Issue No.21 - Polo De’Marco Magazine Issue No.21 - SPECIAL EDITON(clone) | Page 51

L. RAPHAEL
By :Bailey Beckett
O
ne need only look at Ronit Raphael to understand the beauty that is L.RAPHAEL, the skin
care brand she began in 2005 and has grown into an international empire savored by the most
demanding glamour aficionados. Now with a spa inside The Four Seasons Hotel New York (as well
as the Spa Montage in Beverly Hills), she is training her sights on the entire US market, showing Americans
the beauty that is her brand. “From the beginning, I envisioned that L.RAPHAEL would go beyond the
superficial approaches to skincare and beauty,” she says. “I want to enhance my guests’ self-esteem and build
their confidence. By encouraging a way of living that promotes good health, wellbeing and joy, we help
guests become their best selves. This holistic approach, which was a novelty when I founded L.RAPHAEL,
has now become a commonly recognized practice in the skincare, spa and wellness industries.” Raphael,
who suffered from minor acne as a child, takes it personally. A chemical peel when she was 18 left her face
with second degree burns, spurring her to find a regimen and product to repair her visage. She found her
way to Professor Meir Shinitzky and Dr. Raphael Gumener, who created a patented LEC-40 lipid complex
and partnered with her to create the L.RAPHAEL Genève skin care retreat on Geneva’s rue du Rhone. Out of
that came the L.RAPHAEL brand and beauty spas around the world, which started in the glamorous Hotel
Martinez in Cannes, South of France. Raphael, whose clients come from around the world, shared with New
York Lifestyles her passion, philosophy and tips for the best skin care.