Before “skin barrier” became the buzzword of the decade, before microbiome-friendly was a label slapped onto every serum, and long before clean beauty became a multi-billion-dollar category—there was Marie Veronique. A former chemistry teacher turned visionary formulator, Marie has been quietly (and brilliantly) leading the skincare conversation for over two decades with a rare blend of scientific rigor and holistic wisdom.
She’s not chasing trends—she’s been setting them. From creating one of the first non-nano zinc oxide sunscreens to developing technically complex formulations that actually support skin function, her approach is less about hype and more about long-term skin health. Marie’s perspective goes beyond the surface, treating the skin as part of a beautifully interconnected system—and it shows in every product, every protocol, and every piece of education she shares.
Living Well with Marie Veronique
Can you take us back to the beginning—what first sparked your passion for skincare, and what led you to create Marie Veronique? We start our life’s work for selfish (as opposed to altruistic) reasons, in spite of what people like to think about themselves. I had acne as a teenager, which was psychologically devastating, and nothing on the market worked. In my 30’s I developed rosacea and was given products recommended by a dermatologist, which also didn’t work.
These conditions are, as scientists like to say, non-trivial. They can profoundly affect your self-esteem, and inhibit your ability to lead a full and fulfilling life. Sometimes you just have to find solutions on your own, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.
As a woman in science and business, what unique challenges have you faced? How has being a female founder influenced the way you run your company? If I were struggling to succeed in a male-dominated field like engineering I might have a different story to tell, but honestly, I am in an industry where women lead the way, or at least share the spotlight. I have noticed that reverse prejudice exists in the case of the men who enter the beauty field though —somehow the expectation is that they will be competent, whereas women have to work harder to prove themselves.
But still, challenge builds character, and I grew up in the 1950’s when gender bias was so prevalent we didn’t notice it. Fortunately, I was a young adult in the ‘60’s, when we did. So I am a feminist of course, and it makes me more than furious when I think of women doing stellar work in science being cheated of the recognition they deserve, as happened to Lisa Meitner, the great Swedish physicist. Einstein called her “the German Marie Curie.”
In terms of running a company, knowing an entrenched unfair rewards system still exists makes you aware of and very desirous of recognizing women who do good work that deserves rewarding. But really, I like to think I recognize and reward good work across the board–good work is good work after all.
Your products are technically complex—what’s one of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs you’ve incorporated into your formulas? The most exciting are still yet to come, but I am not quite ready to reveal all. I can leave you with a teaser though. What is the one thing everybody, and I mean everybody, wants? If my products could do one thing for your skin, what would it be? The real scientific breakthroughs still await us, but they’re just around the corner.
With skincare science evolving rapidly, what’s one area of research you’re most excited about? Well, what everybody in the Bay Area is working on of course. This area is a mecca for longevity research, which is expanding and changing many fields and taking us in many different directions. For example, the Buck Institute in Novato has been investigating aging with respect to the role played by protein misfolding in Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline for a few years now. Related fields, such as skin aging, beg for more exploration by dedicated scientists. I intend to be more deeply involved in this type of research, especially in connection with skin aging. How does skin age, and what can we do to slow down the rate? Those are the questions that keep me awake at night.
If you could give people one timeless piece of skincare advice, what would it be? Wear sunscreen. The science behind that advice is that the number one cause of skin aging is DNA damage from sun. This is the hallmark of aging known in the longevity field as genomic instability. 90% of wrinkles and sunspots are caused by sun exposure, most of which falls into the category of premature aging.
Bottom line: if you don’t wear sunscreen your skin will age faster than it needs to. You can prevent premature aging by wearing zinc oxide only sunscreen every day.
If we were to peek into your personal skincare cabinet, what products and rituals would we find?
Daily: MARIE VERONIQUE Vitamins C+E+Ferulic Serum + Barrier Restore Serum, followed by Protective Day Oil + Barrier Lipid Complex, followed Zinc oxide sunscreen.
Nightly: MARIE VERONIQUE Soothing B3 Serum + Barrier Restore Serum, followed by Rejuvinating Night Oil + Barrier Lipid Complex, followed by Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion.
You can see I am big on oil blends. Not to mention the three must haves– Vitamin C and sunscreen by day and retinol at night.
The term ‘clean beauty’ is often used but can be ambiguous. How does Marie Veronique define ‘clean beauty,’ and what criteria do you use to ensure your products meet this standard? I much prefer that our products meet standards of high performance efficacy and safety. “Clean beauty” is a phrase more often employed to create unnecessary alarm over non-issues than to deliver useful information. I think the next generation of formulators, busy creating products based on scientific research that produce demonstrable results, will not concern themselves with playing to empty marketing hype. I hope to see, in my lifetime, “Clean beauty” go the way of snake oil salesmen gambits. Actually, snake oil is beneficial as it’s high in Omega 3, 6 and 9 EFAs. Dear consumers, buy snake oil, and be skeptical of clean beauty claims that serve no purpose except to scare you.
Are there any novel or unconventional ingredients you’ve incorporated into your products recently? Yes.
Oh, what, you want more? Yes, a range of dipeptides, enzymes and liposomes.
Beyond skincare, what are some of the wellness rituals or habits that keep you feeling your best? I take many supplements every day, including all the longevity ones like quercetin, NAD+ and so on. I also take Stamets 7–the mushroom extracts Paul Stamets recommends. I am an admirer of his work. I row 4,000 meters a day, walk everywhere, eat salad for breakfast most days. Some days I put bacon in the salad. I am not a Puritan.
Are there any books, people, or experiences that have deeply influenced your philosophy on skincare and wellness?
Books –
Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To by David A. Sinclair
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and Nexus, both by Yuval Noah Harari
Fall, or Dodge In Hell by Neal Stephenson
I am a big fan of science fiction.
People: my kids
Other: My cat, Fat Eddy. Every day I learn something new from her.
With so much marketing-driven skincare, have you ever faced skepticism from consumers or the industry for taking a more scientific, less hype-driven approach? How do you navigate that? Haha, I sense a compliment in there and I am taking it. It’s a point of pride for me to be a hardline skeptic, and frankly skepticism requires a level of science knowledge hypers don’t have.
Bottom line, adherence to scientific principles is just good business. Science based skin care is the future. Brands still fumbling in the “clean beauty” space will very soon be regarded as quaint and charming artifacts, like alchemy or Wiccan rituals. They cannot compete against science-driven skin care products and treatments that deliver results.
Complete this sentence: Living well means…
I’ll give you Polonius’ advice to his son Laertes: “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
The irony is of course Polonius didn’t follow his own advice, and met a bad end.
