Celebrating 40 Years Of Friendship
In 2011, longtime friends Dr. Janet Denlinger and Morgan Hare unveiled eraclea®, an innovative line of skin care products that they felt confident in using on their own skin. Janet’s experience as the cofounder of a biotech research company paired with Morgan’s background in medical and cosmetic marketing allowed the duo to raise the bar in skin care with a luxurious and effective line of products containing HylaFusion® – a patented ingredient that acts as a “second skin” delivering hyaluronic acid to moisturize and hydrate skin.
They met 40 years ago in Boston as next door neighbors and have evolved from dear friends to business partners. In celebration of this milestone, they’ve shared a glimpse into what it’s like to go into business with a friend and their view of the beauty industry over the past four decades.
What’s the story of how you came up with the name?
Morgan: Janet owns a home in St.Tropez and many of our favorite memories have happened there. We were enjoying the surroundings one day and Janet shared that the ancient Greek name for St. Tropezis ‘Heraclea.” We didn’t like the ‘H’ and some Europeans have a hard time with words that start with an ‘H’, so we removed the ‘H’ and ‘eraclea’ was born. My husband, Andy, commented that we were ushering in a ‘new era in skincare,’ which we chose as a tagline and upon trademarking the name learned that there is also a town in Italy named Eraclea, known for producing chocolate.
What is it like to go from friends to business partners?
Janet: I’ve watched Morgan make decisions for all of these years, and that is what helps me to trust her. We both have a lot of integrity and want to do the right thing. We don’t keep secrets or hold things back. We agree on 99% of things. It wouldn’t be fun to be in business with someone you disagreed with.
What are your tips for going into business with a friend?
Janet: Make sure the friend has a good support system at home.
Morgan: Make sure the friend works hard.
Janet: Know how you are going to communicate.
Morgan: Know how long you what to do this and your ultimate goals.
Speaking of your ultimate goals, what are your plans now that you’ve launched eraclea?
Janet: We’ve been lucky in life and have both wanted to give back. So, in addition to our work with eraclea, we helped found the AiRS Foundation.
Morgan: It’s a non-profit dedicated to providing breast reconstruction, after mastectomy, to women who cannot afford this procedure. We held our Dallas launch earlier this year and are currently working on spreading our message to New York and LA markets later this year.
What beauty trends have you seen during your four decades of friendship?
Morgan: 40 years ago people didn’t think about skincare until they were 35, and weren’t concerned with wrinkles after 60. Now everything starts in your 20s, whether it’s a skin care routine or starting laser and Botox® as preventative methods. Consumers are so much savvier now and are so interested in the science behind a product.
Janet: If you can dream it, you can have it. Face yoga is something I practice often, and if you are conscious of your “elevens” (the two wrinkles between the eyes), you can practice face yoga to be more mindful of the muscles you use. If you have a stressful day, you will have to do a little more face yoga. It is all about paying attention to your skin. For example, if you laser away skin spots, you must use sunscreen to prevent them from coming back.
What is your favorite eraclea product?
Janet: I love to scrub so that’s an easy one – the daily bamboo exfoliant.
Morgan: I can’t get enough moisture and vitamins so the intensive repair and protect serum/vitamin C is my go-to.