The beauty world has been promising to turn back time for years, but what if there was a way to reset your skin's 'real' biological age – not the one on your birth certificate? That’s the proposition of Lancome's new longevity technology, fronted by the ever-youthful Demi Moore, 63.
This idea of rewinding your skin clock is the inspiration behind Lancome’s new Absolue Longevity MD range, which claims to help change your ageing trajectory from a cellular level. Rather than fire-fighting the signs of ageing as and when they appear, it seeks to head off trouble even before you see it. Naturally, as a 50-something woman, I wanted to know more.
‘It’s skincare that’s really going to help skin cells behave younger, essentially,’ says Yvette Claireaux, education manager of Lancome, who’s talking me through the science behind it. ‘We can’t change our skin cells’ chronological age, but their biological age is the one age we can reverse.’
What's the science behind the range?
Lancome’s new longevity line is based on 20 years of research, which has mapped 267 different biomarkers of skin ageing into three chronological stages of skin ageing.
First comes structural changes (when the physical architecture of cells is damaged, which begins long before you see it), then metabolic decline (when cells lose energy) and finally, signalling failures (when cell function is so disrupted that deep wrinkles appear.)
By knowing what’s going on deep within skin cells, Lancome says it’s been able to translate the science into three different ‘intervention’ skincare programmes, depending on where your skin’s biological age sits. As Yvette explains, it's a 'proactive approach' to signs of ageing you see, and also ones you don’t see yet.
First, there’s Anticipate (real skin age, under 35), to preserve skin’s youthful potential. Next, there Intercept (35-55), which jumps in to support midlife cell exhaustion and help ward off visible signs of ageing as they’re appearing.
Third, for skin that’s biologically 55-plus, there’s Reset which addresses so-called ‘zombie cells’. These are ones which have stopped dividing but rather than dying, they hang around in the body, causing harm to living tissue. In case you're curious, Reset is the stage Demi uses, while her fellow brand ambassador, Zoe Saldana, uses Intercept.
Anticipate has one cream only (clearly that lucky stage needs less help), while the other two stages have a serum and cream which are designed to be used together to help to reset skin's biological age.
What's your skin's 'real' age now?
So how to find out your skin’s ‘real’ age, rather than the number listed on your passport? The easiest way to get a ballpark figure is to use Lancome’s virtual E-Skin tool via your phone or laptop. This uses a selfie plus AI analysis which compares your photo to a database of 25,000 face images to give you a ‘visible age’ number. Mine comes up with 46, which is five years younger than my actual age. I’ll take it!
However, for a deeper dive into your skin’s ‘pace of ageing’, there’s Lancome’s Cell BioPrint machine. This looks at five of your skin’s biomarker proteins (each with a different role in ageing) and analyses them in real life and in real time.
Skin cell samples are swabbed from your face, mixed with a solution on a credit-card sized sample plate, then fed into the machine to deliver your 'real' age. The CellPrint machine can currently be tried out in Harrods in London, but I got my own demo from Yvette at a pop-up event across town.
Testing the Lancome longevity tech
‘Rather like an MRI or an ultrasound for your skin, Cell BioPrint helps us see inside,’ says Yvette, using a sticky pad to gently remove dead surface cells from my face. ‘The machine is going to tell us how your longevity markers are performing currently, and what your potential skin concerns might be. It’s about a preventative skin strategy, and it diagnoses which longevity serum is best suited for your skin.’
A few minutes later, the machine completes its analysis, and sends its verdict to a hand-held tablet.
Oh. ‘So, your actual age is 51, and your biological age is 50. That’s great!’ says Yvette, who hasn’t noticed my sulky pout. Can’t I stick with 46 please?!
On the plus side, my markers show that my FLG-2 protein (which locks in moisture) is doing rather well. Based on that deep-level information, rather than the typical visual face scan, my ‘skin needs’ analysis suggests that my skin barrier and elasticity are in good shape and likely to continue that way.
However the other four longevity proteins are in the red, which means I have three ‘elevated’ concerns according to the tablet of doom. Whether I see them yet or not, wrinkles, rough texture, and uneven tone are in my skin’s future, according to Gypsy Rose CellPrint Bio.
But before I get too sulky, Yvette assures me that the right Absolue Longevity regime really can change the story. ‘We can change biological age through skincare and lifestyle,’ she says. (Things like pollution and sleep play a big role in our ageing biomarkers, too.) ‘This is all about being preventative. It's telling us what your potential biomarkers changes are, so we can treat it now.’
At “50”, I’m advised to use the Intercept serum and cream daily, and get over myself. (Ok, I made that last bit up.)
I’ve been using the Intercept duo daily for a few weeks, and so far I’m really enjoying using them. The serum sinks in beautifully, and the cream feels incredibly nourishing on my officially midlife skin. And yes, I can come back in future to get an updated age check.
And experts think there are good reasons to stick with the longevity programme, beyond vanity. Longevity skin scientist Dr Nicole Brown says that the current longevity take-over of skincare isn't a rebranding of anti-ageing, but a genuine, evidence-led rethink.
‘Evidence is emerging to show that the quality of your skin on the outside is actually affecting your internal health as well,’ she explains. As our skin cells get damaged over time, ‘they start giving off a lot of inflammation, and that goes around the entire body. We’re starting to see a movement where looking after your skin is actually about whole-body health. It’s about protecting ageing across the entire body.’
So pass me the face cream pot. Fingers crossed I can get back into my 40s before long…
