But a handful of labels are bucking trends and standing out by going beyond the norms of the beauty industry. And by sticking to their guns, these brands are carving a niche for themselves; their competitors do not come close.
American skincare label 3Lab churns out thousand-dollar creams that are made with uber-expensive ingredients, and packed in simple jars. Still, the ridiculously priced creams and serums fly off the shelves - and garner awards.
Niche French perfume brand Etat Libre d'Orange names its perfumes after hypothetical scenarios (such as the end of the world) and controversial figures such as the fetishist artist Tom Of Finland. But within the bottles are undoubtedly premium fragrances concocted with an unexpected twist. Made for when you do not wish to smell like most other people.
French skincare brand Talika takes inspiration from technology found beyond the beauty industry - from hospital bandages to NASA space technology - for its innovative products. The brand is also owned by a real-life Count who loves yoga.
Read on to find out why you should pay attention to these one-of-a-kind beauty labels.
Using only premium ingredients, no matter the cost: 3Lab
It is a familiar, almost predictable, story. A woman - frustrated with the lack of beauty creams on the market that suit her needs - makes her own.
But what the founder of premium skincare brand 3Lab, Mrs Erica Chung, did to create her beauty potions was far from ordinary.
The Korean-American had felt that "most brands put less money in creating the product and more in the packaging". So, she decided to focus on producing top-notch formulas with ingredients that could cost up to US$1 million (S$1.34 million) per kilogram, and sold them in simple jars and bottles.
Beauty conglomerates rarely make such risky and costly moves.
Said the owner of Cosmetics World, a chain of seven multi-brand beauty stores in Texas and California, when she was in town earlier this month to visit her Singapore counter at Escentials: "I was selling premium brands in my stores, but I was not satisfied with what they offered.
"I wanted to create skincare that could actually solve skin problems."
Focusing on products that even out skin tone and dark spots, 3Lab (so named because two chemists and one dermatologist came up with the first formulas) was launched in 2003.
"Wrinkles don't make you look as old as skin discolouration does; the clarity of the skin is important," says the 59-year-old. Case in point: Mrs Chung has visible wrinkles, but her fair and clear skin makes her look at least a decade younger.
One ingredient used in 3Lab products, one kilogram of which costs the same as an apartment, is the PhytoCelTec Malus Domestica, the stem cells of a rare Swiss apple that has been clinically proven to slow the signs of ageing.
In a 2009 American Vogue article, 3Lab was mentioned as one of the first beauty brands to include the valuable ingredient in its anti-ageing M Cream, Super H Serum and Perfect C Treatment Serum.
Other international brands mentioned in the same article as having used the rare Swiss apple stem cell ingredient were American beauty label Chantecaille and French brand Lancome.
Today, PhytoCelTec is also stirred into 3Lab's Perfect Body Cream and Perfect Lips Balm, among others.
Mrs Chung says she does not stint on her pricey ingredients. "If the maximum efficacy of an ingredient is at 'X per cent' of a formula, I would put in that quantity."
Another uber-expensive ingredient picked by 3Lab is the X50 capsule delivery system. It, too, costs up to US$1 million dollars per kilogram, says Mrs Chung.
"It is used by pharmaceutical companies as it delivers the right ingredients to the right cells," she says.
"No matter how expensive the ingredient is, if it does not go to the targeted areas, it will just sit on top of the skin and be ineffective."
3Lab formulas are also water-based (so they do not clog pores) and free of parabens, preservatives, alcohol and fragrance.
So how does Mrs Chung ensure that she gets first dibs on the best raw ingredients in the market?
The fact that her husband, Mr David Chung, is an entrepreneur who owns the cosmetics manufacturing facility, Englewood Lab, in New Jersey, producing cosmetics for about 80 international beauty brands, helps.
Based in New York, the couple have a son.
"The raw material companies come to us, so once I see something interesting, I pick it up and keep it exclusive for a few years," she says.
Obviously, 3Lab's premium beauty potions do not come cheap; although Mrs Chung insists that a pea-sized amount of her formula goes a long way. The anti-ageing creams cost upwards of $1,000 (the prices of the other items are relatively reasonable; a bottle of sunscreen costs $55).
Still, those super-expensive creams are in demand.
The brand was launched in Singapore at multi-label beauty boutique Escentials less than a year ago and more than 200 jars of the $1,168 Super Cream have been sold. Globally, the bestseller is the moisturising and firming M Cream ($360). Since it was rolled out in 2008, 266,690 jars have been sold.
