The Man Who Inspired Climate-Smart Skincare

Editor's Note (July 2026): Since this article was first published, I've shared the complete story behind how my father's influence ultimately led to the invention of the world's first patented Climate-Smart® Skincare. If you'd like to read the full journey, you can find it here: The Story Behind Climate-Smart Skincare.

Because of my father, I learned to see the world differently.

My father, Robert Strouhal, taught me that the environment changes the way every surface performs—including our skin.

Growing up, I didn't spend my summers at the lake or the public swimming pool like many children in Austria.

Instead, I spent them traveling across Europe with my parents and my sister as my father helped introduce and advance powder coating throughout Europe. He became one of the industry's leading voices, ultimately serving as Chairman of CEPE's Powder Coating Section, the European organization representing the coatings industry.

If you're not familiar with powder coating, it's a highly durable coating that's permanently bonded to metal surfaces exposed to the elements—from outdoor furniture and bicycles to architectural structures and industrial equipment.

What fascinated my father was that the same coating couldn't simply be used the same way everywhere. Temperature, humidity, UV exposure, pollution, altitude, and other environmental conditions all influenced how a surface should be protected and how it would perform over time.

I still remember being about six years old, spending hours in the waiting rooms of conference centers and factories while my father met with engineers, manufacturers, and industry leaders. Then we'd climb back into our white Volvo and continue our journey across Europe, listening to conversations about how climate changes performance.

Long before I understood the science, I understood one simple idea:

The environment matters.

Looking back, I realize those childhood experiences shaped the way I would think for the rest of my life.

I didn't fully appreciate how extraordinary those experiences were until I became an adult.

Traveling across Europe in the 1970s was very different from today.

There was no European Union.

Every border crossing meant long lines, passport inspections, and often hours of waiting before we could continue our journey.

We spent countless days squeezed into a small car, driving from northern Europe to the Mediterranean, then back again to another country. Looking back, those endless road trips became some of my most treasured memories.

There were no mobile phones.

No tablets.

No computer games.

Sometimes not even a working radio.

So my parents did something that seems almost old-fashioned today.

They talked to us.

My father filled those long hours with stories.

He told us about the countries we were visiting, their history, culture, and traditions. He explained the companies he was working with, the projects he was helping solve, and why each place presented different challenges. Without realizing it, he was teaching us to observe—to notice that the world isn't the same everywhere.

Looking back, I realize those conversations shaped the way I think.

They instilled in me a lifelong curiosity about why things perform differently in different environments and how thoughtful innovation can solve real problems.

I also learned something else from my father.

Passion.

I watched someone who genuinely loved his work. He wasn't simply building a career; he was helping build an industry.

Even as a little girl, I knew that one day I wanted to feel that same sense of purpose.

Years later, I found it in Climate-Smart Skincare.

Today, that same curiosity—and the desire to help people through innovation—continues to drive everything I do.

Innovation often comes from the outside.

I've always loved skincare.

That came from my mother.

She took exceptional care of her skin and loved introducing my sister and me to beautiful skincare products. Long before I understood ingredients or formulations, she taught me that caring for your skin was an investment in yourself.

When I moved from Austria to California in my late twenties, my own skin suddenly became unpredictable.

Some days it was too oily.

Other days it was painfully dry.

The products I trusted no longer seemed to work consistently.

After business school, my career quickly took off, and like my father before me, I found myself traveling constantly. My work took me back and forth across the United States—from the dry West Coast to the humid East Coast and everywhere in between.

The more I traveled, the more confused I became.

My skin changed with every destination.

I searched for answers everywhere.

I worked alongside leading dermatologists, including Dr. Harold Lancer. I tried prescription skincare, luxury skincare, products for dry skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin.

Nothing explained what I was experiencing.

Because of my father, I couldn't help but wonder if climate was playing a much bigger role than anyone realized.

After all, the outermost layer of our skin is a surface exposed to the environment every moment of every day.

Surely climate had to matter.

That question stayed with me for years.

Then, during my work in breast health advocacy with Olivia Newton-John, I attended a cancer symposium where researchers presented some of the earliest studies showing that the skin barrier itself changes under different environmental conditions.

Everything suddenly made sense.

What I had observed throughout years of travel wasn't unique to me.

It was happening to everyone's skin.

I wasn't a dermatologist.

I wasn't a scientist.

That turned out to be one of my greatest advantages.

I approached the problem differently.

Instead of asking how to create a better moisturizer for dry or oily skin, I asked a completely different question:

What if skincare adapted to the environment instead of expecting skin to adapt to the skincare?

That single question became the foundation for everything that followed.

Thank you for everything, Dad. For your love, your guidance, and for all the little and big things you gave me throughout my life. Most of all, thank you for inspiring the best idea of my life.