Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

Therapy Systems was founded by Tennesse-born, self-made beauty mogul Linda Roberts. In the early Eighties, Roberts opened her own beauty emporium, Private Edition, in her native Nashville. Today, the exclusive, 6, 000 sq. ft. space offers a host of high profile brands and advanced salon-based services such as Mircrodermabrasion.

‘Clinical skincare treatments really took off in the States ten years ago, and Private Edition was one of the first locations to offer AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid)-based products,’ says Roberts. ‘Now, the interest in more active ingredients is remarkable. I truly believe that the right products, when used correctly, have the ability not just to make skin feel better temporarily, but to perform better and remain that way.’

After twenty years of selling the cream of the creams, so to speak, to her high profile customers, Roberts teamed up with a chemist and came up with her own line: Therapy Systems.

‘So many women are totally confused, and making expensive mistakes. I’ve done the same thing myself,’ she explains. ‘I wanted to give them a product that was easy to use, reasonably priced and which wasn’t about following 20 steps and having 14 different jars lined up,’ she explains. ‘We’re too busy nowadays. Not only that, but the formulations would actually have to do something to the skin - to make a physical, positive difference.’

Products for the face and body, such as the Glycolic Cleansing Gel or Lotion (£9.38 each), Topical A (£18.76) and Glycolic Body Treatment (£13.24), contain powerful active ingredients including retinol (the Vitamin A derivative clinically shown to speed up cellular turnover, reduce lines and wrinkles and boost collagen production) and glycolic acid (the naturally exfoliating AHA derived from sugar cane), in the highest concentrations available without a prescription.

‘I believe very strongly in the non-surgical option,’ maintains Roberts. ‘Ours is an active product, but one which we make sure women know how to use. I want them to have the control.’

The Self-Adjusting Facial Peel Kit (£26.21) is a case in point. A bestseller in America, it contains 30 per cent glycolic acid (as opposed to the 8 to 10 per cent found in most over-the-counter formulas). ‘For an affordable price, you get six peels that you can do at home, in your own time,’ says Roberts.

As you’d expect from a clinical skincare company, sun protection is a priority (immediately after use, more active treatments can leave skin more sensitive to sun damage, calling for extra vigilance).

‘It would be great if we could put sun protection warnings on absolutely everything, to get more people to use sunblock,’ says Roberts, who is particularly proud of the Therapy Systems Advanced Treatment Facial Sun Protection Creme (£13.24). ‘We’re famous for it,’ she says. ‘It’s formulated with Parsol 1789, which means it can be used on the most sensitive skin and it really stays on.’

To say that Roberts is passionate about her products would be an understatement. ‘We only promise what we can deliver,’ she insists. ‘I’m 55 years of age, and I think I look better now than I did when I was 34. As a mother of three, with two businesses and two homes to run, I should look 90!’

She is most excited about launching Therapy Systems in the UK at Beyond Beauty. ‘I visit London at least once a year, and I’m just so thrilled about being in Harvey Nics,’ she enthuses. ‘I spend hours in the store.’

In fact, with her relentless schedule and enthusiasm for beauty, glamour and the Next Big Thing, Roberts would seem to have a lot in common with her customers. ‘I exercise every day, to clear my head and get rid of stress, and I read until the early hours of the morning, so I’m constantly sleep-deprived,’ she laughs. ‘And I’m absolutely addicted to Jimmy Choo shoes.’

• The Therapy Systems range is available now at Beyond Beauty, Knightsbridge (tel: 020- 7235 5000), Leeds (tel: 0113- 2048888) and Birmingham (0121- 616 6000).