In a world of get-rich-quick skincare influencers and uncertified experts Demi Cortez stands far, far apart. For Demi, skincare is not a trendy hobby acquired for leisure, but rather a true labor of love.
Meet Demi Cortez! Licensed esthetician and CEO of Demi Cortez Skincare.
Like many of us growing up, Demi struggled with personal skincare issues and hit a dead end in his journey to better, healthy skin due to a lack of quality products available in the market.
After trying numerous dermatologists and doctors, and seeing no real results, he decided to get in the business and create products that catered to all skin types. These struggles inspired Demi to pursue a career in the esthetician arena and now he’s ready to share his expertise with the world.
Through the Demi Cortez brand he aims to bring quality preventative and maintenance services that will help empower people on their skincare journeys. Demi is especially passionate about catering to the needs of people who simply lack the right information. Through his social media platforms he is able to instantly provide reliable information and showcase undeniable before-and-after results of his work.
Demi is an Atlanta native and has been in the esthetician business for nearly a decade. Along with his growing skincare product line, Demi’s services also extend to laser hair removal, facial and chemical peels. He also has a home collection line of luxury candles and room elixirs available for purchase.
Catch our sit-down with Demi here!
What led you to create your own brand?
Demi Cortez: "Throughout the whole aesthetics training course you’re exposed to a lot of different avenues you can go into as being an esthetician… So, along with my esthetic business I also have my own skincare line as well. So it’s time for the young black men to really come up and do their thing.
There’s a thousand skincare lines out here, however, there’s only one Demi Cortez skincare line.
So when I came into wanting to curve my path in that direction it was just a matter of me finding the right formulas that I felt were missing for our skin types. Not just black people, but for all ethnicities and skin types. It was more so catered to the people who weren’t informed on proper skincare. It’s kinda why I wanted to create the line…. A lot of people who are new to getting facials don't know the first basics when it comes to picking the right cleansers for your skin type or picking the right moisturizer. So when you dissect that…it was a need for that to be broken down a little more."
Being black and gay in the esthetician space, have you had any unique experiences?
Demi Cortez: "You know the girls love the gays, so that’s an automatic entry point in that avenue. I have a lot of support from female clients as well as my peers in the LGBT community. The men are starting to come into play now, like the cis-men and straight men. Sometimes there’s a little apprehension when a straight man is trying to come at you from a business standpoint… they’re a little intimidated, or some of them just don't want to take that leap. So thanks to social media…they see it’s not that type of situation and they’re a little more easy about the transition and about scheduling consultations and appointments. That’s probably the most challenging, just getting those guys in, but it’s a matter of word-of-mouth and referrals."
What are the main esthetician services that you offer?
Demi Cortez: "Of course, I do chemical peels and things like that. From the medical grade peels to more advanced to the superficial peels, where you won't really have the physical peeling. On top of that I also do PRP micro needling, where you pretty much draw blood. I'm a certified phlebotomist and laser technician too. I draw the blood so we can use the plasma for the PRP aspect of it. The PRP (aka vampire facial) is where we would microneedle with the plasma just to take the service up to the next level. I also do corrective facials, the superficial microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, laser facials and laser skin tightening as well. My favorite would have to be the micro needling, the laser facials and probably the hydro-facial as well. The results and improvements in your skin happen almost instantly and then it progresses over time."
If you had to give people 3 major skin care tips what would they be?
Demi Cortez: "The first one… just cleanse your skin. That’s the first step that a lot of people forget and don't take seriously. The double cleansing is the most important.. Cleansing your skin once, rinsing it off, make sure all the residue is gone and cleansing your skin again.
Second, Exfoliation! You wanna remove the dead skin cells and keep your skin balanced. I like chemical exfoliation versus mechanical because it’s more internal, it’s less aggressive and it’s a gentler process.
On top of that, I would actually skip the moisturizer and go straight to the sunscreen because so many don’t use sunscreen and it’s the most important when it comes to anti-aging, skin prevention, etc. So those are the three I would go with.
Do you have a favorite from your skincare product line?
Demi Cortez: "My favorite right now would probably be my Multi-Active Peel. It’s one of my newer products and it’s my at-home chemical peel. It’s a chemical exfoliant that helps to even out the skin tone, improve the fine line textures, and improve the pore-size. You can’t change your pore-size but you can keep your pores as clear and less visible as possible with gentle exfoliation."
We saw that you also have bath products, do you have any plans to expand your product line further into beauty?
Demi Cortez: "Yes. So I have the bath oils and body creams that’s gonna be expanding top of the year (2022). The bath and body line will be expanding Q2 of 2022! The home collection will be expanding as well. My candles, home elixirs, etc. will be expanding as well.
What would you say is the one thing that separates your brand from other skincare brands on the market?
Demi Cortez: "When it comes to the product aspect, when I went in to formulate the products I wanted everything to be corrective and something that would work. When I created my line I wanted to be something that could work for everyone. I didn’t want to throw out a bunch of products that weren’t effective or weren’t doing anything for peoples skin. It’s definitely a process, but it’s worth it once you see the reviews and before and afters from clients. So I would say specializing in products that are effective and affordable."
Is there anything you want to communicate to The Gayes about your brand or yourself?
Demi Cortez: "I can definitely attest to all of the experiences my clients have. My approach to skincare and what I offer is different. I'm not just doing facials, I'm more so into the corrective skincare aspect of it, actually healing and treating your skin. Some people do it because it’s a fad, but I’m 10 years in. This is what I do, this is what I'm passionate about."
Check out and shop Demi's products and services at demicortezskincare.com! New clients can enter promo code “Gaye” and get 15% off for initial services.