Elevating Skincare: Why Licensed Esthetician Marharyta Solianik Sets a New Benchmark in the U.S. Beauty Industry

“The skin always tells the truth,” she says. “You just have to know the language.”

The Scientist Behind the Facial

Marharyta didn’t stumble into esthetics through a weekend certification course. Her foundation was laid at the National University of Pharmacy in Kharkiv—not in a salon, but in a laboratory. In Kharkiv’s labs, she learned to read skin under a microscope before ever touching it with her hands.

She studied the chemistry of skin at a cellular level: pharmacology, dermatological physiology, cosmetic formulation.

“I wanted to understand why before I learned how,” she explains.

Her continued training—from Zein Obagi’s skin health science to DMK’s enzymatic methods and osteopathy—expanded her understanding of how structure and biology shape beauty.

Each credential represented a question she needed answered.

What American Licensing Revealed

In mid-2025, after earning her California esthetician license, Marharyta entered a system with robust hygiene standards and clear regulatory frameworks—strengths she genuinely respects.

But as someone who’d spent over a decade integrating pharmaceutical science with hands-on practice, she also saw opportunities for deeper integration between technical skill and scientific understanding.

“In some settings, the biological cascade behind certain treatments isn’t fully articulated—a gap I address through education and collaboration.”

Her scientific background gives her a foundation in the medical aspects of skincare—something she now integrates into her U.S. practice, creating a bridge between evidence-based science and esthetic artistry.

“Healthy skin is beautiful skin. You can’t aesthetically improve what you don’t physiologically understand.”

Beyond Borders: The International Perspective

Her international recognition includes The Best Body SPA Therapist (2024). She later became a certified judge for the International Beauty Judging Academy (IBJA), where she now evaluates techniques and protocols from practitioners worldwide.

Judging puts her in a unique position—she sees what works across cultures, what’s hype versus what’s evidence-based, and where the industry is heading.

“I evaluate based on three things,” she notes. “Does it work? Is it safe? Can it be explained scientifically?”

She’s also contributed to the academic conversation. Her research explored how international beauty education systems differ—and how better science-based training could raise global standards.

It’s a path few estheticians pursue.

For Marharyta, it’s essential. “If we want respect as a profession, we need to act like one. That means research. That means accountability.”

Slow Beauty in a Fast Industry

She practices what might be called slow beauty—thoughtful, cumulative, and science-based.

“I turn people away sometimes,” she admits. “If someone wants something I can’t ethically deliver, or if their expectations don’t match biological reality, I tell them. That’s not good business in the short term. But it builds trust—and trust is everything.”

She’s carried that ethos to the U.S., where she now practices as a licensed esthetician and consults privately, providing educational guidance to other professionals through her social media platforms—breaking down ingredient science, debunking marketing myths, explaining why certain trendy treatments might not be worth the hype.

Why Integrity Is Her Favorite Ingredient

Increasingly, Marharyta finds herself in a mentorship role—developing educational materials that translate complex dermatology into practical application and helping other estheticians navigate real-world cases.

“Education shouldn’t stop after you get licensed,” she says. “If you’re not learning, you’re falling behind—and your clients pay the price.”

What’s Next: Building a New Standard

Her next chapter? A U.S. studio built on evidence and empathy—a space where clients understand the “why” behind every treatment.

“I want to create an environment where science and artistry coexist naturally,” she explains. “Where clients feel educated, not sold to. Where outcomes are measured not just by appearance, but by skin health metrics—hydration levels, barrier function, inflammation markers.”

It’s an ambitious vision, particularly in a crowded market. But beyond her licenses and titles, she’s earned respect across continents—as a researcher, an international judge, and a practitioner who teaches through example.

She prefers depth over expansion. “I’d rather build one excellent practice than ten mediocre ones. Quality scales differently than quantity.”

Where Science Meets Skin

For all her emphasis on science, Marharyta never loses sight of the person in the treatment chair.

She believes visible change builds confidence, but true skincare also heals the mind—self-care matters as much as biochemistry.

“You’re not just treating tissue,” she says. “You’re treating a person who looks in the mirror every day, who has insecurities and hopes and a history with their own face. That requires empathy, not just expertise.”

This is where her osteopathic training informs her work in unexpected ways. Understanding how stress manifests in facial tension, how lymphatic stagnation connects to sleep patterns, how muscular holding patterns reflect emotional states—it all feeds into a more holistic treatment approach.

“Someone comes in asking for a facial,” she offers as an example. “But when you actually assess them, you see chronic jaw tension, poor lymphatic drainage, signs of sleep deprivation. The facial is fine, but if you don’t address the underlying patterns, you’re only giving temporary relief.”

Redefining Professional Standards

What this practitioner represents, ultimately, is a shift in how esthetic practice can be positioned—not as luxury service or superficial indulgence, but as a legitimate healthcare-adjacent profession grounded in science and ethics.

She’s not alone in this mission. Across the country, practitioners with serious training are pushing back against the Instagram-ification of skincare, the weaponization of insecurity, the sale of impossible promises.

But Marharyta brings a particular clarity to the conversation.

Her international training gives her perspective. Her scientific background gives her credibility. Her willingness to prioritize accuracy over popularity gives her integrity.

“I don’t need to be the biggest name,” she reflects. “I need to be someone practitioners trust, someone clients can rely on, someone who raises the standard just by showing what’s possible when you do the work properly.”

In an industry too often driven by trends and marketing budgets, that’s a radical position.

And in a market increasingly skeptical of empty promises, it might also be exactly what’s needed.

By blending European scientific rigor with American innovation, she’s quietly setting a new benchmark—not through words, but through example.

“The body doesn’t lie,” she says, demonstrating a lymphatic pathway along her jaw. “It responds to what’s real, not what’s advertised.”

Her message is simple: the body doesn’t lie. It reacts to what’s real. And maybe that’s the future of beauty—truth, told through skin.