She’s a skindustry insider. Joanna Vargas is a go-to esthetician for IG’s most followed, and when she’s not prepping the pores of celebs like Greta Gerwig, Constance Wu, and Addison Rae, she’s running her own empire of salons and an eponymous beauty brand.

We talked to the 51-year-old about making a name for herself, developing her business sense, and the fall beauty tips we should all know.

We’re in the middle of fashion month. What skincare needs do models and celebs come to you for?
The concerns are twofold. First of all, most people have spent the better part of the last year and two-thirds being very cautious about where they went. A lot of people are just coming out and getting their pores cleaned for the first time in many, many months. But also, because we’ve been staring at ourselves so much in Zoom meetings, people want to feel a bit of a boost in terms of tightening up the face and making you feel like the best version of yourself.

You’re a household name now, but what originally drew you to the beauty space?
My grandmother was my first beauty icon; she was the one who had the most products of anybody I knew. My favorite presents growing up [were] the best-smelling bubble baths and perfumes and powders, so I always had a passion for it. In my family, it was [important] to focus on feeling like you look your best for every occasion… When I first moved to New York, I originally planned on becoming a fashion photographer, but I pivoted when I realized I wasn’t cut out for that industry. I was really shy and reserved, and it didn’t mix well with me. Going to esthetician school was an inspiration I ran with.

Your initial plan wasn’t even to work in this industry, and now you have all these celebrity clients. How did you infiltrate the A-lister world?
It happened organically! When I started the first salon with my husband, my “plan” was to make every facial so incredible that people had to tell their best friends and their moms about it. That’s really how I built my brand. I had a celebrity yoga instructor come through the door, and I gave her a great facial. She sent one of her actress clients in, and the rest is history.

It seems like there are always friends in our network that help us grow.
That’s what really sells, right? You can read about somebody in an article, you can see something in a magazine, but it’s not the same as your best friend being like, “I just had the most wonderful experience. I feel so good about myself now.” That’s what makes it special.

What was the learning curve like when making the transition from hands-on esthetician to business owner?
When I first started the salon with my husband, I knew I was a good esthetician. I didn’t know much about starting a business, but that’s why we did it together. It’s trial by fire. You don’t know what you don’t know until you’re like, “Oh, my God, I didn’t know,” or, “I f*cked up.” You just have to use mistakes as a learning experience and not beat yourself up. We’ve definitely had many challenges over the years, but we’ve always tried to grow from them and just take it on the chin when we need to.

Everything moves so quickly in skincare. As someone who’s been in the field for decades, how do you stay on top of what your clients want?
I still do facials every day, so I learn a lot from talking to my clients. My clients are buying products, trying different things or reading about things. [And] social media has connected the world. I feel very tuned into what’s happening. I have friends who are estheticians all over the world, and we all talk about things that are amazing and trending in different countries. I [also] try to keep up to date with research, so I can offer the best treatments and products.

Fall is here. What should we change about our daily beauty routines?
In fall, the air gets crisp, so maybe at night, you start putting moisturizer on top of your serum. And make sure you’re not over-exfoliating as the dryness of the air starts to really kick in. Over-exfoliating will lead to inflammation, so it’s something to look out for. If you’re not using a retinol, I would definitely work a retinol into the nighttime routine just because it’s so great for addressing breakouts and increasing collagen production. It’s a great tool for any skin type, any skin tone, and it’s something I love all my clients to use.