Skincare white and blue

Transcription

Skincare
white and blue
4-Soins ANG 27-03.indd 1
31/03/08 14:48:53
“When I got back, the house was empty.
I locked myself in the bathroom with my beauty
products and ran a bath. With shaking hands,
I opened all the packets of aromatic salts, shower gels
and bath oils I had just bought. I washed my hair and
I rubbed ten different products over my skin. […]
I carefully and diligently covered myself
with lotions and creams, one after the other. […]
My body smelled essentially of the green foam bath
with its ultra-French fragrance of lemon and pine. […]
I wasn’t worried about the strange alchemy of smell and
skin that makes certain perfumes stronger
on some people than others.”
Radhika Jha,
L’Odeur
Free translation
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
natural essence
of beauty
“Spermaceti” – more romantically called blanc de baleine in French
– “is a brilliant pearly white, smooth and slightly springy to the
touch1”. A cream in its natural state… or almost. A rare substance
that floats inside the head cavity of the sperm whale, it was
this that the whalers in Moby Dick risked their lives to harvest.
It was also one of the ingredients of Sapoceti, a soap marketed by
Guerlain “to whiten and soften the skin”2. Pierre-François-Pascal
Guerlain was a chemist, not a sailor, but his dogged pursuit of the
rarest and most beneficial raw materials has made its mark on
Guerlain’s skincare products
from 1828 to the present
day. The mark of a seeker,
of whiteness, purity, blue
gold… or the orchid. It is
also the mark of luxury.
The genius of Guerlain lies
in the fact that, for a hundred and eighty years, it has been able
to capture the essence of the brand while staying true to the
“philosophy that overcomes prejudice” and to the credo of the
firm’s founder: never stint on quality. Like the perfumes that gave
rise to them, Guerlain skincare products have also created their
own Guerlinade, that series of secret notes that characterise all
Guerlain perfumes. From the quest for goose fat to uncovering
the secret of the imperial orchid, their history is punctuated with
Free translation of text appearing on the labels of Sapoceti soap. Michèle Atlas and Alain
Monniot, Les flacons à parfums depuis 1828, Editions Milan, pg 128.
2 Free translation of article in Le Petit Courrier des Dames, 1835
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Watercolour for skincare (1960’s)
innovations, discoveries, even miracles: a perpetual treasure
hunt… but where the treasure is beauty. And beauty demands
more than care: it has to be pure, dazzling, joyful, radiant–it
has to fill one with wonder. Stendhal wrote of beauty as “une
promesse de Bonheur”, a promise of happiness, “Happylogy”, to
echo the name of one Guerlain innovation. And Guerlain has
as many reasons to rejoice today as it did in 1828, having been
through the 1980s which were the cult years for Guerlain, without
fading or tiring, always at the vanguard of creativity and scientific
innovation. And if it’s true that “an object that captures the
modernity of its time remains forever modern”1, then Guerlain
skincare products should stay young for a long time to come.
1 Maryline Desbiolles, Spring at Guerlain, Le Cherche Midi, 2006
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
in pursuit of the
raw materials
finest
Although he claimed to be dissatisfied with the grocers,
pharmacists and haberdashers he visited during his travels
through France when he represented the Briard firm until 1820
(his itinerary took him to no fewer than fifty-six towns between
August 1817 and January 1818 – all on foot!), Pierre-FrançoisPascal Guerlain did retain from his initiatory travels the curiosity
of the adventurer and a sense of the unusual. One only needs to
reel off the ingredients contained in Guerlain’s early formulas to
realise. And then, a comical bestiary, a carnival of animals comes
to life before us, as if projected onto the cylindrical screen of an
imaginary kinetoscope: whale, bear, ox, goose and snail, offering
up the best that each
has to offer, whether
spermaceti, bone
marrow or fat. But
not just any fatty
substance. “Guerlain
consulted all the
Véritable Graisse d’Ours (1828)
naturalists, he studied
the influence of every climate and, working his way through the
species, went as far as Russia where, it is said, the most perfect
breed of this famous fowl is to be found”1. All Guerlain’s creations
are marked by this early voyage of discovery, that begins in France
during the July Monarchy and continues in Europe and later
1
Free translation of article in Petit Courrier des Dames, 1835.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
America and elsewhere. This fascination with raw materials –
nature’s gift–was passed down from father to son and from uncle
to nephew. Flowers, aromatic herbs, roots, products from wild
and domesticated animals alike, all were cherished by Guerlain.
Once obtained, these precious raw materials were harnessed to
make ointments, pastes, creams, lotions, a panoply of delectable
and luxurious products designed to capture and preserve beauty.
