Nicknamed the Queen of Seaweed, she seized an opportunity that would lead to recognition and success worldwide.
Lydia Sarfati, founder and CEO of Repêchage, built her career on excellence, innovation, and dedication to raising the standards of aesthetic education. Creating excellence in all that she does, whether with new product formulations, professional treatments, or standards of education, Lydia has devoted her life to providing the very best in all aspects of her business. Her road to success was far from easy, but her story has inspired millions in the beauty industry, proving that you can achieve your goals if you hard work and persevere, even in the face of great adversity.
Originally from Legnica, Poland, Lydia came to the United States with her family as a teenager. Through hard work and tenacity, she built a skin care empire that now spans the globe, garnering the most prestigious titles and awards in the beauty industry.
Lydia has been called the “Queen of Seaweed” because of the importance of this ingredient in her skin care formulations. For Lydia, it became the keystone ingredient of her skin care empire, disrupting the industry with an organic source of potent, rich nutrients.
After traveling with her husband David in Israel in the late 1970s, Lydia was inspired by the nutrient-rich soil in the deserts, discovering that Israeli farmers used seaweed as a bio-stimulant. She immediately traveled to the source of seaweed on the Brittany Coast of France to negotiate the production of the first seaweed-based skin care line. In 1980, she launched Repêchage, the first company to bring seaweed-based skin care treatments and cosmetics to the United States market.
Lydia is the author of “Success at Your Fingertips: How to Succeed in the Skin Care Business,” has produced 18 step-by-step instructional videos, including a comprehensive facial massage video, and has published “The Repêchage Book of Skincare Science & Protocols,” a review of skin conditions, skin care, body treatments, and aesthetics. Lydia is also a contributing author to the Milady Standard Esthetics: Fundamentals, Twelfth Edition, (Cengage Learning, 2019).
Lydia has been inducted into the Academy of Legends by DERMASCOPE and has been a recipient of the prestigious Chevalerie Knight Award by Intercoiffure Mondial, the first and only skin care professional to be recognized by the organization for outstanding contributions to the industry.
With her greatest dedication to serving others in the industry, during her career, Lydia has made major contributions to the elevation of aesthetics, serving as the chairman of CIDESCO Section USA since 2005, promoting the world standard for beauty and spa therapy.
Today, together with her husband David Sarfati, co-founder and COO, and co-president Shiri Sarfati, Lydia oversees a 50,000-square-foot, ISO 9001:2015-certified, manufacturing, research, development, and training facility in Secaucus, New Jersey.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT LYDIA
“Lydia Sarfati is a legend not only in the United States skin care industry, but worldwide. Her enthusiasm is infectious in encouraging others to seek their own successful destinies. I have witnessed firsthand at events around the world the enthusiasm and energy with which she embraces attendees and shares the possibilities this business affords anyone willing to work hard.” Paul Dykstra, CEO of Cosmetologists Chicago and CIDESCO USA