If you’ve watched QVC over the years, you may recognize the name Dr. Adrienne Denese. She’s been a friend of mine for years, and now, I’m thrilled to partner with her through the Just Jill Shop.
I am a strong believer that learning is a never-ending journey. Being able to recognize the strength in others is a priceless gift.
Dr. Adrienne Denese is someone to admire for her tenacity and dedication. I’m excited to share how and why I’ve fallen in love with her mission because I know you will feel the same.
Who is Dr. Adrienne Denese?
Dr. Denese grew up in socialist Hungary. In her own words, it was “unbearable, unbearably oppressive.”
Even at the young age of 18, she recognized the nature of the system she was living in and realized that her home country was not somewhere she wanted to stay forever.
That’s when she developed a dream to move to America.
It took some time before she was ready to make the move.
In the meantime, she threw herself into her studies, from physics and biology to Latin, English, and German.
She earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Eotvos Lorad University in Hungary, which is considered the “Harvard” of Hungary. And at the age of 24, she was the youngest Ph.D. in the history of the school.
Adrienne left for America a few days later.
Her father used all his savings to buy her a one-way airline ticket, and she arrived in New York with $40 in her pocket.
While $40 went a long way in Hungary, she came to find that was not the case in the United States. It only covered her taxi fare from the airport to the city.
“I was unbelievably poor, as you can imagine. I worked as a maid for an older couple, then as a personal assistant for a wealthy heiress just so I have a place to sleep at night,” she said.
“In New York, I lived near Bloomingdale’s. I remember I was looking at the Bloomingdale’s cosmetic shop windows at Christmas time and realized that I couldn’t even afford the wrapping paper that the beautiful jars came in. It was then, that I made a solemn promise to myself that if I ever had the chance to make world-class, highly effective cosmetics, I would price them such that even a poor girl like me, could afford them.”
Dr. Denese received a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Neuroanatomy.
There, she excelled so much that she earned a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroanatomy at Harvard Medical School. And at Harvard, she coauthored several scientific studies which appeared in major medical journals.
Afterward, she felt compelled to pursue a medical degree in the USA and got into Cornell Medical College on a full scholarship. She was an older medical student in her class, which inspired her to focus on the science of anti-aging medicine.
The Start Of Dr. Denese
After graduating from Cornell, Dr. Denese opened her anti-aging medical practice in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, offering a variety of services, including anti-aging hormone replacement and various other therapies pertaining to peak physical performance.
Eventually, her patients started to ask what they should do for their skin—because their faces did not reflect how young they felt on the inside.
She tested all available skincare brands intended for medical offices, but she was not satisfied with the performance of the products. So, she hired a stellar, experienced chemist and began to make her own skincare.
When the first 5,000 jars were manufactured, she went to the factory with her SUV to pick them up. As it turned out, 5,000 units were equivalent to a small hill of boxes… only a fraction would fit in her car.
She then arranged for a truck to transport the boxes to a storage facility nearby, where she quickly realized even the storage unit (which was the largest available) barely fit the inventory.
You can imagine her sitting in her car thinking, “Well, what did I do? What exactly did I do?”
What she did, changed the face of skincare.
She took a few boxes to the office for the patients, and in a week, everything sold out. So, she went back to the storage unit and grabbed more boxes.
A week later, it was gone again. The rest was history.
“Yes, it costs me a lot more than many other brands to make my products. No question in my mind. I cannot think of any other brands that spend as much on the active ingredients in the jar as I do or on the serum that I do. That is well worth it to me.”
This dedication to the quality of the ingredients has been Adrienne’s guiding light for the 20 years of her company.
If there are two words to describe her breakthrough approach, they are maximization and efficacy of her ingredients.
Through her efforts, she gained recognition from Good Morning America. And after that, the phone calls continued to roll in everywhere, from the New York Times to 20/20. In fact, she has over a hundred national television and media appearances.
What Makes Dr. Denese Stand Apart
There is a reason that Dr. Denese and I have always clicked. Like me, when she puts her name behind something, she makes sure that she backs it 100%.
