Meet Noël Duan, Founder of Dog Skin Care Company, Artemis
Noël is using her background working at big beauty brands to help your dog fix their skin issues and cut down on those costly vet visits.
This week it was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Noël Duan, the founder of the dog coat and skin care company, Artemis. Noël has a fascinating background, having worked directly for skincare mogul, Bobbi Brown and some other very famous brands. She is also a writer, equestrian, and all around renaissance woman living with her dog, Artemis, in London. Keep reading because you’re in for a treat.
Tell us about your business.
Artemis is skin and coat care for dogs co-created by dog parents, beauty experts, and veterinary dermatologists! I was a beauty editor back in New York City and I discovered while attending both Fashion Week and Westminster Dog Show in the same month that dogs were being groomed with white-labeled human products, aka super harsh formulations that irritated dog skin, which is actually thinner than newborn baby skin! Skin problems are the top reason for veterinary visits, so I knew I had to combine my love for dogs and experience in the beauty industry together to help dogs. Our investors include the most respected dog lovers in beauty, including celebrity makeup artist Bobbi Brown, Starface co-founder Brian Bordainick, and former Glossier CFO Vanessa Wittman—and we’re built by alumni from Glossier, Condé Nast, Mars Petcare, L'Oréal R&D, and more. We think of wellness for dogs as extending beyond exercise and diet and into their skin and coat routine, too. "You can shop our 3-in-1 Dog Wash via Amazon. I was so excited that we got featured in Business of Fashion this year in an article about premium pet grooming in the beauty space, which is a real testament to how skin care for dogs is a real phenomenon.
What was the process like of crafting the shampoo? How did you test it?
I knew I wanted to work with a veterinary dermatologist so I reached out to over 100 of them, and ended up inviting Dr. Filippo De Bellis, one of Europe’s best working veterinary dermatologists, as our advisor. I also invited two senior chemists formerly from L’Oréal to invent the formulation, which needed to be both beneficial to dogs and pleasant for humans. We knew we wanted a dog wash that was completely different from anything else on the market. I knew right away that I wanted a powdered concentrate because it was lighter to transport and naturally additive-free. And I also knew that I wanted it to be multi-use so that people didn’t have to buy multiple products. The founding creative team from Glossier also did our branding and design, which is based on an English garden design. We designed the packaging ourselves, and everyone jokes that our dog wash is prettier than anything they use in their own hair! After two years of formulation and testing with dog parents from our newsletter, we began production.
Our hero product is the powder–to-lather Leto 3-in-1 Dog Wash, which is a shampoo, conditioner, and skin soother in one, formulated with colloidal oatmeal, prebiotics, snow algae, and vitamin b5. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and completely additive-free because it’s a powder concentrate, and powders don’t expire without needing preservatives! You just rinse your dog with water first, shake the powder onto their coat, and lather up with our suds.
I tested each iteration of our formulation 20 times on my own hair and skin before using it on my dog! Every ingredient was approved by Dr. De Bellis, and our chemists have a dog, too. I even used our formulation to wash my hair before my big birthday bash at the private members’ club Annabel’s. It was the only product I used in my hair!
What’s it like having a dog in London and where are the best spots for long walks or hikes?
London is super dog friendly because dogs are allowed in most restaurants and can be off-leash in most of the parks at all hours. We’re so grateful to have built a community of dog parents in this city. Chief canine officer Artemis’s favorite walk spots include Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, and Regent’s Park! And yes, you can go off-leash in these parks!
Tell us about some of your favorite moments with your dog.
I took chief canine officer Artemis to Paris in 2019 and I remember her looking out the window at the Eiffel Tower. I thought to myself, “This really is the city of love.” But my fave moments with Artemis usually simply involve our long walks in the morning. She’s always taking her time to sniff every corner and every blade of grass, even though we walk the same paths every day. It’s a reminder to me that there is always something new to discover in the world.
You have an incredible resume. Not only have you built this business but you were a copywriter for some gigantic brands like Bobbi Brown and Elizabeth Arden. You’ve been a journalist, an essayist, a speech writer, and even a commercial screenwriter. As an entrepreneur how did you feel like your experience prepared you to build a business?
Being a writer teaches you a lot about resilience, research, and rejection! As a journalist, I often delved into topics I knew next to nothing about, and I would often pick up the phone and call sources I had never spoken to before. And you are constantly rejected for creative projects when you’re a writer! I even used to keep a spreadsheet of my writing rejections to remind myself that it takes many rejections to get to one “yes.” I’ve carried these learnings into being an entrepreneur.
We heard you’re writing a novel. Tell us about that.
I won’t reveal too much right now, but I’ll say it’s a modern retelling of a Greek myth! I’m really into classical mythology. My company and dog is named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of wild animals!
Bobbi Brown is one of your investors and advisors. What’s something that she’s taught you about building a business after the massive success of her cosmetics brand?
Bobbi gave me a chance when I first graduated from school and had about three months of savings left before I had to leave New York. She offered me a job on the spot, and told me I was the first person she’d ever hired on the spot. But I’ve noticed that she loves to take a chance on people, like hiring her favorite receptionist at a hotel to be her assistant. She taught me to give a chance to people and let them surprise you.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love horse riding and I ride at the stables weekly! This year, I went to Crete and Arizona for some incredible trail riding. I also love reading novels and poetry when I’m not writing, and attending the theatre, opera, and ballet. I studied art history at Columbia, and I’m so lucky that the museums in London are mostly free!
What are you reading right now?
I just finished Orbital by Samantha Harvey. It won the Booker Prize this year, and it’s about astronauts in space. Like all the best books, it made me feel infinite and insignificant at the same time.
If someone in our community wants to build their own pet product line, how do you suggest they get started?
It’s always so exciting to discover new brands and products as a pet parent! From my own experience, I recommend defining their point of view, whether through feedback on prototypes or some personal introspection. There is so much going on in the pet industry! We can’t please everyone. But you can make a product that you truly believe in.
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