He's already been called "the Sultan of Skincare" by industry experts. And at age 26, Roslyn native Seth Ratner is hoping to start a revolution in the skincare market, primarily by introducing his Noode (pronounced "new day") line of cosmetics, which he hopes will appeal to a targeted age group of 15 to 29-year-olds.

Noode products made their debut last spring at various Bloomingdale's, Henri Bendel's, Nordstrom, and Fred Segal stores. The products will soon be on the shelves at stores in Nassau County malls. This spring, Mr. Ratner will also have his products in all 54 United Kingdom House of Fraser department stores.

The 11-product line aimed for the current "me" generation, namely young women but also their mothers. In fact, all the products have that word as part of their titles. There is, for instance, a Renew Me face peel, a Rub Me massage oil, a Clean Me facial wash, and Shield Me, a sun protector. Products sell in the $15-$20 price range. Mr. Ratner claims the price allows his company to "go toe-to-toe with drug store prices given the quantity of each product for the money."

Speaking of quantity, Mr. Ratner said his skincare line comes with a special ingredient, one known as "kava kava," which itself comes from Indonesia and is designed to calm and soothe the skin.

When asked in a published interview why he decided to start a woman's skincare line, Mr. Ratner said that he had always had an eye on the Neutrogena/Clearasil customer. "I felt there was nothing out there at the high-level end for this customer," he added. "The revelation came to me when I saw my 17-year-old neighbor with two shopping bags; one with Stila cosmetics from Barney's and the other, Noxzema, from the drug store. It dawned on me that there was good business in keeping the customer in the upscale retailer with a new line of customized skincare products, instead of letting them head off to the drugstore."

Products offering serious skincare for young people is something new, and Mr. Ratner plans for Noode to lead the way in that field. He also is ready for the challenges that come with starting a new line in a very competitive business. "This may sound strange, but I look forward to when buyers tell me 'no' because I know that the 'yeses' will come," he recently told an interviewer. "I love creating something from nothing. I'm always thinking about what else I could be doing or making." In fact, Mr. Ratner states his long-term goal is nothing less than to create "another Estee Lauder."

While growing up in Roslyn, Mr. Ratner showed a business sense at an early age. When he was just 8 years old and vacationing with his family in Puerto Rico, he doubled his allowance from $10 to $20 by buying a raft and selling it to another hotel guest. During his adolescence, he shoveled driveways and delivered pizza and Chinese food from local Roslyn restaurants.

After graduating from Roslyn High School, Mr. Ratner attended Adelphi University. There, he built his own car wash empire while also earning a degree in political science. From Adelphi, Mr. Ratner landed a job at Zirh Skin Nutrition, where in two years time, he rose to an associate vice president's position. Zirh Skin specialized in male skin care. When it was acquired by a Japanese company in the spring of 2000, Mr. Ratner started his plans to strike out on his own with the Noode line.