Harsh to Healing: Rethinking Skincare & Self Care for Tweens, Kristina Kubler & Corina Pfeffer, Founders, Pipa Skin Care

From Motherhood to Movement: How Pipa Skin Care Is Rewriting the Rules of Tween Beauty

When Kristina Kubler and Corina Pfeffer looked at the beauty aisle through the eyes of their daughters, what they saw felt deeply wrong. Products designed for adult skin, aggressive marketing aimed at kids, and ingredient lists no parent could confidently stand behind. As mothers, immigrants, and founders, they knew there had to be another way.

That realization became Pipa Skin Care, a clean, pediatrician-approved skincare line created specifically for tweens. What began as a personal search for safer options turned into a purpose-led brand that is reshaping how young people learn to care for their skin, their health, and the planet.

On this episode of The Wild Party Podcast, host Stefanie LaHart sits down with Kristina and Corina to explore how intuition, research, and values came together to build a brand that is as thoughtful as it is joyful.

A Gap Too Big to Ignore

Kristina’s journey started at home. As an esthetician and ingredient researcher, she understood skincare at a deep level. As a mom, she watched her daughter become curious about beauty routines long before her skin needed intervention.

“I couldn’t find anything that was cool enough for her to want to use, but safe enough for her skin and for the age she was in,” Kristina shared.

Most options felt either boring or dangerously inappropriate. Products contained endocrine-disrupting ingredients, synthetic dyes, fragrances, and actives designed for mature skin. Instead of settling, Kristina decided to create something new. Pipa, named after her daughter’s nickname, became her answer to a system that had overlooked kids entirely.

When the Right People Show Up at the Right Time

Pipa became real when Kristina reconnected with Corina Pfeffer and their third co-founder, Clara Cardenas. Though all three women grew up in Venezuela, it wasn’t until they were living in the United States that their paths aligned again.

Corina’s background could not have been more different on paper. She studied industrial mathematics, built a career in analytics, then pivoted into web design and digital strategy after becoming a mother. But her personal experience mirrored Kristina’s.

“I was looking for skincare for my daughter to start building good habits before issues actually start,” Corina said. “And I couldn’t find anything she wouldn’t forget about or push to the back of a drawer.”

When Kristina called with the idea for Pipa, the timing felt almost too perfect. Corina’s youngest daughter also went by the nickname Pipa.

“That’s when I knew this was meant to be,” Corina said. “It all just matched up perfectly.”

Bootstrapped, Research-Driven, and Relentlessly Intentional

There was no overnight success story here. Pipa was built slowly, deliberately, and with very little funding. Kristina personally called more than ten laboratories, rejecting private-label shortcuts that did not meet her standards.

“I didn’t want anything that would disrupt their endocrine system,” she explained. “No allergens, no fragrance, no synthetic dyes. Just clean ingredients that actually work.”

Every formula went through multiple rounds of testing. Their sunscreen alone took fifteen iterations to perfect. Kristina relied on dermatologists, chemists, and real-life feedback from her daughter and her friends.

The first year was fully bootstrapped, funded by personal savings and family support. No paid ads. No big launches. Just organic growth and proof of concept.

“When we sold out in Q4 without spending a dollar on marketing, we knew we had something,” Kristina said.

Design That Invites Kids In

Pipa’s success is impossible to separate from its design. Bright teal bottles, playful packaging, stickers, handwritten notes, and a soft terrycloth headband that feels more like a crown than an accessory.

“It has to be fun,” Corina said. “If they see it in the shower, they won’t forget it. If it rinses quickly, they’ll use it. If it absorbs fast, there’s no excuse.”

Kristina was clear that design was not an afterthought. After early packaging fell short, she invested in a top-tier designer despite the cost.

“If you save a penny, you end up spending a dollar,” she said. “It wouldn’t be the same brand without that decision.”

The result is skincare that feels like it belongs to kids, not medicine cabinets.

Sustainability, Transparency, and Teaching the Next Generation

Pipa’s mission extends far beyond skincare. The brand is cruelty-free and a member of CleanHub, helping remove plastic waste from oceans while supporting waste recovery jobs globally.

“It doesn’t make sense to protect kids’ health if we’re not also protecting the planet they’re inheriting,” Corina explained.

Both founders see today’s tweens as deeply informed and values-driven. They ask questions. They care about animals. They want to know what goes into their products.

Kristina sees a shift already happening. “They’re moving away from those 15-step routines and starting to ask what’s actually safe for them.”

Pipa positions itself as an educational bridge, offering age-appropriate products that still feel exciting. It meets kids where they are, without compromising their long-term wellbeing.

A New Definition of Beauty for the Next Generation

At its core, Pipa Skin Care is about trust. Trust between parents and kids. Trust between brand and consumer. Trust that building habits early can change outcomes later.

Kristina and Corina are not just selling products. They are shaping a new conversation around self-care, confidence, and conscious consumption for the next generation.

And in doing so, they are proving that purpose-led brands do not have to choose between impact and growth.

Listen and Learn More

🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Wild Party Podcast to hear Kristina Kubler and Corina Pfeffer share their journey in their own words, from bootstrapping and product development to marketing, sustainability, and building a brand for tweens.

🛍️ Explore Pipa Skin Care and shop the collection at pipaskincare.com, and discover clean, fun, and pediatrician-approved skincare designed with kids in mind.

Because healthy habits, like confidence, are best built early.