Dr Barbara Sturm is sitting cosily in her Gstaad home when we meet over a video call. She first stepped into the 17th-century Swiss chalet two years ago and instantly fell for its Alpinus charm. ‘I immediately knew I was going to live here because the building had such a soul,’ she explains. ‘I was familiar with Gstaad during ski-season, but not during the off-season. I soon discovered that it was divine. I remember the first summer here and going mushroom hunting,’ she continues, her face lighting up at the memory.
I also note the luminosity of her complexion, unmistakable despite Zoom’s jolty picture quality. What I’m seeing here is the coveted ‘Sturm Glow’, of course, a patented effect of the German aesthetics doctor’s ‘anti-inflammatory’ approach to skin health.
Dr Sturm’s medical career began in orthopaedics. She later joined a team of Düsseldorf-based sports scientists, working to develop a cutting-edge therapy called Orthokine, which involves extracting, manipulating, and reintroducing the patient’s blood into the body to reduce joint inflammation and promote healing. By 2002, Dr Sturm had shifted her clinical research to aesthetics, putting the principles of Orthokine into regenerative skincare. Two of her world-renowned signatures include a ‘PRP’ (platelet-rich plasma therapy) facial, perhaps better known as the ‘Vampire Facial’, and the bespoke ‘MC1’ cream, a topical delivery of proteins extracted from one’s bloodstream.
2024 marks ten years since Dr Sturm launched her ubiquitous brand, with products such as ‘The Hyaluronic Serum’ now widely considered to be skincare ‘holy grails’. The most recent addition to the Sturm roster is the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’, which launched earlier this month (September 2024). It combines the technology of ‘The Hyaluronic Serum’ with ‘skin-mimicking’ ceramides and lipids, in a dual-phase formula. Here, Dr Sturm tells Wallpaper* more about it, alongside sharing a few more anecdotes about her life in Gstaad.
Dr Barbara Sturm on the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’
Wallpaper*: Can you tell me about why you’ve launched the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’ and what it does?
Dr Barbara Sturm: The idea started when I was thinking about how lipids get better infused if you have hydrated skin. I designed a buttery skin essence a couple of years ago for a friend who started a skincare company. But we never ended up using it. So I had the idea to combine a hydrating phase and a lipid phase, using some of the ingredients from this essence, into one product.
At first, I was worried a dual-phase serum was too gimmicky for us. To be honest, I was actually quite sceptical altogether. But after the samples arrived and everyone on the team began to try it, they freaked out over how good it was. We all tested it out for a month and each of us saw the difference it made to the skin by the end of that period, in terms of visible age reversal. This is because of the bio-mimetic peptides we used combined with all the other incredible ingredients. I must say, it is an incredible product.
W*: How does your approach to skin health and wellness tie into your living space and environment?
DBS: I have a lot of family time here in Gstaad, which makes me happy, which brings inflammation down. Then being in nature, lying on the grass, breathing pure oxygen high in the mountains... The environment here fits perfectly into my anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
When it came to the chalet interiors, I was very spontaneous with it while staying true to the original 17th-century features. I love colour and I’m not afraid to use it. When I travel, I always go to flea markets and find random things to bring back here. I love the Marché aux Puces in Paris, and I have a lot of paintings from there hanging up. I’m working with my friend Eva Zucker who runs an independent vintage interiors business from Frankfurt. So, she has sourced all kinds of things for the house too.
W*: Do you approach the design of a Dr Barbara Sturm spa with the same spontaneity?
DBS: I work on the design for the spas with my brother. They are always based on simplicity and good quality, which speaks to the ethos of the Sturm brand. But also, they have a personal touch that relates to their location.
With the Madison Avenue spa in New York, for example, I went crazy with wallpapers to tie in with the fact it is an older townhouse. I sourced a lot of vintage pieces here too. And, like with our chalet in Gstaad, I think that sometimes works out for the best.
W*: What are your bathroom and ‘wellness’ spaces like in the chalet?
DBS: Well, my bathroom is full of Sturm products! In the basement, I have an LED bed for infrared light therapy and a pure oxygen machine, which I will use on my stationary bike. I have a PEMF mat, and also hydrogen water to drink throughout the home. I recently installed a machine that pumps hydrogen into your bathtub and I am in love with it.
W*: What are your plans for the immediate future?
DBS: I don’t see tons of patients anymore so work is focused on managing product development and marketing. But it’s easy to do a lot of this from here in Gstaad. My filming for social media, I also do from here, in the chalet bathroom. I am a 24-7 workaholic. But now that I’m over 50, I have discovered this other side of me and found more of a balance while living in Gstaad.
I think this is so important when you reach a certain age. Otherwise, you’ll lose the rest of your youth quicker than anticipated. One day you’d wake up and just not be able to get out of your chair, you know? In being here, I am living my childhood dream. I always imagined myself in an old chalet, going out to the bakery on skis or something. Fantastically, my dream came true.
Dr Barbara Sturm, ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’, £340, is available now.
