Beauty Boss: Ada Polla, CEO of Alchimie Forever
Ada Polla.
Our latest Beauty Boss is Ada Polla, CEO of Alchimie Forever—a line of vegan, clean and dermatologist-formulated skin and body care with Swiss roots. A graduate of Harvard University, Polla is the daughter of Geneva-based dermatologist Dr. Luigi L. Polla. Polla went on to earn her MBA from Georgetown McDonough School of Business and wrote her senior thesis about bringing her family’s skin care line from Switzerland to the United States.
In 2004, Alchimie Forever was officially launched as a result of the Polla family’s dedication to the development of anti-aging technologies, antioxidant research, and use of lasers in dermatology. Their skin care products provide visible results to help people look and feel good, utilize the latest in Alchimie Antioxidant Technology, and they believe that healthy, youthful-looking skin can be achieved using safe, effective botanicals with safe, effective synthetics. Over the years, the brand has expanded to include a full range of products that are sold nationwide and around the world.
We chatted with Polla, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, best advice, wellness tips, and more.
When was Alchimie Forever founded? What does the name mean?
My father (Dr. Luigi L. Polla) created our first product in the mid-80s to help heal the skin of children post laser treatments (more on that below, and yes, it’s still our hero product!) We officially started selling products under the brand Alchimie Forever in 2004.
As for how we came up with the name Alchimie Forever, how much time do you have? Alchimie (pronounced al-shee-mee) is the French word for “alchemy,” and alchemy is very much at the heart of our skin care philosophy. Alchemy is the medieval science that became chemistry, and how can you formulate skin care products without chemistry, without labs, without clinical studies? There can be no skin care without science.
Alchemy is also part magic. Alchemists were involved in such mystical pursuits as transforming lead into gold and finding the stone of eternal youth (both endeavors somehow related to beauty and youth). And skin care is indeed part magic. And finally, the alchemists were the first to look at plants as potentially having healthful benefits. And our brand uses potent botanicals. So that’s how we decided on Alchimie.
Forever is a bit more straightforward—it pays homage to the Forever Institut in Switzerland, aka the medical spa our skin care brand was born in.
What inspired the creation of the brand?
The genesis or beginning of Alchimie Forever stems from crying children. Truly! In the mid-80s, my father, the leading dermatologist in Switzerland, was the first to offer laser technology in Europe. Back then, lasers were used to treat port wine stains and hemangioma in infants and toddlers. Parents from all over Europe would bring their children to my father’s practice for the pulsed dye laser treatment. While they were extremely effective, the treatments created pain, swelling, heat, irritation (as is the case with lasers) in the kids’ skin, and naturally, they would cry.
My father is a softie and can’t stand to see a child in pain, so he set about creating a product that could be applied to the child’s skin immediately post-treatment to heal the skin…and subsequently stop the tears. That is how our Kantic Brightening Moisture Mask was born. The parents of my father’s patients would apply the mask to their own skin to encourage their children to try it, and they (the parents) absolutely loved the texture, the soothing factor, and most importantly, the results. They began asking my father to create more and more batches of the mask—as well as other products—and that was the true start of Alchimie Forever.
Over 15 years later, here we are, with 17 SKUs across skin and body care (and more in development!), incredible partners (Amazon, Dermstore, Pharmaca, Walgreens), as well as select spas (Heyday) and beauty boutiques.
Do you have a hero product?
Our Kantic Brightening Moisture Mask. I joke it’s called brightening, but if space on the jar allowed, it would be called brightening-soothing-protecting-nourishing-hydrating-magical-moisture-mask, because it truly does all of that. It’s legitimately a facial in a jar.
Fun fact: Kantic Brightening Moisture Mask was the very first product we introduced in 2004 and it is consistently our top seller (our Tightening Eye Gel gives it a run for its money).
What’s your favorite product(s) from the brand?
I love all of our products, but these days I truly can’t live without our Advanced Retinol Serum. I use it twice per week and see immediate results in terms of glow and skin tone, and my fine lines and brown spots (I am 43, so trust me, they exist!) are less visible. This product is a must for any non-pregnant or nursing woman or man in her or his 40s.