When 3Lab was first launched, the brand's first 19 products were stocked only at Mrs Chung's chain of stores, Cosmetics World.
Today, 3Lab's 40 skincare and bodycare products are sold in 13 markets, including the Czech Republic, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States, the brand is stocked at upmarket department stores Barneys and Nordstrom.
Celebrity fans of 3Lab include actress Hilary Swank (who uses the M Cream while filming on set); and pop star Jennifer Lopez (her pick: the skin-plumping WW Cream).
Mrs Chung says her rationale for investing all that money and effort into what is inside the jars is simple. "I want to be like Estee Lauder or Elizabeth Arden. I want my brand to live on for years after I'm gone."
SUPER H SERUM
Photo: 3Lab
$440, from Escentials at Paragon
Contains the rare Swiss apple stem cells as well as a synthetic growth hormone-like ingredient to moisturise, brighten and slow skin-ageing.
The product was rated as a Top Splurge in international beauty magazine Allure's prestigious Best of Beauty 2014 roll call.
M CREAM
$360, from Escentials at Paragon
Because American actress Hilary Swank likes it; and it promises to firm skin.
SUPER CREAM
$1,168, from Escentials at Paragon
Besides being packed with the brand's most premium ingredients, this does-it-all cream (it is made to rejuvenate and clarify skin) promises results in a matter of days.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating scents that tell real stories: Etat Libre D'Orange
When actress Tilda Swinton wanted to create her own fragrance, she was not interested in just being the face of another celebrity fragrance churned out by hungry marketers.
She wanted to be fully involved in the conception of the perfume and the scent had to reveal her character.
Through her agent, the A-lister found her perfumery partner. The agent was a fan of niche French perfumery Etat Libre d'Orange's fresh and sexy fragrance Tom Of Finland, which was inspired by the erotic works of Finnish fetishist artist Touko Laaksonen.
So, one afternoon in 2010, Swinton turned up at the Etat Libre d'Orange flagship at 69 rue des Archives.
"Tilda told me she wanted to spend some time with me on the formulation," says Mr Etienne De Swardt, the brand's founder, who was recently in town to survey the local market. Most celebrities broker fragrance deals through their agents and are hardly involved in the composition of the juice.
"We worked on it over a period of 12 months. We sniffed raw ingredients and she told me what she liked."
The actress loves ginger, carrot seeds and pumpkin; partly because she has ginger hair.
Mr De Swardt, 44, told her she looks like an "androgynous, dangerous angel" and suggested adding the immortal flower into the blend.
He is not a perfumer, but the former marketing executive says he was "well-trained in perfumes" at French luxury conglomerate Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where he conceptualised and marketed scents for seven years.
Swinton's perfume was created by the nose Mathilde Bijaoui, who is known for her distinctive perfumes with spice and food accords.
The result is a cosy, aromatic perfume built around the ginger and immortal flower. Swinton decided to name it Like This, after The Essential Rumi book of poems by the 13th century Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.
"Tilda said she wanted to dedicate it to the tragedy of beauty and life. There was no need to explain what Like This is, she said," recounts Mr De Swardt, a father of three who is based in Paris.
In 2011, the perfume was launched. That year, it picked up The Specialist's Prize at the prestigious Fragrance Foundation of France's FiFi Awards.
"Like This is iconic because it is a humble, sincere and emotional partnership; we did not fake a last-minute Hollywood collaboration," says Mr De Swardt.
It sums up Etat Libre d'Orange's brand philosophy: it is irreverent and goes beyond the norms of the perfume industry.
The brand's distinctive character is also clear in its name, which means the Orange Free State in French.
"It is an idea of the land of plenty, contrasts and possibility; we want to take our perfumers on the road less travelled with emotion, and not just business in mind," he shares. "We want to go down a rabbit hole of scents."
And a deep hole it is. One of the brand's most famous perfumes is Secretions Magnifiques, which is sold only at the flagship in Paris and through its online store.
"It conveys the idea of sperm, saliva, blood and mucus. It is beyond the acceptable," he says. The perfume is composed of the accords of blood and milk, as well as iris, coconut and sandalwood notes.
Then there is Putain de Palaces, which roughly means whore of the palace, in French.
"It starts floral, then turns animalic. It is like a woman pretending that the man has an option to go further. The dominant note smells like lipstick. Want the kiss? You won't get it," he says. "All our scents have a dirtiness, to show its sensuality at the end."
