News Alert

CORRECTION: In "Women’s Well-Being" ("In the News," September 2010), it was incorrectly reported that Arinola Adeniyi, owner of Venivici Health Club & Urban Spa in Nigeria, and Lydia Sarfati, CEO/founder of Repêchage "collaborated on a new skincare line called Kanshi." In fact, Adeniyi’s facility offers the newly launched spa collection, Kanshi, which is the result of a collaboration between Repêchage and Dzigbordi Dosoo, founder/CEO of Allure Africa Ltd., a premier day spa group in Ghana. Dosoo is the Repêchage distributor in Ghana, and Adeniyi is a client of Dosoo.

Howard Murad, M.D.

Howard Murad, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine (dermatology) at UCLA and CEO & founder of Murad was a featured speaker at the CHRISTUS LiveWell Women’s Conference last May.

He discussed ways women can make simple lifestyle changes to improve their lives and well-being. He also cited the need for topical, internal and emotional self care.

“The attendees came to the conference seeking new ways to achieve all-around improved health and appearance,” Murad says. “I’m honored to have taken part in this important event.”

Murad’s partnership with CHRISTUS began in 2009, when the company founded a chain of CHRISTUS Healthy Living Spas in Louisiana and Texas.

Also featured at the CHRISTUS LiveWell Women’s Conference was Murad Resurgence spokeswoman Joan Lunden, who served as the keynote speaker. Lunden has been the face of Murad Resurgence since 2008. The line addresses the needs of aging skin affected by hormonal changes.

Retail Realities

The Day Spa Association (DSA), has released a new survey tracking the success of retail sales in the industry. “Retail Sales In The Day Spa Industry” was compiled by members of the DSA and its Advisory Board.

The report reveals “the percentage of day spa income stemming from retail sales,” says Monte Zwang, one of the study’s researchers. “We also detail how spas select the professional products they sell, where they buy them, how they market these items, and their price points as well as the incentives used for their staff.”

Data is presented by facility location, size and type—including full-service salons, day spas, medical spas, holistic wellness centers, and hotel and destination spas.

“The report will help any spa owner better understand how their retail program compares to other businesses,” says Hannelore Leavy, chair of the DSA Advisory Board. “The comprehensive information we’ve gathered is the first of its kind in the spa industry.”

Key findings include:

• More than half of the respondents generated less than $400,000 in annual gross retail revenues while one-fourth reported sales volumes more than $1 million.


• On average, most spas allot 11% to 15% of their total space to retail.

• Approximately 40% of day spas do not currently allocate any space to retail.


• Most businesses pay 10% to 15% commission
  to staff for retail sales.


• Skin care, body care, makeup and nail care
  retail sales account for 60% of all sales.

The complete report is available for $175 ($145 for DSA members). Visit the organization’s website for further details.

New Deals & Fresh Faces

George Schaeffer

George W. Schaeffer, founder of OPI Products, has acquired the Aloxxi Professional Hair Care brand from Alberto Culver. The move expands Schaeffer’s 30-year career in nail care to include hair care and professional coloring. “When it comes to the salon business, hair and nails are the two areas where color reigns,” Schaeffer says. “It’s the natural next step and an incredibly exciting opportunity.”

Schaeffer will run Aloxxi (previously owned by Nexxus) as a separate, independent company, not associated with OPI or any of his other interests.

Aloxxi Hair Color products are comprised of botanical-based pigments from Italy, and may be customized for a variety of services. The brand includes permanent, tone-on-tone, non-ammonia and no-lift plant dye formulations, as well as a range of back bar products.

R.D. Management adds another skincare line to its growing roster. The Dallas-based company has been tapped to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of Académíe Scientifique Beaute. R.D. Management plans to introduce the line’s new cosmeceutical range, DermActe, at the International Congress of Esthetics and Spa in Long Beach, California, at the end of this month (September 26-27). “We’re confident that the DermActe line will become the premier U.S. skincare products and treatments in upscale day spas and doctors’ offices shortly,” says Pierre Attali, Académíe’s international export director. “It’s that good!” Other debut destinations for the DermActe range include SpaTec (September 13-15) and ISPA Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C. (November 15-18).

Académíe is dedicated to formulating products that offer a substantial percentage of active ingredients (up to 36%) and laud their use of fine raw materials. Georges Gay, Pharm.D., Académíe’s founder, was a pioneer of skin type-specific product development. Other lines under Académíe include the Scientific System, which repairs and delays signs of aging; HypoSensible, which tackles sensitive skin needs; and the award-winning Acad’Aromes Collection, which features an all-natural therapy for dry, aging and oily skin.

Ehring Enterprises and Laboratoires BLC Thalgo Cosmetic have combined their bicoastal operations to form THALGO America. THALGO features a skincare line, a comprehensive range of spa treatments for face and body, and nutritional and home care products.

