From Sneakerhead to Showerhead: How Jolie’s Ryan Babenzien Is Revolutionizing Beauty Water
- Julia Chang
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
He sold his sneaker brand to Steve Madden. Then he had a shower thought—literally—and launched one of the most disruptive beauty tools on the market.
In this episode, we sit down with Ryan Babenzien, founder and CEO of Jolie, the viral shower filter that’s redefining what it means to “cleanse.” Known for co-founding GREATS (the DTC sneaker brand acquired by Steve Madden) and helping revive legacy brands like K-Swiss and Puma, Ryan shares how his background in fashion, brand strategy, and entertainment marketing led him to a very unexpected place: your shower.
We get into:
Why the water in your shower is sabotaging your skincare
How Jolie is tackling chlorine, heavy metals, and PFAS
The wild inspiration behind Jolie’s dirty truck ad campaign
Dupe culture, copycats, and what Ryan does when someone steals his copy
Beauty industry gatekeeping—and how men still run it
The moment Ryan realized filtered water is the new serum
If you've ever wondered whether filtered showerheads actually do anything (spoiler: they do), or how beauty intersects with infrastructure, branding, and wellness—this one’s for you.
0:00:00 — Intro – First Male Guest on Glow Job
0:02:10 — Ryan’s Childhood & Entrepreneurial Spirit
0:03:30 — Growing Up in Long Island & Family Background
0:05:00 — Early Jobs: Dishwasher, Retail, Valet Parking
0:09:30 — From Fordham to LA: Entertainment Career Start
0:12:00 — Brand Strategy at Puma & K-Swiss
0:14:51 — The Birth of Jolie (Shower Moment)
0:15:00 — The Downfall of K-Swiss and BOST
0:17:11 — Designing Jolie Like a Beauty Product
0:17:23 — Launching Greats & DTC Learnings
0:18:50 — Selling to Steve Madden & What’s Next
0:19:30 — Contaminated Water & Filtering Priorities
0:20:30 — Chlorine, Heavy Metals & Skin Conditions
0:21:24 — The Water Report & UX Fix
0:25:27 — Forever Chemicals & Future Filters
0:25:30 — Jolie’s Clinical Results & Efficacy
0:32:19 — Jolie’s Erewhon Smoothie & IRL Expansion
0:34:30 — Dupe Culture & Copycat Brands
0:36:55 — Male Beauty Habits & Audience Insights
0:39:20 — The LA Water Rant & Skincare Disconnect
0:43:54 — Closing Thoughts, Advice, & Rapid Fire
ABOUT GLOWJOB™ PODCAST: The only podcast to make you hotter AND smarter! GlowJob is the beauty podcast that’s MORE than skin deep. Join your go-to-best friend duo, Julia Bellary and Sasa Li, as they explore the stories shaping the industry and dive into the conversations you actually want to hear. From beauty to business to pop culture, let’s redefine what it means to be part of the beauty community - one episode at a time.
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