Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with denice Duff

denice Duff shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning denice, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Running a team of other people as a founder of a skincare compnay. I spent the first half of my life as a soloprenuer, working as an actress and independant profressional photographer. I was a company of one…primarily. If I took time off, I was the only one who I really had to answer to. I was the only one who suffered from slow times off work. Now I have 11 people who I’m responsible for their paychecks and so everyday I am checking analytics, and sales numbers and making content to be constantly promoting. But ultimately Outflow equals Inflow. You’ve got to remind people who you are and why they should choose your company over hundreds of others. I think artists are naturals at that. We are the ultimate entrepreneurs. By definition an entreprenuer takes risks to start something new and turn it into a business. Actors and photographers take risks because they never know when their next gig will come and they have to constantly promote their work. So in that way, I’ve always been an entrepreneur but now I have help from my team …and people to laugh at my jokes than just my cat.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
As an actress and photographer turned skincare founder, I took everything I learned from four generations of Italian women and combined it with years in front of Hollywood makeup artists and dermatologists to create a luxe line of results-driven, natural skincare.
In my late 20s, a talent agent put me on Accutane. It completely dried out my Mediterranean glow—and by my 40s, I was desperate to get that hydration back, fast.
In a world full of quick fixes that didn’t deliver long-term results—and where I was paying inflated prices for jars loaded with microplastics, silicones, alcohols, and synthetic waxes—I started creating my own concentrated potions of herbal infusions and fruit fermentations.”
With a passion for holistic beauty and a deep understanding of skincare science, I crafted a range of products that blend the finest natural ingredients with cutting-edge formulations.
What began in 2018 with a single jar of cream, launched on her personal Facebook page and shipped from our tiny New York apartment, is now a collection of 17 powerhouse products. All are free of parabens, sulfates, alcohols, perfumes, and dyes—and of course, they’re cruelty-free.
For the last 2 yrs, the company landed on the Inc. 5000 list recognized as one of the top fastest-growing skincare company in the U.S.
We proudly sell through our website and select spas across the country.
The company is entirely owned and self-funded by my and my husband. We’ve been lucky to receive organic, unpaid shoutouts from incredible women like Jenna Elfman, designer Rebecca Minkoff, comedienne Whitney Cummings, and SNL’s Chloe Fineman.
Our formulas are made locally, using nutrient-dense, concentrated actives—because we’re all about using Mother Nature to stop Father Time.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My mom was a single mother. I was eight, and she was 29, working as a waitress by day and selling things door to door to make ends meet. On weekends, she sold at flea markets—pots and pans, music boxes, detergents, styrofoam gliders, aloe vera cream—whatever could help pay for birthdays and holidays for my brother and me. She wasn’t around as much as she wanted to be, but when she was, she was full of joy and love. She always told me I was beautiful. She was the Queen of Compliments and is why everyone felt amazing after spending time with her.
She helped me with my homework even when she didn’t fully understand it herself—what mattered was that she sat beside me, steady and patient, helping me to push through the confusion.
She showed me that work makes up a huge part of life—and that you have to find joy in it, not shy away from it. She used to say people fade when they stop staying busy. “Stay busy,” she’d tell me. “Stay connected.”
She said “ You might think what you want most is more time off or more time alone, but the truth is, the most fulfilling moments in life come from being productive—creating something, pushing through a challenge, and doing it alongside others.”

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Asking for help. Ive been very independant. Brother was a druggie and was never there. Parents were divorced when I was 8 and so momma worked alot. I managed to get straight A’s and get scholarships to two prestige Universities: UCLA and NYU. Attended both. But even then I could have grabbed opportunities for collaboritions had I asked the talented people I was around to help me.
Now with a skincare company and immersing myself with other beauty brand founders I am amazed and humbled at how quickly a successful and confident founder would want to help the new gal…even if im older than them. Especially the world of female founders. I wish I would have asked for help earlier.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
What you see is what you get. I learned that in high school, when most of my classmates were getting high in the ’80s and I wasn’t—but I wanted to fit in. I’d pretend I was stoned, which I guess was early acting training. But when it almost went too far, I realized something important: if someone liked the “stoned me” but didn’t like the real me, that was a problem.
At 16, I understood that being myself—fully and honestly—was the only way to attract the right people into my life. That lesson has stayed with me.
Today, as a skincare founder, I carry that same belief. I’m intentional about not beauty- filtering my videos because it matters to me that I look the same in real life as I do online Reel Life = Real Life. I want to be an authentic example of what I stand for—confidence, self-trust, and skin that speaks for itself. Compliment worthy, make-up optional skin.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
They’d miss calling the office and realizing I pickup the phone, then staying on longer than planned because the conversation turned into stories about being raised by immigrant families and the food we would cook in our tiny kitchens They’d miss hearing me talk openly on Tiktik Lives about how eating healthy helps your skin glow and they’d miss my passionate descriptions of ingredients and my truck driver swear words. They’d miss my husband popping into my social media feed to serenade them, not as a performance but as a glimpse of real love and partnership. They’d miss the surprise moments when my kid flys into town and makes me choke on my coffee because of the heartwarming surprise. And they’d miss logging on to my website not just to buy skincare, but to feel like they were sitting at the kitchen table with someone who understands exactly where they’ve been.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://inyourfaceskincare.com
• Instagram: inyourfaceskincare
• Linkedin: inyourfaceskincare
• Twitter: deniceDuff
• Facebook: inyourfaceskincare
• Youtube: inyourfaceskincare

Image Credits
I own the rights to the images. The 5 generation shot is my daughter, mom, grandma and great grandma. Denice Duff photography