In this episode of NewBeauty’s Real Patient Stories, dermatologist and SEEN hair-care founder Dr. Iris Rubin shares how a personal skin challenge led to a new perspective on hair care and a line of products now helping people with acne, eczema and sensitive skin feel confident in their skin and hair.
A Personal Struggle
“I actually never set out to create a line,” says Dr. Rubin. “I’m trained as a pediatric laser surgeon and spent a lot of my career treating kids with disfiguring birthmarks and scars. But every time I got my hair done at the salon, I would break out five or six days later.”
Despite being a dermatologist, she says she was still prone to acne well into adulthood. “I’m 50 and still acne-prone. I was doing all the right things with my skin care, and yet I was undoing it with my hair care. It felt like a confidence injustice.”
She began tracking everything meticulously in a lab notebook, controlling for diet, skin care and even her cycle. The one consistent factor? Hair care. “It was just this repeated pattern,” she says. “And for a lot of people, breakouts from products can take three to seven days to show up.”
What Is Left Behind
Dr. Rubin was surprised to find that even rinse-out hair products can leave behind a residue that lingers on the scalp, face and body. “I’d think, ‘I didn’t use any leave-in products, I just rinsed.’ But we actually published a study showing that after rinsing, a thin film can still remain on the skin. You’re basically rolling around in your hair-care products all night on your pillowcase.”
This discovery was the catalyst for SEEN: a line of non-comedogenic, non-irritating, skin-friendly hair products that deliver results without compromising skin health. “We tested the final formulas to make sure they wouldn’t clog pores or irritate the skin,” she says. “We also received the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance for our fragrance-free products and the National Psoriasis Foundation Seal for our fragrance-free shampoo and conditioner.”
Dr. Rubin says the formulation process took four years and involved reviewing over 400 ingredients. “We removed silicones, not because they’re bad in general, but because they can trap other ingredients on the skin and contribute to clogged pores,” she explains. “A lot of products contain sneaky ingredients with chemical names we’re not trained to recognize. It’s not just about what’s in it, it’s about how the ingredients interact.”
Clinically Proven
Her clinical background ensured a science-first approach, including studies to support the line’s benefits. In a dermatologist-graded clinical trial, 52 percent of participants with facial acne and 70 percent with body acne saw visible improvement after eight weeks of using SEEN. Another randomized controlled trial in women with female pattern hair loss showed 44 percent less hair shedding after six months of using the fragrance-free products. “I don’t want someone to buy a product unless it’s really going to work,” she says.
The skinification of hair is a trending concept, but Dr. Rubin believes it goes deeper than scalp care alone. “Your hair touches your face and body. Hair care is skin care.”
Today, SEEN is a go-to for people with acne, eczema, fragrance sensitivities and those seeking clean hair care. “So many people have told me, ‘I thought my skin was the problem,’” says Dr. Rubin. “But it turns out the products they were using, especially hair care, were contributing.”
With a full line of skin-friendly formulas, Dr. Rubin says her line is helping people feel confident in their skin and hair. “We’re called SEEN,” she says, “because when your skin and hair look good, you feel good being seen.”
