Dermstore Chats With Lena Korres of KORRES

Lena Korres is no stranger to challenges. When she joined KORRES in 1996 as a chemical engineer, she and husband George—with his extensive background in pharmacology and deep understanding of natural ingredients and their applications—readily took on the task of creating safe, natural and clinically proven products that merged traditional homeopathic remedies with science, at a time when “organic” and “natural” were far from being the buzzwords they are today. Over the years, she has played a crucial role in KORRES’ growth—from a small apothecary in Athens to the internationally acclaimed brand it is today. Below, Lena talks about her journey with Korres and the challenge of creating their exclusive Greek yoghurt skin care line.

Dermstore: You’ve built a successful beauty company with an amazing line of natural products. How did it all start?

Lena Korres: KORRES started out of the oldest homeopathic pharmacy in Athens, Greece. George Korres was working at the pharmacy while studying at the Pharmacy School of the University of Athens. He had a deep understanding of natural ingredients and how they work in our bodies and on our skin and saw that his customers wanted cosmetic formulas that followed those same guiding principles. I joined George with my background in chemical engineering and together we have been creating natural and best-selling skin care, body and color products for more than 20 years.

What was lacking in the industry that you wanted to fill with KORRES?

When we started 20 years ago, natural products were not as common as they are today. We wanted to create products that were natural, yet most importantly still effective and safe. Today, we continue to make innovative products with this same mission. We know how plant extracts work in our bodies and on our skin for maximum results and develop products based on both primary and applied research to understand the clinical benefits of natural ingredients in relation to skin biochemistry.

What challenges did you encounter when you were creating the line? How did you overcome them?

From a product development perspective, one of the biggest challenges I faced was in developing our Greek Yoghurt Collection. In Greece, yoghurt is a cherished tradition and a trusted beauty remedy to treat burned, sun-exposed skin. I thought there must be a way to bottle this up and put it in a skin care product---but it turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined! With a lot of research and patience, we developed a stable cosmetic formula that preserves all of the "live" benefits found in yoghurt. Incorporating edible yoghurt was a true innovation and a first in the global cosmetics industry! Now, the Greek Yoghurt Collection is a best-seller with items like the Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial and the new Smoothie Priming Moisturiser.

What’s your best skin care tip?

Don’t forget your SPF---it’s something that is always stressed when living in a Mediterranean climate! But even if live in an area with less direct sunlight, it’s always important to include an SPF product to your skin care routine. Our Fluid Veil SPF 30 Sunscreen is a super hydrating formula that keeps your skin protected.