While the concepts are almost ludicrous, Mr De Swardt says he is serious about the quality of the scents.
He claims that on average, the raw ingredients used in Etat Libre d'Orange's perfumes cost 270 euros (S$400) per kilogram, while the industry average is about a fifth of that price. "We are not bankrupt only because we are saved by the loyalty of our fans," he quips.
With just three perfumes, the brand was launched in 2006 at its Parisian flagship and five department stores, including American department store Henri Bendel.
Today, its 30-plus perfumes are sold across 500 retailers, and its net sales total more than a million euros.
In Singapore, Etat Libre d'Orange has been stocked at Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3, since last year.
"We are a small company, but we are deep," says Mr De Swardt.
"Etat Libre d'Orange is very serious about its perfumes. If you do not understand the eclecticism and radicality of the brand, you can go for Chanel or Estee Lauder."
THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
A favourite of Mr De Swardt's, it is inspired by the controversial 1912 ballet performance of Russian ballet pioneer Vaslav Nijinsky. A blend of bergamot, pepper, incense, myrrh, moss and leather.
LIKE THIS
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
Created in collaboration with actress Tilda Swinton. A sweet and warm aromatic perfume like no other.
JASMIN ET CIGARETTE
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
This is probably how the silver screen sirens Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich would have smelled like.
"An absolute of jasmine twisted with tobacco. It creates the image of a woman smoking, faking masculinity and in the process, revealing a blossoming femininity," says Mr De Swardt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tapping technology from other sectors: Talika
French beauty brand Talika's Eyelash Cream, which promises to rejuvenate lashes, was first created as a medicinal balm.
The year was 1948 and a French doctor named Danielle Roches formulated the anti-bacterial product to treat the burns around the eyes of war victims.
She soon discovered that the cream - made of castor oil, as well as extracts of apple, witch hazel, horse chestnut, nettle and hypericum - also lengthened and thickened the lashes. So Dr Roches started the brand Talika and sold her cream as a lash-lengthening beauty potion.
Fast forward to 2015. While Talika is still best known for its lash growth-boosting formulas, the brand continues to roll out products that take inspiration from unlikely sources, such as Nasa space technology, hospital bandages and ancient Egyptian beautifying methods.
"Big discoveries are always by chance. Our researchers identify technologies in medicine and other scientific discoveries, and translate them into cosmetic products," says Mr Alexis de Brosses, 51, the owner and president of Talika.
Mr de Brosses, who belongs to a noble family in France, is a count. His mother bought over Talika in the 1980s and he took over ownership of the business in 1996.
"Talika creates its own niche as our starting points are technological discoveries, not marketing,'' says the Frenchman, who was in Singapore earlier this month to attend a trade event. The bachelor and father-to-be also points out that the brand's products are made to be simple, innovative and efficient.
So far, the brand may have delivered just that.
One of its bestsellers is the Eye Therapy Patch, which Mr de Brosses discovered when he visited a clinic in the United States.
"I saw that the doctors applied these reusable patches on patients with burns and they healed well," he recounts.
Soon after, he created similar patches to treat the undereye area. He claims that the patches will smoothen wrinkles, and reduce puffiness and dark circles in 30 minutes. The best part: the patches, which come in a set of three pairs, can be washed and reused up to five times.
There are many handheld LED skin-reinvigorating beauty devices that are made based on Nasa space technology on the market these days. Clinical studies have shown that certain wavelengths of light from LEDs can help speed up the skin's healing process.
Talika was one of the first to produce such gadgets a decade ago. Its latest version is the Light Duo +, which promises to reduce skin redness instantly; smoothen wrinkles in 28 days; and lighten dark spots in 60 days.
The device - which also uses ionotherapy and micro-vibrations to stimulate the skin - is to be placed on, or near the skin for a few minutes each day.
And while Talika taps the latest modern technology for cosmetic purposes, it also turns to age-old medicinal practices for insights.
For instance, its popular Vital Oil is based on ancient Egyptian skincare recipes and is a blend of lavender, rose and other plant extracts. It was produced with the help of Mr de Brosses' uncle, a biologist, and can be used on both the face and body to keep skin supple.
Meanwhile, the starting point for the formula of the Bust Phytoserum, which is said to firm and lift breasts in six weeks, is ayurveda, an ancient form of holistic medicine.
Mr de Brosses, a lanky and devout yogi, was in India when an ayurvedic doctor told him that he should "fatten up".
"He said I was too skinny and told me about a plant that you can apply on the skin and get fatter," he says.
