khaleej times Friday, August 27, 2010
fashion
12
The ins and outs
of beauty
Great skin is as much about your outer layer as it is about what goes inside. Fashion takes out its ‘beauty spyglass’ and explores what’s new in skin care — and the results are illuminating. stephanie Rivers THE CLINICAL APPROACH — CLINICIAN COmPLEx: When it comes to skin care brands, it’s like an assault on your senses, with one brand’s advertising screaming louder than the other that they can cure all of your skin’s ills with this product or that product. Some claim to rejuvenate the skin, others to combat environmental damage, with many having ingredient lists that read more like a medical journal than an informative label. How do you know what to choose? Actually, you don’t. Hence, the growing popularity and cult following of Clinician Complex, a doctor regulated, personally tailored skin care system. Although new to the UAE Clinician Complex is a five-year-old skin care brand and brainchild of Dr Clay Brewer, a practicing dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, out of Atlanta, Georgia. The line was created to provide patients with products that were as effective as when they were in a clinician’s hands. The best way to describe the line is as a bespoke skin care system, personally tailored to each individual’s skin care needs. Another thing that sets Clinician Complex apart from other brands is the fact that you can’t just walk into your neighbourhood pharmacy or the nearest mall to find the products. You must visit one of the clinics or doctor’s offices that sell the products, and you must have your skin scanned and analysed by Dermavision, a skin analysis device before any products are prescribed. Why go to such great lengths? Effective product matching, customer service and follow-up care. “The reason we don’t sell to pharmacies or other venues is that there wouldn’t be anyone there to explain
about the skin and which products would be most effective for whatever particular skin care needs a person may have,” said S.L. Paul Lakhanpal, the managing director of Spectronix, the company that distributes Clinician here in the Middle East. “Most places just want to sell products; we want to ensure that the patient is getting exactly what their skin needs and sees the results,” he said. The line fuses medical grade ingredients with the latest peptide science and state-ofthe-art nano technology, with its products ranging from anti-aging, to sensitive skin, to acne prone skin, to sun and environmental ravaged skin. The ingredients range from vitamins A, C & E, to aloe vera, to sunflower oil, to hyaluronic and salicylic acids, to calendula flower oil, to chamomile and cucumber extract, to name a few. The products are also paraben free, which is one of the leading causes of allergic reactions in cosmetics and skin care. THE bEsT sELLERs fROm THE REgION: - Antioxidant Facial Mist with Rose Water - Microdermabrasion Skin Cream - Peptide Plus Cream - Bleaching Cream THE PROduCT(s) I COvET fROm THE LINE: The Antioxidant Facial Mist with Rose Water because it moisturised my skin without feeling heavy and left a dewy satin finish that lasted. The Skin Recovery Serum, because it is a light weight serum that absorbed immediately, and after a few uses my skin look brighter and fresher. THE TRIEd ANd TRuE APPROACH wITH A mOdERN TwIsT — IN & OuT dIffERENT bEAuTy: What’s old is new again best describes fashion cycles, but in the case of skin care, In & Out Different Beauty is that, and so
much more. Now, I’m not saying that the brand is using old technology or methods, quite the contrary, but that they have stripped away the excess and gone back to the beginning, treating the inside as well as the outside when it comes to the skin you’re in. The innovative line, which combines the synergies of food supplementation with essential oils and cosmetology, was created by Alain Obadia, a French Entrepreneur who founded In & Out Different Beauty through his Innovative Biotechnologies Laboratories in Switzerland in 2006. Now how does an entrepreneur with a vineyard in France and a Masters in Finance end up in skin care? Well, for one thing, Alain saw a need in the marketplace for a total treatment regime, not just another product range. He was convinced that to be beautiful on the outside, one also needed to feel good on the inside. Alain also understood that everything affects our health and well-being and plays out on a very public stage, our skin. What makes In & Out different is that it’s a complete system that focuses on holistic beauty and health. Who wouldn’t want to try a line that combines cosmetology (the Out), nutritional plant-based supplementation and essential oils (the In) to deliver a regime that is complete and delivers results? The line went back to the beginning of skin care, when ingredients were fresh and you knew exactly what went into them. What is also unique about the product regime is the encouragement from the founder and the trained sales staff to incorporate daily exercise and to eat a balanced diet. It is rare that a skin care company speaks to the physical and mental well-being side of health and skin care. It’s a viewpoint long over due. The line features five different regimes depending on your skin care needs and concerns. There is anti-aging (for fine
lines and wrinkles), acne (treating pimples and scarring), whitening (correcting discolouration due to pigmentation), sensitive and reddish skin (calming reactions to environmental elements), and slimming (based on a fiber filler). Ingredients featured include as Ylang Ylang, sage, chamomile, Gatuline RC, vegetable DNA, grape seed, wheat germ, shea butter and macadamia nut oil, to name a few. THE bEsT sELLER IN THE REgION: - Anti-age Night Cream THE PROduCT(s) I COvET fROm THE LINE: The phenomenal Anti-age Day & Night Smoothing Eye Contour Serum because it effectively created a light moisture barrier that is perfect under my eye cream; the Normalising Face Exfoliator Acne Treatment, which scrubs away all the environmental dirt and grime without leaving the skin feeling stripped of moisture; and the Anti-aging Day Lotion, which is a moisturiser and anti-age treatment all-in-one. THE PuRIsT — A’kIN: Finding skin care products that are innovative, are sulfate and petrochemical free, vegan and actually work, is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. This is partly due to the complicated process of being classified as an organic product and/or company. There are stringent testing and certification processes to pass to get the organic stamp of approval and to maintain it. A rather lengthy process for some, but thankfully not for the A’kin line of skin care from the Purist Company of Australia. The products have the feeling of a long ago forgotten apothecary, with tinctureinspired packaging and colour-filtered bottles that preserve the interior ingredients efficacy against lighting effects, natural and otherwise. A’kin’s packaging, well
most, come in airline-friendly sizes, making it easier to stick to your regime while on the go. The brand, founded in 1997 in Australia, was created to form a synergy between nature’s own healing garden, science and what clients wanted. A’kin believes so strongly in this approach, that they have their own in-house scientists which allows the brand to research and develop its product lines, as well as regularly incorporating customer feedback. What is so different about A’kin? Two things: that it is free of sulfates, parabens, mineral oils, silicones, glycols and artificial colours, and secondly, that it is naturally sourced, vegan, 100 per cent aromatherapy, and not tested on animals. To my knowledge it is one of the few companies to manage all of this in one skin care line. That’s a big selling point for those who are concerned about what goes into their products and onto their skin. The line features products ranging from facial care (serums, creams, gel washes, mists and toners), to hair care, to hand care, to body care (washes and moisturizers), to anti-aging, to sensitive and fragile skin care conditions. THE bEsT sELLERs IN THE REgION: - Pure Radiance Rosehip Certified Organic Oil Cellular Radiance Serum THE PROduCT(s) I COvET fROm THE LINE: The Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil! The oil is a restorative serum infused with vitamins and omega oils, which helped to sooth, smooth and restore my face after an especially sunny and windy few days; the Unscented 24-Hour Pure Moisture Cream, which left my dry skin feeling quenched and silky soft. news@khaleejtimes.com