Like most of us, Daisy Jing’s struggle with acne last long beyond her adolescent year. From being bullied for her pimples to running out of anti-acne products to try, Jing knew she was born to change the (literal) face of the beauty industry.
Jing went to Duke University with the hopes of helping others with similar struggles by becoming a dermatologist. But after realizing how many skincare products have unnecessary fillers, unwanted fragrances, and mineral oil, Jing set out to truly get to the root of blackheads. Enter: Banish.
Jing founded the first skincare brand to normalize at-home micro needling, while Banish also led the charge advocating for no fragrance in skincare. Banish products are made in small batches and ready to order. Their top-selling Banisher Acne Scar removal tool is a proprietary patent and industry game-changer. Better yet, Banish replaces acne insecurity with skin positivity and normalizes acne scars.
Now, Jing details what led to her founding the multimillion dollar brand from the ground up.
The Knockturnal: What led you to create Banish?
Daisy Jing: I wanted to be a dermatologist so I went to Duke for pre med. I started making YouTube videos in my dorm room about my skin and people admired me for my authenticity and ability to talk about my skin issues. Through my premed courses and reading skincare ingredients, I realized a lot of products made my skin worse than better. There were a lot of unnecessary ingredients in the current skincare products I was using at that time. I would concoct my own skincare and buy only pure ingredients from health food stores. A few months later, my audience noticed my skin had cleared up, I still have screenshots of my followers asking “what happened to your acne scars”. From there, I shipped a few of those products and the rest is history! I wanted to solve my own problem and I did, and in turn, helped others with theirs. I had no intention of wanting to start a business. I was planning on continuing my education to become a dermatologist.
The Knockturnal: What are some of your bestsellers?
Daisy Jing: The Banish Starter Kit is our best seller. We have so few products because every product is my favorite, and to keep our ingredients and products fresh, and operations streamlined, we focus on the internal quality of our products instead of trying to keep a wide inventory of products. Our All Clear Mint Cleanser is great because it gives me a spa-like experience just by washing my face. I wanted a cleanser that made your skin feel clean and fresh and would energize you, without feeling too soapy and living film on your face.
The Knockturnal: Why advocate for no fragrances in skincare?
Daisy Jing: Fragrance can be an irritant to your skin, and should be especially avoided if you have acne prone skin and/or sensitive skin.
The Knockturnal: The Banisher 2.0 seems like a must-have. How did you personal history with acne affect your product rollout?
Daisy Jing: I still get acne and pimples, so I couldn’t use a dermaroller device because of my active acne. What I wanted to create was a tool that you could microneedle around the active acnem thus Banisher 2.0 was born!
The Knockturnal: Who is your customer?
Daisy Jing: Our customer is usually in mid twenties/mid thirties, into nutrition, diet, exercise, and lives a healthy lifestyle. She values trusted ingredients in her food and skincare products.
The Knockturnal: Where do you see the brand in 5 years?
Daisy Jing: It’s important that we always stay true to our roots and continue to build a community to change the way people view themselves. I know the rates of depression, anxiety, suidice, etc. have all increased for Gen Z mainly due to the pressures of social media. Our mission at Banish is to advocate for confidence in a world that is constantly pitting you against unrealistic standards.
