Dermatologist Review of Sonya Dakar

Sonya Dakar Skin Care was founded in 1971 in Los Angeles and is manufactured today by Mindys Cosmetics in San Fernando, California. Sonya Dakar’s product line is very broad and focuses on addressing ‘problem skin’ and enhancing beauty with specialized products. Sonya Dakar also operates a large and well known skin clinic in Beverly Hills. Sonya Dakar is passionate about both skin care products and advanced esthetic treatments.

Sonya Dakar was born and raised in Israel where she received esthetician training. Sonya’s first boutique was in Tel Aviv, Israel where she began formulating products with raw ingredients, powders and herbs. Moving to Los Angeles in the late 70’s, Sonya balanced motherhood and her career by converting the guest house on her property into a two room clinic for treating clients. Her husband, Israel, helped create product formulations in those early years. In 1984, as her following grew and her children began going away to college, she opened a skin clinic in Hollywood. Today the Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic is housed in an iconic five story building in Beverly Hills. Sonya Dakar’s current product line includes over 65 products with more on the way. Her plans also include expanding Sonya Dakar Skin Care Clinics to selected markets around the world.

Sonya Dakar’s skin care business is a family affair. Her husband still oversees research and development of new product formulations. The couple’s two sons and two daughters are also involved in company operations at a high level. Sonya Dakar, however, is the key skin care celebrity of the family and has developed a cult like following including Hollywood celebrities and British Royalty. Sonya is known for being very much ‘all business’ when it comes to skin care products and esthetic treatments and is focused on optimizing results for clients and customers. Her personal focused approach to skin care as a rigorous endeavor is different and many clients and customers find it refreshing and valuable.

Sonya Dakar’s Skin Care lineup includes a vast array of offerings in cleansers, misters/toners, moisturizers, eye creams, masks, exfoliants and sunscreen. Many Sonya Dakar products contain essential oils which impart a variety of pleasant fresh lasting scents. The cleansers contain these oils and are, generally speaking, rather mild with little or no foaming. My favorite is the Red Grapefruit Wash which is ideal for slightly oily skin. The misters are appropriately named Aromasol Mist and are available for normal, sensitive and hyperpigmented skin types.

Moisturizers are numerous and focused primarily on anti-aging benefits. Most contain retinol at unspecified concentrations as well as essential oils and botanical extracts. One of the newer products, Ultraluxe 9 OC Age Control Complex lists synthetic snake venom among its sophisticated ingredient list. The company claims this ingredient produces a Botox®-like effect. Another key part of the Sonya Dakar lineup is her Omega-3 Complex collection. These products combine omega fatty acids with herbal and plant extracts and linseed oil to create an oil-based product that is soothing, refreshing and actually beneficial for many people with acne.

Sonya Dakar has a large selection of masks and exfoliants. Of these, Triple Action Organic Scrub is very popular. The product is designed to be used every few days in place of cleansing and does a nice job of primarily manual exfoliation without irritation or dryness. There is a synergistic array of key natural mechanical exfoliants that promote this product’s overall effect including linseed powder, kaolin, diatomaceous earth and sea salt. The product does not look particularly appealing but works well while remaining gentle and leaving a light and interesting natural aroma.

Sonya Dakar also carries two SPF 30 sunscreen products. The Sport version is water resistant. Both formulations contain only chemical sunscreen actives; zinc and titanium are excluded. The sunscreens are pleasant to apply and have a nice feel and natural scent. Still, the homosalate chemical sunscreen scent and feel is noticeable in the regular formulation.

Sonya Dakar has a prominent media presence as demonstrated by over 35 health and beauty magazine mentions during 2008 alone. Her beauty media awards include a 2008 Allure ‘Best of the Best’ Award for her Drying Potion and a 2007 Skin Inc. ‘Best of the Best’ Award as ‘Top Spa Mentor’.

The Sonya Dakar story embodies incredible and demonstrable success. The brand’s flagship clinic in on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills makes a strong statement and is architecturally attractive. Her products are unique and pleasant with a range wide enough to offer something of value to most everyone. Importantly, fans of the brand and the clinic seem to have a palpable bond to the experience. Given the passion of the brand’s followers and the remarkable story of success based dedication to skin care, the future of Sonya Dakar Skin Care looks bright.