FRENCH brand L’Occitane is entering the luxury skincare market and it’s going deep into the ocean for the purpose. In Corsica’s Revellata Bay, its scientists found Jania Rubens, a seaweed that continually regenerates, even from a very small, broken part. Free from pollution, the crystal-clear water allows sunlight to illuminate the rocks, where this calcified micro-algae prefers to grow.
Determined to preserve the species, the scientists took one single fragment out and cultivate it in an aquarium to reflect its natural habitat.
“It took us seven years of research, including a doctoral thesis to reproduce the natural living conditions of Jania, in which it demonstrates its ability to regenerate endlessly. We managed to obtain a 100 per cent natural extract,” L’Occitane director of plants and biological actives Pascal Portes says.
Aside from the algae, the company is also using the existing star ingredient in its anti-ageing line, the Immortelle Millesimee extract, also from Corsica.
“It is grown in Corsica with an exceptional amount of sunshine. It is still hand-picked and distilled immediately to provide its most precious ingredient, the essential oil.
“The Immortelle essential oil is very rich in molecules that are active on the skin. We have been studying the anti-ageing properties of Immortelle essential oil for 15 years,” he says.
The synergy of Jania Rubens from the sea and the Immortelle Millesimee from the land are used in Harmonie Divine serum and cream, tagged at RM830 for 30ml and RM880 for 50ml respectively.
The prices might be high for L’Occitane standard, but as far as luxury skincare is concerned, it’s still along entry level tags.
ANTI-WRINKLE EFFECTIVENESS
“Jania Rubens extract adds to the anti-wrinkle effectiveness of Immortelle Millesimee essential oil. The extract stimulates production of not only collagen 1 but also collagen 4 and 7.”
“The other interesting aspect of the extract is that it stimulates lipolysis, which is fat removal, helping to define the oval facial shape,” Portes adds.
L’Occitane’s idea of using an ingredient from the sea resonates with La Mer’s chosen ocean ingredients too, but the company is quick to point out that it is bringing not just the best in the sea, but a combination of the best in the sea and land to its followers.
The micro-serum, for example, contains over 5,000 micro-drops of Immortelle Millesimee pearls, suspended within a water-based crystalline gel enriched with Jania Rubens to act on facial contour and volume.
The luxurious moisturiser, meanwhile, boasts a highly sensorial cream-to-oil texture, accented with the uplifting scent of clear Mediterranean waters, woven with notes of earth, myrtle, musk and Immortelle.
“We have introduced two ingredients in our Harmony Divine products, which are the very best of what the land and sea of Corsica have to offer today for restoring youthfulness to the skin and harmony to the face,” Portes says.
How successful the range will be, remains to be seen. But the two products, which hit the shelves this month, is a reflection of the women’s luxury skincare market, where users are willing to pay a handsome amount of money in search of a beautiful face.