Soteri Skin is the first and only product proven to provide long-lasting relief for eczema and other chronic skin conditions. The products are aesthetically elegant (non-sticky, sit well under makeup, etc), safe for anyone to use, and don't require a prescription.
Soteri Skin's customer reviews and client studies show people see skin health improvements within the first few weeks of application, even for tricky, chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. "Our patented technology corrects and locks in optimal pH on the skin for skin enzymatic reaction and skin microbiome." said Rafal Pielak, Co-Founder & CEO of Soteri Skin.
How Soteri Skin works: Skin surface pH is constantly in flux, and many of your daily activities can throw it out of balance. People with chronic skin conditions such as eczema have a harder time regulating their skin's pH. Soteri's patented pH/LOCK™ locks skin in at a therapeutic pH for 12+ hours, which is shown to help break the cycle of skin sensitivity, whether you have eczema, psoriasis, or just a bad sunburn.
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We sat down with Rafal Pielak at Beauty Tech and Innovation Summit 2023 to talk about Soteri Skin, the future of beauty and his thoughts on this years conference.
Meet the Co-Founder & CEO of Soteri Skin, Rafal Pielak
Rafal received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Harvard Medical School and went on to complete his postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. Earlier in his career, he concentrated on viruses, the immune system, and drug development.
Later he joined L’Oreal and helped establish L’Oreal Technology Incubator in San Francisco, where he led a product innovation team for over 7 years, working on products for brands like La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, and SkinCeuticals. But it wasn’t until Rafal’s wife and daughter started suffering from eczema that skincare became a personal passion.
What was the inspiration behind starting your brand?
My wife and daughter suffered from eczema and nothing worked for them. When I came across clinical studies demonstrating that skin pH is elevated in eczema and correcting it has therapeutic effects on eczema, I used my biomedical background to create a product that corrects skin pH long-term. When it helped my wife and daughter to resolve their eczema I made a commitment to make it available to other eczema sufferers.
Where did you first come up with the idea to merge science and beauty?
I'm a biomedical scientist so science has been always part of my life. I worked at universities and at biotech. Eventually, I found my way into the beauty industry where I was exposed to skincare. I always felt skincare needs more science and more science-based products.
How does your education (or professional experience) play a role in creating products?
Our products are rooted in science and my science background played an essential role in our product development. I was in a unique position to come up with this solution. My background in immunology and skin biology gave me a good understanding of the process leading to eczema. I also happened to have a strong background in chemistry, which helped me to develop a technology that can correct skin pH and maintain it long-term.
This is challenging because the skin is a very dynamic ecosystem that is constantly exposed to the negative effects of the external environment, such as pollution, UV, and irritating chemicals. All of these cause constant pH fluctuations. Our products protect the skin from these negative effects and prevent skin pH fluctuation.
Where do you see the future of beauty in the next five years? What technology advancements do you think will go mainstream?
I see more and more influence of technology and science on beauty. Augmented reality and diagnostic devices will help us to make better choices when choosing products.
What did you learn from attending the Beauty Tech & Innovation Summit?
For me, the biggest value was meeting other founders and connecting with investors. I enjoyed learning about other founders' journeys and challenges.
Would you recommend other beauty brands to attend? And if yes, what stage of their business should they be in?
I would definitely recommend other beauty founders to attend the Beauty Tech & Innovation Summit. It is a great place to network, meet other founders, and learn about ventures.
Share with us one of your best selling products, and why do you think its been such a hit?
Our eczema cream, NO MORE ROUGH PATCHES, is our best seller. I think people like it because it is effective and it has a minimalistic formulation. It supports three pillars of skin health - acid mantle, skin barrier, and skin microbiome.
NO MORE ROUGH PATCHES not only corrects skin's pH but also contains all the ingredients your skin needs to keep it healthy, such as niacinamide, ceramides, amino acids, hydroxy acids, and shea butter. When you apply it you may feel a tingling or even stinging sensation. This is an indication that your barrier is compromised. As your skin health recovers the sensation fades away. Many people like to feel that the product works.
