The Skincare Guru Hollywood Stars Trust for Red-Carpet Skin

In the world of the rich and famous, Keren Bartov is the person you call when you need a facial.

The Israeli entrepreneur has built a luxury skincare empire with a seemingly endless list of A-list celebrity clients. Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts, Mila Kunis, and Gal Gadot are regulars. Over the Met Gala this weekend, Bartov revealed she was the facialist behind the glowy complexions of Beyoncé and Hailey Bieber.

Still, Bartov says that what we see online is a fraction of her client roster.

“What you’ve seen on Instagram is nothing,” she told Business Insider in a recent conversation, speaking from her home in Israel. “I have so many big, big, big celebrities that are not on Instagram.”

The 47-year-old runs clinics in Tel Aviv and London, hosts pop-ups in the US during major events and awards season, and sells luxury skincare products and devices under her own name. Treatments at her clinic in London cost between $500 to $900 and last 90 minutes.

From a small town in Israel to London

Bartov started out in a small clinic in a moshav, a cooperative settlement, in southern Israel in 2009, before later expanding to the capital, Tel Aviv.

It was there that she first met “Wonder Woman” actor Gal Gadot, her first global celebrity client.

She describes Gadot as her best friend. “When I decided to open in London, she was the first one who spoke about me with other celebrities.”

That connection helped propel her into the global celebrity circuit. In 2023, she opened a clinic in London’s trendy Notting Hill neighborhood. Many of her celebrity relationships were cultivated at the London clinic, including those with Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, and Kate Moss.

The $900 facial formula

Bartov says the medical-grade devices she uses set her apart from competitors. These machines target aging, acne, and skin pigmentation to clean, tighten, and brighten skin.

Every facial begins with a skin consultation, followed by a lymphatic facial massage to boost circulation and reduce puffiness. After that, between three and five devices are used to target the client’s individual skin needs — these might include intense pulsed light machines, lasers, and microneedling devices.

There’s a running joke within her team that she prefers devices to diamonds.

“I really bring only the best,” she said of the machines she uses.

Bartov has more than 50 machines in her armory. A company spokesperson said each one costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Collectively, the equipment across her clinics is estimated to be worth millions.

Bartov purchases all of her equipment outright. Some devices also come with ongoing usage fees tied to the number of pulses or shots delivered during treatments, with the machines tracking each one.

The company did not disclose any financial details. The business is privately owned and has no outside investors.

Over nearly two decades, she has built close relationships with medical cosmetic tech companies.

Before introducing any device into her clinic, she tests it on herself and undergoes manufacturer training.

Among the technologies she uses in her clinics and pop-ups is the Onda PRO by DEKA, a microwave energy device designed to tighten skin and reduce stubborn fat. Another is the NuEra Tight by Lumenis, a radiofrequency treatment that reduces wrinkles and contours the face.

A spokesperson for DEKA confirmed that the company has been working with Bartov for about a year, transporting its machines to the US during the awards season earlier this year.

Celebrity selfies, word of mouth, and ‘glow’ culture

The common thread that connects most beauty empires built in the digital age is a savvy social media presence. Brands like Huda Beauty and Glossier were launched after their founders had already amassed substantial online followings.

Bartov has over 170,000 Instagram followers. Her selfies with the stars have been critical in cultivating an air of luxury and seal of approval around her brand.

Even so, she credits word of mouth for her celebrity clientele.

“It’s only word of mouth,” she said. “These people, they need to really hear about you from a lot of people, even not from one person. Because, you know, their skin — it’s everything for them.”

In January, Bartov convinced Lisa Rinna, actor and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, to hit the red carpet barefaced during the Golden Globes weekend for the Focus Features and Vanity Fair party.

Rinna posted about the exchange on her social media, saying she was inspired by Pamela Anderson, who caused a stir when she attended Paris Fashion Week makeup-free in 2023, and “the genius” Bartov.

The timing of Bartov’s rise has also coincided with a shift in beauty trends.

Gone are the days of “Instagram” eyebrows and heavily contoured makeup. The natural look — minimal makeup and an emphasis on glowing skin — is now in vogue.

“Today, everyone wants the natural skin, like ‘less is more,’ even with makeup,” she said.

“On the red carpet, you will see minimal makeup — something very natural, very fresh, glowing,” she added.

That obsession with “clean girl” skin has put an emphasis on skincare and, somewhat ironically, surgical and non-surgical procedures like facelifts and Botox.

From celebrity facials to luxury skincare

As her clientele grew, so did her business.

In 2018, she launched her own skincare brand: $200 serums and moisturizers used in her treatments. These are sold online, in her clinics in London and Tel Aviv, and in Bergdorf Goodman stores in the US. A spokesperson for Bartov said there are plans to open a permanent US location within the coming year.

In 2025, she launched “The Wand,” a £1,650 ($2,200) at-home skincare device that combines radio frequency, red light, and infrared therapy to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, plump the skin, and even out skin tone. For now, it’s not available for sale in the US.

Despite all the celebrity connections, Bartov says chasing rich and famous clients was never the driver.

“It’s not important if it’s celebrities or some girl that works in a office. My dream — it’s really to help people with their skin,” she said.