“I believe that any company whose primary target market is women should be doing something to empower women.” – Jane Wurwand, founder of Dermalogica and Step Up Luminary Circle member
Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand first got involved with Step Up as a speaker on a panel of female CEOs in 2006. At that panel, she shared her inspiring story of starting out as a shop girl sweeping hair in a salon to the founding of Dermalogica, the world’s leading professional skincare company and the International Dermal Institute, where more than 100,000 skin therapists get trained every year.
Jane and Dermalogica are tireless advocates globally for women’s economic empowerment.
The Dermalogica Foundation’s FITE initiative, Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship, creates pathways to entrepreneurship by providing access to small loans and business resources, supporting education and leadership training, and helping amplify women’s voices globally.
Here in the U.S., Step Up has been a consistent partner of Dermalogica over the years and through their financial support, they have helped ensure thousands of girls reach their full potential. Jane was one of Step Up’s inaugural Luminary Circle members, whose $1,000 annual dues represent a year of programming for a Step Up teen.
In addition to financial support, Dermalogica has also hosted Step Up teens and members for three mentoring conferences over the years at its Carson, Calif., headquarters, creating new connections and inspiring big dreams.
Dermalogica also hosts a Step Up Young Luminaries teen summer intern annually, offering one lucky teen her first professional work experience before college.
See photos from the 2014 “I Dream To” conference here.
It was through both the “I Dream To” mentoring conference and the Young Luminaries internship program that Jane built a special relationship with her own mentee Kalen. In 2012, Kalen took the stage at Inspiration Awards and shared her very personal story of overcoming strife at a young age and how Step Up and Dermalogica helped get her there.
This year, we’re excited to be co-creating an entrepreneurship track for Step Up’s teen programs curriculum – helping teens explore the skills necessary for entrepreneurship and intrepreneurship (being entrepreneurial within a large company). As part of this initiative, Dermalogica will be offering a $10,000 scholarship to be awarded to a Step Up teen with a particular interest in entrepreneurship after high school. This scholarship winner will be announced at Step Up’s 2015 Inspiration Awards, an event that Dermalogica has become a flagship supporter of and was honored at in 2011. That year, Dermalogica treated guests to their signature face-mapping and hand massages at their “Skin Bar” featured in the pre-event networking reception.
See photos from 2014’s Inspiration Awards here.
Dermalogica hosts two bi-annual Salons benefitting Step Up in Los Angeles and New York – one in June and one in December to help keep everyone stocked on their skincare must-haves! Each Salon features a teen or alumnae speaker sharing her story with Step Up supporters and friends, allowing Step Up to help amplify our message that all girls deserve the opportunity to fulfill their potential. See photos from past Salons here and here.
In 2012, Jane hosted Power Breakfasts in all three Step Up cities, specifically geared towards entrepreneurs looking to incorporate corporate social responsibility into their businesses. She shared her inspiring professional journey and passion for women’s empowerment over intimate breakfasts just for Step Up members, hoping her story will continue to inspire other female entrepreneurs to dream big, get started, keep going and give back. Watch highlights from one of those breakfasts here.
See photos from one of the breakfasts here.
Dermalogica also keeps Step Up top of mind with all of their work in the women’s empowerment space, just recently inviting Step Up teens for a special screening of the film Girl Rising and signing of The Girl Declaration!
