LovelySkin History

Dr. Joel Schlessinger launched LovelySkin.com in 1997 to meet the needs of his out-of-state patients. His practice had been selling professional skin care products for four years, and he found that many of his patients could not find their favorite products back home. Dr. Joel Schlessinger started offering select cosmeceuticals (cosmetics with pharmaceutical benefits) via a call-in line, which quickly morphed into an easy-to-access online store with the ability to purchase these advanced skin care products. The name "LovelySkin" came about as a result of Dr. Joel Schlessinger's quest for a name that would represent the goal and reality of professional skin care while highlighting the company's goal to help customers bring out the best in their complexions.

Its first full-time employee was Cathy Hutfless, initially hired as a secretary for the day spa and subsequently taking on the role of Director of Customer Care. She still serves in this role, working tirelessly to provide the best customer service possible and instill this ironclad ethic in her employees.



By 2003, LovelySkin.com had a humble staff of two full-time employees that utilized a small office in Dr. Joel Schlessinger's spa to process an average of 50 orders per week. Two years later, the company had outgrown the space and needed somewhere to store all of their advanced skin care products, so they moved into a bay formerly inhabited by 'Atomic Dog', a hot dog shop which "smelled every bit like that when we first looked at it. Luckily, paint and copious cleaning made it into a great, dedicated space for the growing team of 5 full-time staff," Dr. Joel Schlessinger said.

By 2010, LovelySkin.com had moved into a 16,000 square foot building that included a warehouse, staff offices and the brand-new brick-and-mortar retail store. Today, LovelySkin.com continues to grow, employing a staff of over 35 to handle the maintenance of the site and thousands of orders per week.

Dr. Joel Schlessinger credits much of the professional skin care company's success to the support of his staff and his family. His wife, son and daughter have contributed to LovelySkin in every way imaginable, whether it was packing orders, looking over ads or meeting with vendors. His father carefully monitors financial sheets and web copy, and his mother enjoys wrapping gifts for LovelySkin.com during the holidays. Both his parents and family take pride in this venture that started from such modest origins.

Additionally, Dr. Joel Schlessinger considers the staff part of his "extended family" and said that some of the best memories of the past 14 years have been during the difficult times, when everyone came together to solve problems and help on busy days.

LovelySkin.com has a history of great customer service and a dedication to providing real, trustworthy advanced skincare advice. Under the observation of Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon, the customer service team strives to accurately portray every professional skin care product sold on the site. All staff members know that Dr. Joel Schlessinger will not tolerate anything other than complete honesty when it comes to selling products. Any products that have poor reviews are quickly exited from the site, while product lines that are poor quality or have dubious ethics never make it to the site. Customers are steered away from products that can't help their current condition and are instead given suggestions about what advanced skin care formulas CAN work to noticeably treat and improve their skin. This year, that honesty and attention to detail won LovelySkin.com the Platinum BizRate award for customer service, an honor given to only 22 out of 5000 websites across the world.

In the future, LovelySkin.com will continue to strive to be on the cutting edge of technology and cosmeceuticals, offering the latest in professional skin care, hair care and fragrance.