Dermatude, celebrating 5 years of success

Since the introduction in 2012 anti-ageing concept Dermatude Meta Therapy has grown explosively. Within 5 years, the Dutch anti-ageing concept is represented in 35+ countries worldwide. Founder Saskia Kusters shares how she came up with the idea, how she started and why it is such a success.

‘I started with Dermatude because I personally was looking for something to fight the ageing process in an effective but natural way. There are many effective treatments on the market, which will give you results that last a few days. If you want something more lasting, you must undergo a more invasive treatment. Which was not what I wanted. No matter how hard I tried, I could not find a treatment which met my demands. I was looking for something specific that was less invasive but still very effective for my skin.’ This search made Saskia realize there really was a gap between beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery. ‘I knew for sure that many women were looking for a similar treatment as I did and couldn’t find it – just like me.’ Her unfruitful search made Saskia determined to make a change. ‘That is how I came up with the idea of Dermatude Meta Therapy. A concept that can fight the anti-ageing process from the age of 25 up to 75 years. More invasive than a regular skin care treatment but less rigorous than surgery.‘

Familiar face

Her many years of experience have worked in her favor as Saskia Kusters is a familiar face in the international beauty industry. Being a former international sales manager, she knows the beauty market from within. ‘After finishing school I started working in 1992 at a large Dutch beauty company with international export. I started as a sales executive in the export department. For my job I traveled a lot and came in contact with many different people, cultures and markets. I came to know the users of the products and equipment I was selling at that time, but also the people who were selling the products. So export wise and international sales wise I had a lot of experience. I met people who shared the same passion. I learned that despite differences in country, background and culture there is one thing they have in common worldwide: fight the ageing process as effective as possible.’

Saskia: ‘I kept looking for a treatment which was suitable for the beauty industry that could meet up with the results on medical level. So more effective than a regular beauty treatment. I wanted to offer the consumer a very good treatment with good results without the risk of imperrable skin damage.’ In 2010, while traveling and meeting up with contacts from all over the world, with years of sales experience and market knowledge at hand, the idea was shaped. ‘I was asking myself questions like: what is necessary in a treatment to give clients a good result? What do institutes need to perform and sell the treatment? And of course, B2B wise: what do distributors need to sell the concept in their country?’

Full force ahead

Back home, Saskia found a business partner who was familiar with the international beauty industry and went full force ahead on the development for her Dermatude. ‘When finishing up the full concept of Dermatude we introduced it in the Dutch professional beauty market. We wanted to have a pilot of 1 year to hear the experiences of professionals and consumers before deciding to go international’, the founder explains. ‘The results of that first year were amazing! Consumers were very happy with the results, estheticians liked the concept very much. That made us decide to go international after 1 year.‘

Dermatude is head quartered in the Netherlands, located in the south of the Netherlands, close to Germany and Belgium, and has a sister company in the USA, with their own sales and training facilities in Orlando, Florida. Saskia: ‘This is of course a bench mark for the international market approach; the US is very important to us to get all the trends out of the market and help expose them to the European countries too.’

The Facelift Alternative

Meta Therapy is the acronym for Medical Esthetical Tissue Activation Therapy. Dermatude Meta Therapy is a 100% natural anti-ageing concept for skin rejuvenation and skin improvement from the inside out. The mechanical Meta Therapy treatments stimulates collagen and elastin production in the skin, thus achieving skin rejuvenation from within. This is a 100% natural process. ‘After 1 treatment you already have the result and in a course of treatments, the results are amazing. Dermatude Meta Therapy improves the overall condition of the skin, fine lines and wrinkles fade, pores become finer, the skin becomes firmer and regains its elasticity.’ Saskia
explains. ‘Leading institutes and dermatologists from around the world consider Meta Therapy effective and safe. Due to the patented treatment module, it is a safe treatment and keeps the epidermis intact. Unlike many skin rejuvenation techniques, the recovery time after Dermatude Meta Therapy is nil which of course is a great benefit to the customer.’

‘In the Meta Therapy treatments we use our own Dermatude products. The recipes are developed without perfumes and parabens and that is very important to us. We create a 100% natural treatment and have supporting products which are good to use at home and to prolong treatment results.’ Also, the Dermatude Skin Care range is very compact. ‘This makes it easy for beauty therapists to advice skin care for home use and easy to implement in their program.’

Basis for success

From 2012, Dermatude grew explosively. ‘Not only in our Dutch home market, but also on the international beauty market. Each year new distributors who work and sell Dermatude are added to the list. In order to get them going, Saskia travels a lot. ‘Each distributor gets trained by me personally. So before their start I will visit them, train them on the concept and make sure they can start in their country.’ Judging by the numbers, this approach works. ‘As a mother or 3 sons, one aged 16-year-old, and 15-year-old twins it is very important to find the right balance between business and family. I am very lucky to have the possibility to rely on family when I travel. In this way I can show my sons that working with passion will gain success in business. And that their mom is successful but still a mom.‘

‘One of the reasons for success is because of the concept which is just right: people love the treatment, results are great, and professionals love the turnkey implementable concept.’

In 2018, we export to 35+ countries and distribute to over 3.500 institutes worldwide. ‘Being so successful in only 5 years, having 35+ countries representing Dermatude is about passion and believing in the concept, in the brand, that is the basis for success. Because I believe in it.’