The Perfect Sturm

Dr. Barbara Sturm
Sturm’s lack of dermatological expertise was somewhat overlooked when the brand was at its peak and she wasn’t spreading misinformation in interviews. Photo: Neil Rasmus/BFA.com
Rachel Strugatz
March 18, 2026

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Dr. Barbara Sturm, the founder of the skincare line bearing her name, surely didn’t plan for her recent Wall Street Journal interview to become such a thing. Of course, Sturm is no stranger to controversy, given her unorthodox credentials (she’s not a dermatologist, but rather, as the Journal put it, an “orthopedist by training”) and signature invention: a “blood cream” that cost more than $1,400 a jar. But this wasn’t a hatchet job or investigative report. It was a breezy “My Monday Morning” Q&A, a format that’s supposed to let a subject control the narrative over something as innocuous as their daily routine. And yet, Sturm still managed to step in it.