Meet Lisa Mazzarella: Founder & CEO Karisma Skincare

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Mazzarella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It stated itself! While there was a point where I had to make a very intentional commitment by giving up my lifetime carreer as a lawyer and putting all of my efforts into Karisma, the demand essentially formed the business. My skin had become dull and dehydrated. My outside did not reflect the youth and energy I felt on the inside . I had tried every skincare product on the market from the most expensive to the most basic. Nothing got the results I was looking for. I began learning more about how skincare was all about slick marketing and the actual products themselves were full of water, ineffecitve and even toxic ingredients. So while still working as a lawyer I began researching , studying, attending seminars, classes and formulating. I spent long hours sourcing ingredients right down to the purity of the soil. I learned that the purity and efficacy go hand in hand. So I curated particular oils for particular results and worked on finding out which ratios yeilded the best results. I began with the Ultimate Face Oil and knew within a few days once I landed the formula . There were visible results. Others noticed too. Particularly my aesthetician . She asked what I had done to my skin and wanted to try it herself. Then she began using it on clients and they wanted it. My friends noticed the change and asked me to make it for them and my Medi Spa even asked to carry it for their clients. Clearly there was a need for clean skincare that worked! I truly committed when I went to scale and manufacturers tried to swap out to cheaper ingedients. I had to fight to the point of insisting on using my own vendors for key ingredients to ensure purity and efficacy. The demand that organically happened and my commitment to honesty and tansparancy in skincare are what really started Karisma.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a carreer attorney . I was the youngest femaile partner in the firms history and went on to become General Counsel When I turned 47 I notiiced a change in my skin. It just looked flat and not youthful anymore. I’m young at heart and my skin did not match how I felt inside. So I began trying products from the most expensive and popular to the most basic and pure. Nothing worked. Fed up I began researching ingredients that would address all of the skin problems I was experiencing. I went down the rabbit hole researching ingredients, their properties, the different strains, locations and. purity. After years of formulating I knew I had the right combination when I saw results in only 4 days. Karisma’s point of difference it that the quaility of the ingredients and the efficacy of the product comes first. In skincare you will see the Brand. put first and the quality of the prodcut second or third after marketing and sales. As an Independent ,woman owned buisness our first client was Neimam Marcus! They tested the collection all the way up to Dallas and approved the entire. line! It was so validiaing and exciting we planeed. our launch duing two of the expos they were putting on ofr us. this was February 2020. I began training sales people, putting up Karisma’s staging area then covid hit and everything stopped. The biggest challange has been trying to gain presence in a saturated market with a product line that is complelty different than what consumers are used to. When covid hit we pivoted to grwoing our commuity and educating them about how high qulality clean skincare is better for your overall health and not only just as effecitve as toxic skincare it acrtually is better. I have learned that bieng a small start up in an oversturated market is beyond daunting. What keeps me going is that i stand by my products 100%. I formulated two myself and worked closely with chemists and scientists on the rest of the line to ensure the same consistency quality and purity. I have learned to reach out and ask for help. i followed up on a call with a digital marketing firm light years out of our league and my contact Vic, made the mistake of saying “If you ever have any questions feel free to call me”. Well he has now been my mentor for over a year and provided invaluable guidane. Had i not reached out I don’t know where Karisma would be today. I want the world to know that Karisma is not just another skincare company . There is heart and soul and tremendous thought behind every ingrdient in every product. I hope Karisma moves the mass skincare world out of their comfort zone of slick marketing and expose exactly what is in each product and why.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Spend a day in DTLA visiting the Broad Museum and lunch at Otium – beautiful glassed in location. Dinner at the Factory Kitchen or Babel. Finish it off with drinks at the Ace Hotel for a fun scene. Soho house DTLA for a creative, artistic edgy crowd and drinks. Make sure to take your best friend to the Fairfax Flea Market on Sunday and then head to Jon and Vinny’s for delicious, casual Italian food or kick it up a notch with a fine dining meal at Osteria Mozza. Spend a day shopping on Abbot Kinney in Venice, including lunch at Gjelina and/or dinner at Felix Other favorite options in Venice are Superba for brunch or lunch, Zinq for dinner and a great local crowd. Visit the best roof tops on the west side – Elephante for a gorgeous view of the city, amazing people watching and delicious food The Proper Hotel for drinks at Happy Hour, beautiful place for the sunset Take a drive up the coast to Malibu, stopping at the Malibu Farm for lunch and then heading to El Matador beach. Finish the day with a late afternoon hike in Solstice Canyon and The Little Beach House for cocktails on a Saturday afternoon. Spend a day shopping on Abbot Kinney in Venice, including lunch at Gjelina and/or dinner at Felix Other favorite options in Venice are Superba for brunch or lunch, Zinq for dinner and a great local crowd. Visit the best roof tops on the west side – Elephante for a gorgeous view of the city, amazing people watching and delicious food The Proper Hotel for drinks at Happy Hour, beautiful place for the sunset The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely ! Vic Drabicky. He is the Founder of an incredible company named January Digital. Before I had any clue what a powerhouse his company is I was referred to Vic to inquire about digital marketing. Even though I had no personal connection with Vic he humbly and patiently explained why January was not a good fit. He did not even allude to the fact I was way out of my league! At the end of our call he graciously offered to help if I needed any guidance . Little did he know I would take him up on that offer. Since that first call Vic has been much more than a mentor. He has given me incredible feedback, personal assistance, referrals …the list truly is endless. We have never even met in person but I feel that we are friends. He runs a high profile hugely sucsessful company but still takes the time to check in, answer my emails and offer insights and guidance . I did not know such kindness existed in the business world. I’m eternally grateful and have the highest respect and admiration for Vic.

Website: https://karismaskincare.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karismaskin/

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismaskincarepage

Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/19257277/admin/