The Interview: Joonbyrd founder, Alexis Granite, on body care as beauty’s next frontier

Alexis a native New Yorker, but Londoners have claimed her as their own. Her passion for skin health has made her one of the most in-demand dermatologists in the capital.

Dr. Alexis Granite, you are a world-renowned expert in medical and aesthetic dermatology and now a physical beauty brand owner. Tell us about your career path that led to aesthetics and then onto body care.

I’ve been a dermatologist for nearly 20 years now, which is hard for me to believe! I am originally from the US and was living and working in New York City before we moved over to the UK 14 years ago. I started up a small clinical practice in London (Skinesis Medical at Sarah Chapman), and we’ve now expanded to four clinicians and two medical therapists.

I have been a beauty lover since I was a young girl, inspired by my grandmother, who was an incredible pioneer of self-care before we even had a term for self-care. I also come from a family of doctors and was always surrounded by science, so it feels like dermatology was always in my future, the perfect union of those two worlds.

I thought a lot about creating a brand and what that would look like, and knew I wanted to draw on my background for inspiration, combining the joy and nostalgia that I’ve always associated with beauty and my passion for the biology and well-being of the skin. At the same time, I was seeing more and more patients with body skin concerns and providing treatments that extended beyond the face, so it felt like functional body care was a white space we could occupy, with products that not only have clinically-proven benefits, but also are a joy to use.

Do you specialise in any specific treatments?

I mainly practice aesthetic dermatology, a mix of neuromodulators, fillers, skin boosters as well as lasers and energy-based devices. I try to take a pro-ageing approach with all of my patients, most of whom I’ve seen for years. Creating a bespoke combination treatment plan for each person is really where I think you can achieve the best, most natural-looking results. It’s not about erasing every line and wrinkle, but more about feeling like the most confident version of yourself.

What are the trends you’re currently seeing in aesthetics, and what are you predicting for the future as technology moves forward?

Thankfully, there is a definite shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach and treatment packages inspired by a specific look, such as the “Kylie.” There is more interest in treatments that work with your skin’s natural processes, such as skin boosters and energy-based devices and in biotech, plant-derived exosomes are an example. As we move deeper into the wellness and longevity spaces overall, these impact aesthetics too. There is also more emphasis on treating the whole body and the health of our skin from head to toe.

You’ve created such a strong brand identity with Joonbyrd – playful, but luxurious. Tell us about the idea behind the brand.

I created Joonbyrd as a way to unite what I love most about being a dermatologist, helping patients feel comfortable in their own skin, and my grandmother's legacy of finding joy and meaning in self-care. Joonbyrd was created to redefine the notion of functional body care. Your skin doesn't cease at your chin, so why should your skincare? We believe that clinical skincare doesn’t need to feel clinical to be effective. Joonbyrd is the first premium body care brand to unite dermatology-grade results with neuroscience-backed scent rituals, transforming daily care into scientifically developed routines uniquely designed for joy.

Who is the core customer?

We’ve crafted Joonbyrd personas and use these as inspiration and guidance for everything we do. Our core customers are millennial and Gen X women who are results-driven when it comes to their skincare, but also holistic in their view of self-care and the importance of little sprinkles of JOY. As a brand, it’s important for us to engage with our customers and really try and understand their needs and desires, and how we can make their lives better, even in a small way. So the process of refining the Joonbyrd personas is always ongoing.

Looking at marketing - How do you recruit your customers?

We take a full omnichannel approach to recruiting customers, working across organic and paid social and search and utilising our website as our “shop window.” We also feel connecting with the community in real life is so important, so on-ground events and brand partnerships are key for Joonbyrd. There's nothing better than someone falling in love with the brand and spreading the word to their network.

Working closely with our retailers to connect with their customers and build brand awareness is another important avenue. Establishing authentic relationships with brand partners, content creators, press, and other founders and members of the beauty industry are also all key in terms of reaching potential customers.

Do you see any patterns in sales yet? Is there a stand-out bestseller?

Our treatments are our bestsellers – Daydreamer Firming Body Serum and Kaleidoscope Smoothing Body Serum. This has been great to see as we really set out before launch to be a brand with a problem-solution focus. I was seeing more and more patients present with body skin concerns, and oftentimes, body treatments can feel quite medicinal, so this was a white space I thought Joonbyrd could fill. Treating crepey skin or keratosis pilaris, for example, can now be both results-driven and a joy to use.

What does the shape of the business look like today? How big is your team?

We have a small but mighty team of 7, myself included. There is never a dull moment when you work in a small business, but the team is amazingly agile at handling the daily challenges that come their way.

Let’s talk retail. You have DTC via your website and you’re stocked in some of the world’s leading retailers.  What’s your strategy in terms of retail?

From the very beginning, Joonbyrd has been built on two parallel pillars: our DTC platform and strategic retail partnerships. DTC allows us to have a direct relationship with our community, to tell our full brand story, and to quickly respond to feedback. It’s where we test, learn, and create experiences that deepen emotional connection.

At the same time, retail is key for visibility and credibility. We look for alignment in values, positioning, and customer profile. Our strategy is to be selective and to partner closely with each retailer through a curated edit of SKUs, strong merchandising, in-store education for staff, and campaigns that connect our online and offline presence. When a customer discovers Joonbyrd in-store, our goal is for the experience to be as considered and memorable as it is on our own site.

Any plans for own-brand boutiques in the future?

This is most definitely on the Joonbyrd vision board!

What’s your view on UK retail right now? As you’ll be aware, the economy is challenged, so brands need to fight for shelf space with retailers. What advice would you offer younger brands looking at retail?

It is a challenging landscape at the moment, especially within the UK for premium and luxury brands. Being laser clear on your brands point of difference I think is key and something we continue to work on. Partnering closely with your retail teams is also so important, working closely to build brand awareness and drive sales, as getting into a retailer is just the start of the journey.

Beauty is saturated, so how are you getting cut-through? Do you have a sampling strategy, for example?

Beauty is very crowded, so for us, cut-through comes from absolute clarity about who we are and why we exist. Joonbyrd isn’t trying to be everything to everyone; our focus is on delivering dermatologist-developed, clinically proven body care that also makes you feel something.

Sampling is definitely part of our strategy, we view samples as a curated introduction, whether through DTC, retail partnerships, or events, where we can tell the brand story alongside the product. We want the first experience of Joonbyrd to feel intentional, memorable, and to spark JOY always!

Finally, any new SKUs in the making?

Yes, some very exciting new products are in the pipeline! Cellular longevity and neuroscience will feature heavily on our upcoming launches, so stay tuned…