Fatal beauty
The fat from the plump, steppe-dwelling member of the Anatidae
family was soon destined for imperial glory: “Guerlain came back
from the land of the tsars with wondrous supplies of a certain
kind of goose fat whose omnipotence gave it the name of Roman
ointment”1. Omnipotence was indeed the word, for this was
a supremely effective product that carried beauty to victory,
disarming the external aggressor delivering alternating blasts
of heat and cold, and overpowering the inner enemies–nasty
blackheads and eruptions that the Gowland’s Lotion prepared by
Monsieur Guerlain “manages to clear up without a trace”2. The
most distinguished individuals flocked to the shop in the Rue de
la Paix, which was very quickly to become the latest place to see
and be seen, and look each other up and down to determine
who had benefited the most from Guerlain’s secret weapons, at
a time when the focus was no longer on make-up. In the 1830s,
Guerlain’s creations were the jewel in the crown of cosmetics
1
2
Ibid.
Free translation of Lettre de la Comtesse de Luches, March 23, 1837.
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The milky to beauty designed by Elise Darcy (1936)
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
research. There is still a list in existence of the
products that were presented at the exhibition
of French industrial products in 1834, the year
Aimé Guerlain was born. Eau de Camélia and
Eau de Vétiver, Alcoolat de concombres and
Lait d’Iris, Lait Virginal… all of which were
created by Guerlain and by Nature in equal
measure. Each of these products contained the seed
that would give rise to today’s cleansing lotions, moisturisers
and anti‑ageing creams. Lined up on the dark wooden shelves,
the little pewter pots rubbed shoulders with perfumes and
Sapoceti, the pearly soaps with spermaceti from whales made
by Guerlain and delicately wrapped in silk paper. They were
perfumed with violet, rose, ylang-ylang, carnation and a wealth of
other scents, “all of them sweet and inoffensive” as the original
patent states. Even though the primary concerns were the face
and hands–which had to be kept soft and white at all costs– our
shrine to elegance that was already the envy of the world was
also stocked with hair ointments (including the famous one with
bear fat), toothpastes, toiletry essentials and hairbrushes.
Extending the battleground
As long as women remained shut up in their boudoirs, their skin
was like a hothouse flower, sensitive to the slightest draught,
akin to one of those rare, delicate plants that Parisians could
admire in the new botanical gardens. But it was not long
before the open air was declared healthy and walks became
“constitutional”. Medicine entered a new phase during which
microbiology, pasteurisation and asepsis came into being in
quick succession. Beauty scarcely set one foot outside before
she was confronted with her worst enemies: the cold, dryness,
harsh weather conditions, the sun. Fortunately, even though
Guerlain skincare products did not yet claim to have moisturising
properties, they already had a soothing, softening effect. Some
of the most well-known were Crème à la Fraise, a strawberry
skin-lightening cream, a hand cream made from cucumber juice,
Crème Huvé de la Providence to lighten the complexion and
protect it from the damaging effects of the sun, and Pâte Royale,
a paste based on a recipe found in a letter from Madame de
Montespan, Louis XIV’s favourite mistress, considered “incredibly
beautiful” by the Marquise de Sévigné. A way of paying tribute
to an aristocracy that lived its final years in the shadow of
the now dominant bourgeoisie. Respectable women were more
than ever confined to the home. For all that, motherly care
was not recommended: newborn
babies tended to be breastfed
at home by a wet nurse. It was
to prevent the cracked nipples
caused by constant breastfeeding
that Guerlain, in 1882, came up
with Baume de la Ferté, made
from tannin from claret, a product
that brought relief to generations
of wet nurses before the advent
of bottle feeding made them
A Guerlain price list.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
redundant. Today, used to soothe lips, the heady aroma of this
tannic balm is still the pride of the Divinora range, inherited from
this superlative product revered by many as a “great vintage”.
Crème de la crème
Even before the turn of the century,
Guerlain had twice moved to larger
premises, from the Barrière de
l’Etoile to Colombes and finally to
Bécon-les-Bruyères. Now the firm
was better equipped to produce
its new delight: Secret de Bonne
Femme. First made in 1904, it was
the first modern moisturising cream,
with an extraordinary whippedSecret de Bonne Femme
cream texture that could only
advertisement designed by
Elise Darcy (1936)
enhance the efficacy of its formula.
Beaten by hand for maximum
aeration, it was a cosmetic metaphor for the silk chiffons of the
Belle Epoque. Admittedly, like any good
dessert, it did not travel well. This flaw
aside, Secret de Bonne Femme was
a revolutionary face cream, although
this was not reflected in the name. Its
texture made it the first in a long line
of light moisturising day creams leading
up to today’s Super Aqua range. Every
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decade a new member of the Guerlain moisturising dynasty was
born: Crème au Citron in the 1930s, Crémaliment in the forties,
Super-nourrissante n°2 and Hydrosérum in the 1950s. Indeed,
the appearance of Secret de Bonne Femme was to relegate the
thick pastes and ointments of the day to the rank of antiquities,
henceforth to be used only as night creams, the only witnesses
to shiny faces being the poor husbands. In the daytime, Secret
de Bonne Femme had the capacity to disappear as soon as
it was applied, quickly absorbed by the skin. For decades,
the cream was hand-whipped to achieve its legendary light
texture, which was in no way impaired by the advent of the
whipping machine that copied the precise figure‑of‑eight
movement of the master-confectioner. For a whole century,
the hydrating properties and exquisite fragrance of this crème
de la crème in its opalescent midnight blue glass jar were one
of the well-known beauty secrets of women everywhere.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Gentle oriental
Extract from a Guerlain
price list (1904).
And is there anything more intimate than the time a woman
dedicates to her beauty routine? Countless artists have been
inspired by this eternal theme. In the early 19 th century, new
images of the private lives of women were revealed in paintings
and drawings of the harems of North Africa after Napoleon’s
Egyptian Campaign. The Orientalist painters, supported by the
poets, evoked a feast of the senses, a mingling of heady perfumes,
flowing hair and voluptuous bodies. Ingres’s Bain Turc showing
a mass of female bathers and odalisques entwined in lascivious
poses, and the scenes portrayed by Delacroix, still dazzled by his
travels in Morocco, were to feed the newfound interest for the
Orient in the collective imagination. Guerlain’s Fleurs d’Amande
à la Sultane cream would be the first to evoke this new sensuality
that the fashion designer Paul Poiret was to take to its height in
1911, when he threw his legendary party La mille et deuxième nuit
(a pun on the original title of The Arabian Nights). As Poiret himself
recounted, his guests, dressed up in Persian costumes, “first came
through a sandy courtyard where, under a blue and gold canopy,
fountains shot up from porcelain basins. […] They mounted a few
steps and found themselves in a huge golden cage of twisted metal
inside which I had imprisoned my favourite”1. Boni de Castellane
and the Princesse de Murat were to look back on it as the most
marvellous night of their lives. Against this backdrop, Guerlain’s
Serkis des Sultanes was to become the archetypal beauty potion
of an age characterised by a thirsting for the exotic, helped by the
enthusiasm of the actress Réjane, who generated considerable
1
Quoted by Colette Fellous, Guerlain, page 67, Denoël .
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publicity for the
product long before
buzz marketing was
invented. Applauded
by audiences around
the world for her
role in the stage play
Madame Sans-Gêne,
the woman who
inspired the character
of La Berma in Proust’s
Remembrance of Things
Past was, in town, a
model of elegance
who influenced the
desires of women.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Heavenly bodies
The Roaring Twenties were first and
foremost the decade of perfume at
Guerlain. However, the impressionistic
Advertisement for Crème
L’Heure Bleue, the intimist Mitsouko and
Solaire Fluide (sun lotion) (1962)
the oriental Shalimar created at that time
were, more than their predecessors, perfumes that highlighted a
need to take better care of the skin. Guerlain had already taken
an interest in the growing attraction to sunbathing, initially popular
with the ruling classes but later extending to the whole of society.
Products such as Huile pour brunir (tanning oil), Huile contre
le Soleil (protective sun oil) and even Crème de jour contre le
Soleil et les Taches de Rousseur (a day cream to protect against
sun damage and brown spots) were developed. The more the
skin was exposed, the more it had to be protected. Women
with a yearning for the open air could hydrate and protect their
skin with the divinely soft, refreshingly zesty Crème au Citron
(lemon cream). A small range for the weekend on the theme
of Azur was a poetic addition to this bucolic tableau of the
early 1950s. As more and more flesh was bared and the body
learned how to breathe, swim and horse-ride, the skin’s energy
requirements increased. The nourishing cream Crémaliment,
which came out in 1940, anticipated the post-rationing frenzy
of the 1950s and consequently enjoyed enormous success after
the war. Sport became a religion and Hollywood’s movie stars,
with curves in all the right places, were diligent physical exercisers.
The film industry developed shoulder-to-shoulder with the
cosmetics industry, opening up new horizons for innovation.
