The science-backed skincare revolutionising beauty
A group of skincare specialists are offering power ointments
"I am obsessed," says Dr Barbara Sturm. "It's the shortcut to absolute age reversal and longevity!" Sturm, who established her namesake business in 2002 with products and treatments inspired by her medical career in orthopaedics, sums up what makes the Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum, her latest concoction, stand out.
It's a dual-phase product, meaning it harmoniously combines two different compositions. In this case, the clear, hyaluronic-acid-based Super Anti-Aging Serum (skullcap and purslane feature on its list of ingredients) is paired with a milky ceramide-peptide complex, formulated to influence the skin's natural collagen, its barrier and its elastin reservoir.
With its promise of efficacy and efficiency, Dr Sturm's super serum forms part of a new group of power ointments invented by brands that go big on science. From Augustinus Bader, a brand founded on the scientific breakthroughs of Professor Augustinus Bader, a biomedical scientist and physician with a career in regenerative medicine and stem-cell biology that spans more than three decades, comes The Skin Infusion.
A four-week programme, The Skin Infusion pairs an advanced version of Bader's signature TFC8®, a patented technology that uses vitamins, amino acids and synthesised molecules to promote the skin's own healing and renewal processes, with a plant-based vitamin D activator, zinc PCA and provitamin B5. Because The Skin Infusion is free of preservatives, it has a limited shelf life of just 12 months.
Microdosing is a leitmotif at Noble Panacea. Created by Sir Fraser Stoddart, a British-American chemist and 2016 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded for the design and synthesis of molecular machines, Noble Panacea packs potent formulas into dinky packages. The brand refers to these as active doses, and one is to be opened for each application.
A new addition is The Exceptional Eye Lift Concentrate, with retinal (vitamin A) and octapeptide – made up of amino acids – among its ingredients. Persian silk tree essence has been added to ward off dark circles and puffiness.
Swiss luxury brand La Prairie presents its new Life Matrix Haute Rejuvenation Cream, which it describes as a masterpiece, in partnership with Clinique La Prairie, where it is now a part of the site's legendary rejuvenation programmes. "The idea was to work on the health span of skin cells," explains Dr Jacqueline Hill, La Prairie's global director of strategic innovation and science, "to keep skin cells healthy and high-functioning for as long as possible."
The team's work has been inspired by Dr Paul Niehans, who in 1931 at Clinique La Prairie made important progress in cellular therapy. The result is a new Exclusive Matrix Complex, a combination of molecular actives sourced from peony roots and calendula flowers. "Life, in its essence, is based on information," says Dr Hill, "and cellular life is based on cellular information."
GOOD TO KNOW
Clinique La Prairie is based in Montreux, on the shores of Lac Léman, in Switzerland. It was here that Dr Paul Niehans, a scientist, began his research into cellular therapy in 1931. Soon, clients including Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant travelled to the clinic to benefit from Dr Niehans' groundbreaking findings.
