Even bathing had its own rites. The ancient Greeks would scrub their bodies with pumice stones to exfoliate their skin. While taking a steam bath in ancient India, men and women used crocodile dung as mudpacks! What they did for beauty!
Although the ways and means in which man has pursued good skin has constantly evolved, the message has been a consistent one. Great skin is the basis of great beauty. Because of this, we all strive to achieve skin that reflects youth, vitality, and overall good health.
Today, the beauty industry is fuelled by innovation. It is characterized by an abundance of original ideas that are twinned with natural solutions rooted in past traditions and the highest technological efficiency. Caudalie, Murad and Awake are three skincare brands that are in the forefront of creating ground-breaking skincare techniques to help us achieve wonderful skin. Aside from innovation, these brands are characterized by fanatic cult followers who claim the products are "miracles."
Caudalie’s history is like no other. It all started in 1993 when the future founders of Caudalie, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, met an eminent professor from the Faculty of Pharmaceutics at Bordeaux University. He had discovered that the seeds discarded at the end of the grape harvest were in fact worth their weight in gold! This is because they contain grape polyphenols which, once stabilized, have priceless benefits for the skin, as their incredible capacity to trap free radicals is unequalled in the plant world. For the first time, patented stabilized polyphenols were used in the cosmetic industry.
Seeds, pulp, stalk – none of the grape goes to waste.
The grape itself has a "dream skin" – strong, supple, smooth, and golden. Within the grape polyphenols, it is more specifically the OPC (procyanidolic oligomers) which combat free radicals. Eighty percent of the skin-aging phenomenon is caused by free radicals generated by light, pollution, smoke, etc. They kill off our cells and therefore cause premature aging. This is why combating free radicals is so important in maintaining good skin. Polyphenols are also known to possess many other pharmacological properties: They increase the strength of the blood vessels by boosting micro-circulation, protect elastin and collagen fibers, and prevent the destruction of hyaluronic and glucuronic acid, essential components of the skin’s support tissues. Caudalie is the only brand in the world to have a whole range of products based on grapes.
Since the company’s founding in 1989, Murad has been a leader in introducing major trends to both consumers and skincare professionals. At its inception, Murad products quite literally revolutionized skincare. Dr. Howard Murad, its founder, was the first to incorporate alpha hydroxy acids which exfoliate dead skin cells, now a staple in all skincare products.
Ten years later, this visionary is still making ground-breaking advances. In his continuous effort to redefine the aging process, Dr. Murad was the first to incorporate polyphenols derived from pomegranate extract, into his age proof sun care formulas as a powerful weapon against aging. The polyphenols found in pomegranate extract contain some of the highest amounts of these super antioxidants of any food source. "One of the most powerful polyphenols, ellagic acid found in pomegranates, when taken internally, boosts SPF ratings up to 25 percent!" explains Dr. Murad.
"Ellagic acid also prevents the necrosis of cells, preventing flaps and sagging in the skin. This advanced technology is opening the door to the possibilities of an oral sunscreen in the very near future.
Moisture loss in the skin is currently the hottest area of research for cosmetic scientists, one of which is Murad, who describes water as "the best anti-ager yet discovered." In his new book, The Murad Method, he prescribes an internal and external skincare program consisting of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and water-retaining agents such as ceramides, fatty acid and glucosamine supplements and lecithin. And you thought it was as simple as drinking 12 glasses a day.
Finally, Awake, a Japanese skincare brand launched in 1995 by the Kose Corporation, pairs natural botanical ingredients with the most advanced technology available. Awake combines two new active ingredients – ceramide 2 and histidine which revitalize the skin. These two ingredients are "packaged" in micro-sized capsules, which allow the ingredients to penetrate deep into the keratin layer of the skin, endowing the skin with vibrancy and visibly reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Ceramide is naturally found in the epidermis and while many products on the market make use of this ingredient, few have been able to recreate a ceramide that closely resembles that of a natural state since they are very hard to isolate and replicate. However, based on research of a Nobel Prize winning scientist, Awake has made use of natural cermide-2 ingredient.
Their role is to form a protective barrier on the skin and reduce water loss, as well as to repair dry skin and or mature skin which has a ceramide deficiency associated with aging process or caused by sun exposure. Histidine, on the other hand, is a skin conditioning amino acid that enhances water retention and skin moisturization properties. In addition, due to their reduced molecular size, Histidine can penetrate deeper into the skin’s epidermis. Histidine is an innovative new ingredient that stimulates collagen and elastin-producing cells, making skin firmer and more resilient.
With all of these advances in modern technology, who needs to use crocodile dung as a mask? We can achieve great skin... and still smell good! What a wonderful world!