With more than 30 years of experience spent as a chemist and biotechnology specialist, skincare aficionado Jennifer Sherak created her groundbreaking brand Sherak Skincare to cater to women over 40. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sherak to learn all about her background, products, and more.
Thank you for joining us. You have quite an impressive background. Please tell us about yourself.
Thank you so much for your invitation! I’m thrilled to join and share more about myself and my brand. First off, about me, I’m a chemist by training and a pharmaceutical executive by career. I have numerous years of experience developing and commercializing science-driven products in a highly regulated industry. I’ve led pipeline and commercial organizations, including running a multibillion-dollar oncology and rare disease business, so my foundation is deeply rooted in scientific evidence, unmet needs, and most importantly, results.
What was your motivation to start your own skincare line?
My passion for the beauty industry and skin health started when I was really young. I was inspired by my grandmother, an Avon lady, whom I assisted starting at six years of age and I have had a lifelong love of and interest in chemistry. I experienced the satisfaction of delivering paper bags of beauty goods to ladies in their homes, and the warmth of their smiling faces as they received their products. There is really something magical about delivering products that bring people joy. Now let’s fast forward. As I entered midlife, I became really frustrated by skincare that was either overly complicated or scientifically underpowered for women over 40. That’s what led me to create Sherak. It was a combination of deep scientific know-how and a desire to make skincare more effective, more luxurious, and intentionally simple.
What sets Sherak Skin apart from other brands and who is your target customer?
What truly sets Sherak apart is that it was built from the ground up for women over 40. I didn’t adapt existing formulas or decide to target the midlife market as an afterthought. Midlife skin undergoes real biological and hormonal changes, and most skincare either oversimplifies their product ingredients or creates overwhelming multi-step routines that don’t deliver. Sherak takes a different path. Every formula is designed with ingredients that work synergistically to target the key signs of aging in midlife, such as increasing pore size, sagging jowls, crows’ feet, hyperpigmentation, and more.
Sherak is where science, simplicity and luxury collide and where women over 40 finally have skincare that reflects their strength, intelligence, and radiance. Our target customer is an intelligent, confident woman in midlife who values efficacy over hype. She’s lived, learned, and she expects her skincare to meet her where she is. She wants products backed by real science, designed for her evolving skin biology. Sherak is for women who aren’t trying to turn back time, it’s for women who are embracing where they are in life and want skin that reflects their strength, vitality, and radiance.
Your system is simple. Can you elaborate on your three main products and how to use them effectively?
Sherak is intentionally a simple-to-use system that’s powered by serious science. Our three products were designed to work synergistically, each step enhancing the next. First Step is the Free Radical Neutralizing Oil. It gently yet effectively cleanses while delivering antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress and prepare the skin for active ingredients. This cleanser is highly effective, and you massage it into dry skin. It feels like an “ahhhh moment” on your skin. Just like when you slip into a hot tub, it melts into your skin, is warm and velvety smooth, and rinses clean so there’s no sticky residue left behind. I love this as a first step, it really sets the tone for your skin ritual.
The second step is the Reactivation Serum, which is powered by our chemistry hero, the Proprietary Pentapeptide Matrix™ (or PPM for short), along with actives that minimize pore size, vitamin C, and an advanced formulation of hyaluronic acid. These targeted actives support skin renewal which means your skin is firmer, you have less significant jowls, the wrinkle depth of crows feet is diminished, and your skin tone is more even and brighter. Like all my products, they are packed with science, but the way they feel going onto your skin is amazing. The Reactivation Serum glides on like silk, absorbs quickly, and leaves your skin looking plump, fresh and radiant. It’s powerful, but feels effortless!
The third step is the Barrier Shield Moisturizer. I love this product because it’s more than just a moisturizer, it’s an active treatment and completes the steps needed for optimal rejuvenation. The moisturizer contains our PPM, along with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and bakuchiol (a mild retinol-like product that can be applied day and night). This added dose of actives supercharges your skin to rejuvenate, delivers ceramides that seal in the serum, strengthens your skin’s barrier, and supports long-term skin resilience; meaning your skin will become healthier, firmer, and stronger with consistent use. It feels lightweight, soothing, and fast-absorbing on your skin. It’s a moisturizer that delivers hydration but never feels heavy and there’s no pilling when combined with makeup.
So, that’s it, a simple day and nighttime regimen with three intentional steps. You can certainly try some of our products, but to see the real power of the skincare we recommend consistent use of the entire Sherak System. All of our products were filled to provide two month’s worth of product for all three skus, so you don’t run out of one product before the others.
Please tell us more about your patented Pentapeptide Matrix. It sounds fascinating.
This is my favorite topic, thank you for asking! I formulated the PPM with five biotechnology-based peptides, each with a distinct function, targeting the main skin concerns of women over 40. These peptides work to smooth forehead wrinkles, reduce the size of wrinkles around your eyes, improve the firmness and elasticity of your skin, especially around the jowls, and improve your overall skin strength, tone and texture. The PPM also includes amino acids, flavonoids, ATP, and niacinamide to fuel the effectiveness of the peptides and stimulate skin barrier function. This complex is unique to Sherak and is the core of our product line.
Working in the skincare industry for so many years do you have any top beauty tips you could share?
I sure do! My tips are simple. Sometimes we forget and we’re all so busy, but these are important.
1) Drink lots of water – hydration is key to good skin. It supports cellular turnover and of course, the hydration of your skin. I struggle drinking enough water during the day, so I add Ultima Powder (no calorie, hydration boost) to my Owala water bottle and I’m good to go.
2) I tell everyone, the most important products to use on your skin if you’re over 40 are peptide-based skincare, prescription tretinoin (it’s not costly and you can order through trusted online providers like RedBox Rx), and SPF. Everyone’s skin is different, but everyone can find a version/regimen of these three must-haves.
Anything else we should know?
Yes, Sherak is all about celebrating and uplifting women over 40 and we recently collaborated with Nikolina Petolas (world-renowned artist and woman over 40) to create an exclusive scarf design that embodies the radiance and wonderment of midlife. It’s really beautiful and you can see it on our website. Stay tuned as we explore other collaborations and partnerships with amazing women over 40.
With only three steps, you can experience medical-grade skincare; head to https://sherakskin.com/.
