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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.

SPAS' NEW MESSAGE: BRING THE BABY, TOO

When Seval Oz Ozveren and her husband decided they needed some long-overdue pampering a year ago, they checked into Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a resort and spa in Los Cabos, Mexico, and spent the week indulging in hot-stone massages and a desert purification treatment -- with their six-month-old in tow.

"We wanted to take the child to a place where we could have spa treatments and five-star meals and not feel guilty about having our baby," said Oz Ozveren, 42, a technology financier.

It used to be that spas shunned children, believing that relaxation and the sound of a squalling infant in the cabana next door were pretty much mutually exclusive. But these days, a handful of spas are going to great lengths to become baby- and new-mother friendly, adding amenities like expensive strollers and organic baby shampoos, as well as services ranging from postnatal massages to child care.

"What's new is that there are any baby programs at all," said Susie Ellis, president of Spa Finder Inc., a New York-based spa travel and marketing company, "because we did not see any of that five years ago." Ms. Ellis said her company has noticed that the number of spas that welcome babies has increased in the last three years. In response to repeated requests, Spa Finder recently added a new Mommy and Baby category to its online spa guide, which allows visitors to search for a spa based on personal interests like Pilates or mineral springs.

Of course, there are reasons that infants and new mothers aren't as ubiquitous as say, steamed fish, at most spas.

From food that is too low-calorie for a breast-feeding mother to trying to squeeze treatments around a baby's demands, spas are not really intended for youngsters. And the task of trying to juggle the wants of both the baby brigade and those who have come to escape their own children, isn't always easy. Becoming Mom, a spa in Mason, Ohio, specializes in new mothers, but they are discouraged from bringing infants along. "It would change the spa environment," said Dawn Bierschwal, the owner. "A new mom needs time to herself, too."
Still, more parents are showing up at spas with baby in arms. Stacey Hine, 35, recently took her baby, then 18 months old, to Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, an Arizona spa. In her room, she found baby-care products and what she described as "the kind of crib you would want to buy for your home." Ms. Hine, who lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., said that she and her husband took turns getting massages and dined at an early hour, "not at 8 o'clock when all the chic honeymooners are out."

Most spa managers think the trend has to do with the rising ages of new parents. The National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the number of births to women in their early 40s nearly doubled between 1990 and 2002, jumping from 48,607 to 95,788. Older parents tend to be further along in their careers, which means they have more money to spend on luxury retreats, and tend to look at vacations as a time to bond with their infants. "There just seems to be a lot of mature adults who are having and bringing babies to high-end properties," said Kathy Massarand, director for sales and marketing of Sanctuary.

Then there's the ever-increasing competition in the spa industry. Although revenues have more than doubled since 1999 to US$11.2-billion in 2003, the International Spa Association said, there has also been a similar increase in the number of spas in the United States, with about 12,000 open at last count. With more spas for travellers to choose from, some have been driven to carve out a niche.

Many spa-industry watchers say that the baby-friendly trend started in the United States two years ago, when the Greenhouse Spa in Texas began offering its now twice-a-year Baby and Me week. For US$3,850, new mothers can take their infants to a post-natal yoga class, get a daily 50-minute Swedish massage and three European facials and listen to lectures about children's health and development. All the while, a nanny service looks after the baby.

Now other spas are taking their own baby steps: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain recently invested in three US$730 Bugaboo Frog Strollers, along with Frette linen crib sheets, Kashwere blankets and caps and Mustela baby skincare products for parents who want to bring their children along. The Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, which has seen a 15% increase in its nursery and child-care revenue this year, has a mother-and-baby yoga class.

Of course, one mother's treat can be another guest's wrecked vacation. In an effort to keep clients without children happy, spas work hard to segregate the two groups. At the Greenhouse, babies are welcome only during the two special weeks each year, and Sanctuary encourages guests with small children to book the more private mountain casitas instead of the suites that wrap around the resort's spa facilities. At Las Ventanas, three of the five pools are off limits to babies and children. "We try to graciously separate the experience," Carole Sullivan, spa director at Las Ventanas, said.