Karina Moises Bootstrapped Beautology Lab Into a Cellular Skincare Brand

Estheticians around the country, celebrity estheticians included, use Beautology Lab’s tools in their professional treatments. The brand has worked with Nordstrom and Equinox, and Karina Moises has run it as a solo founder since 2019. Every one of those wins came without outside capital.

Karina Moises is the founder and CEO of Beautology Lab, a beauty and wellness brand rethinking skincare through the lens of cellular health and longevity. She started it with her own health and wellness journey and has bootstrapped it across direct-to-consumer and B2B channels. A member of the Entreprenista League, Karina is now taking the science deeper.

“I’ve learned to trust my intuition, stay committed to the bigger vision, and keep moving forward even when I can’t see every step ahead,” Karina says.

Her path from first-year founder to a 6-figure purchase order came down to one move: asking for the opportunity.

From global sales to skincare

Before Beautology Lab, Karina led sales and business development teams across the U.S., Latin America, and Asia Pacific, mostly in marketing and technology. She holds a degree in finance and a master’s in business, and she came to beauty with years of experience building businesses and developing markets.

“As a bootstrapped founder, having a business foundation has been invaluable because every decision ultimately has to balance the vision for the brand with what makes sense for the business,” she says.

An introduction after a fireside chat

About a year into building the business, Karina flew to an entrepreneurship and funding fireside chat with a major retailer on the panel. When it ended, she introduced herself, shared what she was building, and asked to connect with the retailer’s team.

“About 6 months later, I had a 6-figure purchase order in my hands,” she says.

The order gave her the confidence to keep going. It also showed her what can change when you put yourself in the right rooms, make the introduction, and ask.

Building on her own capital

Bootstrapping has meant constant decisions about where her time and capital will have the greatest impact. “When you don’t have significant outside funding, you can’t pursue every opportunity at once,” Karina says.

The constraint has taught her when to invest, when to wait, and when to pivot. “It’s made me a much more disciplined entrepreneur and taught me how to build with intention,” she says.

She is candid about the tradeoff. Had she known how much slower some stretches would be without outside capital, she says, she probably would have explored raising funds earlier.

Skincare at the cellular level

Beautology Lab looks beneath the surface, at the cellular processes behind how skin functions, repairs, renews, and ages. Its approach focuses on mechanisms tied to cellular longevity, including cellular cleanup and recycling, mitochondrial function and energy, and protein balance.

Karina pairs the science with tools, rituals, and clean formulation standards of her own that go beyond what is required. “Our products and rituals are designed to work with the body’s natural processes,” she says.

She serves women who are becoming more intentional about caring for their skin as they age and want a holistic, science-led approach. Karina wants beauty to feel like working in harmony with the body.

Cryo tools in the treatment room

Karina says InStyle named the Cryo Toning Tools the Best Skincare Tool in 2025, and she counts features in Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar among the brand’s press. The tools sit at the center of the Beautology Lab philosophy, where skincare, wellness, and ritual meet. “As an independent, bootstrapped brand, receiving that kind of recognition was incredibly validating,” she says.

The Cryo Toning Tools support practices like lymphatic drainage and cryotherapy, and many of the estheticians who use them now recommend them for at-home rituals too. “For me, seeing experts who work hands-on with skin every day choose to make our products part of their own protocols is one of the strongest reflections of the impact of what we’ve built,” Karina says.

A new generation of cellular skincare

Next comes a new generation of topical skincare designed to support skin at the cellular level, along with a stronger community around a more intentional approach to beauty, wellness, and aging. “There’s a lot happening behind the scenes right now,” she says.

Karina also mentors and advises emerging beauty and wellness founders, paying forward the support her own mentors gave her early on. “Stay curious, ask for guidance, and surround yourself with people who can help you see around corners,” she says.

You can shop the Cryo Toning Tools and the rest of the line at beautologylab.com, follow the brand on Instagram and LinkedIn, and connect with Karina on LinkedIn.

Karina’s story is a reminder that one introduction, made in the right room, can change the trajectory of your business. The Entreprenista League surrounds you with women founders who open doors and make those introductions for each other. Learn more about the Entreprenista League right here.