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BEAUTY BY PRESCRIPTION

Walk into any store peddling beauty products and chances are there will be at least one line with some sort of medical reference in its name. From SkinCeuticals to Doctor’s Dermatologic Formula (DDF), skincare products with a clinical edge have been flying off the shelves. So what's next? Elementary, my dear Watson: products that actually borrow from real medecine.

Of course the idea of clinical skincare is nothing new. Clinique, with its army of white-lab-coated saleswomen, was born in 1968; and the idea of the cosmeceutical, a product that fell somewhere between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, arrived not long after.

By the 1980’s companies were patenting ingredients like glycolic acid, which was first manufactured by a small U.S. pharmaceutical company in as a treatment for ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin disease that causes skin to become extremely dry, and later discovered to have a host of different skincare uses. In the 90’s Vitamin A and Vitamin C became the acne-fighting, wrinkle-reducing stars of the serious skincare world. But more recently, the big sellers are the dermatologists themselves.

According to Kline & Co, a Little Falls, New Jersey-based research firm, the U.S. market for professional skincare products, defined as products that sell in doctors’ offices but may also sell through retail channels, grew eleven percent in 2004 to $679 million at the manufacturer’s level. Carrie Bonner, a spokesperson for Kline & Co., says she thinks the popularity of dermatological procedures like laser peels and microdermabrasion has heightened the public’s awareness of medical-grade skincare options and made them more likely to be sold on a product because of a doctor’s endorsement.

So it should come as no surprise that Lancôme and Estee Lauder’s Prescriptives brand have struck deals with top-tier dermatologists—Washington, D.C.-based Tina Alster and bi-coastal Karyn Grossman, respectively—to promote and help develop products. Likewise, more dermatologists are trying to follow the success of dermatologists like Nicholas Perricone and Fredric Brandt, and are launching their own lines.

And then there are those taking the trend to the next level and basing their products on "real" ie non cosmetic, medecine.

Switzerland’s Juvena International, a beauty company owned by the people behind La Prairie, recently launched Juvedical, a three-product skincare line that uses the same technology used to help heal the skin of burn victims at the Hopital Edouard Herriot in Lyon, France. The line, which includes a serum ($125), day cream ($75) and night cream ($85), claims to create a ‘matrix of natural biopolymers’ that allows skin cells to regenerate. The result, according to a company-sponsored consumer test, after four weeks of regular use is dramatically improved skin clarity (up to 70 percent improvement) as well as reduced redness (up to 84 percent improvement).

In the U.S., MD Formulations, based in San Francisco, California, sells its Critical Care Skin Repair gel as an irritated skin soother, although the product relies on more serious medical technology. Superoxide dismutase (SODs), a synthetic replication of anti-oxidation enzymes found naturally in the human body, were developed by drug companies to speed up the process of wound healing, but in the Critical Care Skin Repair gel they work to “neutralize the skin from environmental factors,” says Christina Valentine of MD Formulations.

A six week clinical study of twenty one women with moderate to severe Rosacea who were treated daily with MD Formulations Critical Care Skin Repair kit, measured a 29 percent reduction of redness and a 31 percent improvement in overall appearance of the facial skin.

Then there’s Vitamin C Serum from 3Lab, a brand new skincare line conceived by two chemists and a dermatologist. The serum, one of the company’s key products, puts to dimethyl isosorbide, which was originally developed by Chemical manufacturer ICI Americas for topical applications of trans-dermal medications such as the sea sickness patch and has in recent years become a popular ingredient in lines like 3Lab, Peter Thomas Roth.

“It increases penetration by twenty-two percent,” says John Kressaty one of 3 Lab’s founders, about the delivery system he uses in his Vitamin C serum and Spot Erase, for hyperpigmentation.

Of course, just because these products are based on medical science, doesn’t mean that they can work wonders. Dr. Doris Day, a New York-based dermatologist who also does consulting work for Estee (accent on first e) Lauder, says that although these products probably do supply better results because of their key ingredients, all most people really need in the way of skincare are the basics—a cleanser, sunscreen and a moisturize—and some common sense.

“People think you can smoke and drink and behave badly and then use a magic potion to make your wrinkles go away,” she admonishes. That’s good advice for those still trying to come up with New Years resolutions.



THE IONIC MANE

In the U.S., medical-ish ionic hair treatments and products have penetrated both the salon and retail worlds.
At the newly expanded Julien Farel salon in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the $150 ISH Ionic treatment is a hit among clients, especially those with damaged locks from over styling or coloring. Stylists spread a thick cream that contains electrically charged black crystals over the hair. Then, using a flat iron that also emits electrically charged molecules or ions, the black crystals are melted, encouraging moisture and protein to sink into hair shaft. The process is a lot like the Japanese straightening treatment, but not nearly as time consuming, and leaves hair smooth and silky but not stick-straight.

Similarly, downtown at the Antonio Prieto Salon, salon owner Antonio Prieto uses ceramic Ion styling irons on dry and chemically processed hair. The tools, he says, eliminate frizz and seal in moisture.

In addition to in-salon treatments, hair care products ranging from an ionic shampoo to the more common ionic hair blow dryer can be used at home to breathe new life into dull hair.

Los Angeles, Calif.-based Bio Ionic’s line of hair brushes and styling tools use the magic of ions in the form of a proprietary blend of negatively-charged minerals to help hydrate hair. Jay Jacobs, the company’s general manager, says the dryer is able to dry hair from the inside out, therefore minimizing the amount of heat needed to dry the hair as well as the damage inflicted on the cuticle layer of the hair shaft.

One word of caution, however: Ionic shampoos, conditioners and styling products should be avoided by the limp locked, since the products tend to over-condition super fine hair.