Cassatt Is Reinventing Skin Care for Over-40s
The Gen X factor.
In two decades as a beauty writer and editor, and then as co-host of the Breaking Beauty podcast, Carlene Higgins has interviewed hundreds of dermatologists, makeup artists, brand founders, aestheticians, and other experts. Now, she’s distilled all that knowledge into a beauty brand, Cassatt—a name inspired by artist Mary Cassatt, heiress and socialite Marchesa Luisa Cassatti, and the sound of the hard C and the double S and T. “I was thinking of this mythical woman that embodied Cassatt. She’s cool, she’s well travelled, she’s confident, she has an appreciation of the arts, she defies age, she’s iconic,” Higgins explains. “The idea is that I could speak to women in my own age group and have this brand that saw the beauty in ourselves, exactly where we are, through a skin-care line.”
Retinol is the gold-standard ingredient for improving the skin’s texture and the appearance of fine lines. But using it can be a challenge because it can cause irritation, particularly in women who are in perimenopause and menopause, where skin can be drier and more sensitive. When Higgins set out to develop her first product, La Pommade Retinoid Skin Ointment, she wanted to create a treatment that delivered visible results without compromising the skin barrier. La Pommade has botanical ingredients aimed at calming the skin and improving barrier function. These include ceramides and phytosterols, both of which help keep moisture in the skin, and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as arnica and calendula. The retinoid ingredient is retinyl acetate, which is typically gentler than other forms. If you have sensitive skin or have never tried a retinoid before, Higgins recommends a pea-sized amount one to three nights a week, after moisturizer—and gradually increasing frequency if you don’t notice problems.
Instead of petrolatum, La Pommade has botanical ingredients aimed at calming the skin and improving barrier function. These include ceramides and phytosterols, both of which help keep moisture in the skin, and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as arnica and calendula. The retinoid ingredient is retinyl acetate, which is typically gentler than other forms. If you have sensitive skin or have never tried a retinoid before, Higgins recommends starting slowly—a pea-sized amount one to three nights a week, after moisturizer—and gradually increasing frequency if you don’t notice problems.
La Pommade has been available for less than a year, but it’s already a hit with fans including experts like aesthetician to the stars Joanna Czech. Next in the cards is a mini, trial-size version of La Pommade. And after all these years in the beauty industry, Higgins is still passionate and excited about it. “Beauty can be a lens to see almost everything from women’s empowerment to what’s happening in the economy, to our own psychology, and especially self-image and the way that we see ourselves. I’m just absolutely addicted to the career that I’m in.”
Photographs by Kayla Rocca.
