The once-hidden world of celebrity facialists is now taking center stage, with these skincare specialists transforming from backstage support to prominent brand builders. Leveraging their famous clients' endorsements, these aestheticians are meticulously constructing robust businesses, encompassing specialized clinics and innovative product lines. This evolution marks a significant shift in the beauty industry, where the expertise of individual facialists is being scaled into global enterprises.
The Ascent of Elite Skincare Professionals
In March 2026, when Emma Stone graced the Oscars red carpet with her impeccably sculpted features, online discussions immediately centered on potential cosmetic enhancements. However, it was celebrity facialist Iván Pol, widely recognized as The Beauty Sandwich on Instagram, who claimed responsibility for her radiant appearance. Pol, renowned for his proprietary "Snatching" non-invasive skin-sculpting technique, also prepared 19 other celebrities for the Academy Awards and an additional 30 for the Met Gala in May. His Instagram feed proudly showcases his work on a constellation of stars, including Kim Kardashian, Penélope Cruz, Rosalía, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Pol, with a massive following of 1.2 million, is not an isolated phenomenon. Other esteemed facialists like Hadda Akrim, boasting 333,000 followers, Melanie Grant with 144,000, Guendalina Gennari with 176,000, and Shane Cooper with 116,000, have all cultivated substantial online presences, fueled by their high-profile clients.
Mirroring the trajectory of celebrity stylists, makeup artists, and hairstylists, these facialists have become indispensable members of the "glam squad." Their growing influence has not gone unnoticed by major beauty conglomerates. In 2016, Chanel partnered with Pol and Grant, integrating them as in-house skin experts. In this capacity, they contribute to new product development, host exclusive events, and collaborate with brand ambassadors during pivotal events like awards season and fashion week. Similarly, Dior Beauty frequently engages with facialists Akrim and Sarah Akram.
As their personal brands ascend, these facialists are establishing lucrative businesses, featuring clinics and product ranges designed to cater to consumers aspiring to emulate their celebrity idols. The challenges they now face include expanding their clinic networks, managing extensive waiting lists, and accommodating an ever-increasing demand from an elite clientele.
The Expansion of Skincare Services
Facial treatments have witnessed a remarkable resurgence in recent years, propelled by sophisticated laser technologies and advanced topical formulations that deliver impressive and highly shareable results. According to Fresha, a prominent beauty and wellness marketplace, over 5.1 million facial appointments were booked through their platform in the past year. Celebrity facialists, often at the forefront of adopting cutting-edge methodologies, are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this surging demand.
This week, Melanie Grant, whose impressive client roster includes Nicole Kidman, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Cate Blanchett, and Dua Lipa, unveiled her fifth studio in London's affluent Mount Street. This new establishment offers advanced clinical treatments such as The Camera Ready Facial, The Sublime Skin Tightening Treatment, and The Chanel Le Grand Soin. Grant's journey began in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, where she focused on clinical beauty, utilizing nascent facial laser technologies and topical products. After solidifying her reputation as the preferred facialist for Australia's A-list, she expanded her operations to Melbourne in 2016, driven by growing demand from new celebrities and entertainment industry professionals.
Despite her successful expansion to Los Angeles and New York, Grant acknowledges the inherent challenges in scaling a service-oriented business heavily reliant on individual expertise. She candidly admits, "Honestly, my service business is almost impossible to scale any further, and in some ways, I'm deliberately pulling back with fewer treatment rooms and fewer available appointments, all to protect the quality we're known for."
Cultivating Trust and Discretion
A fundamental principle for any celebrity facialist is the unspoken rule: clients speak about you; you do not speak about clients. While these professionals build their businesses on the allure of their famous patrons, it necessitates years of meticulously nurturing trust with their esteemed clientele. (Notably, all celebrity facialists interviewed for this story declined to disclose their business financials).
Even with his extensive social media following, Pol ensures he obtains client consent before posting their images on Instagram, a practice rooted in long-standing, trusting relationships.
