This profile is part of the "People of Giving What We Can" series.
We recently spoke with Frankie and Mehdi the founders of Keika. They shared with us why they pledged 10% of their profits from Keika to the world's most effective charities.
Frankie (left) and Mehdi (right)
Tell us a bit about yourselves and about Keika.
We’re Mehdi and Frankie, a husband-and-wife team building Keika together since 2018. It started in our condo kitchen. Frankie, then a registered nurse, was dealing with dry, irritated skin from constant handwashing. Mehdi was struggling with seborrheic dermatitis and reacting poorly to most products.
Nothing worked, so we made our own soap. When friends and family started seeing results and asking for bars, we realized this could be something more.
Today, Frankie leads product development and the creative vision, and Mehdi handles operations and growth, but our focus hasn’t changed: simple products that solve real problems.
What inspired you to start Keika, and what drives you in your work?
Keika was born out of frustration with overcomplicated skincare. We wanted fewer ingredients, better formulation, and products that actually work.
What drives us today remains the same. We aim to create products that are safe for the whole family, thoughtfully formulated, and effective enough to address real skin concerns without unnecessary additives.
Fun fact: Keika is Frankie’s childhood nickname, pronounced Kay-KAH. It was originally meant to be temporary until we discovered that in Japanese, Keika means “progress over time.” That philosophy reflects how we approach skincare, business, and life in general. Meaningful results come from small, consistent improvements made over time.
How would you describe Keika’s mission, values, and approach to doing business?
Our mission is simple. We focus on steady progress across our products, growth as a business, and impact we make over time.
In practice, that means creating skincare that is simple, effective, and free from unnecessary ingredients or hype. Every product we make is designed to solve a real problem and deliver real results. We operate on a few core principles, such as keeping formulations minimal and purposeful, staying transparent about what we use and why, and thinking long-term in every decision. We do not chase trends or overcomplicate things. If something does not improve the product or the customer experience, we do not include it.
Our approach to business follows the same philosophy. We focus on doing the right things consistently - prioritizing quality, communicating clearly with our customers, and reinvesting to improve over time.
For us, growth is not about speed. It is the natural result of steady progress done right.
Tell us a bit about how you put your values into practice?
As Keika continues to grow, we ask ourselves how we can give back in the most meaningful way. That led us to explore the idea of effective giving, which meant focusing on evidence, transparency, and measurable outcomes rather than just good intentions.
We were looking for a way to formalize our commitment to giving. The Company Pledge provided accountability and confidence that our contributions would be directed toward high-impact causes. It offers a clear, measurable way to commit to long-term contribution rather than occasional donations.
We care most about different forms of inequality, such as social, environmental, and access to basic health resources. Through how we run our business and how we give, we aim to contribute in a practical, measurable way toward reducing those gaps.
Since taking the Company Pledge the biggest difference has been clarity and accountability. Giving isn’t occasional, it’s structured and intentional. That shift strongly aligns with how we run our business overall: long-term, thoughtful, and evidence-based.
One moment that stands out in our journey to taking the Company Pledge was during the early stages of COVID-19. There was widespread uncertainty, supply shortages, and heightened awareness around hygiene. Because we produce soap, an essential product at the time, we were able to continue operating while many businesses were forced to pause.
That period reinforced something important for us: essential goods carry responsibility. We weren’t just selling a product; we were providing something people genuinely relied on. It was also a time when we became more intentional about giving, recognizing that in moments of crisis, steady contribution matters even more.
COVID clarified for us that impact isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s about showing up consistently when it counts.
What advice would you give to other business leaders or companies considering the Company Pledge?
We’d advise them to build it right into their business model. Think long-term, commit to evidence-based causes and treat giving like any other serious part of their business. We personally value the fact that the pledge commits you to impact, not to one specific organization. That flexibility allows you to donate across a variety of high-impact causes and address different injustices you care about most, while still maintaining consistency and accountability.
Think in percentages, not one-off amounts. So much easier! Committing to a fixed portion of income or profits creates consistency and removes the guesswork each year.
What are your goals for Keika in the future, both as a business and as a force for positive impact?
Our goal is sustainable growth as a business and sustained commitment as a contributor. We want to scale responsibly, improve continuously, and ensure that as Keika grows, so does our ability to support high-impact causes in a disciplined, consistent, and measurable way.
Our broader vision is to see inequality gaps steadily close over time. Closer to home, we’d like to see more people choosing simpler, healthier skincare over harsh, chemically-laden products. Both reflect the same principle: better systems, better choices, better outcomes. On a personal level, we hope to build something we can genuinely be proud of: A stable, principled company that contributes consistently and responsibly. And in many ways, that vision mirrors our name. Keika represents progress over time.
Any final reflections or messages you’d like to share with others about giving, business, or making a difference in the world?
Progress happens through steady, intentional action and not one big gesture. If more individuals and businesses made small, consistent commitments toward change, those inequality gaps would close much faster.