Facialist to formulator Debbie Thomas, founder of new skincare brand Cellis, brings us a fascinating clinical masterclass Debbie Thomas, founder of Cellis (cellis.com), has been working in the beauty industry for nearly 30 years, and would conservatively estimate that she’s performed more than 70,000 facial treatments, many in the advanced skincare realm. So, she has hands-on experience every single day treating all different types of skin. She has spent the last eight years developing her new skincare brand, Cellis – a significant time investment for such a venture. “I’m very stubborn and focused on what I want to achieve. I’m not someone who’ll cut corners,” she explains. Here, Debbie brings us her fascinating clinical masterclass. Discover the facts you need to know to get your skin in top shape by W-day. THE INDUSTRY GAP When she set out to create Cellis, Debbie noticed several gaps in the beauty industry. One of the issues is the overtreating trap leading many to strip the skin barrier and overload with the wrong actives at the wrong concentrations. There’s also been an over-fixation on percentages, often marketed as producing better results, but that’s not always true. This has led the skincare industry to chase numbers instead of biology. Instead, it’s actually quality and the delivery system that matter. Finally, the symptom distraction. A lot of people become distracted by the current symptom they’re seeing on their skin. “But what we’re not doing is understanding what has brought our skin to that particular point,” Debbie explains. “For me, I can nearly always put what’s going on with someone’s skin topically down to a long-term low-level inflammation. What triggers that can be lifestyle, stress, hormonal imbalances, UV damage and using the wrong skin care. If your body is constantly fighting inflammation, it’s not focusing on regeneration and renewal.” BUILDING A BRAND HER WAY Consistency is key. The truth is, as with many things in life, if you’re not going to be consistent with something, you’re not going to get results. “We have to be consistent with our ingredients to allow them the time to be effective,” Debbie says. Simplicity feeds that consistency. If your routine is complicated, you’re less likely to stick to it. Who has time to put on 12 products? “For example, if you’re layering four products, do you think the last product will penetrate and be as effective as the first?” Debbie asks. “So, are we just wasting our money by multi-layering?” All of this is why Debbie sought to come up with Cellis and provided her ample challenges along the way. She refused to take the white-label shortcut, where you buy a product as it is and put your own label on it. She wanted to develop something she truly believed in from scratch. “You’ll find many influencers and celebrities have taken the white-label route but also professionals like doctors, because it’s the easy way to get into launching your own skincare brand,” Debbie shares. However, she struggled to find a 78
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