1. EachPod

331 | Persistence Powers Long-Term Growth | with Celeste Hilling

Author
Chase Clymer with Celeste Hilling
Published
Mon 26 May 2025
Episode Link
https://honestecommerce.co/episodes/331-persistence-powers-long-term-growth-with-celeste-hilling-mvsYWM0p

Celeste Hilling is the founder and CEO of Skin Authority, a direct-to-consumer skin health technology brand focused on merging cosmetic performance with immune-boosting skincare. With a background in research, marketing, and tech, Celeste leads the development of biotech-powered formulations that deliver visible results while strengthening skin’s natural defenses.

Since launching Skin Authority, Celeste has scaled the brand without paid media or a PR agency, leveraging strategic collaborations, emotional brand storytelling, and a rabid customer base to drive growth across North America and Europe. Her work has been featured on MSNBC, ABC, FOX, and in wellness circles as a fresh voice redefining beauty as part of whole-person health.

Rooted in a science-backed, customer-led model, Celeste focuses on building high-retention product experiences powered by habit, transformation, and trust. Whether mentoring female founders or licensing next-gen skincare IP, she brings a playbook for scaling with authenticity, resilience, and long-term brand equity.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

  • [00:42] Intro
  • [00:54] Exploring wellness through skin health
  • [01:18] Bringing science into a vanity-driven space
  • [02:06] Educating consumers with purpose and clarity
  • [03:09] Reframing wellness as a real market need
  • [07:06] Estimating costs and timelines realistically
  • [10:27] Building momentum through word of mouth
  • [11:58] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Social Snowball, Portless, & Reach
  • [17:02] Bootstrapping growth with strategic partners
  • [18:41] Investing in backend infrastructure early
  • [20:18] Launching Ecommerce from day one
  • [23:19] Collaborating early to build awareness

Resources:

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