Sejal Patel, PharmD
Co-Founder & CEO
As an Indian woman, Sejal saw first-hand the lack of representation in the beauty industry for people who looked like her. As a mother, she watched how colorism affected her children’s relationship with their own skin. As a pharmacist, she felt called to use her experience and education to meet an unmet need in the beauty industry. She founded Plantkos® in 2021 to provide clean clinical skincare products to people with melanated skin.
Blending her pharmaceutical training with Ayurvedic wisdom, Sejal developed proprietary Phytomedicinal formulas that specifically address the most common concerns of people with melanated skin - inflammation, dehydration and hyperpigmentation. Sejal is committed to clean clinical innovation, skin education and supporting the upliftment of all girls and women.
Ketul Patel, PharmD
Co-Founder & CFO
As a licensed Pharmacist with over 21 years of experience in Pharma and Biotech, Ketul brings his vast industry knowledge to his role as CFO. He has served as the Regional Medical Director for AxeVis, Inc. and as the Regional VP of Nuerological Services for HYR Services. In both roles, he has had front row seats to some of the most groundbreaking industry milestones of our time. Those experiences deepened his desire to be part of progressive innovations that use the power of science to better people’s lives, especially those that are often unseen and underrepresented.
He is foremost a husband and father, the role that ultimately brought him to Planktos®. Inspired to shine light on melanated skin’s greatest concerns after his daughter’s own skin struggles, Ketul aligns with our primary focus of understanding melanated skin at its deepest layers, and developing proprietary formulas designed to care for it.
Kelly St. John
Advisor, Brand and Product Development
A 25 year veteran of the beauty industry and founder of KSJ Collective, Kelly St. John brings extensive experience in developing brands and sustainable growth strategies to her advisory role at Planktos®. Her distinguished career, which began at industry giants Estee Lauder and Neiman Marcus, has established her as a leading consultant for emerging brands of all sizes to create transformative growth strategies that build brand equity and grab market share. Her deep understanding of the ever-changing beauty industry gives Kelly a leading edge as a strategist, advisor, collaborator and connector.
As our Advisor of Brand and Product Development, Kelly provides strategic council to steer Plantkos’ growth, expertly guiding our products onto the shelves and sites of the industry’s most renowned retailers, and continuously establishing Plantkos® as the leading skincare brand designed for melanated skin.
