Famous for soothing and softening the skin, Avène's latest skincare collection is focused on maturing skin with a range that is stacked with the best age-erasing ingredients. Editor Trudi Brewer shares how it will work for your skin.
Avène’s day routine, with Hyaluron ACTIV B3 Serum, Day Cream and Thermal Spring Water.
While caring for sensitive skin is at the core of Avene’s skincare, the brand also has new insights into age management. Hyaluron ACTIV B3 is stacked with longevity-boosting active ingredients to address that concern, made with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid in two molecular weights (more on that later) and the buzz ingredient, niacinamide or vitamin B3. It also contains an ancient plant with potent healing benefits and the gold standard in age-erasing vitamin A (also known as retinaldehyde or retinal).
Read on to learn if this range will work for your skin.
Avène’s evening routine, with Hyaluron ACTIV B3 Serum, Night Cream and Thermal Spring Water.
The science that inspired this skincare
Formulated after six years of research in association with a global ageing cell specialist, Professor Jean-Marc Lemaitre, his ground-breaking research targets both the cause and visible signs of ageing. In simple speak, this new research is called cell senescence, and it influenced the ingredients in this skincare. Professor Lemaitre has established that not only does cell activity decrease as it ages, but it also has a contagious effect on new cells. Once a cell has entered the senescence stage, it contaminates new cells around it. Not great news for ageing skin, as it slows the cell renewal process, accelerating wrinkles, lines and skin sagging.
So, What’s in the skincare?
Niacinamide, or, as it's known, vitamin B3 and hyaluronic acid, work together as a brilliant team. First, niacinamide strengthens the lipid barrier or the outside layer of your skin that thins as you age. It's naturally present in our bodies everywhere because the vascular system circulates it, and in this formula, it is highly concentrated at six per cent. This ingredient helps prevent cells from becoming senescent, which contributes to age-related skin changes in the skin. Avène believes niacinamide will become the anti-ageing active ingredient of the future, well ahead of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. Next, hyaluronic acid (HA) is a moisture magnet that comes in two molecular weights. One that instantly plumps and hydrates the skin on the surface, while an intermediate molecular weight absorbs deep in the skin to stimulate the production of natural hyaluronic acid. Next, Haritaki extract, known in India as the ‘king of medicine’, is used in Ayurvedic medicine because of its incredible healing benefits. Vitamin A also known as retinaldehyde (ten times more active than retinol – to stimulate cell renewal), helps correct an uneven-looking skin texture by speeding up the skin cell turnover, correcting the look of brown spots and wrinkles. Finally, the brand’s famous thermal spring water is the base of this skincare.
Here’s the range
avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum, $82
The hero in the range is this serum, which comes in a weighty bottle and instantly tightens the skin the moment you apply it. That is thanks to that heavyweight hydrator hyaluronic acid and eight per cent vitamin B3. The eight ingredients are 94 per cent natural, and fragrance-free, so it’s great for sensitive skin. Oil-free, it plays nice with the creams in the collection, and it’s packed with that famous soothing thermal spring water. Consider this the treatment step in your day and night routine, ideally applied to the entire face and neck, including the delicate eye area.
All 92 per cent of naturally derived ingredients are whipped into a base of Avéne’s thermal spring water. What struck me about this cream was how light and fluffy it looks and feels, yet how rich and nourishing it is once on the skin. It is stacked with two weights of hyaluronic acid (HA) and niacinamide, making it an excellent base for your SPF and makeup. Also, the glass jar is recyclable. The brand promises results in two weeks.
If you are searching for a skin-brightening night cream that also arrests dryness overnight, then this cream's ingredient lineup will impress. First, pro-vitamin A (also known as retinaldehyde or retinal) helps blur the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots, while niacinamide smooths the skin's texture and boosts moisture. It’s luxurious yet not greasy and exactly what skin needs after a spate of cold, wintery weather.
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