About

“I was in the lowest part of my life & felt like nothing was going right.  But once I prayed & let go…. everything started to fall into place.”

Anthony Rodriguez is the owner of Cortez Cosmetics.  He is a Licensed Esthetician who came into the business with a passion for skin care. Like many other professionals, his journey started with his own skin struggles. Learning that quality ingredients & consistency could make improvements in his problematic skin was intriguing. But it wasn’t until later in life that this passion would become his career.

He worked in healthcare for several years.  Helping patients while in the hospital and assisting them transition back into their home life.  Connecting them with medical specialists & adapting to a new way of living after a traumatic incident was his day to day.  This fulfilled Anthony and he loved his career. Until one day, he and the team were called into a meeting & he was let go.  The company was going through budget cuts & his position was one of the things that was terminated. Personally, Anthony was already going through a difficult time having lost a parent a few months earlier. 

“My world already felt upside down. Mentally & emotionally, I didn’t have the energy to try and put the pieces back together.  I leaned into my beliefs & had to trust in path that was being put in front of me.”

In need of a fresh start, Anthony moved 60 miles away to Palm Springs, California. By chance (or according to the plan), he randomly stumbled into an Esthetics School.  This sparked the thought of getting an education in skin care.  With the thought of going back to school in his thirties, he was not convinced enough to register for school.  Shortly after, he also stumbled into a Skin Care Clinic where he got a glimpse of what could be.  He met a woman who owned the facility. She provided skin treatments & cosmetic procedures. She shared that she also used to work in healthcare & moved to Palm Springs from another area.  She inspired Anthony & assured him he would find success.

“Some call it luck, some call it the universe. But I know my God was intentionally putting things in my path that were intended just for me.”

Anthony registered for school & it was full steam ahead! There was now purpose & a plan.  In 2018, he completed his education & passed the State Board Exam.  He was hired at a Medical Spa combining his healthcare background with his new Esthetics Education. He also began working at a Men’s salon. For the next years, Anthony was focused on perfecting his skill…then 2020 came along. Like the rest of the world, business was stopped.  But being confined to home allowed for a mental check in. 

“What’s next? My business was thriving & expansion felt like the next step. Cortez Cosmetics was ready to exit my thoughts & be put on the shelves!”

Having skin care products was a thought early on but Anthony wanted to focus on his clientele & skills before taking on another project. By 2021, it was time.  The thought of Cortez Cosmetics became a business plan.  Summer 2023, Cortez Cosmetics was launched!  It was a 2 yearlong project to get from paper, to labs, to a manufacture to the consumer.  And the best part…. people are loving it!

“5 years of research is what makes my products different.  I personally have performed thousands of treatments. I touch faces & skin all day, every day.  I consult with every person who enters my treatment room. My clients tell me what they like & dislike. That is what was on my mind as this line was being developed.”

Cortez Cosmetics launched its Massaging Cleanser, The Secret Serum & Day Cream.  The line is simplified, cruelty free & made in the United States. Anthony knows that skin care can be overwhelming, so he designed his line to be SIMPLE, INCLUSIVE & EFFECTIVE.

“I get to make people feel good. That’s my job, I am so blessed. Cortez Cosmetics is an extension of that.  People get to continue to the self-love at home now.”