Newbury St. business is the face of success with line of skin treatment

by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun

Dale Holman of Newton had been using department stores’ line of skin products for years, and she was so unhappy with most of them, she’d return them to the store. About eight years ago, she discovered the Skin Health line of eye creams, moisturizers, and sunblock, and said her face of a certain age has no lines, no wrinkles, no signs of sun damage.
“I think it’s the best line I’ve ever used, for quality and for results,” said Holman, a woman in her late 50s who appreciates the hypoallergenic aspect of the products, too. “The cosmetics from retail stores are hyped with advertisements. Ingredients are seriously diluted. Skin Health’s sunblock is absolutely outstanding - you never tan. I have absolutely no marks on my skin. My face has such a glow to the skin. That’s pretty unusual for someone my age.”
At the SkinHealth Centers, a team of physicians, facial cosmetic surgeons and medical aestheticians develop and provide cosmetic dermatology, laser and skin rejuvenation treatments. At the store, clients get an assessment of their skin’s needs. As part of the no-pressure sales team approach, customers can take home samples of skincare products to try before buying.
“It’s not a hard sell,” said Holman. “The department stores push products on you. People turn their judgment over to a saleslady who is on a serious commission. It’s not like that at SkinHealth.”
Apparently SkinHealth doesn’t have to push their products too hard, because of word of mouth that has been ongoing since the company was founded 10 years ago. SkinHealth clients include actors, television anchors and politicians and others in the public eye whose faces are a business asset.
Cheryl L. Clarkson, president and CEO of SkinHealth Inc., runs three stores, including one at 73 Newbury Street, and said business is so good despite the economy that she’s hired two more Harvard-trained doctors for plastic surgery and filler treatments, Drs. David Kieff and Dan Driscoll, to join Dr. Dan Townsend.
In this economy, she can keep hiring because business is steady, Clarkson said. “We have seen an increased number of people who feel they are trying to maintain their appearance because it’s a tough job market. Some of our clients have lost their jobs, while most are still working but are a little worried.”
Clarkson reports interest in eyelid surgery, which she says is safe, relatively inexpensive, and quick. “It’s something that doesn’t really leave any scars,” she said. “They can go back to work a week later and look refreshed, and no one is going to say, ‘Oh my God, you had eye surgery. It takes 10 years off, but people can’t put their finger on what’s different.”
They also do face-lifts, liposuction, tummy tucks and breast enhancement, performed in a hospital, with pre- and post-operative care provided at SkinHealth.
For her skin care products, Clarkson notes an increase in eyelash extensions, and a steady commitment to skincare maintenance. She’s especially excited about a few new products with enzymes, such as Vital Repair Enzyme Serum that helps repair damaged DNA.
“My products are just for those who want to look healthy and vibrant,” she said. “It’s not for glamour-pusses.
But what SkinHealth is best known for is its sunscreens, she said. “We have a robust mail-order business, to every state in the country. “My products are results-oriented. There’s no fluff and they really work.”
Clarkson at one time was a Fortune 500 CEO of three medical device companies. However, her world turned upside down when her only sibling, a 39-year-old Los Angeles journalist who wasn’t even a tanner, was diagnosed with melanoma.
To cope, she buried herself in research about her sister’s cancer.
“I quit my job to manage her care. We sought help from the best medical experts and the country’s best hospitals. We tried experimental protocols, but the reality was that her diagnosis had been a death sentence,” she said.
Melanoma is one of the few cancers on the increase, annually claiming more than 7,000 lives and ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death in women under 40. According to a recent report published by the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, melanoma diagnoses increased by 3.1 percent a year between 1992 and 2004.
Leveraging her MIT MBA and her manufacturing experience, Clarkson collaborated with physicians and dermatologists to launch a sunscreen product line with a higher percentage of active ingredients than those found on the typical store shelf.
“I’m very committed to finding a cure for melanoma,” said Clarkson, who is on the Children’s Hospital stem cell research committee, and is one of the founding members of the Cancer Leadership Council at Mass. General Hospital.
And for every store gift certificate sold, SkinHealth donates 5 percent to Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center for Melanoma Research.
“I believe one of the reasons we’ve become so successful is that I have such a passion for it,” she said.
She also uses her CEO background to build a business that’s anything but skin-deep. Clarkson launched SkinHealth in 1999, and in 2005, Clarkson bought out her investor to expand SkinHealth’s national presence on her own. Her initial business model evolved into retail stores with skin care products, advanced skin care and laser services, and cosmetic medical procedures performed by physicians.
Today, SkinHealth products range from cleansers to moisturizers to advanced therapies to seven kinds of sunscreens – including one that was voted Health Magazine’s best sunscreen.
In the end, however, it’s all about the client.
Dale Holnan has been a customer for years, having laser skin treatments to remove acne scars without surgery, and wearing her sunscreen every day, year round. Her face is smooth, and others compliment her on her glow. In turn, she’s turned others onto the products.
And the best testament to any business is hearing a customer like Holman say, “My friends thank me.”