Q&A with MARK Los Angeles founders, Mark Menning PhD. & Dee Khalsa

Q: Tell us a bit about yourselves, your backgrounds and how you came to found MARK Los Angeles?

Mark Menning co-founder and CEO of MARK Los Angeles:
Both my BS and PhD degrees are in chemical engineering. I have over 20 years experience in developing pharmaceutical drug product. I successfully launched 7 commercial products for HIV/AIDS treatment and founded a development services company, Nucleo Life Sciences, in the San Francisco Bay Area.   

Q: How would you say you’re changing the landscape of plant-based, clean skincare?

We truly are unlocking nature’s medicinal chemistry. How are we doing this? By using my background in drug delivery to solubilize, stabilize and deliver plant flavonoids to the skin using Transdermal Flavosomes (XDF™) technology.

Plants have long been recognized as medicinal chemists, producing a wealth of bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. These compounds, known as phytochemicals, can have a wide range of medicinal benefits and are often used in traditional medicine practices around the world. Plants have evolved to produce these compounds as a means of defense against predators, pathogens, and environmental stressors, but humans have also discovered their potential for treating various health conditions.

Medicinal chemists conducting pharmaceutical research study and extract these bioactive compounds from plants to develop new drugs and treatments for a variety of medical conditions. By isolating and synthesizing these compounds, researchers can create pharmaceuticals that mimic the natural effects of plant-derived compounds, offering targeted and potent solutions for a range of health issues.   

Q: Mark, you previously worked in Pharmaceuticals, creating life-saving drugs - how do you think that experience has helped you with building MARK Los Angeles?

My background is in drug delivery and pharmaceutics. This discipline is focused on the effective delivery of a drug to patients as well as taking care of stability and scale up of drug product formulations. My experience directly translates to skincare because we are solving bioavailability, stability and manufacturing challenges for a skincare product containing plant flavonoids.   

Q: Why did you decide to create MARK Los Angeles, was there any specific moment that you feel cemented the idea to build a skincare brand?

I was at an interesting point in my career. Like most life changes, it’s a series of multiple events that come together to catalyze a change. I had just sold my company, Nucleo Life Science, and was trying to transition to a new role as an employee. However, things didn’t work out, so I quit that position. There was a minor technicality of a non-compete clause that barred me from working in the pharmaceutical industry. Since I was always interested in skincare, these restrictions paved the way for me to create MARK Los Angeles. I have to credit my friends for pushing me to use my name. I had always been interested in plant flavonoids; however, they are extremely insoluble in water and oil. I came up with a novel way to increase the solubility by up to 400 times thus making them a viable product by increasing their bioavailability.   

Q: How long did it take you to formulate and develop your patent-pending XDF™ delivery system from concept through to the final products we see today?

I dedicated two years to formulating these products. While I am experienced in creating emulsions for oral, injectable, and topical delivery, I had to familiarize myself with a new set of ingredients for beauty and personal care applications. The discovery of XDF in the lab was truly an “ah ha” moment for me. I was not expecting to achieve a clear solution with the combination of ingredients that I mixed. The clear solution indicated that the flavonoids were dissolved at concentrations much higher than when they were dissolved  in water.

We then decided to conduct a clinical trial on the formulations in acne patients. We chose acne because it is a subset of inflammation that actually has a clear endpoint - resolution of the symptoms of acne. This was an important decision as an emerging brand to back up the XDF delivery system with clinical results. It’s much easier to show clinical data than hand wave at the potential promise of the products.   

Q: What makes XDF™ so different to any other delivery system on the market?

Transdermal Flavosomes, XDF, is a novel way of encapsulating dissolved flavonoids in a liposomal-like particle. Liposomes encapsulate molecules and are a way of increasing the equilibrium solubility of a substance in water. All of the ingredients have to be friendly to the skin too.   

Q: What’s the ultimate goal with MARK Los Angeles? 

Our goal is to become a beloved, trusted skincare brand that consumers appreciate for its effective, luxurious experience. We will always substantiate our efficacy with clinical trials and the necessary lab work to further substantiate the claims for new products. 

Q: What advice do you have for finding a skincare regimen that works?

Look for clinically tested. Be suspicious of “99% or 100%” efficacy data. Data that show 75% to 85% results are truly impressive and more realistic to real world expectations. Dermatology is a visual field as well. There is nothing more compelling than an illustrative before and after photo.   

Q: You have excellent clinical trials to support your products. Which results surprised you the most?

I was truly surprised how good the products actually worked in a clinical setting. This was also confirmed by the clinical support staff. I have been humbled by the positive feedback I’ve received about our products, especially from some very discerning individuals. I’m also impressed by the in vitro data showing how XDF loaded with EGCG and Quercetin helped reduce inflammation markers to normal levels. During a recent call with a potential retail partner, they recognized that our approach to product development is similar to drug development, which was really encouraging to hear. It’s a completely different experience when conducting clinical trials without the resources of a big pharmaceutical company.