Cherie Dobbs grew up in Newport Beach, California. At the age of 10, Dobbs knew that she wanted to be connected to the aesthetic industry. Inspired by her mom, a hairdresser, Dobbs would ride her bike after school and visit her mom at the salon. She loved going to the salon to help clean and listen to all the women talk about their concerns. Occasionally, the suppliers would come in drop off samples and everyone would get excited about the new products. Everybody took turns in sharing them while Dobbs would read the product labels. Growing up, Dobbs starting playing Mad Scientist and decided to make her own lip gloss. Her first lesson – do not to put metal in the microwave!
I have been in the aesthetics industry for 23 years. I have held positions as the representative, territory consultant manager, technical support, and inside sales. But the most impactful role was working directly with my chemist. He was very influential and made a huge impact on my ideas and philosophy when formulating or researching something specific. And I still spend hours researching to find unique ingredients. Over the years, I have discovered multiple ingredients that help with great results. On the natural side, mushrooms have amazing capabilities to seek out surrounding negative environments. Their sponges help to absorb radical changes and inflammation.
“Many professionals do not invest enough hours obtaining and maintaining their aesthetic license. The minimum hours required are not enough.”
On the medical side – peptides. Since my introduction into this industry, I have seen generic ingredients take on amazing performances. This peptide chain makes a huge impact on skin and correct pH percentages have fabulous results. I also do quite a bit of private label and recently have found that I am providing research and development for many of my competitors. But in the end, it is important to remember that this industry is forever-changing and trends come and go. It is important to stay flexible. Innovative packaging is a very popular trend that is growing; the airless pumps have become a manufacturer’s nightmare. I think we are looking for trendy packaging with the ideas of prolonging the longevity of products. This is important with all of the new demands of specialized ingredients. Our industry offers so many options. It is important to explore them all! I think this is what separates one business from the next. Be creative, have unique products, and offer individual customer support. I always tell my accounts that is important to stay connected in order to stimulate new ideas, increase clientele, and so on. My accounts tend to come to me with lots of ideas, and I will research how to make it all possible. My inspiration stems from my peers and accounts. And it does not hurt to love what you do… it makes earning a living easier.
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