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Beauty

TEN TALKS TO FRESH BEAUTY

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Fresh beauty is officially 30 and thriving. The legendary beauty brand was founded in 1991 by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, who traveled the world for natural ingredients to create skincare that would truly transform the skin. Ahead of the natural ingredient mania that has become a primary topic of conversation in the beauty industry, fresh has remained at the forefront of skincare and change within the industry. To celebrate 30 years the brand is making 30 commitments to build a more inclusive and hopeful world, increase sustainability effort and continue to create seriously good, safe skincare. We spoke to Lev and Alina about fresh’s dominance over the last three decades:

Congratulations on 30 years! Did you ever imagine you would be one of the biggest beauty brands in the world when you began the fresh beauty venture?

Alina Roytberg: “Thank you, you are very kind! It has been an incredible 30 years and it’s a great moment to acknowledge and pay tribute to what the company has accomplished, as well as think about the future.  Today the focus is tomorrow!”

When did the original idea come to you? How did you decide on ‘Fresh’? It’s such a great name.

AR: "Feeling the gap in the marketplace for the natural products we were looking for ourselves, we decided to open the apothecary store in Boston, where we focused on curating natural, upscale personal care products from around the world. This inspired us to create our own line with products that are as indulgent as they are effective. Traveling the world, we seek out natural ingredients to incorporate into our products, introducing new, highly innovative formulations into the market, keeping fresh at the forefront of the beauty industry. What began as a small set of hand-wrapped, soaps has eventually evolved into a full line of lifestyle products spanning skincare, bodycare, fragrance, haircare, and home.

We used “fresh” on our first catalog as we felt that word truly signified the spirit of the company we wanted to build. “Fresh” carries a feeling of hope, rejuvenation, innovation, modernity – the same words you think of when looking up at the blue sky. This is what our signature fresh blue color represents, the blue sky of hope.”

Love that. Some might argue the beauty industry is completely oversaturated now. Why do you think Fresh has stayed on top and continues to dominate

Lev Glazman: “fresh has always remained firm in being a brand that touches people’s hearts before their skin. The experience of using our products is truly a sensorial journey. Our products are backed by science and transform ordinary natural raw materials into effective and indulgent skin and body care ingredients. We have never wavered in that approach and consumers know that everything fresh creates will always not only perform, but also ignite the senses.”

What is the biggest change you’ve noticed in the beauty industry since you began to now?

LG: “Full transparency about the ingredients, the opportunity to consider the environment, sustainability, and full traceability of the ingredients.  Also, the consumer has more interest in the knowledge and education behind the products.”

Do you have a product you are most proud of over the last 30 years? 

LG: “In the early years of the brand, we had so many innovations and so many exciting firsts. We had a passion for creating authentic products with effective ingredients that carried their own stories. As children growing up in Russia, our medicine cabinets were filled with Western medicine, and Eastern natural ingredients. So, often our ingredient inspirations came from a time-honoured ritual, for example, our grandmothers using sugar on scrapes and burns. 

From there, what we call “boundless curiosity” kicked in. We’d have a hunch that there was a reason behind this ritual, so I would begin researching the ingredients with my team. We   have uncovered some incredible curative and scientific properties behind these ingredients. In the case of sugar, it’s a natural humectant that helps retain moisture.

I truly believe all the answers lie in nature. When we take natural ingredients, and apply modern science to them, that’s when we really bring revolutionary ideas to the forefront. In the last few years, Kombucha Black Tea face treatment essence was an incredible feat to develop - anti pollution and super defence product for the modern consumer - it became an essential product for fresh users around the world.”

How do you hope the Fresh person feels when they use your products?

AR: “Since the beginning, the sensoriality of fresh products have been at the forefront and our mission has always been to create products that perform and transform. We want each person that uses a fresh product to have a full sensory experience, while also seeing results.”

From all your experience, what is one misconception about beauty that still reigns today?

LG: “That a product can either be effective or luxurious – never both. Either you had an extremely effective product, but it had an off-putting smell, or it had beautiful packaging and gave no results. The desire for products that checked all these boxes was our founding principle and why we launched fresh 30 years ago.”

Who fits into the Fresh world? Who would you still love to see using the product?

AR: “fresh was conceived as a universal brand and our main goal has always been to address a wide range of skin and body care concerns and provide efficient solutions for everyone. Personally, I always love to hear about each person’s entry product to the brand, it’s different for everyone and really allows me to see the brand through their eyes.”

What’s on the Fresh beauty soundtrack?

AR: “Currently, it’s our newly launched podcast series, A fresh Take. We conceptualised and released the series as part of our 30th anniversary and the 30 commitments we made for the future focusing on three key areas – people, planet & product. We hosted conversations with experts from all backgrounds to discuss a range of topics with many friends of the brand and people we admire including, Nana Agyemang, Entrepreneur & Founder of Every Stylish Girl, Mira Mariah, Tattoo Artist & Influencer and Lara Koritzke, Director at the Union for Ethical BioTrade."

fresh is available to shop now at Sephora Australia.