Building a Skincare Brand Gen Z Actually Trusts-and Turning That Trust Into Long-Term Revenue

Adeesha: Most practices are spending more than ever to acquire new patients, while an entire generation is building trust with brands long before they ever step into a clinic. Welcome back to the Business of Aesthetics podcast. I’m your host, Don Adeesha, and to help us understand how to connect with the next generation of patients, we are joined by Dr. Whitney Hovenic. Dr. Hovenic is a double board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon based in Reno, Nevada. Alongside her clinical work in skin cancer and cosmetic dermatology, she is building a sun care brand designed specifically for Gen Z, focused on education, prevention, and real behavior change. Today we are discussing Gen Z behavior, building trust through prevention, and how to turn that trust into long-term patient relationships. This episode is brought to you by Ekwa Marketing, the digital growth partner behind this podcast and a trusted resource for aesthetic practices looking to dominate their local market. Now let’s get into the conversation.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, when you started building for Gen Z, what gap did you see in how traditional sun care brands were approaching young consumers?

Dr. Hovenic: Thank you for having me. I’ve been a dermatologist for a long time and sold product in my office for a long time, and what I saw is that we really didn’t have anything in the office that was fun and exciting for that younger patient. We have beautiful products and they’re very clinical. I have two daughters, and they’ve had access to the best sunscreens their whole lives, because when you’re a dermatologist, your mom is giving you the best sunscreens. And they would still say, "Ugh, I don’t want this." So I knew we needed to address this differently, because we all know how important sun protection is. I wanted to bring something into the clinical space that was a little bold, a little edgy, and made them feel more comfortable choosing to wear something that just wasn’t necessarily their mother’s sunscreen.

Adeesha: And was that gap more about the formulation, or is it the communication, how the brands talk?

Dr. Hovenic: I think it’s a little bit of both. Gen Z wants a different product, and they want simplicity. They want products that serve as both skincare and sun protection. Those products exist in the clinical space currently, but a lot of times they’re at a price point that’s not accessible to that younger consumer. So we saw an opportunity to create a sun care line with skincare benefits at a price point that’s more Gen Z friendly. Oftentimes they’re in their first job, they’re going to college, they don’t have a lot of disposable income. They will spend money on skincare, but when we’re asking them to make something part of their daily routine, I strongly believe we should present it at a price point that’s going to be accessible.

Adeesha: As a Mohs surgeon, what is the one thing traditional brands get medically wrong when trying to be trendy?

Dr. Hovenic: It’s hard to talk to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. My kids have their own language. They’ll say, "Mom, that’s the riz, the T," and I’m like, I don’t know, is that good or bad? So you need to speak to them, but not necessarily try to be them. You want to build their trust and say, look, this is going to help your skin. They don’t necessarily care at this point about not getting skin cancer. They care about their skin looking good, feeling good, they want to glow up. My daughter told me at one point that the reason girls want to tan is because they don’t want to have the "winter fuglies." They’re very concerned about their appearance. So as a brand, you want to say, not only will this protect you, it’s going to make you feel good and enhance that inner and outer glow. You just have to be careful not to be preachy, but also not try too hard. There’s a balance.

Adeesha: Not trying too hard, how does that show up in your own product development?

Dr. Hovenic: The good thing is I have my own test base in my house. In not trying too hard, we don’t want to overcomplicate the messaging. We want to say these products are here, we want them integrated into your life, they feel great on your skin. Our product names are a little different to give them that edge. That’s why we have products called Cheeky, OG, Ghosted, Do Me, Face Shots, so they catch your attention. But I’m not calling it "get your tea, get your riz." It’s translating to them without trying too hard to be them, if that makes sense.

Adeesha: That does make sense. So the gap you really saw was a big gap in communication as well as product positioning in the marketplace.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, how do you practically make sun protection feel relevant to Gen Z in their daily lives?

Dr. Hovenic: That’s always a challenge. You have to make it something they’re going to want to wear, whether it’s how it makes their skin feel or look, because I don’t think they’re so concerned about cancer at this point unless somebody in their family has gone through skin cancer. They live in this space of "it’s not going to happen to me." I was a teenager and I was terrible about sun protection, and now the consequences are there. So you have to make it feel seamless. Make the product not feel like an extra step in their routine, but the one step they actually want to wear. When they put it on, they see the difference immediately, whether it’s hydration or a little glow, or their skin just feels better because it’s not tight and sticky. It’s not going to feel like a chore. It’s going to feel like something they want.

Adeesha: That sensory experience, feeling better immediately, how long did it take to develop it to a level you were happy with?

Dr. Hovenic: That was really the first thing we knew going into product development. The first thing people do is put it on their skin to see how it feels, and the second thing they do is smell it. So that sensorial experience is very important. It took a while to get to the right formulation, because we literally tried every single mineral sunscreen available on the market. We only use zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, no other filters. We knew a big pain point for why people wouldn’t use sunscreen was stickiness, chalkiness, pastiness. So we tried every mineral sunscreen in a scientific way, putting it on our skin and asking, does it feel sticky, does it smell. From that we benchmarked what we wanted our product to feel like, because if you put something on your skin and don’t like how it feels, it doesn’t matter if it’s the best product on the planet, you’re not going to use it. Luckily we got it right, and what makes me so happy is when people try the products and say, "I didn’t know that sunscreen could feel like this."

Adeesha: That is a wonderful compliment when you’re working with a product that’s been notorious for being sticky and pasty.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, what actually gets a young patient to change their sunscreen habits in real life?

Dr. Hovenic: First of all, if their friends are doing it, they’ll do it. They trust their peers, so you have to have champions in that space, people trying your products, liking them, and telling their friends. We miss that sometimes. This audience is going to trust each other more than they trust you. Even as a dermatologist, it gives me some credibility when I recommend a product, but they really look to their peers, which is why platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become such a source of information for the Gen Z consumer. It’s hard to build that trust when you’re communicating digitally, but when their peers like it and tell them this is something they should do, they’re much more likely to listen. You also need to not be preachy. As dermatologists, we often tell people to stay out of the sun, and the reality is they’re going to go out in the sun. Our whole thing is, please use our products so you don’t burn. Tanning causes UV damage, yes, but true blistering sunburns like the ones you see on TikTok double your risk of melanoma with just one. So in our product development and our company core, we’re very focused on education, and we use college-age students to spread our message on campuses. Our brand ambassadors talk about our products and also go into organizations like sororities to give presentations on skin cancer and sun health. When the message comes from your peers, you’re more likely to listen. I did this as a resident at the University of Missouri, but I was already a doctor, so it’s even better when it’s a student talking to other students. We’re really selling a mission of skin protection and skin health, not just sunscreen.

Adeesha: What is the core difference in the messaging you see between your time as a resident educating peers and now, where college students educate their own peers?

Dr. Hovenic: These young people are getting hit from so many different sources. I did my residency in the Facebook days, that’s all we had. There was no Instagram, certainly no TikTok, and people still trusted journals and other sources. Now they’re getting all kinds of different information: sunscreen causes cancer, use beef tallow, all these things. So it’s trying to debunk some of these myths and present information they’ll believe. If they believe the myths, they may not believe you, so you have to frame the conversation so you can be the expert but also make it believable and real, so they understand you’re there to help. I have a 15-year-old, and if I tell her to do something, she does not want to do it unless she truly believes in the mission, or unless her best friend tells her to do it. By giving our sunscreen fun names and fun tag lines, the kids pay attention, and then hopefully they choose to use it on their own.

Adeesha: That premise of instant gratification through messaging and through the look and feel — have you found it works much better than the fear of cancer decades from now?

Dr. Hovenic: I think so. As a Mohs surgeon, I cut out cancer all day long. I can be removing cancer on someone and ask if they wear sunscreen, and they say no. I’m making a hole in your face — are you planning to wear sunscreen? No. I distinctly remember doing two Mohs surgeries on a 27-year-old man who told me he was not going to wear sunscreen. So you have to know you’re not going to convince everybody, but that immediate benefit, it makes your skin feel good, gives you a little sparkle and glow, is going to get them to wear it more than "you might get melanoma and die."

Adeesha: A 27-year-old Mohs patient,  that’s another striking number.

Dr. Hovenic: I treat a lot of 20- to 30-year-olds. When I first started, most of my skin cancer patients were between 60 and 90. Now, routinely every week, I have patients in their 30s and 40s. 20-year-olds are still somewhat rare, but it happens, and a lot of it is childhood sunburns and teenage tanning bed use. It amazes me that people still use tanning beds, but it’s real. There’s an apartment complex across from the university here that attracts students with benefits like a gym, a pool, and tanning beds, and they’re in a lot of our local fitness centers. I was shocked, because I thought we as a society had done a better job educating people that tanning beds are a carcinogen per the World Health Organization. These girls say, "Oh yeah, I’m going to the tanning bed." As dermatologists, we did a better job reaching people in their late 20s and early 30s, who are good about sun protection now. But in the late teens and early 20s, there’s a whole different perception. People use the UV index not to protect themselves but to tan, and there are apps that tell you how to get the best tan. I grew up with tanning culture in the ’90s, and I don’t think we’ve translated the message well, because it’s still happening. There’s a perception that you look better, thinner, prettier when you’re tan, but they don’t understand the long-term consequences, especially through a tanning bed. I’d so much rather you put on sunscreen and go outside than go into one of those death chambers.

Adeesha: Before we continue, a quick word from our sponsor, Ekwa Marketing. If you’re a practice owner looking to attract more high-value patients, Ekwa is offering our Business of Aesthetics listeners a complimentary marketing strategy session. This is a personalized session built around your practice. Their team spends about four to five hours researching your online presence, your competition, and your biggest growth opportunities before the meeting, so you’ll walk away with a tailored plan and not just generic advice. On the call, they’ll show you how to improve visibility, increase qualified patient inquiries, and build a clear path to measurable growth. There are only a limited number of spots available each month. To reserve your session, visit www.businessofaesthetics.org/msm. Now let’s get back to our conversation.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, where do most brands lose Gen Z when they try to build trust around skincare?

Dr. Hovenic: Price becomes a consideration. If you’re building a good product, there’s a certain price point Gen Z is not going to purchase. There’s also just not being for them. There are wonderful skincare brands out there that I fully support and carry in the office, but they don’t necessarily resonate, though some do, there’s that "I’m using real skincare now, I’m an adult" feeling. But a lot comes down to not wanting something too complicated, and then cost. Gen Z is going into the med spa space now for hydrafacials, microneedling, and Botox. When I was in college I barely had enough money for food, but there’s a market for it now. The thing is, if you’re getting Botox and then at the counter they say you should have this serum and this sunscreen, and it’s just as much as the Botox treatment, I think you lose their trust. They want to buy from you, but they want to know you’re not trying to squeeze every penny out of them. Even when it’s completely unintentional and you just want them on a good routine, there’s a level that becomes too much, and then they won’t buy and they’ll go to a retailer. As the person doing treatments, you actually want to know what they’re using, so it helps to have an in-office offering at a price they can afford. That way, when they come back with an issue, you know what products they used and where they came from. A lot of times people get a treatment like microneedling, then get a rash because they used something they shouldn’t have.

Adeesha: This upselling question, how did you figure out the pricing that was comfortable for your target audience?

Dr. Hovenic: We looked at who the big players are in the sunscreen space and how they priced their products, and we decided we wanted to be just under them. These aren’t the big players in the clinical space, these are places like Target, Sephora, and Ulta. Mineral sunscreens are very expensive to formulate, so the price point we’re at is actually higher than where we want it to be, but for practical reasons that’s where you have to be. Knowing what they were paying across the space for moisturizers and other sunscreens, we felt we were at a good point. It’s still a little bit of a luxury item, but we’re also giving them additional skincare benefits with that product.

Adeesha: When a brand tries a bit too hard using Gen Z slang, does that actually erode the clinical credibility they need?

Dr. Hovenic: It’s a fine line. Most of us are not Gen Z, and I don’t want to pretend to be. We talk to a ton of Gen Z in our focus groups, with our brand ambassadors, and with my own kids, so you want to be authentic, Gen Z wants authenticity. That’s why I’m never going to go on social media and try to speak like a Gen Zer; it would sound so fake. I don’t even get what my daughters are saying half the time. I can still be a clinical authority, but I want to be myself and talk to them without talking down to them. They’re not kids anymore, they’re looking for answers. If I’m trying too hard, it’s obvious. That’s why we have other voices on our social media who are Gen Z and can help translate, so that as the dermatologist and founder, I’m not trying to be someone I’m not. It’s about communicating where they’re at and delivering that.

Adeesha: I’m a millennial myself, so I might be missing some of these Gen Z things too. But like you said, it’s meeting them where they’re at instead of treating it as a gimmick, which is where a lot of brands drop the ball. And this is a critical time in their life for sun protection.

Dr. Hovenic: Truly. The sun you get in your late teens and early 20s will impact you for the rest of your life. If you’re going to do one thing, wear some sunscreen, because it will make a difference. So we’re trying to deliver that message but still make it feel like they’re choosing what they’re going to do, and give them a really good product so they’re happy to wear it and their skin looks great.

Adeesha: The first time around, it might be a friend who recommends the product. The second time around, it’s their decision whether the product is worth revisiting.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, if a practice owner wants to earn credibility with Gen Z today, what is the first move they should make?

Dr. Hovenic: Be open to conversations with your audience, be real, don’t try too hard, and serve as a source of education. If a practice is going to address the Gen Z segment, you have to have product and treatment offerings that aren’t going to be a total turnoff. If they walk in wanting a laser on their scars and it’s $2,000 a treatment, it’s not going to work. I’ve always been firm about keeping those treatments at a price point that won’t break the bank for families. Laser treatments are expensive, but if I was doing Fraxel on acne scars, we had a price for a half-face treatment that’s very different from a full resurfacing. Obviously the practice can’t take a loss, but having a wide variety of offerings, microneedling, facials, different aesthetic procedures, gives good introductions to the practice. And having people in the practice who can relate to that customer can be your best asset, because they understand their peers. Then the provider is there as a credible source, so when patients spend the money, they know they’re getting treatments of value.

Adeesha: Say they come in for acne scars as the gateway treatment. How do you start building that long-term revenue relationship?

Dr. Hovenic: If you fix their acne scars, or even earlier, if you treat their acne, they trust you. Most of my cosmetic patients come from my dermatology patients. Whether they’re Gen Z or not, I’ve treated them for skin cancer, pre-cancers, or acne, so they’re much more likely to put their trust in me for cosmetic procedures. If they’re in their 20s and you treated their acne scars and they got a good improvement, then by the time they want Botox, who are they going to go to? The person they trust. As they hit their 30s and 40s and want more laser or more expensive treatments, you’ve already started that relationship. So it’s about trust and credibility. And when you’re seeing these younger patients, give them options. With acne scars, we always talk about lasers, microneedling, peels, I give them a broad spectrum and my advice about what will help most, but I’ll also say if you only have the ability to do one thing, we can start there and build on it. It’s why I don’t sell packages. I’ll tell people it’s probably going to be four to six treatments, but we’ll reassess at every appointment and determine the best next step, so they’re not locked into six laser treatments. If they’re great after three, fine — I’ll see you in five years when you want Botox.

Adeesha: Dr. Hovenic, as we wrap up, I’d love one last key takeaway, the golden nugget on how practice owners can really connect with the Gen Z audience. What’s the first step?

Dr. Hovenic: Be you. You’ve built your practice. Communicate with these patients and talk to them in a way where they get that connection with you. Give them that range of services so they can start to be a patient or customer in your practice. And give them advice. They’re coming to you because they’re seeking help, whether it’s acne scars or eczema, so talk to them like you would any patient, communicating well and not forcing it. They may not book an appointment, you might have a full consultation and they may not do anything, but if they’ve had that conversation with you, they’re much more likely to come back when the time is right.

Adeesha: That was a powerful look at how to build trust with the next generation of patients with Dr. Whitney Hovenic. If you’ve been struggling to connect with younger audiences or wondering why your messaging isn’t landing, this conversation should give you a completely different lens. Winning Gen Z isn’t about louder marketing. It’s about relevance, consistency, and meeting them long before they ever need that treatment. Mastering that shift is how you build long-term patient pipelines in a market that’s only getting more competitive. Dr. Hovenic, where can our listeners reach you?

Dr. Hovenic: I’m always happy to answer by email.

Adeesha: Before we wrap up, one final reminder from our sponsor, Ekwa Marketing. If you want a clear plan for attracting more high-value patients, they’re offering Business of Aesthetics listeners a complimentary marketing strategy session. Their team will review your online presence, identify missed growth opportunities, and give you a tailored action plan just for your practice. You can reserve your session at www.businessofaesthetics.org/msm. I’m Don Adeesha, and this has been the Business of Aesthetics podcast. Thanks for listening. Keep on leading.