Cathy O'Brien, former CEO of Naturopathica, has launched Skin Union, a skin care brand formulated to address the skin effects of cancer treatment. The line is available now direct-to-consumer.

O'Brien cofounded the brand with product developer Kristen Sgarlato, whom she worked with for years at Naturopathica. The launch portfolio is a hero ritual of three products — The Wash, The Cream and The Balm — that target visible irritation, dryness and moisture loss resulting from radiation, chemotherapy and other existing treatments.

The idea came from O'Brien's own diagnosis a few years ago. "I had breast cancer, and it turned out that I did need chemo and radiation," said O'Brien. "What was going on through that entire process was that not a single person talked to me about my skin, not one person."

O'Brien's résumé spans La Mer, Jo Malone and Naturopathica, and she describes herself as skin-obsessed. "I was freaked out," she said. "Being older, collagen goes and your skin takes a beating [from treatment]. I would ask and ask and nobody knew anything. My radiologist, who has been an advisor to us, said if you can make [skin care] that's affordable, there's such a need out there."

Sgarlato recalled the moment the concept took shape. "I remember she came in one day, and we were sitting in one of our meetings, and we were talking about what was going on with her skin and what she was feeling and she was like, 'Kris, I don't know what to use.'"

That conversation happened while O'Brien's treatments were ongoing. Before long, the two were building their own brand.

Skin Union's products are pH-balancing, filler-free and suitable for all skin types, with every item priced under $30. The Wash, a 16-ounce bottle at $23, is a sulfate-free full-body cleanser infused with aloe vera, sunflower seed oil, glycerin and colloidal oatmeal. The Cream, also $23, is a universal moisturizer built with a biomimetic barrier repair complex and an easy-open cap designed for treatment-related dexterity challenges. The Balm, $13, is the brand's answer to Vaseline or Aquaphor — a barrier-supporting treatment that targets dryness and irritation on the body, face and fingernails.

"What we decided to launch was super intentional," said Sgarlato. "Everything about this brand, down to even the color of the packaging, was incredibly intentional. Cathy and I had a lot of conversations around what is needed, what can do the most, and what can go the furthest. We never want anyone to feel like you need this 10-step thing to feel better. You only need one or two products."

With a radiologist advising the founders and a deliberate one-or-two-product philosophy, Skin Union positions affordability and simplicity as its answer to a need O'Brien says nobody addressed during her own treatment.