Sofie Pavitt, the renowned "acne whisperer", has made a name for herself as the go-to facialist for some of the biggest names in fashion and entertainment. Based in her very own Sofie Pavitt Studio in New York City, she offers clients a diverse range of personalized treatments. With the launch of her new skincare brand - Sofie Pavitt Face - Pavitt has finally transformed her expert esthetician skills into a bottle, allowing people to experience her effective and trusted methods at home. We spoke with Pavitt and delved deep into her creative process, asking about her inspirations and what drove her to develop the brand. Pavitt also shared the brand's mission, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and real results and how Sofie Pavitt Face aims to streamline routines by minimizing unnecessary steps.
Talk about how you got into skincare. What's the journey been like?
I worked in fashion for 15 years designing handbags for brands such as Michael Kors and Tory Burch. I was in Seoul every 12 weeks for years. I got the Korean skincare bug before anyone knew what a sheet mask was in the U.S.! I retrained in my spare time alongside my fashion job and then started giving facials to my friends who told their friends about me; it was all word of mouth at the beginning. I finally quit my fashion job, started working in skincare full-time, and also started to work alongside a dermatologist. I still work there (Center Aesthetic and Dermatology), which got me into the field of problematic skincare. I love results-driven treatments and forging relationships with clients to get them to their skin goals. I have a team of 9 people in the studio now, and we are the go-to skincare studio for problematic skin in NYC.
Since you started your brand as a well-established professional, what gaps did you see in the skincare industry that you wanted to fill?
I have an analogy about estheticians: you gotta think like a chef. Most chefs cook one type of cuisine. You don't go to an Italian restaurant and order Thai food. I think more estheticians need to find their "special sauce." What do you specialize in? Is it a facial massage? Microcurrent? Gua sha? I specialize in breakouts — solving why and how people are breaking out. I saw many patients coming through the derm center needing regular extractions and someone holding them accountable for homecare along their RX topicals. That's how I became known for clearing people up.
What made you launch with the Mandelic Clearing Serum?
Nobody has any business starting a skincare line unless you're going into it with integrity and intention. Each product I launch is there for a reason. I want to use it on my own clients in the studio. One of the skin philosophies I stand behind with breakout-prone skin is that daily exfoliation to help those skin cells release is key. The problem is that most exfoliants are too harsh and disrupt the barrier if used too much. I wanted to create the "slow cooker" of exfoliating serums. It's an 8% mandelic formulated with panthenol and hyaluronic acid, so it's soothing, hydrating, and gently removes those dead skin cells.
Explain the daily benefits of the serum.
Smoother, brighter, and clearer-looking skin. Mandelic acid is an AHA with a large molecule size, so it will sit on the surface and dissolve the bonds between dead cells and healthy skin underneath.
Talk about your priority to make sure your customers know how to properly use your products.
This is huge for me. I launched a beautiful new website (thank you, HUMAN NYC) with a great tool that can help breakout-prone clients. It has a pore-clogging ingredients checker. You can copy and paste the IL of any product into it, and it will tell you if it has pore-clogging ingredients which will work against your skin-clearing intentions.
Part of your brand's philosophy is to minimize needless steps and maximize real results. What needless steps are trending right now that you would advise your customers to ignore?
I think there are so many amazing products out there, but I would tell customers to pinpoint their skin concerns first (you can visit our website to decide what your concerns are, too) and then pick two active ingredients to address those concerns. We're all doing too much. Everything else in your routine should be gentle, hydrating, skin soothing, etc. We don't need it all the time.
How do you want your customers to feel when they apply your products?
Like they are in control of their skin. I love to empower everybody to understand why their skin is acting up and how to solve those issues. I encourage anyone to DM me, and I will help them with their routine. Mandelic acid is pretty good for almost anyone.
Anything else you may want to share?
Drink more water than you need, and take a fish oil supplement, and your skin will be clearer from those two easy switches.
Shop Sofie Pavitt Face products via the webstore. Keep up with them via Instagram @sofiepavittface.