When German doctor Barbara Sturm first surfaced on the international beauty scene a few years ago, all talk focused on her so-called blood cream MC1, a $1,400 custom concoction made from a patient’s own plasma. Though she may be the world’s most globetrotting and well-dressed doctor (she favors Galvan and Valentino for evening events), she can only be so many places at once. That led to her doing 17 pop-up spas in 2018, mostly during major fashion and Hollywood events, including the Cannes Film Festival, Met Gala, Golden Globes and Paris fashion week.
“A lot of broader demand developed around these pop-ups, and I wanted to make this available to the public and not only for my patients,” says Dr. Sturm, who is an orthopedic surgeon by training. Her customer base is growing rapidly: The business has tripled each year for the past three and is expected to continue again this year. So, in addition to selling the easier-to-procure and ever-growing Dr. Barbara Sturm skincare line, featuring purslane-powered serums housed in frosted glass bottles and skincare formulated exclusively for dark skin tones, she will open her first boutique in NoHo later this month.
“New York was a natural place to do the first; a huge, sophisticated and vibrant city that is hungry for wellness and beauty knowledge and also for the most cutting-edge treatments and products,” says Dr. Sturm. There, the full range of skin care will be available, from the now-cult Hyaluronic Serum to Sun Drops (a cutesy name for a very good SPF 50) to specific lines for brightening, clarifying and anti-aging.
A look inside Dr. Barbara Sturm’s new store at Zero Bond in NYC. Photography by Tobias Freytag
Long, narrow and gleaming white, the space was designed by Dr. Sturm’s brother, Tobias Freytag, who is an architect. “It’s easy to work with him,” she says. “He understands my taste, and I trust him.” The directive? “Timeless but also chic, practical and cool.”
The space at Zero Bond Street is sliced in half by a 17-foot “discovery table” where the full product range is available. There are also two low golden tables, with a circular design inspired by the Guggenheim, so that her littlest customers can play with the Baby & Kids collection, which was initially developed for her daughter Pepper (gift-with-purchase stuffed bunnies are also on the way). Her older daughter Charly can be seen on videos that play on iPads throughout the store, demonstrating how to use the products.
A collection of Dr. Barbara Sturm’s skincare products. Photography by Neil Rasmus/BFA.com
“We will give people the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the philosophy of the products, how to combat inflammation and the Sturm lifestyle,” says Dr. Sturm, who predicts that the Anti-Pollution Drops will be a bestseller in New York and is getting ready to launch a hyaluronic face mist in June. “It’s all about education.”
To that end, there are two private rooms for German-style (less machinery, more manual massage) facials, from the Instant Glow Facial ($175) to the Super Anti-Aging Facial ($350). Express 20-minute treatments are also in the works. “The Sturm Glow,” she says, “will spread from here.”
