Flipping on your skin's youth power switch

When it comes to product launches, it’s not uncommon for companies in the beauty industry to pull out all stops. But when an invitation from Shu Uemura came, it took a full minute for me to process where their latest product launch would be held: Amanpulo, Pamalican Island, Palawan. When a company invites you for an all-expenses-paid vacation to the preferred resort of Mel Gibson, Brangelina, and (controversially) Jude Law and Sienna Miller (together, at a time when they both had their respective significant others), you come to the conclusion that they’re introducing no ordinary bottled potion.

Turning Japanese

The story of the potion starts with enju, which means “longevity.” Apart from Tokyo’s famed sakura or cherry blossoms, enju flowers are a common sight on the city’s streets. Blossoming from Japanese pagoda trees, they are known for flowering in midsummer, a time when few other trees are in bloom. Known for their resilience and versatility, they are able to withstand poor soil conditions, pollution, heat, even drought. Considering how our skin deals with these elements on a regular basis (with the exception of soil, unless that’s a newfangled beauty secret), the scientists over at Shu Uemura were inspired to find a way for human skin to protect and restore itself, even in the harshest conditions.

The Shu Uemura skincare program consists of purifying, reactivating, repairing and nourishing, and protecting and optimizing.

First, a little science lesson: our skin has the natural ability to protect itself from everyday wear and tear, but as we get older, this ability to self-regenerate is subject to “power cuts.” According to Dr. Ken-ichi, professor emeritus at University of Tokyo, “Human cell membranes contain numerous switches (cellular receptors), which receive many types of signals to keep the cells functioning and healthy. However, with age, the functions of almost all of the skin’s cellular switches change, weakening the skin’s self-regenerative ability.”

The solution to these “power cuts” came in the form of a “youth power switch,” which is the biggest breakthrough of the Shu Uemura research center in Tokyo to date: a molecule called “Rhamnose.” Acting as a stable receptor, it reactivates cellular receptors in order to continue transmitting vital signs to skin cells.

Seven Days To Ideal

The result of all this flower-gazing and tinkering in the lab is Shu Uemura Tsuya, the Japanese word for “ideal” and the breakthrough product that deserved no less than a launch in one of the country’s top luxury beach resorts. 

“The face reveals its true beauty when its original beauty is vivified and enhanced,” says Shu Uemura.

Fifty-two Asian women, aged between 27 to 50 years old, were asked to use the product twice a day for four weeks. This is the feedback that Shu Uemura received after the first seven days: 100 percent of the participants reported having softer skin, 98 percent experienced suppler skin and improved skin quality, 96 percent had smoother skin, 92 percent noticed more radiant-looking skin, 84 percent had finer pores, and 59 percent said they had younger-looking skin. By the end of the full four-week test, the results on all categories were between 90 to 100 percent with one significant statistic: after trying Tsuya, 100 percent of the 5,000 women who participated in the test reported that they would buy it, making it one of the best trial runs in the history of Shu Uemura.

Having been given a bottle of Tsuya at the launch, I have a few results that I’d like to report myself. Full disclosure: I’m not exactly an ideal product tester. As of press time, I’ve only used Tsuya day and night for five days, not seven, and in that period I’ve neglected to eat properly and get enough sleep, plus I smoke more than I care to admit, which may or may not affect what was promised to be a miraculous transformation. But I will say this: I used Tsuya at the height of a pretty resilient breakout and, on the fifth day, all those zits were gone. Since that alone is pretty impressive, I’m anticipating that a reduction in my pore size and having smoother and more radiant skin aren’t such lofty promises after all.

Making That Extra Step

While I wouldn’t advocate Tsuya as an anti-acne product, I will vouch for it as an extra step that contributes to your skin’s overall health, since it can be used in conjunction with any skincare routine (after toning and before moisturizing). Shu Uemura’s four product lines consist of Depsea Hydrability (for moisturizing), Red:juvenous (for anti-aging and preventing fine lines and dullness), Phyto-black lift (also for anti-aging and addressing wrinkles and sagging skin), and Whitefficient (for whitening).

A good skincare routine recommended by Shu Uemura begins with purifying, using their iconic cleansing oils; reactivating, with Tsuya; repairing and nourishing, using one of the four product lines, depending on your skin’s needs; and protecting and optimizing, with their ever-versatile UV under bases.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s truly worthwhile when you know how great the payoff is. In retrospect, it really made a lot of sense to launch Tsuya in Amanpulo. More than an impressive publicity stunt, it turned out to be a pretty apt metaphor. Stay with me here: for most of us, saving up for a vacation in such an exclusive resort is a lot of work. Whenever people ask if Amanpulo is really worth all that effort, I tell them that you only have one life and if you feel that you really deserve it, you owe it to yourself to see one of the most breathtaking beaches in the world, especially since it’s right here in the Philippines.

On a similar note, you only have one face. It’s the one you have to live with for the rest of your life and if it matters to you, it wouldn’t hurt to take care of it, especially as you start to get older. In spite of my less-than-ideal habits, I’m still a big advocate of skincare, especially since scientists have removed all the hard work for us — all we need to do is slather on the stuff. In the long run, all that time and effort won’t really matter because eventually, you will be able to appreciate the results and realize that taking care of yourself was worth it.