We Sat Down With The Fresh Founders; Here Is Their Secret To Great Skin

Consistency is key and it also seems to be the key to great skin. We recently sat down with the founders of the popular skincare brand Fresh, Alina Roytberg and Lev Glazman, during which we realized that consistency may have more to do with great skin than products do. Don’t get us wrong: products definitely matter. But there is no point in great products if there is no consistency, routine or, as Roytberg, refers to it, ritual.   

During our conversation, we asked both Roytberg and Glazman about their personal skincare routines—they have a wealth of knowledge surrounding skincare, so we needed to know what they consider to be vital for great skin. They both detailed their current individual routines and, again, emphasized the importance of having a routine, any routine.

It quickly became clear that products used can change and rotate, and it’s more about self-care: listening to your body, taking care of it and, as per Glazman, connecting with it. This way you can truly understand what your skin needs and use products accordingly. To get more insight from the duo, check out our conversation with them below. —Sidra Sheikh

Can you share your skincare routine?

Lev Glazman: I don’t like to use this word, but I have been a beauty junkie for a big portion of my life only because I feel there’s something very transformative about doing that. You know, applying things to your skin, taking care of yourself, pampering yourself. It puts you in a very good state of mind, it’s a well-being approach to yourself.

The mornings are faster, my routine is obviously cleanse, mask, moisturise. Cleansing your skin is very, very important and one of the most important things I always use in the morning after is the kombucha essence – that always has to touch my face first. Then there’s always going to be a serum and I alternate them depending on the weather because of how my skin feels. I’ve been in so much communication with my skin, I know how my skin feels even by looking at it. Maybe I ate something the night before, maybe I didn’t sleep well or something, so you feel like your skin may need another boost, so I make a choice on what I am going to use as a serum or cream based on that and obviously before I leave the house, there is always going to be an SPF on my skin. 

The night routine has become much bigger, it could take me a good 40 to 50 minutes to really take care of myself.

Alina Roytberg: We have to look at them not as skin care anymore, it’s really just this whole process or the ritual of just taking care of yourself, doing something for yourself. Whether it takes 45 minutes or whether it takes 10, whatever somebody has.

I think everybody’s routine is different, but they can look at it not as a chore, but do something that you enjoy doing. If you like the feeling of a face oil, do that. If you like something that is more cooling, get something that sort of gives you that. I think that there has to be a step in anybody’s routine that they really enjoy doing, I think that’s a big part of it. There’s plenty of options and products and choices I think right now, so choose something that will make you look forward to that step.

For me, I do less steps, but I do them longer, actually taking a few extra minutes for a step because it’s not just about piling things on.

For those that may have limited time, what is one step that should never be skipped?

Lev Glazman: It is so important even if for 10 minutes, you’ve got to find 10 minutes, no matter what it is, just give yourself 10 minutes for yourself. It’s not selfish, it’s actually good for you and good for everybody around you, so my recommendation is if you can carve yourself an hour, do it, but at least 10 minutes and it has to be all about you.  

Alina Roytberg: To be honest with you, I think the Soy Face Cleanser does that because that is the one thing you need to do – washing yourself and feeling fresher.