“This consolidation of Thalgo East and West USA has been long anticipated and severely overdue,” says Guy Ehring, CEO of Ehring Enterprises. “Now we can get back to serving the spa industry nationwide as well as the national accounts uniformly.”

Liz Verbruggen has joined on as the national sales director of THALGO America. She was the president of U.S. operations at Aromatherapy Associates for 10 years. “Through her skilled relationship-building and education, we look forward to working together with Liz,” Ehring says.

Cindi Miller

Spilo Worldwide welcomes four new members to its team.

Cindi Miller is the new marketing manager, overseeing the company’s proprietary and exclusive brands in the hair and waxing categories.

She brings 20 years’ experience to the role. She previously worked with companies ranging from Fortune 500 enterprises to entrepreneurial start-ups, primarily in the health and beauty arena.

Thomas Stewart

Thomas Stewart was named merchandise manager. He’ll be responsible for Spilo’s open line distribution marketing efforts. With more than 20 years of experience as a merchant in the consumer products industry, Stewart has worked with specialty retailers including Williams-Sonoma, Habitat UK, Smith and Hawken, and Teleflora.  Most recently he managed a consulting business that specialized in strategic business building, product development, and factory sourcing for clients such as Gump’s of San Francisco and Sur la Table.

Lovie Ebro

Lovie Ebro recently joined the Spilo procurement team as a buyer. She previously spent four years at Lionsgate Entertainment, where she coordinated manufacturing and purchased new releases. Her experience with major skincare companies includes working for Dermalogica and Murad as a customer service agent and buyer.

Samuel Simonian

Samuel Simonian joins Spilo’s finance department as senior accountant and financial analyst. He has eight years’ operations and accounting experience at distribution companies in the restoration hardware and industrial supply industries.

“Each of our new team members brings valuable resources in their areas of expertise to support Spilo’s continued commitment to offering the best products and service to our customers,” CEO Marc Spilo says.

Norvell Skincare Solutions has found a new West Coast account executive in Rachel Wood. She’ll support the day spa and beauty industries in her role. Her past experience in tanning and beauty totals more than eight years, ranging from marketing and product development to sales and customer service.

Industry Milestones

PCA SKIN marks its 20th year in business. In the past two decades, the company has evolved from a small, Arizona-based company into a global organization serving physicians and clinicians in 60 countries.

It provides products—from serums to peels—to the medical esthetics market, treating skin conditions such as acne, aging, sensitive skin and hyperpigmentation.

“As we reach this important milestone, we’re celebrating the physicians, nurses and licensed skincare professionals dedicated to improving the health and appearance of their patients’ skin,” says Richard Linder, CEO. “We remain committed to bringing medical professionals the best science and products to help their patients overcome their complexion challenges. We invite these professionals to join us as we embark on the next 20 years of improving people’s lives.”

Shira Esthetics enjoys 20 years in the professional skincare industry.

Shira, which means “song” in Hebrew, was founded in 1990 by Sara Nezaria, a registered nurse and esthetician with more than 30 years’ experience. Using products rich in minerals from the Dead Sea to treat all skin conditions, Nezaria noticed dramatic results in her clients. In launching her own brand, she focused on the key ingredients of polypeptides, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and trace elements from the Dead Sea.

The company’s philosophy is to combine the industry’s latest technologies with the most gentle-yet-effective ingredients to treat all skin types.

In 1994 Nezaria’s son, Yair Nezaria, took over the business and introduced new lines such as Boto-derm Rx, Omega 3, and Glyco-C.

Green Glamour

Sormé puts the earth first in its new line of cosmetics, recently unveiled at a relaunch party in Culver City, California.

BioNaturals is a 70%-organic brand comprised of mineral pigments and botanicals. It has a silky texture and leaves a smooth finish on the skin.

Plus, the company’s packaging has been redesigned to decrease waste and have a softer environmental impact.

Joining the organic/natural movement in cosmetics was a natural step, according to president Morad Amirieh.

To view a slideshow of the new products and the relaunch event, visit Sormé’s Facebook page.

For more information, visit the company’s website.

Building Community

Deborah Carver, CEO of Creative Age Publications (CAP), poses with Jeff Pink, founder and CEO of Orly International, at an event organized by The Spa Buzz.

Southern California-based leaders of the spa industry gathered at SpaRitual/Orly International headquarters in Los Angeles last July to network and share ideas to strengthen the professional spa community. Attendees included product manufacturers, vendors, spa owners, industry consultants and the press. All were treated to a tour of the SpaRitual/Orly International factory facilities, as well as complimentary manicures and hors d’oeuvres. The company set up a dazzling product showcase to educate spa folk about the newest additions to the SpaRitual and Orly lines. Other vendors’ booths featured samples of their spa goods and information pamphlets. All participated in a raffle to win spa packages and specialty treatments, and attendees were given lots of free gifts from participating companies.

For more information, visit the company’s website.

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