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Above : Tanning oil
advertisement designed by Elise
Darcy (1936)
Left: Tanning spray
Right: Tanning oil
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Beauty hits the production line
Guerlain was prepared. In 1947, a new factory, bigger and more
modern than the one at Bécon-les-Bruyères, which had been
destroyed during the war, opened in Courbevoie in the Paris
suburbs. Jean-Paul Guerlain, who began his apprenticeship in
1955, would later have a strongroom built there, which kept the
temperature at a constant 12°C to protect the raw materials
used in the manufacture of
perfumes and skincare products.
Nicknamed the “vault”, “for
some young recruits this was
an awesome place: they were
reluctant to go down those
stone stairs on their own,
mistakenly assuming they led
to a crypt where the Guerlain
forefathers were interred.”1
In charge of the skin cream
manufacturing and packaging shop
was the formidable forewoman
Mademoiselle Jeanne, who
Jean-Paul Guerlain at the Courbevoie
factory
resisted the idea of filling the jars
any way other than by hand. Gradually however, the traditional
cosmetics “recipes” gave way to more scientific formulas that
had yet to prove their worth. Although more prosaic, the new
products were more effective and precise. Television showed
1
Jean-Paul Guerlain. My Journeys in the World of Perfume. Le Cherche Midi, 2002.
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the face in close-up and together with
the film world created new models of
beauty behind which lurked the subliminal
message that beauty was synonymous
with youth. Visual advertising was
becoming increasingly important, holding
out a magnifying mirror to the consumer
society. Every skin problem now called for
a tailor-made solution. And women did not
have to wait long for one from Guerlain.
Crème Super-nourissante N°2
Nectar of the gods…
for mortal women
Beauty was the order of the day among the gods of Mount
Olympus, for surely immortality afforded the best protection
against the ravages of time. In 1834, Guerlain had delivered
its first masterstroke, creating a nourishing skin cream fit for
the gods–or goddesses–Ambrosial Cream. In 1950,
it achieved a similar feat, this time boosted by
more than a century’s experience concentrated
into a beauty nectar, light even before lightness
became important–Emulsion d’Ambroisie.
The revolutionary formula with Vitamin A
acid activated cell renewal, while its light,
fluid texture was innovative at a time when,
apart from Secret de Bonne Femme, skin
Emulsion d’Ambroisie
creams were still thick and tended to sit
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
on the surface of the skin. Breaking new ground in skincare,
Emulsion d’Ambroisie was the first serum to be applied
underneath the day cream, to refine the texture of the skin and
preserve suppleness. It also proved to have excellent healing
properties and was effective in the fight against acne. An oilin-water emulsion that needed to be kept airtight, Emulsion
d’Ambroisie came in a beautiful chalice with an elegant bellshaped lid to preserve its integrity. Thirty years later, the issima
range, in its own way, successfully revived this precious legacy.
Issima advertisement (1980).
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Beauty by numbers
Aided by scientific research, cosmetic formulas were starting to
reflect consumer needs more precisely. Relief for oily skin for
example came in the form of Guerlain’s Crème Acide P.H. 5,5
(later known as Emulsion P.H. 5,5) which restored balance.
The modern formula was in contrast
to the preciousness of its container, an
elegant Pont-aux-Choux style jar inspired
by the 18th-century pottery of the same
name, which in turn was named after
the bridge in the vicinity of the factory
where it was made. The symbolism
echoed Guerlain’s philosophy of always
bridging the rationality of science and
the sheer pleasure of beauty. Dry skin
was also pampered, not once but twice,
with two versions of the deep nourishing
Skincare Guerlain
cream Crème Supernourrissante, the
advertisement designed by
second, Super Nourrissante n° 2, was
Elise Darcy (1935)
even richer and provided even better
cover than its predecessor. A new vocabulary was emerging, a
metaphor for the new high-performance skincare. Hydrosérum,
launched in 1955, had the effect of a missile–echoed in the shape
of its glass phial container–which propelled deep into the cells
the super-concentrated active ingredients that the skin needed
to replenish itself. To ensure complete control of ever more
sophisticated production processes, Guerlain would shortly begin
construction of its Chartres factory, which opened in 1973.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
(R)Evolution
Every creation that was to emerge from the hallowed precincts
of the Chartres factory, where all Guerlain cosmetics are still
made today, was revolutionary in its own way. The first because
the entire range was sport-oriented, from the make-up remover
to the tinted day cream, hugely successful among younger women.
