challenges in my journey. You must have an unwavering belief in yourself, a commitment to excellence, and the ability to solve problems. Currently, at Filterbaby, we pledge a percentage of our sales to charities that support people with non-potable water.

Can you give us your favorite life lesson quote? Can you share how it is relevant to you in your life?

“Motivation isn’t always sustainable. Focus on discipline and consistency, and you’ll achieve your dreams.”

How can readers follow you online?

You can find us on social media! Follow us on Instagram @thefilterbaby and sign up for our newsletter at www.filterbaby.com.

I was absolutely astonished by the demand we received for Filterbaby after our soft launch in May 2022. Our inbox was flooded with thousands of messages from individuals who claimed they had been searching for a product like ours for years after discovering something was wrong with their water. Dozens of customers who suffered from acne, rosacea, and eczema thanked us and sent us their before and after photos. I was shocked. When I practiced acupuncture, I thought that nothing could surpass the feeling of helping to alleviate a patient’s physical pain, but receiving transformational photos and seeing firsthand the difference we’ve made in improving the quality of their skin and, ultimately, their general well-being is something that I’m eternally grateful for. I’m so excited to help more people improve the way they look, feel, and live.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspiring!