Conversations with Jill Biren

I returned to Los Angeles and began my corporate sales career at Tiffany & Co., where I developed a strong foundation for strategic discipline and process. That experience helped me transition into magazine advertising sales, beginning at Teen Magazine. Shortly after 9/11, the magazine was sold to the owner of Seventeen and folded. It was the first of several times that a change in ownership or management would eliminate my role, and the beginning of the resilience I would build throughout my career.

Working at Condé Nast was a dream come true. Over 16 years, I worked across Lucky, WWD, W, and Vogue, ultimately leading West Coast fashion and beauty sales across all Condé Nast titles. I partnered with iconic brands to develop digital marketing campaigns and experiential activations, all while my husband and I were raising two young boys. When continued publishing consolidation eventually dissolved my position, I was ready: I had a Plan B and was prepared to begin my next chapter.

Years prior I noticed a trend as well as a white space in teen skincare. At this time, my oldest son was in fifth grade. I was meeting with beauty brands eager to introduce young girls to skincare as they entered puberty. I understood the thinking and could relate to it personally, but I had a son. When I asked what they offered for boys, the answer was, “We don’t have a male target.” That was my aha moment.

I wanted to know whether other mothers were also thinking carefully about the skincare their children used, and whether they needed help teaching their sons the basics, like washing their faces.

The market was full of heavily fragranced men’s products. I was concerned about synthetic fragrance and a host of other toxic chemicals in products for developing kids, as well as specific ingredients that may disrupt hormones.

I began speaking with formulators and labs while developing a business plan. Around that time, I asked another mom in my son’s class whether she was facing the same challenge: finding products for her preteen sons‘ skin. That mom was my friend Julie Bowen. After months of conversations, we decided to address this unmet need together and create the brand we had been looking for as moms.

It took years to refine our packaging, formulas, and go-to-market strategy. We launched JB SKRUB in January 2023, and the journey has been deeply rewarding, full of learning and growth. The category has evolved, and so has our audience. Young tween/teen girls have discovered JB SKRUB and have become a valued part of our community. We’re excited to continue growing our assortment and expanding our distribution beyond our website, Amazon, Ulta.com, and Neon Rebels.