I guess it just felt right that I should be chatting with Lev Glazman, co-founder with his wife Alina Roytberg, on Friday at Neiman Marcus about his very popular and ultra-hip collection of bath and body products, known so appropriately as FRESH. There we were going into Earth Week and talking about his natural and organic approach to skin care. I liked that and I liked him and most importantly I liked what I learned from him.
His products are all natural, environmentally friendly and are a part of a daily regime that he explained to me in simplest terms as the way we should be living, taking care of our skin and our bodies on a regular basis. Lev’s approach to skin care is simply about the way you live and take care of your total self, that has great effect on your skin. You must eat right, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water (though water alone will not cure dry skin, a myth for years, says Lev). Your most visible organ must be fed properly to look good and you do this through preventative measures that keep your cells energized.
Lev and his wife Alina started their business in 1991 by traveling the world and finding many ancient regiments that had been around for generations that they adapted to modern times. They began making Soaps made from milk, soy or ginger.
He is most known for his Sugar products. As a child their grandmothers had treated all of childhood nicks and scrapes with sugar, a natural antiseptic, that would cure small ailments in a much less painful way than the traditional approach of alcohol or peroxide. Thus, an entire line of products were built around that one ingredient that when applied to the skin, is a great healer and not only feels awesome but works wonders at the same time.
He also envisioned Soy, which was such a hot topic for intake by women of the 90’s, was also very effective when applied to the skin and was the first to do a soy cream in 1999. There’s more. After seeing the positive effects of Umbrian clay from Italy on a friend who had suffered previously from acne, he went to Italy, found the origin of this miraculous clay that had been used for therapeutic treatments for years and developed another array of products for his collection. It was similar research into Sake, used by Japanese Geisha that he developed into his Sake bath regiment and then on to Crème Ancienne, the world’s first emulsion-based cream that had been developed in the 2nd century to heal gladiator’s wounds. This cream, in his line today, can help tremendously in the healing and fading of scaring on the body.
As you can see, it was their research into many of these ancient natural remedies and how they have been enhanced that make for the collection, FRESH, which is so popular with all of us today. I asked him about what’s next and he has many ideas that he is working on using some of the newer technologies that we will have to wait to see and try for ourselves.
A few questions that I asked for direct answers from him were:
RP: Assuming that you do not wake up at the age of 40 and decide you need to take measures to prevent your skin from aging too rapidly, as a mother of daughters in their 20’s, what do you feel is the right age for me to get them started in taking preventative measures to prepare their skin for the aging process?
LEV: My own daughter is 18 and I am encouraging her to start now. Use eye creams, moisturize your skin and of course, maintain that healthy total being lifestyle that I mentioned earlier.
RP: I use the machine, Clarasonic, that I purchased at Neiman’s, daily on my face and feel it gives me a glow and is good for my skin. How do you feel about that?
LEV: I am very much in favor of that, I use it myself and have now worked out an agreement with Clarasonic that when you purchase the machine, you receive my Fresh Soy Cleanser, which I recommend you use with cold water so as not to dry out the skin.
RP: Tell me what you feel to be your signature?
Lev: My Sugar products are my most popular. My Brown Sugar Polish actually absorbs the moisture from the air to aid in total hydration of your skin. My Lip Balms are truly the best in the market. (that had been validated earlier by ladies who use them and live by them on a daily basis!)
RP: If I were to go downstairs and get started with FRESH products and wanted to buy one item, what should it be?
LEV: I can’t really say one is my favorite, although I would first buy the Soy Face Cleanser, as having a fresh, clean face is your first priority. You would also have to try my Sugar Lip Balm, a must to use daily. My Black Tea Mask is very nourishing as is my Umbrian Clay. You will be amazed at its effect on your skin. Lastly, Crème Ancienne eye elixir will do wonders for your eyes.
So, having sat through what I felt not to be just an interview but a learning session, I took him on his word and went downstairs and purchased the Soy Cleanser, which I am using with my Clarasonic and cold water (that was a little tough to get used to, but I follow direction well, it makes sense so I am doing as I was told) and the Lip Balm, which I’ve used constantly since Friday and am in love with. For me, I’m such a red lips kind of gal, I am using the lip balm as a foundation for my lipstick and find it already is correcting my drying lips. I bought a few of his other recommended products and must say I am hooked and suggest you try them if you haven’t…as Lev Saltzman said, “your skin is your largest organ of your body and must be cared for properly,” so indulge, you will immediately feel a difference!