The last year has wreaked havoc on my hands, and these frigid temperatures are not helping. I use our Dry Skin Balm multiple times daily. I keep a tube in almost every room of my house and the travel size is still always in my purse. It provides incredible hydration without any stickiness or greasy residue. It’s also wonderful on feet, elbows, and knees—anywhere that needs a little extra TLC.
Where are your products sold?
We’re available on Amazon, Dermstore, Pharmaca, Walgreens as well as select spas nationwide including Heyday, in addition to our own site.
Future plans for the brand?
As you can tell from our edited product collection, we don’t believe in superfluous products or launching for the sake of launching. We introduce a new product when we feel we’ve formulated something extremely efficacious that fills a need from our customers—in other words, when a product has a real reason for being.
The March 2021 launch of our new Kantic Light Clarifying Cream is just that. It’s our first launch in over 18 months. We were missing a lighter weight cream in our line, as well as something that acne-prone or oily skin could turn to daily to help promote clear, blemish-free skin. This product is just that, plus it’s perfect for all suffering from “maskne.”
We are also working to expand our distribution, both in retail and in the professional channel (we have some amazing treatment protocols that truly make a change in your skin that I want everyone to benefit from once facial services resume “normalcy” across the country).
Alchimie Forever is a line of vegan, clean and dermatologist-formulated skin and body care with Swiss roots.
What inspires you?
Our Alchimie community inspires me—the beauty consultants and brand ambassadors who introduce Alchimie Forever to consumers make everything else possible. I love their passion, their feedback, their ideas. Also, my husband, Edwin Neill, CEO of Neill Corporation, inspires me every day as an entrepreneur and a leader.
Secret to success?
I think success means different things to different people, so it is hard to define a single “secret.” I also believe success usually comes from a million small things done over a long period of time—it’s like this idea of overnight success that really was 20 years in the making. I do love this quote from Winston Churchill: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Indeed, perhaps perseverance is (one of) the secrets to (business) success.
Beauty secrets?
Weekly exfoliation brightens my complexion and makes all of my other products work better. Perfectly groomed eyebrows always make me feel beautiful, no matter the makeup I am wearing...or not wearing. Cuticle oil (my go-to is CND SOLAROIL) is a must every evening (in particular these days). And red lipstick (even these days). My current personal favorite is Westman Atelier Lip Suede.
Wellness tips?
I run a few times a week, always outdoors, no matter the weather or temperature. Being outdoors makes me feel connected to the world (I grew up in Switzerland—a love of the outdoors is instilled in you at a young age there!), and running is my form of meditation.
Eating vegetables first before digging into whatever else is on my plate. I try to keep this in mind for as many meals as possible.
I avoid alcohol two or three nights a week. This may sound easy and obvious, but in particular with the pandemic, I found that having a glass or two of wine every evening was a very easy coping strategy—but not necessarily one that promotes well-being.
Best advice?
When it comes to beauty advice, I highly recommend “embracing evolution,” as my mother says. I don’t want to “stay” or “remain” young; that is static and boring. Every day is another opportunity to be my best self, with more wrinkles than 20 years ago—but also more wisdom, more strength, more confidence, more resilience. I’ve found when I reframe the thought process that way, my approach to aging is so much more positive.
In terms of the bigger picture of happiness, I strive to find harmony between my thoughts, actions, and feelings. It is when these three pillars are in alignment that I feel I am being my best self.
How do you like to relax?
I am an avid reader; my goal is to read 40 to 45 books per year. I read fiction, non-fiction, in French, and in English. Reading makes it impossible for my mind to think about work, and since owning a brand means thinking about work 100% of the time, when I read, I immerse myself in the book—and not in work—and I instantly relax. I also do love binge watching NCIS; that’s more of my guilty pleasure! Finally, last April, I became a cat mom of two sisters, Maxine and Jaqueline. Cuddling and playing with them makes my blood pressure go down, no matter what is going on at work!
For more information, visit alchimie-forever.com and follow on Instagram: @alchimieforever
[Images courtesy of Alchimie Forever]
Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk