New Hope at the Beauty Counter: Bling in a Jar
FOR most people, bathing in diamonds and gold is as likely an occurrence as washing the car with truffles. And yet it now appears that the endless search for smoother and younger-looking skin and the tireless acquisition of conspicuous signs of wealth have collided at the cosmetics counter. The result is an array of topical products almost too precious to be anywhere near a sink drain.
Bling might be less noticeable in fashion magazines of late, but the gems and precious metals have not disappeared; they have simply migrated from jewelry boxes into medicine cabinets.
Beauty companies are making use of an ever-expanding list of exotic and pricey ingredients, hoping to create the next new thing. So it is hardly a surprise that they are trotting out items like gold-flecked Perfect Cream for Body from Carita ($275 for 6.7 fluid ounces); La Mers diamond powder Refining Facial ($75 for 3.4 ounces); and products from Aveda charged with tourmaline, multicolored gems that resemble rubies and emerald.
A diamond necklace or gold ring can do little more than create envy, but manufacturers claim that, when pulverized, distilled or blended with oils, precious metals and stones can tighten, clarify and reverse the signs of age.
In recent years, many skin products were derived from unglamorous substances like bovine collagen and hyaluronic acid from cockscombs. Dermatologists are unsurprised at the latest cosmetological shift.
A few years ago, there was caviar in everything. Next year, itll probably be champagne, said Dr. Michele S. Green, a dermatologist with a practice on the Upper East Side who has been paid as a consultant to develop and test products for numerous cosmetics companies.
The real future isnt gem or gold creams, Dr. Green said. But it doesnt sound sexy to say youre rubbing marine algae on your face.
In its defense, gold was once commonly used to heal leg ulcers (Related) . Research published last year by the American Chemical Society also suggested that nanoparticles of it (combined with radiation (Related) , among other things) could possibly help treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers (Related) .
But Dr. Vincent DeLeo, chairman of the dermatology department at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Centers in New York, is doubtful, especially of the products that shimmer after application.
Some metals might have antioxidant effects because metals can react with free radicals, theoretically, he said. But if you can see it after you use it, its not doing anything but sitting on a dead layer of skin.
He added that 5 percent of people who have contact dermatitis are sensitive to wearing gold, let alone spreading it on their faces.
Liquid silver is an ingredient in products from Julisis, a 3-year-old German skincare company. Other Julisis products contain essences of diamonds, gold, rubies and copper.
Julius Eulberg, the companys founder, said he hit upon the idea to make products using precious metals and gemstones after reading the writings of Paracelsus, a 16th-century Swiss alchemist.
Theyre very special, amazing, wonderful products, Mr. Eulberg said. They act on a cellular level. The gold helps to strengthen every single skin cell and there are microparticles that help with glandular function.
(Of course, Paracelsus also made astrology part of his medicine.)
Wesley Rowell, the public relations director of New London Pharmacy on the West Side of Manhattan, said customers regularly buy all of the 18 Julisis products ($2,400 for the line). The store also stocks Roses & Diamonds, an organic age-erasing facial oil with a .06-carat brilliant-cut diamond at the bottom of every $250 bottle. The maker is Ray Simons, a company in Amsterdam.
Similarly marketed oils from Shiffa, a company in Dubai, are sold for as much as $455 for a 3.4-ounce bottle at the Peninsula Spa in Beverly Hills, Calif. Every bottle contains a small ruby, emerald, sapphire or diamond.
The squinting involved in actually seeing the stones in these products is enough to bring on early crows-feet. Nonetheless, they sell.
In the last year, Ive seen more and more people who would normally spend $200 on a department store face cream coming in wanting something completely natural, Mr. Rowell said. Products by Burts Bees are often the gateway to the world of organic cosmetics, but the line doesnt satiate all cravings.
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