It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between someone who is truly passionate and dedicated to their work and someone who is just putting their name on a jar.
Long before it became the “fashionable” thing to do, Dr. Denese pursued the idea of clean beauty.
For over 15 years, her products have been paraben-free. True to form, Dr. Dense never felt the need to promote it. To her, it was just the right thing to do.
As a medical doctor, she has always been guided by science. Dr. Denese wants other doctors in her field to be able to look at her products and find no flaws.
She deeply cares about how her customers perceive her products because she takes such pride in what she has created.
“I couldn’t live with criticism, so I made sure that my products are beyond compare, strong, effective, and every active ingredient is maxed out in the formulation. I feel personally responsible to my customers,” she said.
She added, “I am absolutely a maximalist when it comes to ingredients because I want that wonderful, pleased, happy reaction. Otherwise, I can’t live with myself. I carried this principle all throughout now.”
How I Met Adrienne Denese
Adrienne and I met while I was working at QVC over 20 years ago.
I have worked with my fair share of guests, but I have to say, you have to be on top of your game when you are working with a neuroscientist!
I’ve always admired her passion for aging skin and the research behind her products.
When you work with someone like Adrienne, you can’t help but be affected by her excitement and passion. I always looked forward to having shows with her, and I hope the feeling was mutual.
Dr. Denese and Just Jill Shop
Dr. Denese clinically tests everything; she would never bring a product to market if it didn’t measure up to the test.
That’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to offer an assortment of Dr. Denese’s products at Just Jill.
You can’t talk about Dr. Denese without mentioning her Dr. Denese Hydroshield Ultra Moisturizing Face Serum.
“The classic is HydroShield is my number one. It’s a classic,” she told me.
“The secret behind my number one bestseller, the HydroShield, is that I’m using lipids virtually identical to your skin’s lipids. They talk the language of the skin, and that’s always the best way to speak to the skin. Try to bring entities back into your skin that the skin used to have been over 20 years old.”
“It is loaded with a breakthrough version of retinol,” Adrienne said.
She told me that retinol is kind of an old-fashioned ingredient. But nonetheless, it’s wonderful.
“There is one type of retinol which is far more effective and even less irritating but really multiple times more effective. We are utilizing a new advanced form of retinol eight.”
Speaking of the HydroShield Face Serum, Dr. Denese is also well-known for her Advanced Firming Facial Pads 100 ct & HydroShield Dream Cream.
“The dream cream is perfect for any skin type. It’s meant to deliver more hydration where you need more versus less depending on your skin’s needs.
She added, “The firming facial pads are super important too. If you want to exfoliate if you want to keep yours in top shape.”
“As we grow older, there’s so much settlement on our skin. The extra linear skin cells make us look really older. Even though it might feel strong at the beginning, it will ultimately do a huge favor for your skin by stimulating collagen production. I can’t live without it.”
Taking daily care of your skin is essential. So while many of you have likely found a brand you love for your sunscreen and face wash, I urge you to at least look at Resurface and Glow face Wash & SPF 30 Day Cream.
“SPF 30 Day Cream! It’s very important because whatever you do, you have to build up your skin when you go out in the sun!” she acknowledged.
“The glow cleanser is an unsung hero when it comes to washing your face. Unlike other brands, we refused to use plastic beads. God forbid it settles in in the water table. It’s very dangerous. Instead, we use volcanic sand, which is perfectly innocuous.”
Finding your go-to is one of the best feelings. It feels even better to really understand how your products talk to and stimulate the skin to make it tighter, firmer, and more young looking.
There is one other product that I have found myself reaching for. I absolutely love the HydroShield Eye Emulsion and Eye Mask!
You can find some of her other products such as the Neck and Chin RX Treatment and Dream Cream over in the Just Jill Shop.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about Dr. Denese and the integrity she brings to the skincare and beauty world. It’s pretty easy to see why I have such faith in her!
From my home to yours,
Jill
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