Scientists have been the new rock stars of the pandemic era. We listen to every word they say and even use their egghead language from lateral flow tests to re-infection rates, antibodies to T cells.
Now skincare is following suit. A raft of new products not only look and sound like they’re fresh from a top scientist’s lab, but actually are. If Professor Chris Whitty brought out an anti-ageing cream, we’d buy it.
The most famous of the beauty boffins — thanks to an A-list fanbase that includes Victoria Beckham — is Professor Augustinus Bader, director of Cell Techniques and Applied Stem Cell Biology at The University of Leipzig, Germany.
When Professor Bader translated his groundbreaking wound gel for burns victims into an anti-ageing product, he boldly named it The Cream — and a global skincare phenomenon was born.
Victoria Woodhall puts a selection of new skincare products to the test – including Noble Panacea The Absolute Intense Renewal Serum (pictured)
Then there’s Harley Street’s Dr Yannis Alexandrides. He was a full-time reconstructive and plastic surgeon, treating cleft palates and car accident injuries ten years ago.
He wanted to give his patients a serum to speed healing and reduce scarring and chanced upon an ingredient that had been developed for astronauts to heal injuries in space — which also happens to be one of the most ageing places to be.
‘Intense cosmic radiation and lack of gravity make skin age very quickly,’ he explains. Imagine if you could heal skin in space. Now imagine what it could do here on Earth. The nerdy-sounding NAC Y2 ingredient is at the heart of Dr Yannis’s multi-award-winning 111Skin skincare range.
By leaping into the beauty world, scientists are putting their reputations — and in the case of Sir Fraser Stoddart, a Nobel Prize — on the line. But how does ultra-nerdy makeup perform in real life. We put them to test. . .
Chemistry lesson
Noble Panacea The Absolute Intense Renewal Serum, £390 for 30 doses, noblepanacea.com
The boffin: Sir Fraser Stoddart, British winner of 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
What’s it like? Sir Fraser, a molecular chemist and inventor of the Organic Super Molecular Vessel, a nano transportation system that is 10,000 times smaller then a human skin cell. This allows ingredients to be transported exactly where they are needed. It claims to increase their potency by as much as tenfold.
The verdict: The individually wrapped daily doses of this anti-ageing retinol serum come in at £13 each — that’s £4,745 a year. Ten times the potency also means tenfold more expensive. My week’s supply wasn’t long enough to see a difference, but it’s a wonderful clean and sustainably-made serum. This serum is cutting-edge, but it’s not in my league. 3/5
Botox in the bottle
Meder Beauty Science Myo-Fix Concentrate, £85 for 15ml, mederbeauty.com
Victoria said Meder Beauty Science Myo-Fix Concentrate (pictured) made her expression lines visibly softer
The boffin: Dr Tiina Medier, a former St Petersburg, Russia cardiologist.
What’s it like? Dr Meder worked with pregnant women with heart disease and was often asked to help with their stressed skin. When she couldn’t find anything powerful and pregnancy-safe she made her own. Carey Mulligan is a fan of Meder Beauty Science. This has Botox-mimicking peptides, for which Dr Meder invented a delivery system using vitamin B3 that opens the skin’s barrier to allow entry.
The verdict: This was a hot lockdown Botox replacement. My expression lines have become visibly smoother after a month. 4/5
The prof’s choice
Augustinus Bader, The Rich Cream, £65 for 15ml, augustinus bader.com
Victoria said Augustinus Bader, The Rich Cream (pictured) leaves her skin in great condition
The boffin:Professor Augustinus Bader.
What’s it like? This cream, which is unscented, can be used as a serum, eye cream and moisturiser, and also addresses dryness, pigmentation, wrinkles, and elasticity. The secret is his patented TFC8 ‘trigger factor complex’ technology which claims to make the cream ‘adaptive’ — able to home in on each person’s specific concerns. It was so popular that Victoria Beckham collaborated with Professor Bader to create her very own skincare line using the magic ingredient.
The verdict: If you’re bamboozled by skincare science and want one thing that does it all, day and night, this powerful anti-ager is perfect. It leaves my skin feeling nourished and in good condition. 4/5
The power peptide
ReVive Moisturising Renewal Cream Supreme, £140 for 50ml, spacenk.com
Victoria said ReVive Moisturising Renewal Cream Supreme (pictured) is a great hydrating night cream
The boffin: Dr Gregory Bays Brown, a plastic and reconstructive surgery in the U.S.
What’s it like? As a surgeon, Dr Bays Brown applied a Nobel Prize-winning, bio-engineered molecule — Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) — to help skin heal faster while working with burn victims. He was granted a U.S. Patent in 1994 for EGF as an antiaging skincare ingredient in skincare. Revive claims that it can delay the need to have cosmetic surgery.
The verdict: The ReVive secret sauce is a synthetic peptide made from the EGF molecule which they call ‘Bio-Renewal Protein’ and claims to activate our EGF receptors for improved elasticity. A great hydrating night cream, but I couldn’t find any scientific studies to say if it worked. 2.5/5
Icelandic ingenuity
Bioeffect EGF Serum, £130 for 15ml, bioeffect.co.uk
Victoria said Bioeffect EGF Serum (pictured) is a hero product that lasts as you only need a couple of drops
The boffin:Dr. Bjorn Ovar, an Icelander, has a PhD on plant molecular biology.
What’s it like? This intensely hydrating oil-free serum revolutionised skincare by making EGF — repair signalling proteins that we make less of as we age — from barley plants. It has a powerful anti-ageing effect. In a split-face double-blind trial, it was found to increase skin thickness by 60% in just eight weeks. You apply to clean skin, but have to wait ten to 20 minutes before applying anything else, as EGF is a sensitive ingredient that doesn’t work well in contact with some common ingredients such as oils and fats.
The verdict: This product was my go-to for many months. People kept asking me what it was. You only need two drops to make this a great product that lasts. 4/5
Space age mask
111Skin Y Theorem Bio Cellulose Facial Masks, £85 for 5, 111skin.co.uk
Victoria said 111Skin Y Theorem Bio Cellulose Facial Masks (pictured) made her lines visibly softer
The boffin: Dr Yannis Alexanderides, Harley Street plastic surgeon and reconstructive surgeon.
What’s it like? Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Margot Robertbie have been seen taking selfies with 111Skin masks. They are soaked in NACY2, a patented repairing solution that Dr Yannis initially created to speed up the healing process for his patients. It also has amazing anti-aging results. It contains powerful antioxidants and amino acid.
The verdict: I’ve used these biodegradable masks for years and they are one of the best on the market, with a generous dose of this hydrating serum inside. My lines are visibly smoother and my make up fits better. 5/5
Big pigment-buster
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20 per cent, £18.33 for 30ml, skinactives.com
Victoria said Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20 per cent (pictured) is easy to use and does not sting like high-strength vitamin C skincare often does
The boffin:Dr Hannah Sivak is a molecular biologist who was formerly a research professor under Luis Federico Leloir, an Argentine Nobel Laureate.
What’s it like? U.S.-based Dr Hannah made it her mission in the United States to create affordable, evidence-based skincare. This high-strength serum includes L-ascorbic, the most active vitamin C, to prevent stress, prevent pigmentation and promote collagen production.
The verdict:This serum is easy to wear and does not sting as high-strength vitamin C skin care often does. It allows you to enjoy its pigment-busting and damage-protecting effects. It’s definitely worth more than its nominal price tag and Dr Hannah’s mission seems credible — the only downside is it’s not available in the UK and I had to order £135 worth of products for them to ship from the U.S. (although I loved everything in my haul). If you’re happy to buy bulk, it’s great. 3/5