Hadda Akrim, whose brand Minimal by Hadda integrates advanced treatments like lasers, peels, micro-needling, and deep-tissue facial massages, emphasizes her commitment to client privacy. "For me, it was never about chasing fame," Akrim states, adding that client confidentiality is paramount in her profession, with some clients evolving into close friends. "My strategy has never been to use celebrity clients as a marketing tool." She maintains a strict policy of only sharing celebrity content on social media if tagged by the client themselves.
Grant echoes this sentiment, remarking, "I've built a currency around discretion. Unless a client chooses to talk about me and my work, I won't mention their name." A testament to this is her relationship with Victoria Beckham, who has openly lauded Grant's work in interviews and collaborated with her on a line of cleansers for Victoria Beckham Beauty in 2024.
Celebrity facialist Shane Cooper, operating a clinic in London's South Kensington, specializes in cutting-edge technologies. His website transparently lists the machines used for each treatment, a departure from some peers who prefer to keep their methodologies vague to prevent replication. Cooper's clientele includes Sienna Miller, Maya Jama, Nicola Coughlan, and Cara Delevingne, who regularly receive and pay for treatments before sharing their experiences online.
The key to inspiring celebrities to promote their facial treatments lies squarely in the efficacy of the results. Cooper, whose business has always been self-funded, acknowledges the financial risks associated with innovation. "Every investment, whether it's a new technology, product development or another opportunity, comes with a level of risk, because every decision is our own," he explains. Staying ahead in a rapidly evolving market, where new laser technologies emerge constantly, can be costly; some machines for hair removal, acne reduction, and skin resurfacing can command prices up to £65,000.
Dior Beauty's skin expert and celebrity facialist, Akrim, has strategically built her business through brand collaborations rather than pursuing individual celebrity endorsements. Her collaboration with Bella Hadid for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and her breakthrough in 2021, when she was approached by a Stella McCartney consultant to work on the launch of Stella by Stella McCartney Beauty, exemplify this approach. Akrim's method involves working with brands to bring in clients within a structured framework, fostering a collaborative rather than opportunistic dynamic. "Ultimately, the best thing a celebrity client does for your business is rebook. That says more than any post ever could," she asserts.
To address the challenges of scaling his clinics, Pol is exploring licensing his Snatching method to third-party businesses, aiming to build a "Snatching Army." He envisions a future where his message and method can reach a wider audience without his constant physical presence.
However, establishing a profitable clinic business is a protracted endeavor. Akrim, who opened her Knightsbridge clinic in 2023, currently reinvests all profits back into the business. "My main revenue right now comes from brand work. The clinic is an investment in the brand, the method and the team," she explains. She highlights the invaluable, non-financial contributions of celebrity and high-net-worth clients, who validate her work, uphold high standards, and discreetly attract other serious clientele through their visibility.
The Evolving Landscape of Celebrity Facialists
The exclusive circle of celebrity facialists remains relatively small, with individual goals varying significantly. Grant is currently developing her first product line, a suncare range slated for release next year, which aligns with the industry's emphasis on skin safety and the universal importance of SPF application. She views this as a natural progression, allowing her to reach a broader audience without compromising the integrity of her work.
Grant anticipates future growth through her products and expanded reach. Her choice of suncare, influenced by her Australian heritage where the category is stringently evaluated, enables her to make her expertise accessible to individuals globally, even if they cannot visit her clinic in person.
For Akrim and Pol, clinic expansion remains a key objective. Pol plans to open studios in London and Paris, viewing these fashion capitals as logical next steps that will bring him closer to European luxury brands. Akrim intends to expand her clinic to Dubai, perceiving it as the "financial future of what I'm building." She is also scaling the educational arm of her business by expanding her masterclass platform, which trains facial therapists in her method, with courses starting from £195.
Looking ahead, Pol is already conceptualizing the next frontier for facialists: body care. He notes, "For me, the big thing was we'd get to a red carpet, I would really snatch somebody's face, but their arms didn't match their face. If you can instantly reduce inches on someone without having to do an lymphatic massage, that's the future of beauty, it's efficiency." This foresight suggests a future where the precision and immediate results achieved in facial treatments could be applied to broader body contouring, driven by a demand for efficiency in beauty solutions.
