Peter Thomas Roth SKIN CARE MOGUL
Kim Kardashian & Margot Robbie
You are probably familiar with Peter Thomas Roth, the top selling skin care brand sold at Sephora and Ulta stores worldwide, a favorite on QVC, and beloved by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Margot Robbie, and Taraji P. Henson. What you may not realize, however, is that Peter Thomas Roth is not just a brand—he’s a real person. In fact, it is the largest privately owned skin care company in the United States. Who is the man behind the skin care empire?
Family Tradition
A native New Yorker, Peter Thomas Roth is a child of Hungarian immigrants whose family owned and operated spa resorts, so skin care is an inherent part of his heritage. When he launched his own company in 1993, many of his formulas were based on the muds and minerals found in Hungarian thermal springs. Roth started the line because he’d always had skin issues. While working in his father’s jewelry factory after graduating from Wharton, he spent evenings toying with skin care formulas. “I was always going to the dermatologist. I was always getting facials; I had very active acne, so I just dived into it,” Roth says.
Made in USA
Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care produces all its anti-aging and anti-acne products using the highest-quality ingredients at its own facilities in the U.S. “I started with other people
making the products, and I wasn’t getting anywhere,” Roth says. “So, we opened our own lab, manufacturing facility, and distribution center.” The brand quickly became popular at luxury spas, and the entire line has been carried at Sephora since it opened in the U.S., in 1998. The cosmetics retailer also stocks the PTR brand in Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and China.
Selena Gomez’s Viral Social Media Post
The enduring popularity of Peter Thomas Roth skin care products is no mystery: they work. Social media posts featuring the brand’s products often go viral. Selena Gomez’s morning grooming ritual, which includes the 24K Gold Eye Patches, has been wildly popular with her 42 million TikTok followers. “It was amazing. It garnered a lot of views,” says Roth, noting that the video was unsolicited, and they did not give Gomez the product.
TikTok 50 million Users
Another delightful surprise came when an unknown 54-year-old hospital worker, TikTok user @trinidad1967, posted a video showing the incredible results the Instant FirmX Eye Tightener had on her undereye bags. A whopping 50 million users have watched her video, she’s since appeared on national television, garnered 186,000 followers, and the brand now sends her products. The company sold out of that product everywhere within hours. “It’s been trending like crazy, all from a TikTok. It’s the number one eye treatment product in America,” says Roth. peterthomasroth.com
Two Sons & a Family Business
Roth, who lives in Manhattan, is a divorced father of two sons, with whom he is very close. Both recently celebrated their graduations from the Wharton School at the same time, in 2022, since
Ryan, the oldest, finished in 2020 when graduation ceremonies were halted amid the pandemic. “We went back two weeks in a row, and everyone’s officially graduated,” says the proud dad. Recently, Ryan joined his father’s company. Brendan, the younger son, has taken a job in finance.
Philanthropy in the Hamptons
While Mr. Roth is considered an eligible bachelor around town, he keeps a low profile on the social scene, mainly supporting charities with which he’s long been associated, including his friend Denise Rich’s Angel Ball for cancer research, and the Rita Hayworth Gala for Alzheimer’s, founded by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, whom he met while skiing in Utah years ago. In July, he attended the Polo Classic in the Hamptons, where, in 2021 he purchased a “cute little cottage” in an idyllic setting complete with dock and jet boat. “It looks like Golden Pond; you can see the deer and rabbits.”
Miami, Art Collector
He also has an apartment in Miami, where his mother lives, and he’s able to spend more time there now that he’s an empty nester and remote work has become feasible. In recent years Roth began collecting art. Among his acquisitions are an Andy Warhol painting of a Studio 54 VIP ticket, in all black, and another by Damien Hirst, on which the artist signed “Happy Birthday” to Roth on the back of the canvas.
Jewelry Line
While running his ever-growing company, Roth spent his spare time dabbling in jewelry design, just for fun. “Some people like to play golf or tennis, or play cards; I don’t, so jewelry was like my hobby,” he explains. His Ribbon & Reed collection, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of art, where he spent many youthful hours, debuted in 2016.
In gold and silver, the line consists of classic, simple, modern pieces for women and men that will still look good in 20 years. “That was the goal, to just do clean and modern with a little kick of the past,” says Roth.