Ultra Sport, which came out in 1979, prefigured what would
later become the weekend creams that Guerlain had already
successfully tried with the Azur range. Bounding with energy,
Ultra Sport contained essential fatty acids that stimulated the
vital functions and reinforced the skin’s natural defences. Then,
in 1980, came issima, which warrants a separate paragraph all of
its own. Initially for mature skin, from the mid-1990s the issima
name was used to designate all Guerlain skincare products.
Meanwhile, with issima already on the road to glory, Guerlain
Ultra Sport range
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started to explore new territory. The Evolution range, a preamble
to the second generation of issima, offered a complete beauty
routine to combat free radicals. It was developed around
the pioneering ART, an active anti‑tissue‑slackening complex
that combines anti‑elastases, capable of neutralising the action
of the destructive enzymes present in elastin, and an extract of
Centella asiatica which stimulates collagen synthesis. Guerlain
would also be the first to respond to the distress call of
weakened skin, with Odelys, in 1993. Extracts of oubaku and
peach or lemon leaf went into the composition of the twelve
odes to balance that made up this sensitive skin range, the
most exquisite being Sérum Stabilisant au Phytocomplex
(stabilising serum with phytocomplex) and Crème à base
de Plantes Essentielles et d’Extraits de Végétaux Marins
(cream with essential plant and marine plant extracts).
Evolution range
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Sublime issima
Success story
The 1980s were definitely Guerlain’s decade. What Samsara,
Terracotta and Météorites were to perfume and make-up,
issima would be to skincare. There was no longer any such
thing as the archetypal woman–suddenly, every woman was
unique and demanding beauty solutions adapted to her needs.
When it was first launched, issima, led by Crème Régénératrice
à l’Hydrolastine (regenerating
cream with hydrolastin), was
an upmarket range with highly
effective active ingredients
designed to fight ageing in
mature skin. The original product
proved so effective that it gave
rise to an entire family tree of
regenerating skincare products
with numerous offshoots.
Now with their distinctive
blue‑and‑gold packaging, the
Regenerative cream with hydrolastine
noble “descendants” of issima–
Guerlain’s exceptional range
of moisturising, whitening and stimulating anti‑ageing skincare
products–clearly aspire to even greater heights of success. Heights
that issima has already scaled in its bid to score a victory for
science over time. For almost thirty years, issima has been pushing
back the frontiers of science to make every woman beautiful.
“Guerlain has understood that beauty is too precious a thing
not to use every possible means to preserve it, and with the
knowledge and sagacity it has long demonstrated”1. In 1994,
Guerlain was again to demonstrate the qualities Le Petit Courrier
des Dames had praised so highly as far back as 1845–by joining the
LVMH Group and its Saint-Jean-de-Braye research centre, opening
up new horizons for its
innovation capabilities.
Spearheading
skincare, issima at
this point became
the cutting‑edge
brand brilliantly
combining science,
luxury and emotion.
Many of Guerlain’s
scientific discoveries
were patented and
Successlaser
its skincare products
were acclaimed by
women and women’s magazines which regularly rewarded their
innovations. In short, an out-and-out Success… a name richly
deserved by the skincare range subsequently launched under the
issima banner, vouching for its current success and heralding a
bright future. The formula of Success Day was the first to highlight
1
24
Free translation of Petit Courrier des Dames, 1845.
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the role of the dermoepidermal junction (DEJ) in the formation
of wrinkles, a discovery that was to have enormous impact
on the cosmetics world. An exclusive complex called Liftine was
then developed by Guerlain to restore this junction and would
subsequently link all Guerlain’s new-generation skincare products.
Seven years later, Guerlain’s research into the dermomuscular
junction (DMJ) would mark further advances in the battle
against time with Successlaser, a high-precision product with
Injectine that acts on all wrinkles (including the deepest laughter
lines), a real alternative to cosmetic surgery. The new century
witnessed the birth of a new skincare product for mature skin,
over which time now had no hold. Substantific, by focusing on
the essential, gets straight to the heart of the matter, brilliantly
employing two complementary complexes to boost the skin’s
activity. Nutridiol, with extracts of peony, soya bean and lupin
peptide, boosts the natural production of proteins and lipids and
restores the skin’s natural elasticity; while Nutrilsatine, rich in
phytolipids and loquat extracts, stimulates its water reserves to
improve suppleness, initially in the form of day and night care, then
a neck and décolleté cream and culminating in a sculpting serum
that evens out skin tone, the quintessence of its performance.
Substantific
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Happiness molecules
The skin is the mirror of the soul. Recent discoveries in the field
of neurodermatology confirm this. Philogynous researchers
showed that by stimulating the release of certain pleasure
molecules, the complexion started to radiate happiness.
