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52 November 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com Skincare Spotlight you not contribute to fear tactics and misinformation?" To her credit, Tse does her best to take questions in stride, but admits that this subject keeps her up at night, especially because she is a mar- keter, not a scientist. To stay current, she and her team continually review newly released beauty ingredient-related studies by trusted resources, such as pubmed.com, a com- prehensive online database of published scientific research. She counts on her board of scientific advisers for advice and guidance when a study is open to various interpretations, which happens frequently. Science, perhaps counter- intuitively, is not always black and white, but rather can be compared to shades of gray. Study methodologies, sample sizes and different ways of testing hypotheses often remain open to interpretation. The challenge, she says, is that "Most scien- tists don't agree with each other." When they don't, she goes back to her initial vision and mission: Give consumers easier access to more information so they can make smarter decisions. Surprisingly, Tse doesn't pretend to have all the answers to questions about ingredients. She considers new studies and facts and evolves the standards Think Dirty has set as she continues to evaluate cleanliness in light of research discoveries. Precisely because of this and the fact that neither she nor her company serve as activists or lobbyists (in con- trast, for example, to the Environmental Working Group), users can trust that the information they receive is unbiased. She admits: "I wish there were more definitive conclusions about ingredients studies. This is not a perfect scenario, but it's still better than leaving the consumer com- pletely in the dark. Our goal is to start a meaningful conversation, to help push the bigger players to make decisions that are better for the consumer." Tse says the best part of running her own business is the ease of execution. "When I have an idea, I can execute it— without needing anyone else's approval; it is a very refreshing experience versus my experience in various agencies," she says. "It is so exciting. I can control my own destiny." Of course, not every day is completely fabulous. As entrepreneurs know, owning a business can be fraught with challenges, like the uncertainty of a paycheck and the constant need to find and motivate team members. "The founder is always committed 200 percent to his or her idea and business; it is hard to inspire everyone else on the team to be as committed and passionate about the project," Tse shares. "No one can build a business alone—you always need an army of cheerleaders—finding them and motivating them is the hardest part of my job." Tse eagerly shares her advice for women entrepreneurs. "As women, we have the burden of being nice and pleas- ant and that often means sacrificing what we need or want. Don't do that," she says pointedly. "Don't worry about being liked. Focus on what you want to achieve and don't worry about what people think. Men in general don't ever worry about that—that's how they get to where they need to get to. We need to learn from them." Amen to that. ■ Ada S. Polla is the president and CEO of Alchimie Forever. She is the co-creator of her family's Swiss-based skincare line, which she launched in the United States in 2004. Her skincare knowledge and business skills have yielded double-digit annual-revenue growth for the brand. Get Connected! @thinkdirty @thinkdirty facebook.com/thinkdirtyshopclean thinkdirtyapp.com Think Dirty allows users to see how their beauty products rank on a "dirty" scale. Graphic courtesy of Think Dirty