Beautiful People 2009: Francesco Clark

"I never set out to start a skin-care line," says Francesco Clark, founder of Clark's Botanicals. "My goal was more the selfish reason to look good again." In 2002, Clark suffered a spinal-cord injury that left him unable to move or feel 99 percent of his body. His skin stopped reacting to hot and cold and thus, stopped sweating. Without the ability to sweat, which rebalances skin and rids it of toxins, Clark's pallor turned, well, bad. "I was fugly, really," Clark claims. "And just because I am wheelchair-bound doesn't mean I don't want to look good. As if!" Two years after his injury, Clark, who had worked in fashion at Harper's Bazaar, yearned to be social again. He had been clocking eight hours a day in hospitals doing physical therapy and was ready for something more.

"I wanted my appearance to reflect the way I felt on the inside -- healthy and vibrant." After trying pricey $600 creams and prescription medications that didn't work, Clark turned to his medical doctor father for help. And after testing 78 different essential oils, vitamins and botanical extracts, the two discovered the magic that is Jasmine Absolute. As the core of Clark's Botanicals, Jasmine Absolute promises to rebalance skin and help battle the aging process, while looking and smelling good, too. "Please, for the love of God, just because something is botanically-based, does it have to smell like cardboard and look like an orthopedic chastity belt?" Clark wonders, with a laugh.
PETER DAVIS

Francesco wears a cardigan by DKNY, shirt and tie by Prada, pants by Under Armour and shoes by PUMA. · Hair: Kiehl's Silk Groom Serum

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