Why scientists want to work out how to reduce stress in skin is this: stress causes many of our skin issues, such as wrinkles, dullness, redness and texture. Stress comes in many forms – whether environmental (think heat, cold and air-conditioning) or psychological (the work/life juggle) – and it can play out visibly on our skin. Thankfully, science may have come up with an answer on how we tackle the daily onslaught.
“Science has found a molecule in the cells called NRF2,” says Dr Annie Black, Lancôme’s international scientific director, who led the team on the new formula. “NRF2 is the master regulator of repair. It acts as a stress sensor [and] becomes activated when skin is exposed to external or internal stressors.”
The issue is that NRF2 declines with age, making the repair process less efficient as we tick off the birthdays.
To help boost NRF2, the labs at Lancôme have launched a new iteration of its much-loved Genifique. Named Genefique Ultimate, this deeply hydrating formulation comes with much of the cult serum’s former skin-boosting powers (think pre and probiotics fractions, hyaluronic acid and liquorice extract) to help reduce redness and promote a strengthened microbiome.
“Your skin is attacked daily by all these [agressors], and these are what cause wrinkles …”
– Lancôme’s Dr Annie Black
“After using Genifique, the microbiome shifts,” says Black who, with a PhD in cell biology and a specialisation in tissue engineering, is well-versed on how the skin ticks. “That means that the profile of all the different bacteria that you have on your microbiome shifts and comes back to a younger profile. This is the first time that we’ve done this study and the first time that we can actually see this [change]. And what is more important is that we’re able to correlate these results with the clinical trial.”
The study showed that the people who had a change in microbiome also had clinical evidence of the skin’s appearance changing in the form of reduced fine lines and a boost in texture.
Lancôme Advanced Génifique Serum
from $370 (100ml) at Lancôme
But the formulation doesn’t stop there. The addition of beta glucan has been a big discovery with impressive benefits for our faces.
“[The formulation helps] repair the skin,” says Black, explaining that beta glucan helps kick off production of NRF2. “When you don’t repair your skin, you accumulate damages [and] trigger premature ageing signs.”
A daily dose of the lightweight serum is able to help reduce the appearance of redness and lines, boost smoothness and render pores less visible. “We are understanding more and more about the molecular biology and cell biology of ageing,” says Black. “When we look at our clinical trials, sometimes we’re even able to calculate the amount of years that you gain.”
Wiping a year or two off your chronological age sounds like good news in anyone’s language. And it’s not science fiction. Like anything, if we keep things in good condition, we will have better skin later on.
“What we’re pushing people to do is really repair from the daily damages, because your skin is attacked daily by all of these [aggressors], and these are what cause wrinkles and other clinical attributes of ageing.” When it comes to our skin, it sounds like, we can now stress a little less.
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