"Then I remembered how some of my female friends have been asking about breast-enlarging products."
He put two and two together, added the said plant extract (guggul, a resin from an Indian bush), mangosteen, quince and sea kelp bioferment into a bottle, and launched the bust-firming product.
When Mr de Brosses took over Talika, it had just two products, Vital Oil and the Eyelash Cream. Today, there are around 50 products and they are stocked at about 3,000 doors globally. Sales have been growing at 15 per cent year-on-year since 2013.
In Singapore, Talika is available at Sephora stores.
The count says he has plenty of products ready in his arsenal, but he wants to be judicious.
"The products must bring something that does not exist in the market, or it will just add to the issues of pollution," he says matter-of-factly.
To continue to get inspiration for unique Talika cosmetic products, Mr de Brosses says he turns to meditation, yoga and travel.
"Big ideas come when your mind is full of space. I like to travel without any planned programmes to make time for emptiness. And when I have good intentions, I will attract good ideas and feed my brand with good products."
TALIKA LIPOCILS EXPERT
Photo: Talika
$69, from Sephora stores
The brand's bestseller. Made to thicken, darken and curl lashes, naturally.
TALIKA LIGHT DUO PLUS
$539, from Sephora stores
Think of this as a high-tech facial device that can fit in your pocket.
About the size of a bar of soap, it is made to rejuvenate skin with light of different wavelengths that penetrate various layers of the skin. It promises to firm, brighten, smoothen and even out the skin tone.
Based on aerospace LED research, the chargeable gadget can be used with or without skincare.
TALIKA LASH CONDITIONING CLEANSER
Photo: Talika
$49, from Sephora stores
Removes waterproof mascara with a non-greasy formula while treating the lashes with silk proteins to strengthen them.
This article was first published on May 29, 2015.
Get a copy of Urban, The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Source : http://women.asiaone.com/women/beauty/uncommon-beauty%C2%A0%C2%A0?page=0%2C0
But a handful of labels are bucking trends and standing out by going beyond the norms of the beauty industry. And by sticking to their guns, these brands are carving a niche for themselves; their competitors do not come close.
American skincare label 3Lab churns out thousand-dollar creams that are made with uber-expensive ingredients, and packed in simple jars. Still, the ridiculously priced creams and serums fly off the shelves - and garner awards.
Niche French perfume brand Etat Libre d'Orange names its perfumes after hypothetical scenarios (such as the end of the world) and controversial figures such as the fetishist artist Tom Of Finland. But within the bottles are undoubtedly premium fragrances concocted with an unexpected twist. Made for when you do not wish to smell like most other people.
French skincare brand Talika takes inspiration from technology found beyond the beauty industry - from hospital bandages to NASA space technology - for its innovative products. The brand is also owned by a real-life Count who loves yoga.
Read on to find out why you should pay attention to these one-of-a-kind beauty labels.
Using only premium ingredients, no matter the cost: 3Lab
It is a familiar, almost predictable, story. A woman - frustrated with the lack of beauty creams on the market that suit her needs - makes her own.
But what the founder of premium skincare brand 3Lab, Mrs Erica Chung, did to create her beauty potions was far from ordinary.
The Korean-American had felt that "most brands put less money in creating the product and more in the packaging". So, she decided to focus on producing top-notch formulas with ingredients that could cost up to US$1 million (S$1.34 million) per kilogram, and sold them in simple jars and bottles.
Beauty conglomerates rarely make such risky and costly moves.
Said the owner of Cosmetics World, a chain of seven multi-brand beauty stores in Texas and California, when she was in town earlier this month to visit her Singapore counter at Escentials: "I was selling premium brands in my stores, but I was not satisfied with what they offered.
"I wanted to create skincare that could actually solve skin problems."
Focusing on products that even out skin tone and dark spots, 3Lab (so named because two chemists and one dermatologist came up with the first formulas) was launched in 2003.
"Wrinkles don't make you look as old as skin discolouration does; the clarity of the skin is important," says the 59-year-old. Case in point: Mrs Chung has visible wrinkles, but her fair and clear skin makes her look at least a decade younger.
One ingredient used in 3Lab products, one kilogram of which costs the same as an apartment, is the PhytoCelTec Malus Domestica, the stem cells of a rare Swiss apple that has been clinically proven to slow the signs of ageing.
In a 2009 American Vogue article, 3Lab was mentioned as one of the first beauty brands to include the valuable ingredient in its anti-ageing M Cream, Super H Serum and Perfect C Treatment Serum.
