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The Curology model is made to be so simple that the nagging nuisance of acne and blemishes is just a few phone taps from being eradicated. The direct-to-consumer business allows customers to answer questions, snap a few photos, be linked with a licensed provider, and have a custom skin care formula en route in little-to-no time. The company offers everything from acne treatment to wrinkle fighters and dark spot lighteners.
Founded in 2014 by Dr. David Lortscher, Curology has steadily expanded its consumer base, initially targeting customers between ages 20 and 24. It now offers anti-aging products for older users or those more concerned about maintaining already healthy skin.
In service of its increasingly diverse customers, Curology’s In Support of Black Joy initiative showcased stories, conversations, events, and amplified the voices of 20 Black creators in commemoration of Black History Month in 2021. Curology also partnered with Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black college, and offered a $50,000 scholarship to hopeful Black physician assistants who want to focus on dermatology.
The In Support of Black Joy is an expansion of the Curology Access Program, which aims to make quality skincare more accessible. The CAP provides free two-year subscriptions to applicants in need and is part of a broader effort to provide credit for Curology meds and services for 1,000 new people per month. The nearly $6 million annual dedication of funds reaffirms the company’s commitment to personal skincare, no matter the customer’s background.
But Curology’s expansion hasn’t merely been in its customer base or its healthy capital-raising endeavors. In 2020, Jonathan Parot worked diligently as Curology’s senior director of real estate and workplace. He joined the company just before the pandemic then navigated the crisis all while managing, maintaining, and developing real estate across the US in line with the company’s headcount.
Under the shadow of an international shutdown, day-to-day facilities operations and maintenance were hugely affected, while safety restrictions prevented employees from being able to enjoy Curology’s recently refreshed and revamped San Diego office.
While starting a new job in a pandemic undoubtedly offered numerous challenges, Parot says that the entire world was in the same boat. He adds that being resourceful is an absolute necessity in his role, since no amount of planning will ever keep problems from popping up. It’s the tenacity and dedication to readjusting and moving forward that separates the good from the greats.
There has been a silver lining to Curology’s pandemic experience. Its tehealth services, which provided easy access to doctors, were well established far before the world sent its workforce home. Healthcare systems seem to recognize that a great deal of their patients would rather not have to come for in-person visits if they aren’t necessary, and Curology was already well ahead of the game.
Along with his real estate role, Parot was the cochair sponsor for Curology’s employee and military affiliates benefits. The role was fitting, as Parot himself has acted as an engineer officer for the United States Army Reserve since 2002. The major is responsible for 2,300 soldiers and Department of the Army civilians within a 10-state region in the southwestern US.
In addition to overseeing operation functions for multiple brigade and battalion-level engineer units who enable mission command for military missions, civil works projects, and contingency operations, as well as a number of other actions, Parot also offers construction and real estate support to eight different FEMA and EPA regions and partners on the local, state, and federal level.
As Curology continues its own march to wider consumer recognition and applying a little cover-up to a larger section of the skincare market, it’s unlikely to forget the year when none of its employees could enjoy a freshly overhauled company HQ. But Parot’s ability to readjust with military precision helped keep Curology’s real estate portfolio ready for another year of building.
Editor’s note: At the time of press, Jonathan Parot was no longer with Curology.
