Hello! I'm Danna

Hola Darlins! My name is Danna Chacon, the founder of DBL. Born and raised in my beloved country Colombia. Currently, I attend to Stanford University as a 1st year hoping to major in biochemistry!

Coming to the States had always been a dream of mine, I remember I would watch Disney shows portraying the beautiful and exciting American school experience. No uniforms, lockers, pretty boys, pretty girls, and a world-class education. When I came I was starting fifth grade. I had always been an amiable person but this time it was hard to make friends because I didn’t speak the language well. However, one day there was someone in my class who finally noticed me. It was one of the popular and smartest girls in the class. She came to me on my way out of school saying, “Hey, have you ever tried x-out? Or proactive?” (awkward silence)

I was very confused about why those were the first words she would say to me. She then said with a disgusted look, “Well, you have a lot of that in your face.”

From that moment I became so self-conscious of my image that it was hard to look at myself in the mirror without feeling different and quite disgusted. At age 10 I began having acne and it became part of my identity as I navigated my first years in a country where I couldn’t express that I wasn’t only that. The girl with acne. None of my peers seemed to be experiencing the same issue I was going through which made me feel isolated. 

Right away I saw the commercials that back in the day were cutting off my cartoons every 5 minutes to advertise Zendaya, Justin Bieber, and even Katy Perry in the Proactive and X-Out commercials where people who have absolutely perfect skin (and a lot of money to treat their insecurities) are advertising a product for people who don’t. I begged my mom for weeks to call the number on screen because it seemed to be the only way to fix me. After so much insisting, she gave in. 

I began to religiously wash my face with this so-called “best acne product in America.” I was momentarily happy with the act of taking care of my skin. However, I began to notice my skin becoming irritated, flaky, and substantially worse than before every time I stopped using the product. I became dependent on this product as well as my mom’s wallet. We were spending expensive monthly memberships that weren’t giving me results. Naturally, I became frustrated and decided to use every single drugstore product I could get my hands on. I would try different youtube facemasks made out of avocado, honey, cinnamon, eggs, basically emptying out my fridge! But honestly, I was seeing the same breakouts and even more.

For a long time, I believed I would never be pretty because my acne looked disgusting so people wouldn’t want to hang out with me. I felt depressed and defeated which led to low self-esteem. I covered myself with my hair, wore tons of makeup, and often avoided social interactions as much as possible.

Not long ago I found out I was stripping down my skin for about 5 years without really knowing what I was putting on my face. This was the moment when I realized I was blinded by the need to follow the beauty standard the media has imposed on us, teenagers.

I began to read about dermatology, understand the science behind my skincare, what it takes to have better self-esteem, and ultimately seek help. I discovered a wonderful community of people who were going through the same issues I was going through and I felt empowered. Small YouTubers and the doctors I’ve met throughout the years made me realize I was more than just acne. It wasn’t only about the science but also the other aspects of my life that began to change once I took a different approach to treating my acne. Through this journey of failed trials, hopelessness, depression, and years of finding that magic product that would fix my flaws I can now say I understand my body better, I have made changes to my life that have made me happier and healthier.

This is why I want to share my experience and help other teenagers feel empowered to make better choices, not only to look better but feel better about themselves. I want to change the way we’re talking about acne and clear skin. Or honestly any skin condition out there, such as Rosacea, Vitiligo, Melasma, Jaundice, and skin cancers. On this website I want it to be a safe place for people who don’t know where to start. Through weekly personal insights on products, holistic life habit advice, and bringing professional and diverse perspectives to the beauty industry discussion, I know we will make better decisions and start to love ourselves more than ever.