Courtesy of Ole Henriksen
They say happy girls make the most beautiful girls. If the same is true for skincare gurus, then Ole Henriksen is the most beautiful of them all. Filled with joy and positivity, the former ballroom dancer has transformed himself into one of the world’s most trusted skincare specialists. With a client list that reads like the Hollywood walk of fame, you know he’s doing something right. Finally launching his eponymous brand in the Middle East, we sit down with Henriksen to find out more about his journey and cult beauty formulas.
What is your first memory of skincare?
My mother cared very much about her own skin but also her three sons. So I remember as a little boy especially during the cold winter weather, how my mum would massage cream into my face every morning before I went to school. She said: “Son, this will protect your skin against the cold and harsh elements”. And, you are going to thank me when you get older for having introduced you to take care of your skin.
Talk to us about growing up in Denmark and your time spent in Indonesia?
I grew up in the Danish countryside, in a small village from the 1400s, called Nibe. I was very active in sports and particularly talented doing gymnastics but by most favorite thing was going to dance school where my partner was my cousin Hanne. The two of us became competitive ballroom dancers as we got older. Until this very day, I love dancing and start all my training sessions around the world for the Ole Henriksen skincare brand by dancing and asking everyone to dance with me.
My career as a show dancer brought me to Indonesia. I fell in love with the country and the people, right away. Love at first sight! What spoke to me was how kind and loving people were and how spiritually evolved they were. However, as happy as I was living in Indonesia, I did develop cystic acne. My savior was a brilliant aesthetician named Lagita. She literally healed my acne after a couple of months of treatments using natural botanicals native to Indonesia. For the first time, I discovered the transformational powers of skin when you treat it correctly.
At what point did you pursue a career in skincare?
My new clear and glowing skin made me desire to pursue my career in skincare. Shortly afterward, I moved to London and enrolled at the Christine Shaw College of Beauty where I studied cosmetic chemistry, face and body treatments and both fashion and theatrical makeup. I loved every day of my new adventure, and I am thrilled to say that I graduated with honors. When finished with school, I worked for Helena Rubenstein doing special promotions like Harrods and Selfridges. Next stop, California, U.S.A.
Tell us about your first spa in LA?
When I first arrived in Los Angeles, I expected it would be very easy for me to find a job in my profession but I discovered that in the glamourous world of Hollywood, none of the skincare clinics wanted to hire me as a man. But rejection is good when you are passionate about your profession, you gain the strength to find solutions. I simply opened up my own spa in 1975, called Ole Henriksen of Denmark. I had a very tight budget but I created a very beautiful little spa, on Camden Drive in Beverly Hills.
How did you start building up your client basis?
From the get-go with my new spa, I brought innovation to the world of skincare by combining advanced skincare equipment from Germany with custom-made skincare formulations I made at home in my kitchen, which basically became my laboratory. What also made my spa unique, is that I custom designed every treatment based on my client’s skincare needs. Very quickly, top magazine started to write about me, and I began appearing on TV shows as a skincare expert. What followed was a long list of the big Hollywood stars that became very loyal clients.
To name a few: Barbra Streisand, Cher, Madonna, Naomi Campbell, Sylvester Stallone, Charlize Theron, David Bowie, Prince, Katy Perry, Shakira, Renee Zellweger, Laura Dern, Kylie Minogue, and Justin Timberlake. Suddenly, I became known as the skincare guru to the stars. And I guess, what made the stars become loyal to me, was my ability to elevate their skin to new levels of perfection.
When did you decide to launch Ole Henriksen the label?
It was my celebrity clients that encouraged me to create my own skincare brand. I thank them for that.
What formula are you most proud of?
I am proud of all my formulations because each of them are extremely potent and jammed packed with some of nature’s most skin transformational botanicals. But let me mention some of the ones that have become global bestsellers and won international prizes: Banana Bright Eye Crème, Banana Bright Face Primer, Glow 2 OH Dark Spot Toner, C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème, Truth Serum, PHAT Glow Facial, Good Night Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Crème, Cold Plunge Pore Mask.
Courtesy of Ole Henriksen
What is your ethos when it comes to looking after your skin?
My ethos are: Exfoliate, Treat and Soothe.
When you treat your skin in this manner, you will achieve the “OLE GLOW” that we are famous for.
My key ingredients for exfoliation are polyhydroxy acids derived from Oxidized milk sugars, Bakuchiol an Ayurvedic medicinal plant from India that has all the collagen, strengthening and rebuilding properties of retinol without the negative side effects that retinol is known for including redness.
With all the dead, dull and lifeless skin cells eliminated with exfoliation, we have now paved the way to properly treat and soothe the skin with the many multiple sources of stable Vitamin C that I use on my products plus essential fatty acids from plant extracts, algae extract from the ocean and a host of other extraordinary ingredients.
Do you take a holistic approach to skincare?
From the get-go in my career, I have been 100% focused on a holistic approach, not just to skincare but lifestyle as well.
A lot of my Ole’ism are an expression of my lifestyle philosophy. Here are a couple:
- Celebrate life, celebrate yourself.
- A happy face is a beautiful face!
- Do at least one good deed a day and do it right from the heart.
- Always aim to be the best version of yourself. Remember, you are number one in your life.
- First thing every morning, lend yourself a smile in the mirror, it’s a great way to embrace yourself and start a new day.
What advice do you have for women living in the Middle East battling with heat and humidity?
I fully relate to this concern. Let me give you an Ole Henriksen skincare routine that impressively will deep cleanse and detoxify the skin while also removing long-wear makeup, control excess oil flow and reduce the look of open pores without ever drying the skin. Let’s not forget, my routine will also provide the skin with exceptional anti-aging benefits by continuously resurfacing the skin which results in wrinkle reduction and optimized skin’s elasticity.
Morning routine: Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser, followed by Balancing Force Toner, Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum and C-Rush Brightening Gel crème and lastly, Banana Bright Eye crème. All these formulations have extremely light textures, and feel extremely comfortable on the skin, never greasy.
Nighttime routine: Truth Juice Daily Cleanser, incredible at removing the most stubborn makeup, while also deep cleansing the skin, followed by Glow 2 OH Dark Spot Toner, then Good Night Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Crème and lastly, Banana Bright Eye Crème.
Once a week, as a special treatment: Pore Balance Facial Sauna Scrub for physical exfoliation, followed by the Cold Plunge Mask for skin detoxification, inspired by the Scandinavian sauna cycle and winter bathing in cold water.
Ole Henriksen is available exclusively at Sephora Middle East
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