the new skincare trend for glowing skin

“She's got Perfect Skin”, sang Lloyd Cole & the Commotion in the 1980s. No wonder this title is still in people's minds! “When we talk about the cristal skinit is a reflection of what is going on both inside and on the surface. Considering the skin as crystal, infinitely precious, strong and fragile at the same time, allows us to have a global vision.

We provide subtle cosmetic responses to strengthen the skin, boost the liveliness of its blood vessels, help it reflect light,” explains Élisabeth Bouhadana, scientific director of L’Oréal Paris International. And we arm ourselves with gentleness by choosing peels, anti-stain treatments and make-up that are as delicate as they are effective.

The art of peeling

With our obsession with perfect skin, it is making a comeback in our bathrooms, but be careful not to overdo it. We swap the Kärcher version for much more elaborate formulas.

“At myBlend, delicacy makes sense,” emphasizes Agnès Ageron, international training manager. Because exfoliation and its sanding side can be irritating, we favored a night peel, which is less invasive than in-office sessions. It is a gel mask with high sensory potential, harmoniously dosed with a combo of AHA and BHA acids of different molecular sizes and associated with different peptides which work on cell regeneration. Capable of acting on all layers, it does not forget a single parameter of the skin and offers new light to the complexion.

This family of care without social exclusion seduces the Beauty planet. Women no longer want to hide, dream of less intense and… more lasting methods. At L'Oréal, Élisabeth Bouhadana confirms: “The key to a vibrant complexion is not in a drastic change in the skin from one day to the next, but in an adequate diffusion of multicombinatory active ingredients.

Without forgetting that we must also take care to preserve its function as a protective barrier, to ensure this nice bounce, guaranteeing the diffraction of light. Like the most beautiful crystal.” The ideal? Apply these treatments in increments: 5 minutes the first evening, 10 minutes the second, 15 minutes when the skin has got used to it. We don't forget the urban UV screen, obligatory whatever the weather. In aesthetic institutes or practices, we opt for more complete methods.

● Charcoal! Le Hollywood Peel

Ideal before an evening, this peel is carried out by combining a black carbon preparation and the power of the laser. After applying the solution, a first laser penetrates the carbon. Then a second “Q-switched” laser pulverizes it, causing micro-exfoliation. Big advantage: no redness upon exit.

Doctor Koutsomanis, 89, rue de la Pompe, 75016 Paris, €200 per session.

● Very soft! At Home myBlend

In a premium cabin, this treatment exfoliates and oxygenates the tissues via the New Skin Peeling with grain-free AHA/BHA. It is completed by the application of a repair serum then the famous LED mask, myLEDMask, to boost cell regeneration. We immediately find all its splendor: radiance and firmness.

My-Blend.com, €90 for 30 minutes.

● Ultra-precise : l’Hydrafacial

The star of care continues to reinvent itself. The sensitive skin peeling version includes, in addition to cleaning and extraction operations, a cocktail of fruit acids with relatively large, less irritating molecules. Once the new skin is revealed, it is filled with moisturizing and soothing active ingredients. It leaves a little red, but it fades in an hour maximum.

Addresses on the hydrafacial.fr website. Around €180 per session.

● More light, fewer spots

For a real result, you definitely need to go to the dermatologist box.

“30% of the pathologies we treat are aesthetic,” says Marius-Anton Ionescu, dermatologist at Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, and consultant for Uriage. For patients concerned about brown spots, the arsenal of treatments has evolved. The first intention? On an isolated spot, nitrogen, a liquid gas at -165°C. The other classic treatment remains hydroquinone. A substance to be handled with care. Depending on the phototype, a 2-3% compound preparation is prescribed with patient monitoring. Be careful, as it inhibits tyrosinase, over time there is a risk of depigmentation.

Pulsed light causes destruction by microburn, while certain lasers such as Q-Switched target small structures filled with melanin to leave room for unified skin. Finally, so-called “gentle” peels pulverize the pigmented surface. What does our skin’s ecosystem think? “If these treatments are effective, we cannot deny a possible rebound effect,” underlines the dermatologist, who does not hesitate to encourage, in addition, the use of cosmetics capable of regulating the pigmentation process.

At homewe are not expecting a miracle, but with patience (two or three months minimum), we can reduce the size and color of the spots, or even erase them if they are very recent and due to the sun.

First, do no harm ! Above all, do no harm… “This principle of Hippocrates, which has become the mantra of dermo-aesthetics, offers brilliant results with the guarantee of regularity,” continues Marius-Anton Ionescu. On the menu, a range of anti-inflammatory active ingredients to prevent pigmentation, antioxidants – niacinamide in the lead – to reduce the synthesis of melanosomes which will migrate to the surface, thermal water, etc.

La star niacinamide incorporates the anti-stain version of the iconic P50 lotion from Biologique Recherche. “This new opus integrates lightening active ingredients and antioxidants which, in synergy, provide a complete solution to improve the radiance of the skin and reduce pigmentary irregularities,” explains Hélène Huguet, R & D Biologique Recherche director.

Eighteen years of researchthis is the time needed for L'Oréal to approve Melasyl, a molecule capable of capturing melanin precursors, without inhibiting the system. “Here, we do not block the motor, we interfere before the colored pigments accumulate excessively and non-homogeneously,” explains Élisabeth Bouhadana.

We don't forget the Thiamidolone of the most effective substances currently to combat hyperpigmentation, which is the star active ingredient of the Beiersdorf group (Eucerin, Nivea, etc.)

●5 crystal effect foundations

Like cosmetic cinematographers, they photoshop the skin casually.

● Mind-blowing. Formulated with 1.5% niacinamide, it offers a filtered, homogeneous finish. Bluffing. Easy Blur Airbrush Foundation, Huda Kattan.

● High-tech. In the spirit of Paco Rabanne and his obsession with the future, this fluid can be tapped on the finger to diffuse an incredible glow. Nude Fresh Touch Foundation, Rabanne Makeup.

● Couture. The prowess of this stick? Reinvent the architecture of the complexion while hydrating it. The good idea: have two shades, one to unify, the other to sculpt. Dior Forever Skin Contour, Dior.

● Three-dimensional. Rich in hyaluronic acid, this nugget benefits from “Light Mapping Mesh” technology, which diffuses light continuously. Unreal Skin Sheer Glow, Charlotte Tilbury.

● Smoothing. No less than 42 shades for this corrective foundation infused with a ceramides-peptides complex. On skin, the natural finish lasts all day. Skin Rewind Complexion Stick, ILIA.