Following a breast cancer diagnosis in May 2022, beauty industry veteran Carly Guerra began scouring the internet for supportive topical products and was disappointed with her findings. Now in remission, Guerra is building her own breast care brand called Savoir, which launches next month with its Beauty Breast Serum, $111. 

“It was shocking for me, because… I was very young to be diagnosed with this disease,” said Guerra, who has worked across brands like La Mer, Dior, MAC Cosmetics and Lancôme in executive roles. “I had no idea what was ahead of me.” 

Following her diagnosis, Guerra took a routine test for the BRCA gene and while she was awaiting her results, she began questioning the beauty products she had been diligently using on her body, including her breasts. 

“I was just thinking to myself, ‘My god, I’ve been in this industry for 18 years, and I’ve been moisturizing everywhere’ because your face starts at your waist. We always learn that in beauty,” she said. “As soon as I got out of the shower that day, I went to look for a product that was made specifically for the breast area [and] that was clean. To my surprise, nothing existed. There were all of these different products out there that were like, ‘We can lift them. We can make them bigger,’ but nothing that was truly formulated for the skin of the breast area.” 

So Guerra set out to create it herself with Savoir, which means “to know” in French. The brand’s tagline is “Beauty in the Know.” Guerra, who bootstrapped the business herself, partnered with two chemists, who had long-standing careers at large beauty brands, and gave them specific requirements for the formula, most notably that it needed to address the skin type (the breast area is the thinnest skin on the body) and support elasticity as breast size changes throughout a woman’s cycle. Guerra also worked with a board certified dermatologist to further approve the patent-pending formula of Savoir’s Beauty Breast Serum. 

The product — which has secured Guerra several awards pre-launch, including CEW’s 2025 Spirit of Giving Award — is made up of Savoir’s FloraFusion, which includes fermented botanicals: tomato seed oil, radish root, guava leaf, snow mushroom and parsley, a nod to Guerra’s grandmother who was also diagnosed with breast cancer at age 88. 

“She taught me how to grow vegetables and herbs in her garden, and one of the ingredients that she taught me how to grow was parsley. I always knew growing up that parsley was anti-inflammatory,” Guerra said. “I’m so proud that this ingredient is in the formula, and it’s all because it’s wonderful for women to apply, but also it’s in honor of her as well.” 

The formula supports eight key needs of the breast, including hydration, barrier function, soothing irritation and more. 

While Guerra’s diagnosis kick-started this brand, it is for all women, whether or not they have been diagnosed with cancer. 

“I wanted to turn this experience of normalizing the breast from fear to fun. This product is for every woman, not just women who have gone through breast cancer [or] breast cancer scare experience,” she said. “I was so uneducated before I was diagnosed. One in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, and 10 percent of them are under the age of 45 so almost everyone has been touched by this disease in some sort of way.” 

That being said, Guerra is doubling down on education and advocacy with the brand. Savoir will specifically have a large social campaign in October centered around Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Additionally, Guerra has created a video, available on the brand’s website, showcasing how to use the product as part of an at-home self exam. 

“The application ritual doubles as a self breast examination. I wanted to have this be a part of the brand because one of the things I didn’t know prior to being diagnosed was actually how to do a self breast examination,” Guerra said. “We tell women to apply the product once a day and to do this application process once a day. Our breasts change each month, and sometimes, depending on the time of month, you’re like, ‘What is this?’ and then to not do that again and to not check for another month is not the best approach.”

While Savoir is launching direct-to-consumer, Guerra is strategizing for future retail distribution. She noted that she has ensured the formula meets the requirements of Clean at Sephora and Credo Beauty. Additionally, she is working to raise capital to further build out the Savoir team. In terms of product expansion, Guerra said she plans to create a full breast care system, with new launches dropping at the beginning of 2026.