Ada Polla is the  President & CEO of Alchimie Forever, a DC-based beauty brand - founded in DC, with headquarters in Geneva Switzerland and DC.  Created at Forever Laser Institut in Switzerland by two medical doctors, Alchimie Forever products blend science and nature, sensorial pleasure and anti-aging benefits, visual chic and softness. Alchimie Forever utilizes nature's most powerful extracts to bring you daily skin care products that will preserve your skin's youthfulness. Hypo-allergenic and cruelty-free.
 
Andi Joseph: Ada, can you describe what sets your business apart from others?
Adad Polla: Making the world more confident and beautiful with plant-based, antioxidant-rich skin care products.  Our products are unique in terms of their formulations and the combinations of the botanicals we use to promote skin health and youthfulness. Beyond our products, however, we are unique because of our story - we are a family business, we opened one of the first medical spas in Europe, we also have an art gallery and have our artists participate in the development of our packaging and visuals - we have a global approach to beauty.

AJ: How have you impacted DC?
AP: I have impacted DC first and foremost by choosing to be a DC-based beauty brand. The one and only! Every time I tell people our North American HQs are in DC I get funny looks. "Why not New York?"; "Why not LA?". I feel that I contribute to the beauty in DC, to the image of DC as a fashionable and beautiful place. We care about politics, of course. But we also care about how we look. New York and LA don't have anything on us! 

AJ: How are you giving back to the community?
AP: I am the founder of the Network of Entrepreneurial Women (www.new-women.org), an association for women entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region which enhances visibility and networking for women business owners. I am also a member of NFTE, which helps young people from low-income communities build skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity.

 AJ: Currently, what is in store for you and your company?
AP:  Earlier this summer I was selected as one of only five finalists for the Entrepreneur of 2009 contest presented by The UPS Store® for the  "Emerging Business"Category.  The winner will be picked October 12 after the online vote is completed. If I win, not only do I get to attend a fabulous party in Miami in January, but Alchimie Forever and I will be featured in the January issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, which will bring added visibility to our brand. 
 
To see Ada's full business profile and video-and to vote for her to become the Emerging Entrepreneur of 2009, go to www.entrepreneur.com/e2009.
 
For more information contact Catherine Littlefield, Alchimie Forever, at (214) 718-9797 or catherine@alchimie-forever.com.