Formula and corporate finance

VITAL STATS: Alina Roytberg, 40, and Lev Glazzman, 41, of Boston-based Fresh

COMPANY: Beauty products company started in 1991 with a $10,000 loan

2001 SALES: $14 million

FRESH IDEA: "Our first products sold out overnight," says Roytberg. "In 1994, we opened a larger store in Boston and filled our first retail order to Barney's New York. Word spread quickly, and exclusive retailers like Colette in Paris and Liberty in London were eager to carry our products."

STAYING FRESH: "In 1998, we became one of the first luxury beauty brands to go online. We opened a second New York boutique in 1999, and in 2000, combined forces with LVMH, the multinational luxury giant," says Glazzman.

FRESH PHILOSOPHY: "Our organic approach has inspired legions of devoted fans," says Roytberg. "We're always looking for new ideas. For example, on a vacation to Italy, we discovered an Umbrian clay that had been used for healing for centuries, so we created a skin bar [from it] that treats everything from acne to diaper rash, and a chic toothpaste that whitens teeth without chemicals."

FOLLOW YOUR NOSE: "I left Russia with my mother in 1972 and grew up in Israel, before moving to the United States in 1985," says Glazzman. "I always had a passion for fragrances, and, when I met Alina, everything came together."