Fountain of youth: Effects of cancer treatments lead Kalispell entrepreneur to create a new line of natural, anti-aging skin-care products

When the market didn’t provide Susan Nickell with what she needs, she responded in true entrepreneurial fashion — she made the products herself.

The Kalispell woman’s latest creation — the Sevique line of natural skin-care products — has solved the problems she had finding the right facial treatments following radiation and chemotherapy for two different cancers.

“No one has ever told me I had beautiful skin before, but now people say I have vibrant skin,” Nickell said.

Nickell, 66, hopes to help others improve the look and feel of their skin in the same dramatic manner she said she has experienced.

Nickell spared no efforts in developing the skin-care line, utilizing the expertise of top scientists in laboratories behind a few of the best-known lines of luxury skin creams.

The Sevique brand separates itself from the crowded market, Nickell said, because the ingredients are derived botanically and there are no harsh chemicals used for the base, yet it still contains the additives that skin loses in the aging process.

Nickell had more than aging to contend with when, soon after turning 60, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and then a few weeks later was told she had lymphoma in the lining of her stomach.

She had always taken good care of her skin by staying out of the sun and having laser treatments, but the cancer treatments dulled the look of her skin noticeably. She tried a number of different products to restore it, but her skin’s sensitivity had increased dramatically. After a $130 cream ended up burning her face, she spoke with a naturopath who told her that she couldn’t use chemically based products any more.

Nickell previously had run a successful business with her son, Shea Ciaramitaro, with whom she was hoping to work again. She also wanted to provide jobs and keep busy. Creating her own skin-care line seemed to be the logical way to meet those goals and solve a personal problem.

“I felt like you had to be a scientist to understand skin care,” she said. “I wanted a line that was easy to use, so that anyone could use it.”

The process of creating a new product wasn’t intimidating for Nickell. In 1987, she developed a back traction device available for home use after debilitating back problems of her own forced her to spend more time than she wanted to at the physical therapist’s office to use the traction device there.

The traction product led to a successful national business, Glacier Cross, which operated out of a warehouse on Whalebone Drive in Kalispell, with 22 employees at its high point. Nickell was approached about selling the business to a Vancouver, Wash., firm in 2008, just weeks after finding out about her two cancers. She said it was a good offer, so she accepted.  

The 18,000-square-foot warehouse used for Glacier Cross is now the warehouse for Sevique, with three employees working there currently. Nickell said if the business grows the way she expects, she might have 20 employees working there eventually.

The first step once the Sevique products were devised was consumer testing.

One hundred people throughout the nation were given the products, with highly encouraging results. Ninety-five people in the test group said they liked the product and saw results on their complexions within a few weeks, but what was really exciting, Nickell said, was that the 12 testers who had previously reported themselves as prone to blemishes found that their skin had cleared remarkably.

“From a business standpoint, we now have a crossover product,” Nickell said.

With an added angle for selling the products, Nickell said, the consumer pool could be expanded, even including men who might use Sevique products for their blemish-reducing properties.

“It’s neat to see men getting involved so early in the release of this product,” Ciaramitaro said.

The Sevique website was launched about six weeks ago and was designed by a successful web developer in California, Rob Capielo of CP Communications, who has also been a strong supporter of the business.

Internet traffic will be important, but the Sevique marketing strategy also will depend on its sales representatives. Nickell said she plans to start out by sending a handful of representatives to establish the products in a city such as San Francisco.

Those reps will help develop training and materials for more salespeople and also figure out how much stock is needed and the best locales for carrying the brand. They will target businesses such as dermatology clinics, beauty salons and spas to help sell the Sevique line.

She said establishing a presence in places such as salons could give Sevique great exposure. While not every woman regularly sees a dermatologist, it’s a good bet that most will spend time getting haircuts or taking advantage of other beauty services, she said.

Stocking the product is a careful balancing act, Nickell said, because the time it takes to move from manufacturing to the warehouse is fairly long. Overstocking is expensive, but too low a supply at any point would be a huge mistake, especially early in the process.

“If we run out of stock, we could lose reps, lose salons, lose our reputation,” she said.

Providing samples will be a huge part of marketing, Nickell said. She said she believes using the Sevique product is all that’s needed to hook new customers and passing out samples is a more economical way to get the word out than most traditional advertising campaigns.

“I see my role as saying, ‘I spent two and a half years figuring this out,’” she said. “You just need to try it, and if you like it, you’ll buy it.”

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.