Decree by Dr. Anita Sturnham: Redefining Skincare Excellence

Dr. Anita Sturnham, a luminary in the field of dermatology, is at the forefront of a skincare revolution with her visionary brand, Decree. Boasting a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Sturnham has seamlessly merged medical expertise with a holistic understanding of beauty. Her brand, Decree, is not just a skincare line; it’s a philosophy rooted in science and accessibility. With a commitment to serve every skin need, Decree empowers individuals to achieve optimal skin health, embodying the perfect blend of high-quality ingredients and efficacy.

In this exclusive interview, we unravel the journey of Dr. Anita Sturnham and the inspiration behind her brand, Decree. Explore the science-backed formulations that set Decree apart, and discover the ethos driving its commitment to radiant and resilient skin. Join us as we delve into the transformative world of Decree, guided by the expertise of a true innovator in skincare.

Skindays: What is your earliest skincare memory?

Anita Sturnham: I fell in love with the specialism of Dermatology after my own personal experience as a medical student, where I ventured into a top department store, walked up to the most ‘clinical looking’ counter and was talked into purchasing a 4-step day and night skincare routine. This was my first ever skincare purchase. At this point in my medical training I had basic knowledge of skin anatomy but had not had any dermatology training. After three days of using what were, upon reflection, completely inappropriate and harsh products for my skin type, I was left with redness, dryness and extreme sensitivity, which took me months to recover from and left me nervous about purchasing skincare for some time. I spoke to a dermatologist who diagnosed me with Rosacea. I studied the condition and became focussed on always checking labels on products before applying them to my skin. 

Whilst my first ever skincare experience was not a positive one, this was an experience that led to the ultimate love, passion and obsession with skin, skincare products and formulations that I have today.

SD: How has your background as a Doctor influenced your brand? 

Decree skincare was inspired by many factors. My medical background, my patients and by identifying a clear gap in the market that I identified through my years of treating my patients’ skin in clinic. 

In 2014 I founded my clinic brand, Nuriss, based in Marylebone, London. 

At my initial skin consultations, I ask my patients to bring in their skincare products and get them to show me what they are using from morning to night. Over the years I have seen the same trends again and again. Many people are using the wrong products on their skin, effectively feeding it with ‘junk food’. I would say that around 90% of the skin issues that I see in my clinics are self-inflicted, with the main culprits being the products that they use. 

The second key inspiration behind Decree was my in-house skincare line, Nuriss skincare, which I designed for my patients and launched in 2014. We had 32 products in the line, with your typical skincare categories that you see in other doctor-led brands. We had products for acne, pigmentation, rosacea, anti-aging etc. I discovered over the years that regardless of the age, sex, skin type and skin concern of my patients, I was using the same key active ingredients for everyone. It became clear that there was a massive opportunity to strip things back and to simplify skincare down to a collection of products that contain multitasking actives. In my mind, it was time to break down the typical boundaries in skincare. And so, with all of this inspiration, I created DECREE.

SD:What has been your most rewarding moment while developing 

Decree? 

AS: I have so many proud moments but I would say the starting point was seeing three years of hard work come to fruition, when I launched Decree in September 2019 and saw the products on sale in stores and online with the major player beauty retailers, lined up next to huge global brands. As a brand founder, I am always striving to grow the brand and achieve the next milestone but when I reflect back on key moments, a month after launch an influential independent journalist, with a huge global reach, dedicated a double page spread to our brand, highlighting our Treat Tincture serum as the ‘holy grail’. We sold out across all channels within 48 hours and I was blown away. This is still our best selling product to this very day.

What’s your favourite Decree combo and how do you use them? 

AS: This is like asking a mother to choose a favourite child, you simply can’t! I honestly love the whole range but in terms of the products that make the most difference to my skin, I would say I couldn’t live without the AM serum, Protect Elixir and the PM serum, Treat Tincture. A well formulated serum provides the active deeper dermal layers of your skin, with active ingredients that will really make a difference to your skin. Our AM serum is loaded with antioxidants Vitamin C,B,E, Ferulic acid and coenzyme Q10, mineral cofactors, copper peptide complex, Hyaluronic acid, chondrus crispus extract in a rose water base, what more could your skin ask for in a day serum! Our PM serum contains a next

generation retinoid, rejuvenation stem cells, barrier support squalane and pigment stabilising alpha arbutin. Our serum duo are literally your skincare dream team.

