In a field driven by packaging, promises, and relentless product launches, Dr. Ronit Segev prefers to focus on what most people never see: cellular behavior, pigment pathways, and inflammatory triggers.
For her, skincare begins not with marketing but with biology, and biology, she insists, requires rigor, not trends. That perspective did not originate in the beauty world. Dr. Segev’s first degrees were in criminology, sociology, and business administration.
Only in her early 30s did she turn to biology, studying while working in marketing and sales management. What began as intellectual curiosity became more focused and more personal as she noticed her own early signs of aging.
“I wanted to understand what actually changes under the skin,” she says. “You can’t fix something if you don’t understand what’s broken.” University gave her scientific language and research tools, but much of her specialization came through independent study and immersion in clinical literature. “Science is never finished,” she notes. “I’m still learning.”
When she founded Biofor 20 years ago, the company began modestly, with five products developed from scratch, yet Dr. Segev quickly realized that formulations alone would not be enough. Entering the professional cosmetics market, she identified what she describes as a striking knowledge gap.
“Cosmetologists wanted to deliver real, lasting results,” she says. “But many didn’t have the biological framework to understand mechanisms of action, active ingredients, or why pigmentation forms in the first place.” Instead of simply offering stronger products, Dr. Segev built an educational infrastructure around them.
Over time, this evolved into a comprehensive knowledge infrastructure that goes beyond understanding skin physiology and active ingredients. Biofor’s methodology integrates treatment protocols, active formulations, aesthetic technologies, and even medical treatments a patient may be receiving.
According to Segev, this systemic approach is a defining element of the brand. The professional model used to implement this methodology is also replicable, allowing international distributors to adopt the same framework in their local markets and build professional leadership around the Biofor brand.
She founded a college that focused on skin physiology, pathology, and ingredient science, not brand promotion. She wrote professional articles published in professional journals both in Israel and internationally, translating academic research into accessible language, and lectured extensively within the industry.
She is also the author of the professional book Dermocosmetics – The Scientific Approach to Cosmetic Skin Treatment, considered a milestone reference for cosmetologists in Israel. “We weren’t just bringing another line to the market,” she explains. “We were giving professionals the ability to think scientifically about what they’re doing.”
In an industry known for constant launches and aesthetic reinvention, Biofor has adopted a restrained approach. Over two decades, the company has developed approximately fifty products, a modest number by professional standards.
“If existing products can be combined to solve a problem, we don’t create something new just to expand the catalog,” Dr. Segev says. “We release a product only when it brings genuine added value.” Unlike mass retail brands designed for broad accessibility and minimal risk, Biofor operates exclusively within the professional market. Its formulations are potent and designed for use under trained supervision, with diagnosis and follow-up forming part of the process.
“We work more like medicine,” Dr. Segev says. “With protocols, monitoring, and responsibility.” Six years ago, after establishing a strong presence in Israel, Biofor began exporting, first to Russia and later to additional markets.
Today the company exports to 15 countries and supplies products to approximately 4,000 professional clinics in Israel, positioning Biofor as one of the country’s leading professional skincare companies.
Israel’s diverse population and intense sun exposure, Dr. Segev notes, provided broad clinical experience across skin tones and conditions. “Here, we see almost every skin type,” she says. “That prepares you.” Today, the company is developing an AI-based consultation system built on two decades of accumulated case knowledge and treatment protocols.
The platform is designed to assist, not replace, professional judgment. “Many practitioners work alone,” Dr. Segev says. “Sometimes they hesitate to ask. This gives them a thinking partner.” If there is a common thread in her work, it is a resistance to spectacle.
While our culture becomes increasingly saturated with fast trends and viral ingredients, Dr. Segev remains guided by evidence rather than momentum. “I see the cosmetologist as the physician of skin aesthetics,” she says. “My role is to give her the science.” Beyond the surface, she suggests, is where real change begins.
Written in collaboration with Biofor