Behind The Brand: fresh

fresh shot

From all-natural ingredients to ancient-inspired formulas and modern innovations, fresh’s skincare, body care and fragrance have been making waves in the beauty industry since its launch over 15 years ago. We discover more about the forward-thinking beauty brand.

In The Beginning

fresh was founded in 1991 by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg at a small apothecary store in Boston. Empowered by a mutual feeling that there was a distinct lack of indulgent, yet highly effective beauty brands available, they began creating their own, fusing innovative, natural ingredients with time-honoured, ancient beauty rituals to create sensorial experiences.

The opening of the first fresh store saw instant engagement from the local community and their first product – a soap hand-wrapped by themselves – was an instant success. Today, fresh has evolved into a full lifestyle collection of skincare, bodycare and fragrance sold worldwide, with Lev and Alina still very much at the forefront of the brand.

Fresh Thinking

fresh pride themselves on being innovators within the beauty industry and have a pioneering approach to the ingredients they use. “We love setting the tone for the next generation of ground-breaking products to come,” explains Lev. The launch of their Sugar Collection in 1998 was the first of its kind. Inspired by their Russian grandmothers who would use sugar to heal their scrapes as children, Alina and Lev dedicated a whole collection to the wonder ingredient. fresh were also the first to use sake in skincare in 2000 with their Sake Bath range. Other ingredients they brought into the spotlight include Umbrian Clay – now the foundation of one of their bestselling ranges – which they originally used to transform the skin of a friend of theirs who suffered from blemishes.

Fresh Formulas

Inspired by their love of natural ingredients and their effects on the skin, fresh have used everything from aloe vera, kombucha, black tea, sugar, lotus and soy to create formulas which deliver multiple benefits. To take this concept one step further, they understood the body’s cravings for certain foods and noticed this also applied to the skin. fresh’s range is therefore designed to be interchanged and used in various combinations depending on what your skin needs.

Must-Try Products

At over 200 products, fresh undeniably covers all bases, but there are several stand-out products. Their bestselling Soy Face Cleanser has a gentle, yet powerful formula which utilises the kind-to-skin effects of soy to calm, balance and soothe. The Black Tea Kombucha Essence tackles pollution with potent kombucha, which is renowned for its ability to protect and hydrate. Their much-loved Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy transforms dry lips with a blend of sugar, sea fennel and orange extract. Other stand-outs include the Vitamin Nectar Face Mask which is packed full of brightening vitamins, revitalising minerals and exfoliating AHAs and the Crème Ancienne which is a must for those with ageing skin.