Beauty Made in Italy Spotlight: Ripar Cosmetics

by Tangie Silva

Ripar Cosmetics believes in a multi-dimensional view to creating its products. The brand combines university-backed scientific research and nutritional study with its daily work with aesthetic customers at its Campania spa facility, as well as surgical patients worldwide. The end result? Practical products that are also highly effective. We tracked down Ripar’s CEO and president Dr. Luca Piombino M.D.—who’s also a Board Certified Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeon—for all the details.

Tell us how the company was established.
My mother and father started the company over 40 years ago as a result of their work in the areas of advanced surgical and cosmetic aesthetic treatments for the skin. They found that their patients could benefit from a foundation that could effectively cover bruises, scarring, and redness after procedures so they created one. That led to even more innovation, including a patent for our foundation formulation, and a full line of makeup and skincare products that would perform well with some of the most unique skin concerns but also safe for sensitive and vulnerable skin as well.

Why do you think it has stayed in the family for so long?
This is typical for Italian companies to remain family-led, but for us specifically, this has been our family’s passion for two generations. Some Italian families make wine, others leather or textiles. Our family is passionate about helping everyone—no matter the skin type—to perfect their own version of beauty and feel confident about their appearance with foundation, skin treatment, and repair products that are capable of producing life-changing results for our users.

How involved is the family with the creation of products?
Of course, in the beginning, and for many years, my parents personally led the formulation and development of our products, but even today, our family remains involved with the creation of new products and leading new research. For example, in addition to my daily work with aesthetic and reconstructive surgical patients in Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, I also have been intensely involved with the formulation and commercial development of our new RiparCare Caviar Face Cream and Gel Moisturizer products coming to the United States this fall. They use a blend of nutrient and anti-oxidant extracts from caviar eggs as well as stem cells from plants like apples, jojoba, and argan trees to nourish and revitalize skin.

What do you think sets your brand apart from other beauty lines?
It has to do with the multi-dimensional view we take in creating products. It is not enough to have a scientific view of product formulation and application but to also consider what ingredients can come from nature and understanding the nutritional needs of our bodies to help our users look and feel their best.

Yes, and your site has makeup tutorials too.
Education is a huge part of what makes our company special and that comes from my mother—one of Italy’s pioneers in training aesthetic professionals. The training school which she created celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has now graduated thousands of beauty therapists in Italy. In fact, she is the makeup artist who stars in most of our tutorial videos, so she is as passionate today as ever. Also, because our RiparCover foundation products are designed for use with some very specialized skin concerns such as vitiligo, colored birthmarks, and acne scarring, it is important that we help those users achieve the absolute best results possible. With the right application routine, we can provide these users with up to 16 hours of flawless performance and that can completely change the way they think about their own beauty during the day.

What do you think are some of the common mistakes people make when creating their beauty regime?
Perhaps it’s not looking for a specialized product if they have a unique skin concern and just accepting the poor performance of a product designed for general use. Finding a product that works perfectly for them to overcome the challenges associated with those concerns can be a great emotional lift compared to being disappointed by yet another product that doesn’t perform the way they need it to.

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What should they be taking into account when buying beauty items?
There are so many cheap, low-quality products on the market today. They are formulated with harsh ingredients that can often create allergies or badly irritate the skin. Many consumers also don’t consider how manufacturing processes can impact the quality and hygiene of the products they use.

Tell us about the Ripar Pro Program.
Ripar’s training school in Italy has seen over 7,000 beauty and aesthetic professionals graduate over the last 40 years, so professional education and serving the needs of MUA’s is a priority for us as we grow in the US. We believe our products perform well even under the most difficult applications. It is our goal to give as many professionals as possible access to our training and products so they can deliver great results for their clients and projects.

What’s next for the company?
We’re launching a redesigned e-commerce site for the US later this year as we continue to try to bring great results to people with some very unique skin concerns and need a product designed specifically to help them!

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