The end of ageing

From talking mirrors to genome creams, Claire Coleman has seen the future, and it’s bright and beautiful

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19 April 2013

Most of us look in the mirror every morning, but what if, rather than just seeing your reflection, you also saw a prescription for the products that you should be using that day? And what if your new regime was not only tailored to the weather and your skin type, but also to your genetic make-up, using specially created bespoke molecules expressly designed to even out your skin tone and stop your hair from frizzing?

It may sound like science fiction, but this isn’t just some Jetsons-style view of what the beauty industry might look like in the year 2050. It’s technology that is being tested in beauty labs around the world and, in some cases, is already in our bathrooms.

In a 2011 interview with US magazine Allure, cosmetic dermatologist Dr David McDaniel speculated about this sort of thing. ‘A sensor that looks similar to a digital thermometer could be tethered to the mirror and connected to a built-in meter,’ he said. ‘You pull out the sensor and touch it to the skin, measuring moisture, oiliness and redness. If the meter says the skin is getting drier, you increase your moisturiser.’

Less than two years later, French beauty brand Ioma has launched Ioma Youth Booster (£149, at harrods.com) — the first skincare product to come with a built-in sensor that tells you how much of the product you need to use.

The sensor — which is integrated into the cap and looks a bit like a SIM card — uses a technology called Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), which detects minute changes to create a response. It’s this same technology that triggers a car’s airbags to blow up when you’ve been in an accident, or flips the screen on your iPhone when you turn it sideways. It’s also the technology you’ll find at the Ioma counter in Harrods, where it’s used to analyse your skin and design bespoke skincare serums just for you.

In this instance, it’s used to measure how hydrated the skin is. This reading is displayed by six LED lights (the more that light up, the lower your moisture levels), which dictate how much of the product you need, and how often you should be using it.

And that’s just the start. A quick look at some of the latest launches sees a wealth of technologies — all promising, in various different ways, to help us turn back time.

YSL’s latest research looked at glycans (sugars) in the skin that are involved with cellular communication. It noticed that young skin had more glycans than old skin, and created a product that could artificially raise the levels of glycans in older skin to make it behave like younger skin. The result was the Forever Youth Liberator range (from £35, yslbeauty.co.uk).

Stem cells have created a buzz in recent years, whether using plant stem cells to try to smooth wrinkles, stimulating the body’s own stem cells, or — as is the case with Shiseido’s Bio-Performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream (£94, at houseoffraser.co.uk) — attempting to prolong the life of stem cells so they can keep functioning in a youthful fashion. Shiseido claims it has done that by including ingre-dients that create an environment in which it’s easier for stem cells to thrive.

Elsewhere, beauty companies aren’t just relying on existing ingredients to create new formulations, but are actually creating molecules to solve specific problems. Avon’s recent innovation, Avon Anew Clinical Pro Line Corrector Treatment (£30, avonshop.co.uk), is one such product. It contains a special molecule (A-F33, if you really want to know) that’s designed to help boost collagen levels in skin by deactivating compounds that block the production of collagen — a mechanism within the skin that had not been addressed until now.

Genomics — the science of genomes, where differences between gene behaviour in young and old skin can be studied — is also a huge area of interest. Dr Jay Tiesman, a genomic scientist at Procter & Gamble’s Global Technology Division, explains that it’s not about genes being switched on or off: ‘It’s more like a dimmer switch than a light switch, but basically we’ve started to identify which genes get dimmer with age, and which get brighter.’

Having worked this out, it’s then a question of identifying which ingredients can brighten the genes that should be dim, and dim the ones that should be bright. It’s this sort of technology that’s been used to create products such as Olay Professional, Lancôme Génifique and L’Oréal Youth Code in recent years.

And genetic science hasn’t stopped there. There are now companies promising to develop custom-made diet and exercise programmes based on your DNA and, at the end of last year, The Organic Pharmacy on King’s Road proudly announced that it was offering the world’s first in-store DNA anti-ageing test.

The test looks specifically at collagen and, using a saliva sample, it is able to pinpoint whether your body tends to hold on to collagen or break it down. Armed with this knowledge, you can then tailor your skincare to ensure you’re using ingredients that will maintain your collagen levels, and thus youthful skin.

Founder Margo Marrone told me that it was ‘set to revolutionise our skincare consultations and product recommendations’. But I wasn’t so convinced. Not only is the test just looking at one aspect of ageing skin — what about pigmentation? What about pore size? — but it also only looks at a single gene and ageing is about a lot more than just one gene.

And that’s part of the problem with this brave new world of beauty. Scientific research is expensive and until a product is on the shelf, it’s not bringing in any money. That means there’s huge pressure to get products and treatments to market, often before their full potential has been realised.

There’s no doubt that all these technologies could revolutionise our approach to anti-ageing, but so far we’ve only stuck a toe in the water. There’s a lot more to be done before we will see what they can really do.

The other issue is that technology has now got to the point where we can see genuinely microscopic changes in the skin and perceive improvements at a cellular level. This is all well and good, but when we look in the mirror, we don’t examine our skin at a cellular level, or under a microscope, we simply want to know if, to the human eye, that wrinkle really looks any smaller than it did two weeks ago.

That means putting products through proper, objective tests on significant numbers of people, using the products in a real-life situation — not just seeing how cells in test tubes react, or asking 20 women whether they like the cream.

For me, that’s the future of anti-ageing — jaw-droppingly impressive technology combined with credible clinical proof. It’s certainly the way things are going — and, with any luck, when we get there, tomorrow's products will be able to make our skin look even better than it does today.

HOLDING BACK THE YEARS

The top five anti-ageing products that really work

Olay Professional Anti-Wrinkle Kit, £44.99, at boots.com

Big companies such as Procter & Gamble have large budgets to spend on research — and proof. A study on this flagship Olay range was published in the British Journal of Dermatology, and showed that it could be as effective as a prescription regime when it came to addressing wrinkles.

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum, £128, at dermacaredirect.co.uk

Yes, it’s very expensive but the brand is credible and you only need a few drops. Recent research suggested that infrared light in sunlight may contribute to ageing, but a potent antioxidant like this can help, making it an essential part of an anti-ageing regime.

Avene Ysthéal+ Anti-Ageing Emulsion, £22, at boots.com

If you don’t want to use a prescription product such as Tretinoin (a form of vitamin A), which has been proven to be effective on fine lines, try a non-prescription vitamin A derivative like the Retinaldehyde in this Avène product. It’s crucial to use an SPF daily if you’re using something like this, as it can make skin more sensitive in sun.

Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm, £50.09, at skinstation.co.uk

Obagi is the skincare line that most dermatologists swear by. If you’re really serious about sorting out your skin, I’d get a complete regime, including prescription products if necessary, from a dermatologist. Obagi’s (non-prescription) exfoliating cream contains alpha hydroxy acids to gently remove dead skin cells.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Melt-in Cream SPF50+, £14.50, at boots.com

It’s estimated that up to 80 per cent of skin ageing is down to the sun, which is why I wear SPF50 on my face every single day of the year, even in winter. This French pharmacy brand creates simple products that work effectively.

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