The Quality Makers: Danielle Nadick Levy of Facile

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LA-based founder of Facile Danielle Nadick Levy believes that achieving good skin should be easy. That’s why she created Facile (easy and effortless in French) dermatology clinics and skincare – a simplified regimen of proven, dermatologist-formulated products designed to help you reach the best version of your skin. From their everyday skin basics to their targeted treatment serums, Facile’s uncomplicated, dermatologist-formulated formulas use effective, non-toxic, and feel-good ingredients you know and trust.

I was lucky enough to visit their Pasadena dermatology clinic to enjoy The Facile Facial. Using their own line of simplified skincare products, this treat left with my skin glowing, hydrated, and beaming with joy. I could tell I was in the hands of the industry’s best and most minimalist.

Tell me about Facile.

Facile started back in 2016 as dermatology clinics, where we do treatments that range from botox, filler and lasers, to skincare such as facials. We have two locations to date, our flagship on Melrose Place, and then our other location in Pasadena. It was out of those clinics that we wanted to create this line of skincare products known today as Facile Skincare, and that launched in early 2022. Facile is really all about making achieving good skin easy. 

At the time, our clinics were really the first of their kind, right before this big boom in concierge medicine, and we really carried that into the philosophy of our skincare line as well. Our brand is about creating a simplified routine for people to achieve their goals, and ultimately laying it all out in a way that's easy to understand. The cherry on top is that we’ve also priced the skincare products so that they’re super affordable.

Walk me through your journey – from the opening of the dermatology clinics to the creation of your skincare line.

I was young when I first thought about what Facile dermatology would be. At 27, I had a friend who recommended I go see Dr. Nancy Samolitis, who is my business partner and the dermatologist at Facile to this day. It was on my third visit of seeing her that I had this very cliche aha moment of wanting to meld dermatology offices with a Med Spa – creating something that didn’t exist at the time – so we came up with the term ‘dermatology boutique’. 

I remember boldly approaching her, and we ended up opening a year later. That's a very long story short… but I'm a Gemini, so I get bored easily, and I like to do things that complicate my life and keep things interesting. So, the clinics were moving and grooving, and everything was going in the right direction. We were really busy, and things took off super quickly. We already had two locations under our belt, and I’m really fascinated with consumer product goods. I think you can reach a much broader audience with a consumer product than you can with two clinics in LA. 

When patients would come in to see Dr. Sam and our other providers, they would all give similar feedback: they didn't know what to use, how to use it, when to use it, and then they were spending hundreds of dollars on all these products that were potentially doing more harm than good. Dr. Sam and I thought: let’s create something that is very easy and palatable to someone that doesn't know anything about skincare, and ultimately that will translate across the board. 

The average price point at our clinics is very high end, so it was really important to me that the skincare was not priced in that kind of realm. Everything ranges from $15 to $38 and will always remain under $40, but it's packed with a punch. Our formulas are really strong and efficacious. It's interesting that we have this kind of juxtaposition between the two, but it works really well.

What led you to Dr. Sam in the first place? 

In full transparency, I’ve always had really hollow under eyes. No matter what, I was waking up looking like I got two hours of sleep. I was so frustrated by this, and a girlfriend of mine suggested I go see Dr. Sam, who specializes in cosmetic dermatology. She helped me successfully treat my under eyes. I had seen other doctors in the past who didn’t hear me, and Dr. Sam did. She never gave me more than what I needed. That's what drew me to her initially, and that's what kept me coming back.

Tell me more about this ‘making skincare easier’ approach. 

We launched with our core philosophy, and it really helped create a regimen for someone. Our Core Four includes your basic four step morning and evening routine. We also have these four serums – you choose one based on your skin concern and/or your skin goal. 

We have Clear for acne, Brighten for discoloration, Reverse for mature skin, and Destress for irritated skin. Ultimately, we felt those were the four most common skin concerns. If you go on our website and you shop for our skincare, there's a lot of education available, presented in a really unique way. We're essentially saying that you can get a ton with just four steps in the morning, obviously adding an SPF. We don't have an SPF yet, but soon. 

What other products do you offer?

We've got tinted lip jellies, which are plumping, but also good for the health of your lips. They’ve got peptides in them, as well as Kiss Me Quick flower, which sounds like a marketing gimmick, but it's a real ingredient that helps to plump the lips without irritating them. None of that burning feeling. 

Then we have something called The Buzz, which actually just won the Best Exfoliating Mask of 2024. This product is very much an extension of our clinics. It's an at home treatment mask, and you really see results in using it for as little as 1-7 minutes. I'm a baby with very sensitive skin, so I can literally only leave it on for 1 minute, but it's great before a big event. It really helps to exfoliate the skin as a chemical exfoliant. It's got AHAs, BHAs, but it's also packed with a major punch – you will feel the tingle. 

Launching in January, we have our first rich face cream called Beyond There. This product really fills a need we’ve noticed. Right now, all we have is Barely There, which is our super lightweight moisturizer. It’s great for all skin types, but if you've got a need for extra hydration, it's not going to do it for you. So we're super excited about this product to come.

Where does your inspiration come from? 

The way we approach new products is very much looking at derm-basic skincare that deserves real estate on someone's shelf or vanity. I always say that because there's a million brands out there, and people only have bandwidth and space for so much. That’s why we really want to focus on launching products that solve a problem, and that we truly believe people need, all at an affordable price point. 

In terms of a Facile facial, a lot of our inspiration comes from products driven and included by Dr. Sam, but also our other aestheticians. We still use third party medical grade brands in our facials, alongside Facile skincare.

What differentiates you from other brands in the industry?

Our founding story is really unique. We started with these clinics. We spoke with so many patients. We got real, live testimonials while we were developing the skincare line. Having a dermatologist literally in the kitchen, creating these formulas and giving her expertise on product formulation, is also a big point of differentiation. She went to school for so many years, so her knowledge is invaluable to making us stand out in the industry. 

I would also say our price point. While it's not totally unique, the fact that we are priced where we are, whilst our actual active levels in our serums and our more treatment-based products are so high, is something to be proud of. And the fact that we're clean – we're almost 100% clean across the board on the Yuka app. That trifecta makes us stand out. 

When your clients engage with either your clinics or your skincare, what do you hope they’ll take away from those experiences?

I want them to feel better coming out than they did coming in, and better after using the products than they did prior. I'll speak for the skincare first – we want to be the solution. Life is complicated, so we want to help uncomplicate even just one facet of your life. That way you can hopefully focus more on other things. With the clinics, we want to continue providing quality care, and having really state of the art treatments available for our patients. Although we’ve seen such success across the board, I sometimes still feel like we’re at the beginning stages. I hope we get to continue growing slowly and steadily. 

While I'm ultimately a business woman and a founder who is financially driven, I created this product line to be affordable, and we could’ve set the prices much higher. But we want to get our products into as many hands as possible, because we genuinely believe that these products will make a difference in people's skin, in their health, and ultimately in their happiness.

Stop feeling overwhelmed with the weight of the skincare world and find your high-quality, dermatology-formulated, punchy but made for all sensitivities, Facile products.