As treatment skin care continued its tear as the hottest category in the prestige and mass channels of distribution, it was only a matter of time before educated skin care experts — dermatologists — were tapped to get in on the action. This year saw entries from Dr. Patricia Wexler for Bath & Body Works, Dr. Jeffrey Dover for CVS and Dr. Jan Adams for Walgreens, as well as doctors from abroad looking to create lines for the skin care-obsessed U.S. market. And, in April, derm pioneer Dr. Nicholas Perricone opened a two-story, 2,100-square-foot lifestyle center at 791 Madison Avenue to hawk his three-tiered regimen of diet, nutritional supplements and products.
To be clear, the industry is not looking at this derm-turned-manufacturer wave as a trend.
Wexler, a Manhattan-based dermatologist who continues to operate a private practice, as well as serve as an associate clinical professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, added a dose of legitimacy to the derm craze. She is known as much for her down-to-earth approach to patients as she is for her fashionable wardrobe, celebrity clientele, and résumé, which includes working on beauty gigs for Calvin Klein and Donna Karan.
Mass retailers jumped on the bandwagon, too, with CVS forging a deal with Dr. Jeffrey Dover, the first derm-created skin care line for the mass market. Dover, founding partner of SkinCare Physicians in Chestnut Hill, Mass, also holds the position of associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine.
Walgreen Co., the nation’s largest drugstore chain by sales, tapped Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon Jan Adams to launch an exclusive skin care line for women with medium to dark skin tones. Called the Dr. Jan Adams Women of Color Total Skin Care System, the line includes a facial cleanser and a skin lightener and night replenishing cream.
Even Tuscany-based dermatologist Stefano Rossi wanted to introduce his skin care philosophy to Americans. Rossi teamed with the operators of Terme di Fontecchio in Umbria, Italy, to launch his line in U.S. specialty stores. His range’s key ingredients include sulfur to help skin cells regenerate; antioxidant vitamins A, C and E; bisabolol and calendula for antiirritant benefits, and jojoba oil to soften the skin.