Photos courtesy of Swaying Butterfly
Westchester-based skincare line Julie Pipolo Swaying Butterfly wants you to glow with healthy skin and unbridled confidence.
Julie Pipolo knew there was a missing link in the skincare industry. “There’s a lot of hype around products,” says Pipolo, “but many consumers don’t know what’s actually in their products.” A licensed medical aesthetician for more than 30 years and the owner of Skin Westchester (269 Purchase St, Suite 1, Rye; skinwestchester.com), Pipolo decided to create Julie Pipolo Swaying Butterfly, a new line of beauty products for her patients. “Most of my products are considered ‘clean,’” says Pipolo of the ingredients she uses. “The only one I wouldn’t consider [in that category] is our Skin Silk, because I don’t believe that when you add retinol, a product can be considered ‘clean.’ I used legitimate retinol, not a plant-based version.”
Each ingredient that goes into Swaying Butterfly products is strategically sourced, on top of being selected personally by Pipolo. Using a range of ingredients that are rarely seen in big-box skincare, such as ergothioneine (a combination of amino acids and an antioxidant derived from mushrooms and the microalgae astaxanthin, which is 6,000 times more effective than vitamin C), Swaying Butterfly products range from serum to cure cream. In each product is the gamut of benefits. “We’ve cultivated these ingredients to make a power-packed, multifaceted punch in each product,” says Pipolo. “I have no schtick; I’m working in this field every day. Whatever we say these ingredients do, they do.”
The name “Swaying Butterfly” was inspired by Pipolo’s parents, Theresa, and George. “Butterflies are messengers of joy and positivity. After my parents passed, butterflies would come to me,” says Pipolo. “In my work, I love to be a messenger to my clients about proper skincare and feeling confident. It all comes together that way.”
For Pipolo, her business is as much about making skincare approachable as it is making it safe. “There are many products that are merely beautiful packaging. We put our money in the authenticity of each ingredient, making our products in small batches — and they will stay that way, no matter how large we get.”
Related: A Guys’ Guide to Skincare, According to a Westchester Expert
