10 minute read
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Safe and Sustainable Beauty
By Haley Beyer
Santa Monica resident Sarah Moret started her career working for a Big 4 accounting firm, but after several years of long days and nights, she decided to move in a new direction. She joined an early-stage venture capital fund in Silicon Valley, where she learned more about entrepreneurship. “I learned how to build a business, what worked, what didn’t work, etc., through meeting with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the course of three years,” Moret said. That first step set the rest of her life in motion. Moret was using clean, natural products, but none of them were working as well as the products with chemicals. After deep diving into research, she decided to create her own antiperspirant that actually worked. It seemed that no brand was able to master the formula for an aluminum-free deodorant while using ingredients that were safe for our bodies and the environment. Moret officially left her career to start Curie in 2018. “Founding a company doesn’t take some special type of genius,” Moret said. “It really just takes determination, grit, and an unwavering belief in what you are doing.” Moret named the brand after Marie Curie, a famous scientist in the 1800s who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Her focus was always to put science first. Moret wanted to do the same thing to prove that the product really worked and had the safest combination of ingredients possible. Curie’s team includes VP of operations Rami Jubran; social media manager Rebecca Cunningham, and Moret’s sister Margot, who is head of customer support and has been by her side since day one. “Nobody loves and cares about our customers more than my sister does, and it shows in every interaction she has with them,” Moret said. Curie’s line of effective and clean deodorant is available in the classic stick form as well as a spray. They also offer whipped body wash, a clay detox mask, moisturizing body oil, hand sanitizer and candles. All the products are created with natural, clean ingredients that are found in nature or synthetic ingredients that have been tested to guarantee safety for humans and the environment. Curie has a strict list of ingredients that are
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not used in their products and every product is Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free, meaning they do not test on animals. Another thing that customers love about Curie are their scents. When Moret first launched Curie, she only had enough funds to create one scent. She wanted it to pull people in and be something that no one had smelled before. She found a scent house in New Jersey and after several months the first scent, White Tea, was done. After narrowing it down to three options, Moret decided to let the people pick. 90% of people chose the same scent, so Moret knew she had the winner. “I went to the mall in the middle of the day on a Tuesday with the three versions of the deodorant and asked random women walking in and out of Nordstrom to sniff each and vote on which one they liked best,” Moret said. “I wanted people who were not my friends and not worried about offending me to help narrow it down.” Moret is always excited when she gets to connect with customers. “It’s incredible getting to meet and talk to the real-life people who are buying our products,” Moret said. “Connecting with our customers is my favorite thing. Whenever I’m having a tough day, hopping in our Instagram messages or chiming in on customer support tickets always energizes me and brings me back.” The product packaging is just as important as the ingredients. Curie recently relaunched its best-selling Full Body Deodorant Spray bottles, which are now made of 100% recycled plastic water bottles. The deodorant sticks and detox mask packaging are made of recycled plastic as well. Curie’s goal is to remove virgin plastics from the supply chain entirely by the end of 2022. Moret also has plans to continue expanding Curie’s product line and scents into 2022. “Our mission is to create products people will want to use as part of their personal care routines every single day, with scent as the core experience,” Moret said. Within the next year, Curie plans to release more new products with safe and effective ingredients, new scents and retail partnerships. In addition to selling products and special brand merchandise, the company website also has a blog that covers various topics on self-care. Curie also gives back to Simply the Basics, an organization that aims to help homeless women by providing simple hygiene products (toothbrush, soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc.) For every five sticks of deodorant purchased through Curie’s website, one stick is donated to the organization.
Beauty by the Beach
Ocean Avenue Aesthetics in Santa Monica offers medical-grace facials and cosmetic treatments
By Bridgette Redman
As Zoom calls dominate people’s lives, they are spending more time than ever before looking at their own faces. It’s a trend that has been keeping Dr. Jason Champagne, a wellknown Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon and owner of Santa Monica’s newest medical spa, busy. “We’ve had more patients during the past year or so,” Champagne said. “People have really started looking at themselves in a different way with Zoom and all these new meeting apps. They want to do something now about things they may have put off for a few years or things that they didn’t notice before.” In August 2021, Ocean Avenue Aesthetics opened a beachside bungalow designed to provide what they call a simple approach to beauty. Their goal is to have customers feel like they are getting a service at home — able to address their wellness concerns in an intimate private setting where they can hear the sounds of the ocean and relax in a beautiful spa environment. The spa’s treatments include medicalgrade facials, cosmetic treatments and contouring injectable fillers. While Ocean Avenue Aesthetics is a new beachside bungalow med spa in Santa Monica that was founded by Dr. Jason Champagne, a well-known Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon.
