The advent of the super moisturizer

While other beauty companies race to launch the next miracle age fighter, Clarins is releasing its latest … moisturizers. Moisturizers? Aren’t those so 10 years ago?Well, yes … and no. In our quest to find the most high-tech solutions to, not only aging, but also achieving good skin, we’ve lost sight of a few basic facts.

“Before we can talk about complex products with marvelous ingredients, we need to give the cells what it needs first, which is water,” says Jason Au, Clarins Asia’s regional trainer, who was in town recently to talk about three new HydraQuench products. “The body is 70 percent water. With not enough water, the skin ages faster, its cells cannot work. It needs to retain water for other active ingredients to work.

“It’s very basic,” sums up Au. “Once the cell is happy with its water content, it absorbs other active ingredients.”

The trend towards the next generation of moisturizers also has a lot to do with environmental issues. Ten years ago we may have had only the sun and air pollution to worry about, but today’s multifarious gadgets are loading the atmosphere with all sorts of invisible pollutants that have a very real, unhealthy effect on the skin.

To address these modern-day concerns, Clarins is adding three new products to its HydraQuench range: the HydraQuench Smoothing Gel, HydraQuench Cream-Mask and Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm.

I’d call them “super moisturizers” because not only do they hydrate beautifully, they also protect your skin from further damage and have additional anti-aging benefits. Clarins has also specially formulated them for their Southeast Asian markets with warm climates, meaning they’re light in texture, won’t cause breakouts and are oil-free.

“Our philosophy is to put as many beneficial ingredients as we can in one product but make it simple for the consumer,” Au says. “Always give women more than they expect.”

The HydraQuench range features three key ingredients: Katafray bark from Madagascar, a natural plant extract, acts as an exfoliant and healing tool. Native Madagascans soak the tree bark in water and when it’s saturated, use it as skin therapy or as a scrub. “It has antiseptic healing properties and boosts skin immunity,” says Au. “When applied, it restores and rejuvenates skin cells.” It also happens to be a fair trade ingredient exclusive to Clarins.

E3P, or Expertise Triple Protection, is another Clarins exclusive. This complex protects your skin against a broad spectrum of environmental issues: the sun, stress, and — particularly relevant in these times — electromagnetic waves from computers, cell phones, laptops and TVs, which have been found to cause dryness. “It actually denatures the skin itself,” Au warns.

And what would a super moisturizer be without hyaluronic acid? Not content with HA in its plain form, Clarins innovated a complex that combines two kinds of hyaluronic acid — one to absorb into the skin to replenish the water reserves in the dermis, and one to hydrate and seal in that moisture on the surface of the skin.

“Our philosophy is we don’t ask customers to buy without them sampling and trying the product first,” says Au, so the Clarins Institut at Rustan’s is offering two versions of the HydraQuench treatment: a short, complimentary version at the counter vs. the complete facial in a spa cabin using the entire range of products.

If you have an hour to spare, I would really recommend getting the full treatment. The professional-quality products deliver quick, gratifying results and the level of pampering is unparalleled.

My therapist Lani sanitized her hands with Clarins’ energizing fragrance Eau Dynamisante before taking off my makeup with the Pure Melt Cleansing Gel, which goes on dry, turns into a cleansing oil on the face then transforms again into a milk when rinsed off with water. Gentle Exfoliating Refiner came next to sweep off dead skin, before a soothing massage with the Face Treatment Oil, a heavenly-smelling product made for dehydrated skin.

To address the eye area, Lani massaged in a succession of eye products — the Defining Eye Lift, Skin Smoothing Eye Mask and Eye Contour Gel — using Clarins’ gentle signature movements.

Then came the main treatment. The HydraQuench Cream-Mask is rich yet light in texture. You’re supposed to leave it on for five to 10 minutes before wiping the excess away with toner, but my parched skin drank this in like water and there was hardly any excess to wipe away.

Then came the Smoothing Gel. Like the Pure Melt cleanser, this new innovation is a chimera in terms of texture. Once applied to the skin, the gel turns into a cool water, which is very refreshing in hot climates like ours.

Not to be left out, the lips are lavished with Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm containing protective rose wax and repairing ceramides — “a long-lasting lip balm with no color so it’s totally discreet,” says Au. “It retains moisture in the lips for women who want something natural and not overly loud.”

While the HydraQuench range did its wonders, Lani massaged my hands with Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. Throughout the treatment, she would tell me what each product was and what it was supposed to do before she applied it. Her level of knowledge, solicitous questions and soothing demeanor clearly demonstrated the excellence and high level of Clarins’ training. I was sorry to go after the final application of Day Screen High Protection SPF 40.

When I emerged from the cabin, however, another pleasant surprise awaited. I was ready to reapply my makeup before what I saw in the mirror led me to do otherwise. My skin, which felt comfortably moist and velvety, had plumped up to a level where my smile lines had actually reduced and gotten shallower. My pores were nearly invisible and my complexion had an overall dewy glow. In short, my skin looked so youthful and good I didn’t need to wear any foundation, just a dab of cream blush (which Lani said I didn’t need, either) and lip gloss. Which for me is a very big deal, because foundation is my security blanket. I can’t leave the house without it.

So when Jason says, “The basic need of skin is still water first,” HydraQuench’s immediate visible results back him up. Clarins has done it again — gone its own way, formulated necessary products that deliver the promised results, and made me a believer in the anti-aging power of a humble moisturizer.

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Clarins is available at Rustan’s in Makati, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Cebu, Gateway and Robinsons Place Essenses. The HydraQuench spa treatment is available at Clarins Institut in Rustan’s Makati and Alabang.