BRIGHTER, CLEARER, FRESHER. GO BEYOND THE SURFACE WITH RED’S GUIDE TO THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN SKINCARE. FROM SCULPTING WITH PLANT SCIENCE TO RECHARGING YOUR CELLULAR ENERGY BANK, HERE’S EVERYTHING YOUR SKIN WILL LOVE.
Everything you need about to know the best in skincare
Biology class
There’s not much in science or nature that doesn’t eventually find its way into skincare. ‘One of the most frequent requests I get is, “I want a more sculpted face,”’ says plastic surgeon and co-founder of Iräye Dr Epameinondas Gousopoulos. ‘Other than massage, there is nothing non-invasive that can do that,’ he continues, which is why his innovative formulas use five plant extracts (which and at what concentration is a secret) to ‘constantly provide stimuli to the cells that regulate the lymphatic vessels’. In this way, Iräye mimics the lymphatic drainage massage techniques that de-puff face and body of excess fluid. You can see results from the eye cream in one to two weeks. In longevity news, intermittent fasting (which works by starving the body into clearing away old and damaged proteins, and recycling what’s left into making new, healthier cells) applies to face cream, too. Building on the work of the cell biologist who first demonstrated this state of autophagy in 2016 (auto = self; phagy = eat), Japanese skincare giant Sensai uses plant extracts (in this case, eucalyptus and myrtle) in its Ultimate range to encourage the skin to do exactly that, along with Saxifraga Sarmentosa, which triggers the formation of new collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
Elevating the cleanse
When a product’s ultimate destination is down the drain, innovation often stops at texture… or so found FaceGym founder Inge Theron when creating her plumping and firming Active Collagen Wonder Cleansing Balm. Theron wanted something more than a great grime remover, but was initially met with resistance when attempting to load her balm with hardworking actives; her formulators hadn’t yet created one that treated the skin after washing off. ‘A light film of biotech vegan collagen penetrates the skin to improve density once you’ve rinsed,’ she explains. Other cleansers going above their stations include Votary Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream, which uses anti-inflammatory plant oils to strengthen compromised skin barriers, and Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser, with glycolic acid, PHAs and Hungarian mud to keep oil at bay throughout the day.
Getting even
Punchy ingredients and ne
