Literature professor pivots to botanicals

In a renovated school in South Philadelphia, one skincare brand is giving the beauty industry a new lesson plan. Sabbatical Beauty is a small-batch brand, which boasts high amounts of quality ingredients in every product so that your skin sees difference very quickly. Oh, my God, this is the nicest one I've done.

Former Stockton University literature professor Adeline Koh used her academic leave to begin a new chapter, creating Sabbatical Beauty, to address her own skincare woes.

I kind of struggled throughout graduate school. I originally came from Singapore, which is a very hot, humid country. I arrived in Anne Arbor, in January, where the snow drifts were past my head. And I was like, oh, my oily teenage skin freaked out. My skin barrier was disrupted. I didn't know what to do.

When dermatologists didn't provide relief, Koh traded her books for beakers, and taught herself cosmetic chemistry.

I was very unhappy being a professor at that point, even though I had just gotten tenure. And so I decided to run with it.

She turned to Asian skincare, recognizing many of the herbal ingredients from her childhood. Growing up, my grandma and my mom would make all these soups for me that would have ginseng, would have goji berries, would have all these really great herbal, botanical ingredients in it. I knew those things were really good for me internally, then they would do well for me externally. So I started buying Korean skincare, and for the first time my skin changed.

Industry data show most skincare products are primarily water, with active ingredients often making up less than 10% of the formula. Sabbatical Beauty does the opposite, putting [? hero ?] botanicals at the top of the list, leaning into Koh's personal and literature connections, including a bestseller inspired by the tale of a man who wanted to look youthful forever. The Dorian Gray Serum is named after the picture of Dorian Gray. The Asian Powerhouse Serum, I refer to as my grandmother's soup on my face.

Koh's business grew from a grassroots effort, creating products for friends and colleagues who shared her skincare journey.

When I started creating my skincare products and formulating in my kitchen, I asked my community of friends, these other professors that were following me on my Korean skincare journey, if they wanted to buy a bottle at cost. How this business really started was as a co-op.

For Koh, skincare is more than skin deep. It's about products that deliver results and a definition of beauty that embraces everyone. I want an inclusive idea of beauty, and I want a diverse notion of beauty. My goal is to really try to change your skin and make it better, rather than to try to make as much money as I can with the product.

For CBS News MoneyWatch, I'm Lana Zak. [THEME MUSIC]

This MoneyWatch segment has been brought to you by AT&T Business. Connecting changes everything.