an orchid’s longevity...
For more than a decade, in the Guerlain Orchidarium (a multidisciplinary research platform), scientists have been trying to figure out the secret behind the longevity of orchids and how that knowledge could be captured in a bottle to lend similar effects on human skin. Finally, three orchids selected from 30,000, were brought together at the heart of the new generation Imperial Orchid molecular extract that increases the life expectancy of skin cells, and a luxurious anti-ageing line – aptly titled the Orchidée Impériale – was created! The star product Orchidée Impériale cream (costing Rs. 24000, 50 ml) that helps skin cells ‘turn back cellular time’. The first and second weeks focus on stimulating and activating the regeneration process of the skin with a concentrated and physiological micro-peeling action which allows the skin to absorb an unparalleled gradual increase of IOME (Imperiale Orchidee Molecular Extract), with 10 times the concentration reached by the fourth week. The treatment is recommended twice in a year.

like vintage wine...
In 1990, the research team of Patrice André, director of the Ethnobotany Department of the LVMH Research Unit, revealed the antioxidant action of polyphenols. But only an exceptional plant can contain a wealth of polyphenols, able to effectively protect and regenerate the skin. This observation led the Dior Innovation Center to look at a particularly prestigious vineyard: that of the Château d’Yquem, which produces one of the finest wines in the world that improves with time and can be enjoyed well after one century of ageing.

The Yquem vine shoots are so precious that a single slice of the vine shoot planted in the ground gives birth to a new stock, which can replace an ageing vine. Once the grapes have been harvested, the shoots become veritable traps for the polyphenol-rich sap, which they accumulate in their wood until they too are harvested. Once a year, in early winter, at the strategic moment when the vines are cut back, Yquem experts harvest the shoots for Dior. The slow, subtle, precious maturation process that follows lasts six months. It is then that the vine shoot offers the best of its properties, in terms of both protection and regeneration. One vine plant produces only one glass of Yquem – and yields only one jar of L’Or de Vie la Crème (Rs. 25050).

velvety white tuberose...
For over 50 years, the Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Collection has set the standard in indulgent skincare combining precious, exclusive ingredients with groundbreaking technology. Re-Nutriv was first launched in 1958, when most skin creams were priced at US $ 10. The advertising then dared to ask, ‘What makes this cream worth US$115?’ Estée Lauder responded with: “The materials that go into a famous painting may not add up to its selling price, but it’s the final creation you’re paying for.”

Is any price too much to help give your skin a chance at a new beginning? Not really if the popularity of this prestigious range costing approximately Rs. 50,000 for day and night creams, is anything to go by. The latest luxurious entrant is the Re-Nutriv Radiant White Age-Renewal Collection formulated especially for Asian skin. The power ingredient that has made its debut in the world of skin care with this range is the legendary White Tuberose, with potent anti-oxidants and advanced whitening ingredients. It is highly effective at reducing irritation at the cellular level – one of the root causes of age spots. White Tuberose stem cells are cultivated from a single flawless White Tuberose petal, resulting in a special pure concentrate 100 times more precious than comparable extracts for the ultimate in radiant whitening.

resilient black algae
Givenchy dove to deep ocean bed to source the precious black algae sap concentrate which is the star ingredient of their prestigious Le Soin Noir range that comes in a luxurious black texture. Indifferent to changes in temperature, pressure or salinity, unaffected by the harshest climatic aggressions, defying UV radiations and icy conditions, it resists change since time immemorial. The key to its astonishing regenerating powers was discovered within its basic black molecules. The Givenchy Laboratories leading-edge biotechnological means enabled them to reveal a new property of the Vital Black Algae Sap Concentrate: an exceptional ability to reconstruct the collagen structures – a protein that guarantees the skin’s firmness, tonicity and resistance. Persistent studies revealed that the algae had only revealed a part of its secrets, while discovering a new active fraction, endowed with unprecedented defence properties: the Vital Algae Essence. In Le Soin Noir serum (Rs. 22650), this powerful youth elixir is combined with the Vital Black Algae Sap Concentrate whose concentration is doubled to ensure a maximum impact on intercellular communication and collagen reconstruction.

bottling oxygen...
After treating the skin with a rich caviar diet, and indulging it with 24-carat gold in the colloidal gel and platinum serums, La Prairie comes up with another anti-ageing formulation – Cellular Power Charge Night (Rs. 24500). The unique delivery system of Cellular Power Charge Night is as groundbreaking as the treatment itself. As many age-inhibiting ingredients are too potent to be combined – traditionally Retinol cannot be mixed with oxygen – La Prairie developed a dual-stream delivery system that permits the highest potency of each ingredient to be kept separate until the moment of application. The sleek pump bottle holds two separate chambers: one containing smooth, white, microencapsulated Retinol cream; the other, a silken blue oxygen power gel. Skin Renewal Peptides and Phyto Stem Cell Extract help maintain the natural epidermal stem cell function; Swiss Snow Algae increases the cells’ longevity and counteracts UV stress; and Tissue Guidance Matrix promotes the renewal of skin tissue. It acts to stimulate natural cell turnover, increase collagen and elastin production to help restore firmness and elasticity; minimise pores and age spots; and refine the skin’s overall texture.

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