Alaskan charm French-born Caujolle opened the business in 1990 and has enjoyed running it on her own throughout the years. Her first “Face to Face” interview occurred for the January/February 1993 issue of Skin Inc. magazine, with a follow-up in the January 1998 10th anniversary issue. After falling in love with the city of Juneau 30 years ago while visiting a friend, she moved to Alaska. When she arrived, Caujolle worked as a color consultant. The realization that skin needed work before the color coordination led her to pursue a career as a skin care professional. “Being from Europe and seeing esthetics all my life, I knew that a skin care business could work very well on its own. In this day and age skin care is crucial and needs to be respected as a field in its own right,” she said. Caujolle has always taken the time to educate Juneau residents about skin care. When she first opened her skin care business, she visited nearby sporting goods stores and outdoor clothing stores to let the owners know she offered good skin protection products. She spoke to community high school classes and even at a local gym to bodybuilders about waxing. She described Juneau as having a well-educated population with many professionals. “They're becoming educated about skin care and usually after the first facial they realize how important it is to their daily lives,” she said. In the mid-90s, Caujolle launched a fragrance product—Alaska Wildflower by Alaska Scents. “Capture the spirited fragrance of Alaska” was its tag line and it even won the distinction of being one of the 20 best scents in Alaska. While it was a successful venture for her, she sold it about two years ago to someone who took over the manufacturing and production of the product. As with any small business, Caujolle has experienced change throughout the years. Her clientele grew but now her original clients are older. “Many of my clients have become snowbirds and leave during the winter months only to return once again in the warmer spring and summer months. The important thing, though, is that they return,” she says. “The beautiful thing is that now I'm seeing their children as clients and because I've educated their parents, they are aware that they need to take care of their skin.” Caujolle thinks that in recent years there has been too much emphasis on the use of machines for skin care. “There's a feeling out there that perhaps ‘more is better,' but as estheticians we have to remember that it's what we do with our hands that matters—that is the gift we possess,” she says. She also believes that ingestible supplements can play an important part in taking care of the skin from the inside out but is concerned about making sure that they can be taken by all of her clients. According to Caujolle, finding a product that a diabetic can take is a challenge, and she continues to search. More men are coming to her for skin care—most at the request of their wives, she admits. They usually have tended to stay away from spas and salons. “Clients are accepting the idea that taking care of the skin is truly a legitimate expression of your inner self. Up here, especially the men think that rugged is good and exemplifies solidity and frontier virtues. I am trying to show both men and women in Alaska that rugged doesn't mean having to look old,” she said. |