Beauty Buzz. Lancome Unveils New Stem Cell Face Cream

L'Oreal-owned beauty label Lancome is about to revolutionize the way moisturizers work. Their newest product Absolue Precious Cells, which targets women in their 50s, will hit U.S. shelves in the fall and is marketing itself with a new, not-so-secret ingredient. The 'Precious Cells' in the title refers to the infusion of stem cells, the natural tools adults have to maintain organs and regenerate tissue. The self-renewing cells form during embryonic development and produce daughter cells that evolve to become each cell type in the body. The amount of adult stem cells and daughter cells does not diminish throughout a lifetime and make up about 0.1 to 1 percent of a body's overall cell count. Yet as skin ages naturally, stem cells do lose their ability to regenerate the skin's appearance, causing it to lose elasticity.

In order to target this issue of aging, L’Oreal has developed the Basal-Reconstruction System complex, based on cells extracted from the Malus domestica tree’s fruit. “We use a cellular extract in order to provide our skin cells with a blend of nutrients,” said Véronique Delvigne, scientific director of Lancôme International. The Basal-Reconstruction System is then combined with Proxy-Lane, the patented L’Oréal antiaging molecule, to reshape and restore crucial components of the environment surrounding stem cells and their daughter cells so they proliferate and densify skin. People who tried the Absolue Precious Cells cream during it's test stages saw visible differences in their facial appearance after 28 days. Significant differences showed up in targeted areas like lower lip wrinkles and chin texture after two months of everyday use.

The facial cream, which will debut in the U.S. in October and in Asia in January of 2010, is said to retail at $145 and will be marketed through upcoming ad campaigns in fashion and lifestyle magazines, as well as department store samplings and in store promotions.

Article and Photo Source: WWD

-Alia Rajput