Anybody still use Erno Laszlo or Janet Sartin skincare?

sueeich · ‎04-12-2010

I have been having a devil of a time with my skin lately. I'm 54, but still suffer with pretty darn oily skin and now I've developed a lot of sebaceous hyperplasia lesions because of it. Dermatologist says there's really not much I can do about it but did put me on a prescription retiniod foam that she said may help a bit. She actually gave me a referral to a plastic surgeon to talk about doing some kind of laser treatment to help with the sebaceous hyperplasia. I was thinking about when I was a teenager in the 80's and my skin was like an oil well and I went on the complete regimen from Erno Laszlo - back when they "clocked" your skin type. Anyway, my skin was absolutely beautiful when I used Erno Laszlo. But if you know anything about Erno Laszlo, his ingredients go totally against the grain of what is considered good skincare these days. Erno Laszlo does still exist but many of the iconic products are gone. His protege, Janet Sartin, is still in business in NYC and I think the products are still pretty true to the original. Does anymore have experience with either of these skin care lines and use either one now?

FastDogWalker2 · ‎03-10-2010

My husbamnd's aunt, who lives in NYC, used the Erno Laszlo regiment from the '70's onward. She did have beautiful skin. She is not mobile now and we have't seen her with Covid travel restrictions so I am not sure if she still uses any of the line. We lived way up state, in the "country" and I thought her skin care regimen was so exotic and expensive! As I remember, wasn't the soap black?

sueeich · ‎04-12-2010

Yes! The original soap was black. It was a very different skincare regimen but it produced amazing results.

LCR · ‎03-11-2010

Sueeich -- Boy, did your post bring back memories. I, too, used Laszlo exclusively back in the day -- when you still got "clocked," you couldn't buy products without presenting your membership card, you got periodic skin evaluations from the Laszlo rep, etc. I was influenced by the celebrity women who used Laszlo at the time, mainly Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe (there was even a bottle of some Laszlo product on Monroe's nightstand in photos taken after her death).

Like you, I had extremely oily/acne prone skin; I was clocked at a 3:30 (the usual clock ended at 3). I had just graduated from college and started my working life, and I had to save like crazy to be able to afford the products. But -- Laszlo left me with absolutely beautifu skin. It was a miracle.

But as you probably remember, something happened (sale of company??? I don't know) and the Laszlo line became smaller in the stores and products increasingly harder to find. Eventually I just gave up. Haven't found anything as good.

I agree with you that the line isn't the same today. They have a lot of strange products now, and many of the core products are gone. I don't know who owns it. Wish I could advise you, but I'm at a loss. I guess I just wanted to reply to your post and commiserate with you. If you decide to pursue this and find out anything positive, would love to know. Good luck.

furbabylover · ‎08-24-2011

@sueeich Laszlo's method has truly stood the test of time. Yes, his ingredients meet with disapproval today, but remember, just like with everything else, definitions of what's right or wrong shift from year to year. Look at how retinols have fluctuated in popularity. I go by results. Take a look at Marilyn Monroe's skin, or Jackie O, or Grace Kelly. They did not start with perfect skin, but when under the care of Laszlo their skin became perfection. If you are interested, Laszlo is having a 25% off sale right now.

LCR · ‎03-11-2010

Forgot -- don't know anything about the Janet Sartin line, wasn't she Laszlo's nurse or assistant? I just remembered that someone told me Obagi is somewhat like Laszlo, but I just don't have the energy to explore it.

Trix · ‎03-16-2010

I have had a few facials at Janet Sartin but have never been a regular user of the products at home. The facials were always well done and on occasion when I did buy something to use at home it was always acceptable to satisfactory.

sueeich · ‎04-12-2010

The line was sold to another company (I want to say Ponds?) some time ago and they ended up discontinuing most of the iconic products. There are many upset people who can't understand why the best products would be discontinued in favor of other products that just dont' seem to fit into the line. I did notice that they finally brought back the Normalizer Shake-It (The skin-colored liquid that is basically supposed to subsititute for your foundation.) but the website says it's a limited edition and it's only offered in one color. Also, the ingredients have been tinkered with; the original shake-it had kaolin in it and this new itieration subsitutes talc. So several people have commented that they discovered Janet Sartin, who is still in business, and her products are basically still the same as Laszlo's used to be.

sueeich · ‎04-12-2010

Janet Sartin was a protege of Dr. Laszlo but she went on to form her company at some point in time, but I'm not sure why she did that.

I don't think Obagi is anything like Laszlo or Sartin. Lazslo and Sartin products use a lot of alcohol which seems to be a big no-no today. But it kind of makes sense to use cosmetic-grade alcohol especially if you have extremely oily skin. Laszlo also wasn't a proponet of using lots of moisurizer. I came across a site recently that talked about Laszlo's relationship with Marilyn Monroe (a skincare relationship only!) and his original directions to her about how to use his products and in what order are in a museum somewhere in NYC. He tells her to apply moisturizer but then most of it actually gets wiped off!

Regardless, for people with extremely oily and/or blemish-prone skin, Laszlo was a godsend! I've taken the recommendations of Paula Begeoun and other renowed dermatologists who all say not to use anything with alcohol in it on the skin, but my skin was never more beautiful than when I was using Laszlo and that's a fact.

sueeich · ‎04-12-2010

@Trix wrote:
I have had a few facials at Janet Sartin but have never been a regular user of the products at home. The facials were always well done and on occasion when I did buy something to use at home it was always acceptable to satisfactory.

Have you ever purchased anything from Sartin recently? I feel like Sartin is going to be the closest skincare line to the original Laszlo line. Just want to make sure you think they are reputable.