October is World Menopause Awareness Month! Who knew such a thing existed? Can you imagine there being a dedicated month devoted to driving menopause awareness when your grandmother or mother was going through perimenopause or menopause? In fact, my mom asked why in the world I would be writing about it, which made me laugh! As we know, it just wasn’t talked about; it was viewed as a passage of time, a nearing of the end…. whoa…. wait. What?!  I’d like to see you tell that to all the amazing women making this stage of life one of the most exciting times in their lives!  

Let’s look at Martha Stewart. She just turned 81. She’s more popular today than ever before, and her career really took off at the ripe age of 50! Then there is Gwyneth Paltrow who just turned 50. That girl is rockin’ it.  Jane Pauley recently interviewed her and asked what she had imagined herself doing at 50 when she was in her 20’s and 30’s, she said, “Honestly, I don’t think I thought about it. I honestly thought 50 meant you were dead.” And look at her! The founder of lifestyle brand Goop is worth billions today. She transitioned from an actress to a successful business woman, and in her 50’s has become a powerhouse.  She feels being in her 50s is freeing, energizing and a start to a second life, And to quote Gwyneth, “she’s loving life and living her best live.” 

In fact, a lot of women feel this stage of life is the beginning of a new chapter. Know Your Value and Forbes magazine recently partnered and requested submissions for women over 50 doing amazing things with their lives. They received over 10,000 submissions! Think about it: never have women been less likely to be a cookie-cutter representation of their peer group. A woman over 40 could be a new mother or a grandmother. She could be at the apex of her career or starting a new career, retiring or even just re-entering the workforce.  Ladies, we’re such a dynamic group of people with amazing stories and journeys to be told! 

As a woman who has never led a traditional life; I spent my 20’s and 30’s building my career, traveling the world until I married at 39. I adopted two children and started a business in my 40’s. And I began investing in real estate at the age of 50 while maintaining the career I loved being the VP of Suki Skincare. I have no intention of stopping.

Several of my friends are in perimenopause or menopause. Other than shared values and senses of humor, it’s about the only thing we have in common. Our lives are drastically different. My friend Jennifer never married and never became a mother. At 51, she left her corporate job to focus on real-estate investing and has purchased and flipped many homes. Another friend of mine, Eva, is a new empty nester and she accepted a job in another state, rented an apartment and now travels back and forth. So, while she was dropping her kids of at college, I was teaching mine how to hop out of the car in the school drop-off lane. The point is just because we’re all at the same stage of life, we’re all experiencing life differently and it’s certainly not like our grandmothers during menopause. 

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that yes, my spirit and attitude are void of any negative side effects of menopause, but man, does my body feel it! My joints hurt more, sleep is harder to come by, my belly is expanding, my skin is losing its luster and my libido is a nice resting place right now. 

However, today, we’re fortunate enough to experience this during a time where women have a voice, and that voice has caused brands to stand up and listen. There are many products out there to help with the late-night insomnia, the joint pain, the libido and more. I think we’ll always be hopeless on the weight-loss front, but hey, the good news is at Suki we’re here to help you manage your skin as you learn to age healthfully and gracefully. 

As the developer of the Suki Era line within the MenoCycle™ collection, I developed products that were different than our Pro-Age™ collection’s anti-aging products. I found that once I hit peri-menopause, I was not only fighting fine lines and wrinkles, but a loss of skin luster or glow . I also felt my skin was starting to lose its elasticity and starting to sag, so given I have two small children, I wanted to ensure I wasn’t mistaken for their grandma (who is beautiful by the way). But in all seriousness, I wanted my skin to keep up with my youthful spirit!  

Suki developed MenoCycle products to be the best menopausal skincare products, while being clean, natural and effective.  We designed the formulations to meet the unmet needs of women aged 45+ experiencing perimenopause or menopause.  Some of you reading this blog may have been a part of our in-use study where 91% saw an overall improvement in their skin (including skin hydration, skin elasticity, fine lines wrinkles, brightness, and texture).  This launch was a labor of love; selfishly, I wanted to ensure the new products were not only clean but effective! At this skin cycle (menopause / perimenopause), it can be harder to see results, but we succeeded! Check out the before and after images of women in our six-week study.  There are three menopausal products in the collection:  1. Reviving Face Cream 2. Facial Oil 3. Reviving Cooling Spray— all designed to help your skin keep up with you during this new ERA of your life! 

Whatever off-road life experience is in store for you, we’re excited to see where your journey takes you! Keep me posted on your adventures and, of course, if you have any skin questions, concerns or ideas, please reach out to me at sukivipteam@sukiskincare.com

Tiffany Kurtz-Sewall

VP Of Suki Skincare