To celebrate mesoestetic Pharma Group CEO and founder Joan Carles Font’s first time in Sydney — as well as mesoestetic’s launch of its AOX Ferulic concentrate specially designed for Australians — BD sat down with the Barcelona native and European skincare mogul himself to learn more about the brand, and the difference between European and Australian skincare…
Can you please tell us a little bit about your background in the industry and what drew you to start mesoestetic PharmaGroup?
It all started at the pharmacy that I used to run in downtown Barcelona. It was back in the 80's when the field of aesthetic medicine was starting to emerge. Doctors who practiced it and were interested in this specialisation felt that their needs were not being met and had difficulties finding pharmacological support.
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and in light of this situation, we began to study how to provide solutions to this niche market, that had such great potential. It was then that we decided to begin working with master formulas.
Little by little, what had once been just an additional offering in our pharmacy, gained relevance and grew while the pharmacy component ended up becoming small part of the business. Thus, some years later, we decided to take a step forward and turn the business of creating master formulas into a pharmaceutical cosmetics company.
What does your current role entail?
My day-to-day primarily involves maintaining the excellence of mesoestetic and enabling the best work by our team. I work to ensure the entire team that makes up this company is happy in their workplace and can perform their daily functions in the best way, comfortably and effectively.
What does an average day in the office look like for you?
I supervise all the actions carried out from mesoestetic: I analyse and endorse the ideas behind the development of a new solution or a new equipment, coordinate and supervise the growth plans of the company, close agreements that benefit and provide added value to the company, etc.
But I also like to see mesoestetic’s staff in their respective fields, developing themselves and growing as professionals. I am extremely proud to see the work they do every day, how they work and the results they achieve. In addition, being able to be in direct contact with them provides me with a very real and close vision of their work and concerns. This helps me know how mesoestetic works from the inside. I really believe that this is essential to best manage a company and to earn the respect from the whole team.
How does the European skincare market differ to the Australian market?
Given its location and climate, Australia is a country that is greatly influenced by sun exposure. Fortunately, the Australian market is conscious of this and acknowledges the importance of sun protection, which leads to a great demand for solutions that help with the rerpercussions of these climate factors. On the other hand, also due to this sun exposure, our depigmenting and brightening solutions, in which mesoestetic is a world leader, work very well in the Australian market too.
However, not everything is based on sun protection. Australia has also shown a strong demand for products offering integral daily protection that take the current lifestyle into account. That’s why we have developed aox ferulic, a state-of-the-art antioxidant solution that helps protect the cells against environmental factors like climate, the HEV light from electronic devices such as smartphones and computers, the effects of daily stress on the skin, etc.
Best thing about the beauty industry?
Being able to help people feel better about themselves. The skin gives a lot of information about a person, it is part of our cover letter, and we at mesoestetic work to improve it from the inside, integrally and with pharmaceutical quality and excellence. This is how we accomplish helping people to look better and recover their self-confidence.
Top networking tip?
Intelligence. Look for interesting synergies both at a personal and a professional level, with people and institutions from which you can learn and benefit to develop yourself and create a better version of yourself. Once these bonds have been established, it's most important is keep them alive and productive.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
The creation and development of mesoestetic’s medical solutions: from the most complete peels to our topical medications like anestopic or melanoderm (yet to be released in Australia). The production of medical solutions requires excellent facilities and exceptional equipment to guarantee the security and maximum quality of the product and these accomplishments reflect our efforts.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love football and I am a huge fan of Barcelona Football Club. I really like going to the field with my sons and friends and having a great time there. I also enjoy cuisine and I take advantage of any occasion to try new restaurants and discover new chefs that make gastronomy truly an art form.
Your mantra / philosophy is?
Only the constant pursuit of excellence and the effort to improve continuously will take you as far as you want.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
Undoubtedly, I would be doing the same!