Greetings, Skin microbiome enthusiast.

When I launched Fafabiotic in March of this year, I thought I knew what I was getting into.

I did not.

Launching a brand is a roller coaster in ways no spreadsheet, forecast, or past experience can fully prepare you for. March felt hopeful and terrifying at the same time. I had two products, years of formulation work behind them, and a very naive belief that within a few months I would be serving five thousand customers.

Reality had other plans.

In April, we received our first negative review. And also our last one, so far. I chose to publish it. Not because it felt good, but because it felt fair. Skincare does not work the same way for everyone, and pretending otherwise would have gone against everything I believe in. Transparency has to show up even when it is uncomfortable.

Since then, something interesting happened.

Customers started showing up in all forms. Some loved the products immediately. Some liked them and stayed quietly consistent. Some truly did not like them, most often because of the natural scent. Every one of those responses taught me something.

In less than nine months, we gained 95 customers. That number may sound small to some, but to me it represents 95 real people who trusted a brand that did not exist a year ago.

Those 95 customers purchased a total of 170 Fresh Smoothing Probiotic Lotions and 69 Fresh Hydrating Probiotic Lotions. What that showed me, more than anything, was return. People came back. They reordered. They stayed.

That matters.

This year taught me more about product impact than I expected. I learned how differently skin responds across age, environment, stress, hormones, and expectations. I learned what my product can do, and just as importantly, what it cannot promise.

It also showed me something surprising about the broader skincare space.

I have yet to see another brand making probiotic claims clearly disclose the specific probiotic strain they use or show viability data. We do both. We name the strain. We talk about viability. We approach formulation from a microbial science perspective, not a marketing one.

That clarity matters, and in 2026, it will matter even more.

I also learned that the pink product is our clear best seller. Is it because I personally use it the most and naturally talk about it more. Is the value of the blue product less clear. Or is it a signal that focusing on one hero product may be the smarter path forward.

That is a question I will explore in 2026.

Looking ahead, 2026 feels like the year of visibility. Publishing in peer reviewed journals. Seeking speaking opportunities. Being out and about more. Sharing the science instead of hiding behind the brand.

It will also be the year of viability. Helping people understand why probiotic skincare only works when microbes are alive, stable, and thoughtfully formulated. Making it clear that Fafabiotic is not just another skincare line, but a microbial formulation approach.

And perhaps most importantly, finding ways to unplug. From the product. From the brand. From the constant doing. Building something meaningful should not require burning out the person building it.

If 2025 taught me anything, it is that growth is slower, deeper, and far more human than I imagined.

And that is something I am finally learning to appreciate.

Just like that, 2025 has come to an end. so until 2026, cheers!