SD: What is the best skincare advice that you’ve personally ever received?

One of the most significant learnings for me was influenced by working in dermatology clinics, where we would regularly see patients with inflammatory skin conditions, such as Eczema and Psoriasis. My consultant at the time told me that one thing all skin disorders have in common are defects in the skin 

barrier function. The skin barrier, in those suffering with these inflammatory conditions, is unable to hold on to moisture, so the skin becomes dry. The weakened barrier also allows allergens and pathogens from entering into the skin, leading to activation of the skin’s immune system and elevated inflammatory pathways. In many ways, the issues that I have seen in clinic are often triggered by people over stripping and over stimulating their skin barrier.It is very clear to me that the fundamentals of having healthy skin all start with creating a strong and resilient skin barrier. I have made ‘ protecting the skin barrier’ a key part of my patients’ care ever since.

 

SD:What are some the common skincare issues that have encountered from clients at your practice, and how can your products help to combat these? 

AS: The most common issues that I see in clinics are breakouts and pigmentation and people generally wanting guidance to improve skin confidence. The great thing about the Decree range is that it has been designed to suit all ages, skin types and concerns. If you study the ingredient lists for each product you will find ingredients that can target all of these concerns in one product. For example, we use granactive retinoid in our PM serum, Treat Tincture, which is a multitasking skin hero ingredient. This helps with breakouts by reducing inflammation within the pores, regulates oil production, improves cell repair and stabilising the skin’s bacteria levels but it also has pigment stabilising benefits and collagen boosting properties too. We don’t just use singular active ingredients but pack each product with an army of multitasking ingredients that allows us to multitask with every product in the Decree line, so again, using the Treat TIncture as an example, it contains stem cells for rejuvenation, squalane for skin barrier support, alpha arbutin for pigment stabilising benefits and chondrus crispus extract to soothe and reduce inflammation.

SD:What Do Predict The Next Big Skincare Trend or facial aesthetics?

AS: I have seen a strong movement towards patients seeking more natural solutions to ageing. People are moving away from dermal filler and toxin anti wrinkle injections and are looking for alternatives to improve skin health and slow skin ageing. I do still think there is a place for the injectable treatments, and I often use them as a ‘finishing touch,’ once skin quality has improved.

The trend is moving towards using treatments that help your skin to age slower, to repair itself faster and to use treatments that delay cellular ageing. 

Energy based devices such as laser, radiofrequency and morpheus8, combined with bio-stimulating polynucleotide injections and moisture boosting profhilo injections have taken over the industry and are here to stay. As aesthetic technologies advance, we have more options than ever before, from medical-grade high tech facials to advanced clinical grade skin products to use at home, that allow us to take a preventative approach to skin ageing and help our skin to age at a slower rate.

SD: Top 3 things that you believe help support people’s journey towards better ageing 

AS: Firstly, skin loves consistency and is at its optimum health when you are feeding it with quality skincare, morning and night. A good skincare routine will ensure that you are feeding the skin with the essential nutrients it needs, layer by layer, day by day. Changing your skincare regularly and mixing and matching lots of different brands can upset the skin’s balance and lead to issues. Your skin’s cleanser, toner and serum needs remain the same all year round. As the seasons change, the only thing I do recommend is switching around the textures of your moisturiser, morning and night. Use a thicker barrier product in the winter months and a lighter formulation in the summer. Your skin won’t become ‘immune’ to your products, it will thank you for the stability of a regular routine. 

Secondly: Serums can elevate your skin from OK to great 

If you are not using a serum, now is the time to start. Serums are the one product designed to treat the deeper layers of your skin and getting this step right can significantly elevate your skin health. Look for antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Panthenol and Niacinamide in your morning serum and Retinoids (Vitamin A), Peptides and stem cells in your evening serum. 

Thirdly: Protect against UV damage : All dermatology experts say the same thing, wear sunscreen protection every day, all year round. UV damage is responsible for 80% of premature ageing, so it has a significant impact on your skin’s future.

SHOP DECREE