After a few weeks of this hedonistic therapy, the texture of
the skin evened out, the features
relaxed and wrinkles began
to fade. And along came
Happylogy. For this original
range, which brings the
smile back to young skin,
Guerlain developed
an exclusive formula
that combines the effects
of endomorphins with those
of silicone. So Happylogy is
happiness squared! After just a few
applications of this fresh, intense-action moisturising cream,
the skin is plumped up, smooth and luscious. And in turn, the spirit
rejoices to see its physical counterpart, its outward expression
looking so smooth and fresh-faced. This is the infinite magic of
Happylogy, which always gives the soul more reasons to love
the body it inhabits. The night cream works even harder on
the first signs of ageing so that in the morning when you catch sight
of that fresh, radiant skin in the mirror, a happy face smiles back.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
The height of perfection
Four were chosen from among thirty thousand. Their unique
combination unlocked the secret of longevity of this imperial
flower, pristine white, like the ideal complexion. But this
is no fragile bloom. The empress of the floral kingdom is
a veritable force of nature, her stately appearance masking
limitless frugality: here is a flower that needs nothing to
live… and cannot die. Her petals unfold like the sumptuous
wings of some mythical bird, better to dazzle onlookers. For
the secret of her long life is hidden in her roots. Or rather
secrets, for there are six of them; six mechanisms talked
about at the world’s major scientific conventions following
conferences given by Frédéric Bonté, Director of Scientific
Communication LVMH Research. Guerlain has found them
all... after seven years’ research to develop Orchidée Impériale
molecular extract. And here are the six secrets of longevity
revealed: maintain proper functioning of the cells; boost cell
regeneration potential; promote the natural protective process
of DNA; activate a “longevity gene”; combat the effects of
skin immunosenescence; and combat excess pigmentation
mechanisms. Orchidée Impériale has a comprehensive anti‑ageing
action. It acts on all the signs of ageing: the skin recovers
its strength, the shape of the face seems to be redefined,
wrinkles are smoothed out and the complexion is radiant.
This precious product brings the secret of longevity of this
extraordinary flower to even the most demanding skin.
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Imperial suite
Orchidée Impériale exceptional complete care is as exceptional
in its formula as it is in the range of products available, each one
combining luxurious textures contained in jewel-like blue-and-gold
jars. The cream, even more sumptuous to the touch than it is to
the eye, is complemented in 2008 by a sister product, a rich cream
specially formulated for dry skin with orchid butter. This cream
has an unbelievable texture which borrows its silky softness and
lightness from the petal of the orchid. The crowning glory of this
“imperial suite” is the startlingly clever serum with its immediate
skin-tightening effect. With its biofilm, an active mesh combining
lipids and sugar proteins with an exclusive synthetic molecule
(so closely resembling the fundamental lipids in the corneal layer
that one can hardly tell them apart), beauty enters
the fourth dimension. Invisible and completely
biocompatible, it tightens and restores the
beauty of the skin, which blooms like the orchid
itself, smoothed out and even more receptive
to the active ingredients so precisely focused
on preserving its longevity. The precious blueand-gold spindle-shaped tube that contains the
serum, imperial in its effectiveness, renders this
quest for the tautness of youthful skin somehow
sacred, its colour reflecting the blue horizon of the
future, its shape a certain contemporary luxury.
Orchidée Impériale serum
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Nothing but water... or almost
“Water is a cosmetic product par
This may have
been obvious in the 19th century but it was not so in the previous
one, the Age of Enlightenment, which blithely confused cleanliness
with powder, preferred oak moss to soap and covered up bodily
odours with heavy-duty perfumes. Although plain water might
have been the epitome of naturalness and an efficient cleanser, it
was certainly no eau de toilette. It remained however the ideal
partner for working up a lather, with Guerlain’s Sapoceti perfumed
soap, a hardened but quick-to-dissolve form of the soft spermaceti
from which it was made. Fast-forward to the twentieth century
and although make-up was back in vogue, water was to remain
the close friend of the skin. So close that it would seek to absorb
it to feel fresher, even imitate it the better to quench its thirst.
excellence”1.
Filling up on Super
Much water has passed under the bridge since then and today
Guerlain gives it a name evocative of a siren endowed with
fabulous powers–Super Aqua. A magical fluid, spreading out
in myriad tiny streams to “irrigate” the skin, without leaving
the smallest, finest wrinkle to disturb the surface. Aqua-Serum,
launched in 1987, within just a few years became Guerlain’s
bestselling product. Since then it has continually been enhanced
by the innovations resulting from Guerlain’s research. Originally
enriched with hydrolastin, then with hydrocerin, and later with
a vital sap that coursed through the veins of its star serum,
in 2008 the Super Aqua
range incorporates
a highly innovative
active ingredient…
L’Express. Il était une fois la beauté. Dominique Simonnet. Interview with Bruno Remaury.
