Ms. Katharine Grimmer is the CEO and Founder of Lotus RX, a line of haircare with proprietary formulations that specifically target scalp issues experienced by patients undergoing chemotherapy, or recovering from cancer treatment. Before founding her company, Grimmer was a Clinical Researcher for Gilead Sciences, 3-V Biosciences, and Genentech. Grimmer achieved her BS in Biology and an MBA from Golden Gate University. Katherine Grimmer is also a member of our summer 2018 cohort of Milestone Makers and took a moment to share her journey as an entrepreneur thus far. 

Tell us, what does “entrepreneurship” mean to you?

KG:   To me, entrepreneurship is having the courage to believe in your ideas and the willingness to take big risks to pursue them. It is essential for aspiring entrepreneurs to be flexible and comfortable in the sometimes unsteady startup world. A healthy dose of fearlessness and grit doesn’t hurt either!

Describe the “a-ha” moment to lead to you starting the company.

KG:  I have had 2 “aha” moments. The first was when I was getting my MBA and I used my active OTC, eco-friendly dandruff idea for a marketing project. In doing my research I realized that I was making what every woman who colors her hair and has dandruff was looking for. I had essentially identified a white space in the market.

My second aha moment was when my mom was undergoing her second round of chemo and she developed a horrible “chemo scalp rash”. The standard of care treatment of the intermittent use of topical steroid and lotion just wasn’t relieving her inflammation, itching and flaking. My next thought was, this is pretty similar to a scalp with dandruff, let me see how Lotus Rx does, and it was surprising how well it performed.

What was the biggest realization on your journey so far?

KG: I had the realization that this is a marathon and not a sprint. Starting from scratch and being a first-time entrepreneur means a lot of trial and error. I sometimes feel like I am flying the plane while I am still building it. I have learned to be okay with making mistakes, learning from them and moving on.

How is your company changing the landscape?

KG:  Lotus Rx is improving the quality of life for people undergoing chemotherapy. Treatment for chemotherapy-induced rash has largely been an ignored area of patient care. Topical steroids are the go-to standard of care but they are not without their issues. For many patients they are marginally effective, burn upon application, are for short-term use only and in some cases make the rash even worse. In addition, steroids only address the inflammation and redness of a chemo-induced rash — so the itching and flaking go untreated. When I initially thought about trying out the Lotus Rx Scalp Relief conditioner on my Mom’s scalp rash, I figured if it worked, it would be addressing all 4 problems, itchiness, redness, inflammation and flaking. The speed with which it had a positive effect did surprise me a bit. I now realize that like dandruff, if the rash is responsive to pyrithione zinc in a combination of botanicals and healing oils, it will respond in 1-3 uses. The number of people living with cancer is staggering and luckily modern medicine is extending life expectancy across the board. Almost every one of these patients will go on a course of chemotherapy that is likely to cause a rash of some sort. I like to say that I am creating a treatment that gives a little bit of normal back in a uniquely abnormal situation. My mom likes to say that I help people enjoy their day and sleep better!

Now we have focused our product line to also target dandruff — we are one of the few options on the market that combine active OTC ingredient in a botanical, non-stripping eco-friendly sustainable product.

For the chemotherapy community, a natural, gentle alternative that alleviates aggravating treatment-related scalp rash is much needed. For many people, this will improve their daily quality of life and hopefully give back some of their “normal” that has been taken from them as they travel through their chemotherapy journey.

What’s the next step or big goal?

KG:  I have partnered with the Komen Foundation for the 2018 San Francisco Race for the Cure. Lotus Rx will have a booth at the race and be handing out brochures with product samples to women battling breast cancer. The goal is to connect with as many women and get Lotus Rx on as many heads as possible.

For the dandruff side of the business, I have been focusing on strategic partnerships; I’ve partnered with IPSY and Beauty + Bikes for the upcoming Generation Beauty Expo in New York. We just completed a wildly successful event this past week in San Francisco so I’m looking forward to this next event and the mass exposure it brings for a small indie brand such as mine. Beauty + Bikes is the brainchild of digital media executive Corey Weiss, one of the founding partners of IPSY and these monthly events combine influencer “sweatworking” with fitness and health/wellness by taking the 50 top social media creators on the “ride” of their lives. The belief of Beauty + Bikes is that beauty radiates from the inside out; it is equally important to look good, feel good and do good. These values align with Lotus Rx on every level so I am excited to see what lies ahead.