By Darlena Peck, Founder of Masque Skin
Most people discover their purpose through a long series of life events. Mine began with a difficult one. I lost my mother to a rare skin condition at a very young age, an experience that deeply shaped my understanding of how fragile, complex, and fascinating skin health truly is. At the time, I couldn’t have known how profoundly that loss would influence my future, but in hindsight, it planted the seed for everything I would later build.
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a CEO. I didn’t fully understand what that title meant then; just that CEOs were visionaries—people who created something of their own and had the power to shape their world. That clarity stayed with me, even as I followed a more traditional path into healthcare, knowing that one day I would build something that belonged entirely to me.
As the child of Haitian immigrant parents, there was a strong emphasis on stability and achievement. Success was defined by degrees, credentials, and prestigious career paths, healthcare, law, or engineering. Attending the University of Florida meant being surrounded by high-achieving peers striving for roles in STEM fields, which further reinforced the idea that success followed a singular blueprint. Without realizing it, I began walking down a path that felt expected rather than intentional.
After graduating, I worked closely with skincare professionals in dermatology clinics and medical spas. Those years were formative. While assisting providers was technically my role, much of my time was spent educating patients, translating what the dermatologist said, clarifying procedures, explaining medications, and helping people understand what was actually happening with their skin. I saw firsthand how overwhelmed people felt and how much misinformation circulated online and within the skincare community.
There was fear. There was distrust. And there was confusion.
What stayed with me most was the relief patients expressed when they finally understood. Helping someone move from uncertainty to clarity was deeply fulfilling—and it revealed a glaring gap between expert knowledge and what everyday consumers actually had access to. Advanced skincare education felt gatekept, reserved for professionals, while consumers were left to navigate an industry full of conflicting advice and fear-based messaging.
Eventually, I came to a difficult realization: although I loved my job, I was living someone else’s dream. I wasn’t building the vision I had carried with me since childhood. That realization was uncomfortable, but it was also liberating. It was time to create something of my own.
That vision became Masque Skin—a soft, science-first skincare education platform designed to empower consumers with clarity, confidence, and credible knowledge. My goal is to build the world’s most trusted skincare education hub and, a seamless one-stop ecosystem for learning, professional guidance, and thoughtfully curated products.
Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve learned as much about myself as I have about business. I spend countless hours reading, researching, and refining my skills. I believe deeply in self-education, but I’ve also learned that learning should never become a substitute for action. Experience remains the best teacher, and growth requires a balance of curiosity, intention, and forward movement.
Masque Skin is my way of opening gates that once felt closed, making expert skincare knowledge accessible to everyone, and also a way of honoring my younger self giving her permission to live out her wildest dreams.