Other international brands mentioned in the same article as having used the rare Swiss apple stem cell ingredient were American beauty label Chantecaille and French brand Lancome.
Today, PhytoCelTec is also stirred into 3Lab's Perfect Body Cream and Perfect Lips Balm, among others.
Mrs Chung says she does not stint on her pricey ingredients. "If the maximum efficacy of an ingredient is at 'X per cent' of a formula, I would put in that quantity."
Another uber-expensive ingredient picked by 3Lab is the X50 capsule delivery system. It, too, costs up to US$1 million dollars per kilogram, says Mrs Chung.
"It is used by pharmaceutical companies as it delivers the right ingredients to the right cells," she says.
"No matter how expensive the ingredient is, if it does not go to the targeted areas, it will just sit on top of the skin and be ineffective."
3Lab formulas are also water-based (so they do not clog pores) and free of parabens, preservatives, alcohol and fragrance.
So how does Mrs Chung ensure that she gets first dibs on the best raw ingredients in the market?
The fact that her husband, Mr David Chung, is an entrepreneur who owns the cosmetics manufacturing facility, Englewood Lab, in New Jersey, producing cosmetics for about 80 international beauty brands, helps.
Based in New York, the couple have a son.
"The raw material companies come to us, so once I see something interesting, I pick it up and keep it exclusive for a few years," she says.
Obviously, 3Lab's premium beauty potions do not come cheap; although Mrs Chung insists that a pea-sized amount of her formula goes a long way. The anti-ageing creams cost upwards of $1,000 (the prices of the other items are relatively reasonable; a bottle of sunscreen costs $55).
Still, those super-expensive creams are in demand.
The brand was launched in Singapore at multi-label beauty boutique Escentials less than a year ago and more than 200 jars of the $1,168 Super Cream have been sold. Globally, the bestseller is the moisturising and firming M Cream ($360). Since it was rolled out in 2008, 266,690 jars have been sold.
When 3Lab was first launched, the brand's first 19 products were stocked only at Mrs Chung's chain of stores, Cosmetics World.
Today, 3Lab's 40 skincare and bodycare products are sold in 13 markets, including the Czech Republic, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States, the brand is stocked at upmarket department stores Barneys and Nordstrom.
Celebrity fans of 3Lab include actress Hilary Swank (who uses the M Cream while filming on set); and pop star Jennifer Lopez (her pick: the skin-plumping WW Cream).
Mrs Chung says her rationale for investing all that money and effort into what is inside the jars is simple. "I want to be like Estee Lauder or Elizabeth Arden. I want my brand to live on for years after I'm gone."
SUPER H SERUM
Photo: 3Lab
$440, from Escentials at Paragon
Contains the rare Swiss apple stem cells as well as a synthetic growth hormone-like ingredient to moisturise, brighten and slow skin-ageing.
The product was rated as a Top Splurge in international beauty magazine Allure's prestigious Best of Beauty 2014 roll call.
M CREAM
$360, from Escentials at Paragon
Because American actress Hilary Swank likes it; and it promises to firm skin.
SUPER CREAM
$1,168, from Escentials at Paragon
Besides being packed with the brand's most premium ingredients, this does-it-all cream (it is made to rejuvenate and clarify skin) promises results in a matter of days.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating scents that tell real stories: Etat Libre D'Orange
When actress Tilda Swinton wanted to create her own fragrance, she was not interested in just being the face of another celebrity fragrance churned out by hungry marketers.
She wanted to be fully involved in the conception of the perfume and the scent had to reveal her character.
Through her agent, the A-lister found her perfumery partner. The agent was a fan of niche French perfumery Etat Libre d'Orange's fresh and sexy fragrance Tom Of Finland, which was inspired by the erotic works of Finnish fetishist artist Touko Laaksonen.
So, one afternoon in 2010, Swinton turned up at the Etat Libre d'Orange flagship at 69 rue des Archives.
"Tilda told me she wanted to spend some time with me on the formulation," says Mr Etienne De Swardt, the brand's founder, who was recently in town to survey the local market. Most celebrities broker fragrance deals through their agents and are hardly involved in the composition of the juice.
"We worked on it over a period of 12 months. We sniffed raw ingredients and she told me what she liked."
The actress loves ginger, carrot seeds and pumpkin; partly because she has ginger hair.
Mr De Swardt, 44, told her she looks like an "androgynous, dangerous angel" and suggested adding the immortal flower into the blend.
