Our Story
We know rosacea
MeridaSKIN was founded and formulated by cosmetic formulator and expert nurse practitioner Shannon L. Johnson to care for her own rosacea. Our founder personally journeyed through ineffective rosacea treatments and countless skincare products that aggravated the condition. That journey led her to set about solving her own problem by developing the formulas that became MeridaSKIN.
Founder Bio: Shannon L. Johnson NP-C is a nationally-certified family nurse practitioner with 20+ years of internal medicine experience. She holds Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Simmons University, a Master’s degree from Simmons University, and completed a post-graduate program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has worked in primary care, emergency medicine and urgent care. Shannon enjoys teaching, and has precepted countless graduate students in clinical rotations, and taught graduate-level Advanced Pharmacology and Pathophysiology courses.
Our Brand Story
FROM FLAWLESS to redness, and Back AGAIN
My previously easy complexion took an unpleasant turn at age 30, when I developed several "phenotypes" of rosacea. I tried every available prescription treatment for the flushing, persistent redness, papules (red bumps), pustules (whiteheads), burning, and stinging that had invaded my face. Each treatment had a downside that outweighed any small benefit I got. I had plenty of rosacea "triggers" but didn't want to cut them all out of my life. So, I felt the best I could do was to take good care of my skin. I started with the inexpensive big brands that are routinely recommended for sensitive skin, but I didn't find them particularly gentle, or pleasing to use. So, I kept moving up the price scale. Spending more didn't help. By 2017, I had grown tired of being embarrassed and stepping out of photographs (to this day I regret that there are few pictures of me during pregnancy). That's when I took matters into my own hands.
JOURNEY TO ROSACEA SKINCARE
I started by taking courses in cosmetic formulating. Then I set up a prototyping lab to get hands-on experience. Learning about cosmetic ingredients and formulas was eye-opening and left me with the certainty that I could improve significantly on the products that were already commercially available. My initial goal was to make a facial cleanser that would be gentle but still remove my make-up. I also wanted to see if I could discourage a common skin mite called Demodex folliculorum, since overpopulation of the mite had been documented in the skin of people with rosacea.
For the first time, I was truly getting better. I was so energized by the results I decided to make an entire regimen for myself. Each product would avoid irritants and allergens, promote a balanced microbiome, and support the skin’s important barrier function. The latter meant keeping the pH skin-friendly, promoting moisturization, not stripping away helpful substances and not clogging pores. Finally, as a healthcare provider, a mother and someone who strives to be a good steward of the planet, I wanted to use only ingredients with a strong record of human and environmental safety. Meeting the challenge of formulating within these parameters required thousands of hours, plenty of advice from experts in the field and hundreds of iterations.
By mid-2020 I had developed three dermatologist-tested products that I didn’t want to be without, and MeridaSKIN was born. Today, MeridaSKIN has the distinction of being the only EWG Verified® skincare developed specifically for rosacea. I hope that you find it as helpful and trustworthy as I do.
Wishing you good health,