Champagne’s other practice focuses on surgical procedures and more aggressive solutions, Ocean Aesthetics offers a different atmosphere, one that thrives on relaxation and rejuvenation. “It is something that’s a little on the lighter side for patients who are just dipping their toes into the water,” Champagne said. “This is more for patients who are wanting to start with something and just see what they can do with some milder treatments. Maybe the patient doesn’t need surgery yet, but they want to do some minor maintenance procedures. The spa is tailored toward those patients.” Champagne said they are creating an atmosphere that connects with the ocean. They designed the building so that patients enter it from the ocean side, helping them to arrive more relaxed. He said they chose an area on the secluded side for Santa Monica. In their first several months, they have focused on staff training while doing a lot of facials. Of their seven different facials, their most popular ones include: • Champagne & Caviar Facial: This invigorating treatment begins with a foaming enzyme treatment and steam to remove dead skin cells. This is followed by extractions to remove congestion and improve skin texture. To finish, a caviar hydro-jelly mask and antioxidants are applied for long-lasting benefits and glowing skin. • Fire & Ice Facial: The legendary Fire & Ice Facial is designed to safely resurface and rapidly rejuvenate the skin with little or no downtime. The first mask is the “fire,” containing revitalizing vitamins and minerals to diminish dead skin. The second mask, the “ice,” is made of potent antioxidants that promote rejuvenation deep within the skin. Afterwards, a vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serum are applied to hydrate and protect, which results in a more youthful and even complexion. • Anti-Aging Stem Cell Facial: Stem Cell Technology represents a major breakthrough in anti-aging and regenerative skin care by protecting, strengthening and replenishing human skin cells. Stem cell technology improves the life of the core of
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The intimate private setting is inspired by the calming sounds of the ocean and designed to help clients relax and rejuvenate while addressing their wellness concerns.
The med spa specializes in beauty treatments such as problem-solving medical-grade facials, cutting-edge cosmetic treatments and contouring injectable fillers.
the cell. This treatment helps protect the longevity of the skin cells and limits collagen degradation. While many patients come in knowing what they want, Champagne said there is an esthetician on staff who provides education and consults with patients on what sort of facial would best match their needs. “We’ll look at them and really suggest a facial depending on their skin type, what some problem areas that they have are, if they have pigmentation or have fine lines,” Champagne said. “We’ll suggest a facial based on different skin conditions and issues. It’s more of a consultation. We will kind of guide patients to something that would be the most beneficial for them.” Ocean Avenue Aesthetics is designed to be an overall skincare center that goes beyond just facials. “At some point, a little minor resurfacing of the skin to get rid of old skin cells (is necessary),” Champagne said. “That’s what maintaining the skin is all about. You can do facials every so often, but I think you also need to be doing some other minor procedures. We offer microneedling with radio frequency, skin tightening and a mild CO2 laser-type procedure that can resurface the skin. In the long run, a combination of all those things are going to keep your skin looking more youthful through the years.” The exact services a person needs, he said, are going to travel a spectrum that is different for each person because everyone has different skin. “I always approach things from an individualized standpoint,” Champagne said. “Everything is customized. Everything is going to be tailored to you and that’s how it should be. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.” Champagne, who loves the artistry and creativity of his work, pointed out that what they do at Ocean Avenue Aesthetics is minimally invasive. It isn’t as aggressive as facelift surgery. Rather, their patient population is one that is looking for a little pick-me-up, something to make their skin look a little brighter and better for a month to a year. “The results we can achieve with the technology that I have brought into the spa leave patients really happy or just overall excited about how good their skin looks after the procedure was done,” Champagne said. “It just helps patients feel a little better about their skin and gets their skin looking better, healthier, and a little tighter in a minimally invasive way.”
Ocean Avenue Aesthetics
1327 Ocean Avenue, Suite E, Santa Monica 310-310-3850 oceanavenueaesthetics.com
