Joonbyrd Is Here to Spark Joy in Skincare
Founder Dr. Alexis Granite on restorative rituals, nostalgic scents and the science that brings it all together.
If there is one thing to know about Dr. Alexis Granite it is that she likes to do things differently. A quick glance at her brand’s website and socials screams of playful confidence. The sweet scents? Cozy, indulgent and rich. The packaging of the products? Tactile and oh-so pretty. But there’s so much more than meets the eye – and nose.
“Being a dermatologist, I think most people kind of thought I would do skin care,” says Dr. Granite, who holds an exceptionally rare dual medical license in both the UK and U.S. But instead of doing what was expected, she launched her wellness and lifestyle brand, Joonbyrd, with a body care collection. “More and more, I was seeing patients coming in with body concerns, the same way they would have on their face,” she explains. “I didn’t really feel like there was that much out there that brings the kind of ingredients that you would normally associate with efficacious facial skin care for the skin below the chin. And even less that does so in a way that sparks joy.”
More than three years in the making, Joonbyrd launched in 2024 to bring joy back into skincare through the daily rituals – both big and small – that fuel our souls and care for our skin. “Clinical skincare doesn’t have to be sterile to be effective,” as Granite says.
Joonbyrd
Joonbyrd
The brand’s name itself – ‘Joon’ means soul, spirit and life in Farsi – is a tribute to Granite’s Persian grandmother, Iran, who also inspired Granite’s own love of self-care, lotions and potions. Combined with over two decades of medical practice, she’s created an array of innovative, mood-boosting, performance-driven formulations that tap into the mind-body connection, proving that science doesn’t have to be soulless.
As Joonbyrd continues to build a community based on positivity, Granite tells us exactly what her ALXmd04 technology means, why self-care doesn’t need to be complicated and why joy is more important than ever.
On Joonbyrd’s Handcare
After the body, I think hands are an area that we often don’t pay as much attention to as we should. If you think about it, you are using your hands all the time. It’s this incredible touch point to the world, and I obviously work with my hands, so I’m always looking for amazing products that not only help the skin but also give you that sense of ritual. There’s even evidence that by washing your hands you can actually elevate your mood. So that’s what Joonbyrd’s latest launch is all about.
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On Making Self-Care Simple
If think my grandmother would be blown away by what’s available now in terms of self-care. But I think the premise is the same now as it was then. Ultimately it is a very personal thing and can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be, whether you have a washcloth and a lovely smelling soap, or whether you have LED contraptions, jade rollers and a 10-step skincare routine. I think today it can feel like we keep layering onto people things that they should be doing and it can be really overwhelming. But I hope Joonbyrn offers an alternative. Something simple, but effective, that you look forward to rather than seeing as a chore. I love the sensorial aspect of body care and I wanted to create a real self care moment, whether it’s just a couple minutes and you’re putting something on quickly in the morning, or whether you’re doing like a long, leisurely soak in the bath.
On Joonbyrd’s Unique Technology
We think about skin from a really 360 degree approach, which is where our ALXmd04 technology came from. It’s a way of allowing ingredients to interact so that they completely support all aspects of skin metabolism.
All of our products are formulated around four pillars of ingredients. First of all, hard-working, hard-working ingredients. Things you would normally associate with very efficacious facial skin care – niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, panthenol – but that are often overlooked for the body. The second pillar is all about the microbiome. Our skin hosts trillions of microscopic organisms which are needed for a balanced, healthy microbiome. So all of our products have at least one ingredient to help support that; skin food, if you will. The third pillar is all about botanical extracts and supporting skin through nature, tapping into their anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antioxidant properties. The last category is quite unique to us: functional enhancers, which looks at the link between the mind and the skin through adaptogens or functional mushroom extracts. This was really inspired by my experience in clinic. Day in and day our I see how much the skin is impacted by stress, so we really wanted to tackle that from a global level, with products that boost your mood through the experience of using them, but also with ingredients that help and support skin.
Joonbyrd
Joonbyrd
Joonbyrd
On Joonbyrd’s Packaging
We trialled lots of different layout and packaging designs. To begin with, we wanted something that reflected the clinical nature of the formulations, but it wasn’t quite right. Then one day, I was in my living room while we were having a call and I realized how much color there was – I love color! So we decided to let the formulations do the science talk, and bring as much color, as much joy, as we could into the packaging. So we went for candy colors that hopefully are visually inspiring. The shapes and silicone elements are all bespoke, too. It was important to me to think about how the products look on a shelf, on your sink, how it’s dispensed and how it feels.
On the Power of Scent
I love that your nose is connected to one of the most ancient parts of your brain and is directly linked to memory. Fragrance can be so incredibly powerful, we all know that, so it was important that we employed it strategically. So all of our products, and their fragrances, have been developed to elicit a specific joyful feeling; we call it the joy factor. For body care we went down the gourmand route – vanillas and sweets desserts – which often evokes a sense of nostalgia. My grandmother had a crazy sweet tooth, so it was also a nod to her.
Evoking a mood is complex, but nothing compared to how complicated it is to blend into a formulation. Fragrance can make your formula unstable, or change the way your ingredients interact, so it was a long process, but I’m really happy with how it worked out. I think looking at how you can change mood or evoke mood through fragrance is one of the most interesting parts of the process.
Joonbyrd is stocked at the brand’s playful website, joonbyrd.com, as well as Space NK and Sarah Chapman Clinics.
If you are interested in other beauty brand founders, why not read about Bella Hadid’s journey with Ôrəbella or Candice Mitchell’s AI-powered haircare brand Myavana.
