The Dallas Derm on a Mission to Redefine Clean Beauty

We live in a post-Goop world. Today, we’re taking a closer look than ever at what we’re putting on our skin — an objectively good thing. The clean beauty movement has boomed, promising formulas free from irritants, allergens, and endocrine disruptors. But since an industry-recognized definition of “clean” is still lacking (as is much FDA regulation for brands that claim to be “green” or “medical-grade”), the world of non-toxic skincare is, ironically, quite murky. 

“People who are mindful about skincare tend to gravitate towards the clean beauty movement, which from our perspective as dermatologists, can be a somewhat misguided movement,” Dr. Carina Woodruff, a board-certified derm based in Dallas, tells PaperCity. “The problem is not chemicals. The solution is not plants. It’s much more nuanced: It’s how every single chemical reacts to the skin.” 

In addition to her training at Yale’s School of Medicine, Dr. Woodruff specializes in patch testing and contact dermatitis, making her uniquely attuned to potential allergens lurking in our beauty routines. 

“Brands are popping up all over the place and there’s been a really large increase in allergic reactions over the last decade,” Dr. Woodruff notes. “Consumers are still imbibing the clean beauty thing and going from brand to brand to brand to find a solution.” 

Dr. Woodruff, along with Dr. Nina Botto (an expert in allergic skin reactions) and Dr. Lindy Fox (an expert medical dermatologist), came together to self-fund a solution: Vetted, a hypoallergenic, luxury skincare line where every single ingredient is expert-approved. 

The trio of academics, who met while teaching at the University of California San Francisco, never imagined one day creating a brand. “None of us set out to do this — we didn’t even have Instagram accounts,” Dr. Woodruff notes. “But we think there’s an epidemic of allergies happening in the U.S. because the FDA doesn’t intervene. It’s something that has impacted us personally, and we felt compelled to do this.” 

Vetted Dermlab, which launched in September of 2023, is a thoughtfully edited, fragrance-free collection with everything you need — save for sunscreen. There’s a gentle cleanser with niacinamide, a highly stable vitamin C serum, a non-irritating retinoid serum, and a ceramide-packed moisturizer that comes in a “light” and “rich” formula. Every product features active, hypoallergenic ingredients, and is packaged in simple, recyclable glass bottles. 

In addition to redefining “clean beauty,” Vetted’s co-founders are on a mission to educate. The Vetted Instagram is filled with myth-busting videos from its knowledgeable founders — Is Botox safe for sensitive skin? Probably! Is my skin too sensitive for retinoids? No! Are my pets causing contact dermatitis? Definitely not! — along with insights into the ingredients that should be on labels. In Dallas this September, Dr. Woodruff is hosting a product swap, where guests can bring in any product that has caused an allergic reaction and receive a Vetted product in exchange. (Sign up for emails on vetteddermlab.com for more on the upcoming event.)

“We’ll offer a deep dive into patch testing and learn about contact allergies — how do they happen and how do we identify what’s causing them,” Dr. Woodruff shares. “It’s not just what’s put in your skincare, but what you leave out that’s critical.”