After 30 years in the business, Kate Somerville is a household name in the beauty industry, not to mention the aesthetician responsible for the glowy faces of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. “I’ve been doing this since I was 20 years old,” Somerville says on a Zoom meeting to introduce her new collection to beauty editors. “I wanted to introduce a line that we’re very well-known for at the clinic [Somerville’s cult-favorite space on Melrose Place in LA that previously belonged to Sean Connery, and then Johnny Depp] where we do anti-aging facial procedures like lasers and deep peels on 85 to 90 percent of our patients who want to turn back the clock or prevent signs of aging. We also have a physician on staff who does injectables for fine lines and wrinkles, and lifting areas that have lost elasticity.”
Somerville named the new line KateCeuticals to reflect its clinical, medical potency and efficacy. “Every single product has a purpose,” she says. “Our team came together to figure out how we could bring what we do in the clinic to our clients to maintain their results at home. This is a very powerfully packed regimen with peptides.” Somerville points to the results she’s seen on her own skin: I’m in California and I’ve had a lot of sun over the years. It’s a miracle my skin looks like this at 50.”
The first product Somerville introduces is Firming Serum ($98), which she says is the number-one serum in the clinic with a cult-following. “It’s a multitasker that goes on clean dry skin after exfoliating, and it’s based on a tripetide complex to help with firmness and elasticity. It also increases collagen production and keeps skin stimulated, and it contains a small molecule of hyaluronic acid that goes into the skin cells and plumps them full of hydration that helps skin bounce back when its expressive, rather than creating lines and wrinkles.” You can also use retinol with it, says the aesthetician. “When you use retinol, you want to pepper in peptides too.”
The Total Repair Cream ($120) is Somerville’s favorite product in the line, which took her about 10 years to formulate because the industry and technology had to catch up with what she had planned. “This multitasking, repairing, anti-aging moisturizer has a special medley of peptides (Hexa-12) that has a transformative effect on skin—it’s also soothing and healing. I recommend layering this over the serum and you can see results in as early as two weeks,” she explains. “If you’re oily in your T-zone, only apply this on the outside of your face where you’re drier because this has a lot of oils and might be a little too heavy for you. But, it won’t break you out. My son is 19 and breakout-prone, and this is his favorite moisturizer.”
In the clinic, Somerville’s physician does a lot of Botox Cosmetic in the crow’s-feet to minimize expression lines, which inspired the Lifting Eye Cream ($120). “I’ve been getting Botox since I was 24, but in the last year I haven’t had it because of the pandemic, and I was like, thank god I have this cream because it’s kept those wrinkles at bay. It clinically helps crow’s-feet, and the red and brown algae help with puffiness—I get a lot of puffiness under my eyes. Cucumber seed oil helps with inflammation and vitamin C brightens dark circles. It sinks into skin fast and won’t give you milia like heavier eye creams.”
Somerville also plans to add a retinol-infused product to the lineup this spring, which she says will complete the collection. “You’ll absolutely fall in love with it.”