July 2007.
1
Left to right: Aquaserum, Super Aquaserum, Super Aqua-Serum
34
Super Aqua-Serum
advertisement
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
A legend before its time
In 2007, the Success range came back to the future, reaching
deep into the skin, acting on both the epidermis and the dermis.
To protect the treasure of nature contained in it–amber–,
Success Future comes in a jar that is a jewel in its own right,
created by jewellery designer Hélène
Courtaigne Delalande. It was Guerlain
that first brought amber to light
as a cosmetics ingredient,
harnessing its reputed magnetic
properties in a skincare range
enriched with Pure Amber
Extract. It boosts the synthesis
of tensotrophin, a natural
polypeptide that controls the main
phenomena that cause wrinkles to
appear and the skin to slacken, and
acts on the genes responsible for the quality and organisation
of the fibres within the dermis. From the epidermis, it acts
on the fibroblasts in the dermis to tauten them. Hence
the dual action of Success Future–it smoothes out wrinkles
and firms the skin, reshaping and restoring harmony to the
face with the precision of a jeweller. And it took a jeweller
to fashion the blue-and-gold jar that preserves the future
of this precious substance and that of the skin it beautifies.
36
37
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Snow White
Though made from a red fruit, it nonetheless
resulted in a porcelain complexion… This was
the only thing paradoxical about Crème
à la Fraise, the face cream most popular
with 19 th-century women. This delectable
Guerlain skin cream was renowned all over
Europe for its whitening effects, much soughtafter at the time: Empress Sissi would not go out
without it as she rode across the Austrian countryside.
What with soaps, waters, powders, lotions, Blanc de Perles,
Crème de Lys and Pâte d’Amandes Royale, there were few
formulas among Guerlain’s early creations that did not claim
whitening powers. The ambiguous whiteness of a stiff-andstarchy century that defined beauty in the virtuous woman as
faultless and devoid of make-up. The pure white of innocence, à
la Snow White. Beauty was listless and sulphurous like a woman
with a delicate and nervous disposition: a Lady of the Camellias.
French marquises and Italian marquesas from as far away as Pisa
ordered bottles of Gowland’s Lotion, sometimes by the halfdozen, imported from England by Guerlain in 1830, satisfied that
it had rid them of the “hideous tattoo”1 of blackheads and red
blotches. People would stop at nothing–though some preparations
contained poisons such as lead and arsenic! –to remove or at
least conceal the degrading evidence of time spent in the open
air. In Asia where the ancient tradition of whiteness has a name,
Free translation of a quotation taken from a letter from the Marquis de Canoët to PierreFrançois-Pascal Guerlain. October 10, 1831. Michèle Atlas and Alain Monniot. Guerlain,
Les flacons à parfums depuis1828 Editions Milan page 11.
Sketch for the Champagne
make-up collection (1962)
1
38
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
bihaku (a Japanese word meaning “beautiful white”), women were
obliged to ingest a powder made from crushed pearls to achieve
a porcelain complexion. A formula as expensive as it was risky, to
which, fortunately, alternatives now exist, including in the West.
inhibiting its production has the effect of weakening the skin’s
natural defences. Biowhite Complex, an original combination
of plant extracts, limits melanin production by exactly the right
amount while increasing its brightening action thanks to
an exfoliant agent. It works in synergy with PPS (Photo Protect
System) which prevents UV rays from penetrating the protective
cells in the epidermis. Because they do not receive a warning
signal, they stop lifting the protective shield
of melanin. This initial decisive step
forward would encourage Guerlain
researchers to venture further
down the road leading to an
increasingly high-tech whiteness.
They were aiming for even more
comprehensive protection capable of
acting not only on UV rays but also on
all climatic factors that have a damaging
Perfect White C treatment
effect on even skin tone. One cannot
help thinking of Ladies In All Climates, a powder launched
by Guerlain in the late 19 th-century when victory in the colonies
was resulting in women having to endure a much harsher sun
than they were used to. But while the powder stopped short
at mimicking whiteness, Perfect White C reveals an existing
white tone by acting on three levels: on the alpha-MSH to
inhibit the melanin production triggered by the UV rays, on the
limited number of heat shock proteins which readily sacrifice
themselves whenever the skin is subjected to climatic aggressions,
and on the DNA which it protects by means of the PPS.
