At Sanbera, we believe in celebrating collaborations that align with our vision of ethical luxury, wellness, and innovation. This month, we are delighted to spotlight PD Dr. Epameinondas Gousopoulos, MD-PhD, a well-known plastic surgeon, scientist, and the visionary co-founder behind IRÄYE Skincare. As the R&D Director at IRÄYE, Dr. Gousopoulos connects cutting-edge science with skincare excellence.
In this conversation, we delve into his journey, his perspective on science-driven wellness, the synergy between Sanbera and IRÄYE, and his wellness insights for the year ahead. Let’s uncover what drives his passion and his secrets to balance a thriving and demanding professional life with holistic well-being.
His journey
1- What’s one defining moment in your life that shaped your journey into medicine and science? The moment, when I did realise what inspires me as medical doctor was during the time I spent as undergraduate student in a collaborating hospital in Santos, Brazil. A patient that survived a severe gas explosion with multiple burn injuries was treated there; when I asked him how he deals with the results of the injury and the multiple surgeries over many years following the injury, his response was a catalyst: “living or dying is one topic; living without quality of life is much worse, as it deprives you from being yourself”. That was engraved in my brain and heart forever and paved my decisions regarding my professional life. Providing quality of life is still my priority as a medical doctor and particularly as plastic surgeon. And science is the tool to create innovation, advancing our ability to serve our patients.
2- If you weren’t a plastic surgeon and skincare innovator, what career path do you think you’d have pursued? It is a difficult question – I think my main criterion would have been a job with amble social contact. I very much like the social aspect of medicine, as well as the ability we have to support people when they are facing a difficult situation. I believe my alternative would have been the engagement in the Non-Govermental Organization (NGO) sector, a field of engagement that can create measurable impact in our society.
3- What’s a surprising fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess? Despite being appearing always organized, my spikes of creativity come in moments of an “organized chaos”!
Science & innovation
1- Lymphatic care is central to IRÄYE’s philosophy. If you could simplify it for someone entirely new to the concept, how would you explain its importance? I would say the following: there is skincare and there is IRÄYE. All products available include actives that aim to neutralize the damanging substances that normal skin function, ageing and UV exposure generate. IRÄYE does have such actives as well, but our proprietary technology, the LymphactiveTM Complex, actives the lymphatic system of our skin to actively remove these substances, instead of simply neutralizing them. This is a game-changer, as it allows our skin to maximize its regenerative potential and provides the most sustainable method to maintain skin health.
2- What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in bridging science and consumer-friendly skincare? The way to educate the consumer and explain the tremendous benefits of lymphatic activation, in a simple and tangible manner. I have concluded that regardless how one explains scientific concepts or the medical applications, the message is immediately noticeable when you are able to see a measurable effect with your own eyes. This is why I consider the demonstration of before-and-after pictures as the cornerstone of education and the ultimate way to address the tremendous effect of lymphatic activation.
3- If you could collaborate with any scientist or innovator in history, who would it be and why? My focus would have been a collaboration that helps augment and multiply the effect of the IRÄYE technology. I am quite intrigued by the innovation in the field of gender medicine and I would be excited to study in depth how gender-specific differences affect skincare efficacy.
Philosophy
1- What does wellness mean to you on a personal level, beyond your work? Time-off to take care of myself and slow down. Time strictly offline, without distraction – time dedicated to my deepest needs; both for my spirit and body.
2- Do you have a daily non-negotiable wellness or skincare ritual? I use skincare daily, both in the morning and in the evening. My mornings are usually fast-moving and minimalistic, given I usually wake up around 5am. But my evening ritual includes a full IRÄYE program, where I do practise a short massage technique to stimulate my lymphatic system, followed by the Sanbera Nightly Reload Men. The 7-10 minutes I dedicate to myself every evening are a small treat and a reminder that we need to take care of ourselves if we want to keep up a demanding professional life.
3- How do you see the relationship between inner health and outer beauty evolving in the future? The two elements are tighly related. I believe our outer appearance is the minor of our emotions and mental health state. We all experience ups and downs, successes and disappointments; it is critical though to manage to remain inspired and motivated in our daily lives. Each one of us needs a mechanism to combat stress and heal - when we succeed in this, we do shine!
Sanbera x IRÄYE Skincare
1- What excites you the most about the collaboration between Sanbera and IRÄYE?The fundamental common qualities our brands share: highest quality of Swiss-made products, representatives of sustainable luxury, proven efficacy.
2- What excites you the most about the collaboration between Sanbera and IRÄYE? The fundamental common qualities our brands share: highest quality of Swiss-made products, representatives of sustainable luxury, proven efficacy.
3- If you could design a dream product blending Sanbera’s expertise and Iraye’s innovation, what would it look like? I would love to combine lymphatic skincare with lymphatic activating supplements. A holistic approach of lymphatic activation to support the natural detoxification system of our body.
4- As a scientist and entrepreneur, what do you value most in a brand collaboration?I see collaborations as a way to create value together. The foundation of a collaboration is having a common purpose and commit to it. A lot of further qualities are extremely important but if I would have to pick only the most important for me, I would say: trust, honesty, transparency, and generosity.
Looking ahead
1- What’s one scientific breakthrough or trend you’re excited about for the future of wellness or skincare? True innovation is rare in skincare and usually relates to the usage of new actives rather than the development of a new approach or methodology. IRÄYE is a bright exception here – bringing the first skincare line to activate the lymphatic system topically has been seen as the epitome of novelty. What I am very interested to see is the further development of the “inside-out” approach to skin health.
2- How do you see your work at IRÄYE evolving in the next five years?We are the first brand to address the lymphatic system in skincare. We currently achieve this with our proprietary natural plant extract-based technology, which is an efficient and highly effective approach. The inclusion of “mechanobiological aspects” presents a topic we closely monitor: tools that support the mechanical activation of our lymphatic system, acting synergistically with the LymphactiveTM Complex to maximaze the obtained effect.
3- If you could give our readers one piece of advice for making wellness a priority in the new year, what would it be? Wellness is the time you consciously dedicate to your wellbeing – the little luxury you are entitled to provide yourself to compensate your body and mind. Invest in taking care of yourself more often and you will see the return on this investment.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Epameinondas Gousopoulos for sharing his inspiring journey and wellness philosophy with us. His dedication to science and innovation resonates deeply with our mission at Sanbera.
Let his insights inspire us to embrace wellness holistically, blending science with sustainable self-care.