Immaculate conceptions
The 1990s saw Guerlain’s reacquaintance with the whitening
skincare tradition. Women know that, beyond a certain age,
the skin is less even-toned and brown spots start to appear.
The localised overproduction of melanin is accentuated by
exposure to UV rays and the outside aggressions to which
the skin is subjected on a daily basis. But when it came to
whiteness, Guerlain was already ahead by almost two centuries.
So it was logical that the launch of issima Perfect White should
mark a turning point in the history of whitening skincare, with
the combined effectiveness of two complexes capable not only
of whitening the skin but also of restoring its protective barrier.
Melanin is a pigment that protects the skin and excessively
Perfect White C range
40
41
31/03/08 14:52:03
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
Lily white
In 2008, Guerlain Research, in conjunction with top
international research teams, brings whitening skincare to the
pinnacle of performance, revealing the discovery of a “signal
molecule” that carries the pigmentary disorders caused by
environmental aggressions and internal stresses: neurotrophin-4.
And the creation of a new complex capable of inhibiting
its synthesis: Pearl Lily Complex. Guerlain has harnessed
the secret of this majestic flower, so adept at preserving
the whiteness of its petals, to develop this revolutionary
formula: a comprehensive whitening action effective on
all the factors that trigger melanin production. In its divine
opalescent blue bottles, Perfect White captures the lily’s
pristine whiteness within an array of products essential to
the cultivation of that invaluable pearl–a porcelain complexion. Perfect White
Pearl Lily Complex
42
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GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
The beauty handbook
At Guerlain, beauty is always a joyful affair. A world full of
surprises, preferably nice ones, that does not take kindly to
anything spoiling its pleasure. So it has always taken very seriously
all those problems, however serious or seemingly insignificant,
but which nonetheless make all the difference when it comes to
distinguishing between the beautiful and the less-so. Over the
years, Guerlain has concocted an array of infallible formulas to
transform a woman and render her invincible, a secret arsenal to
be kept in the privacy of her boudoir or concealed in her handbag.
The most famous of these miracle creams is Crème Camphrea,
launched in 1870 as Crème Camphora, an astringent anti-blemish
cream which is probably the ultimate rescue cream. How many
cancelled meetings, failed romances and thwarted plans would
there be without its cherished astringent action supported by
skilful camouflaging? Rather than waiting until it is too late, the
most cautious prefer to exploit the cream’s preventive properties
to neutralise imperfections, close the pores and ease irritation.
While Crème Camphrea targets localised problem spots, SOS
Cream is the remedy for overtaxed, stressed skin that has had
all it can take… except this ultra-nourishing cream with its cool,
Crème SOS
44
Midnight Secret
45
31/03/08 14:52:25
GUERLAIN 180 YEARS
absorbent texture and a soothing sensation. A recovery cream
applied daily or as part of a treatment, to replenish the skin and
leave it feeling comfortable and revitalised. For emergencies, SOS
Serum is the ultimate soothing balm. Sometimes, of course, it can
be something as simple as lack of sleep that leaves the skin feeling
tired… and to revive it after a “great night”, in 1989 Guerlain
created Midnight Secret, a special late-night recovery treatment
with hydronocitine. A happy marriage of eight active principles that
boost micro-circulation, to which Guerlain, in 2001, would add a
few grams of blue gold for good measure. Discovered
by the Guerlain laboratories, blue gold is a precious
combination of pure gold and a rare deepwater
seaweed concentrate. Three “oxygenating”
drops in the early hours followed by a few hours’
sleep will banish tiredness and you wake with a
clear complexion, just as if you’ve had a proper
night’s sleep. Some evenings more than others
we want to really shine, to be certain that people
will say we looked “fabulous”. To play the diva,
all you need is a single dose capsule of Midnight
Star, a fabulous pearly firming gel. This miniature
time-bomb gives the skin a wonderful boost of
radiance, making it immune to oxidising factors
that can impair its beauty before the night is over.
Drawing for Midnight Star press file
46
47
31/03/08 14:52:26
photographiC CrEdits
Guerlain Archives
Pages : 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (en bas), 21, 38, 39
Liz Collins : 35
Michelangelo Di Battista : page 43
Daniel Hamot : page 20
Patrick Paufert : pages 19 (en haut), 28, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 41, 42
Pierre Mandereau : page 29, 31
Photo du dossier de presse Midnight Star : 47
4-Soins ANG 27-03.indd 48
31/03/08 14:52:27

Skincare white and blue

Transcription

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