He is not a perfumer, but the former marketing executive says he was "well-trained in perfumes" at French luxury conglomerate Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where he conceptualised and marketed scents for seven years.
Swinton's perfume was created by the nose Mathilde Bijaoui, who is known for her distinctive perfumes with spice and food accords.
The result is a cosy, aromatic perfume built around the ginger and immortal flower. Swinton decided to name it Like This, after The Essential Rumi book of poems by the 13th century Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.
"Tilda said she wanted to dedicate it to the tragedy of beauty and life. There was no need to explain what Like This is, she said," recounts Mr De Swardt, a father of three who is based in Paris.
In 2011, the perfume was launched. That year, it picked up The Specialist's Prize at the prestigious Fragrance Foundation of France's FiFi Awards.
"Like This is iconic because it is a humble, sincere and emotional partnership; we did not fake a last-minute Hollywood collaboration," says Mr De Swardt.
It sums up Etat Libre d'Orange's brand philosophy: it is irreverent and goes beyond the norms of the perfume industry.
The brand's distinctive character is also clear in its name, which means the Orange Free State in French.
"It is an idea of the land of plenty, contrasts and possibility; we want to take our perfumers on the road less travelled with emotion, and not just business in mind," he shares. "We want to go down a rabbit hole of scents."
And a deep hole it is. One of the brand's most famous perfumes is Secretions Magnifiques, which is sold only at the flagship in Paris and through its online store.
"It conveys the idea of sperm, saliva, blood and mucus. It is beyond the acceptable," he says. The perfume is composed of the accords of blood and milk, as well as iris, coconut and sandalwood notes.
Then there is Putain de Palaces, which roughly means whore of the palace, in French.
"It starts floral, then turns animalic. It is like a woman pretending that the man has an option to go further. The dominant note smells like lipstick. Want the kiss? You won't get it," he says. "All our scents have a dirtiness, to show its sensuality at the end."
While the concepts are almost ludicrous, Mr De Swardt says he is serious about the quality of the scents.
He claims that on average, the raw ingredients used in Etat Libre d'Orange's perfumes cost 270 euros (S$400) per kilogram, while the industry average is about a fifth of that price. "We are not bankrupt only because we are saved by the loyalty of our fans," he quips.
With just three perfumes, the brand was launched in 2006 at its Parisian flagship and five department stores, including American department store Henri Bendel.
Today, its 30-plus perfumes are sold across 500 retailers, and its net sales total more than a million euros.
In Singapore, Etat Libre d'Orange has been stocked at Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3, since last year.
"We are a small company, but we are deep," says Mr De Swardt.
"Etat Libre d'Orange is very serious about its perfumes. If you do not understand the eclecticism and radicality of the brand, you can go for Chanel or Estee Lauder."
THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
A favourite of Mr De Swardt's, it is inspired by the controversial 1912 ballet performance of Russian ballet pioneer Vaslav Nijinsky. A blend of bergamot, pepper, incense, myrrh, moss and leather.
LIKE THIS
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
Created in collaboration with actress Tilda Swinton. A sweet and warm aromatic perfume like no other.
JASMIN ET CIGARETTE
$220, from Beautique, Takashimya Department Store, Level 3
This is probably how the silver screen sirens Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich would have smelled like.
"An absolute of jasmine twisted with tobacco. It creates the image of a woman smoking, faking masculinity and in the process, revealing a blossoming femininity," says Mr De Swardt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tapping technology from other sectors: Talika
French beauty brand Talika's Eyelash Cream, which promises to rejuvenate lashes, was first created as a medicinal balm.
The year was 1948 and a French doctor named Danielle Roches formulated the anti-bacterial product to treat the burns around the eyes of war victims.
She soon discovered that the cream - made of castor oil, as well as extracts of apple, witch hazel, horse chestnut, nettle and hypericum - also lengthened and thickened the lashes. So Dr Roches started the brand Talika and sold her cream as a lash-lengthening beauty potion.
Fast forward to 2015. While Talika is still best known for its lash growth-boosting formulas, the brand continues to roll out products that take inspiration from unlikely sources, such as Nasa space technology, hospital bandages and ancient Egyptian beautifying methods.
"Big discoveries are always by chance. Our researchers identify technologies in medicine and other scientific discoveries, and translate them into cosmetic products," says Mr Alexis de Brosses, 51, the owner and president of Talika.
Mr de Brosses, who belongs to a noble family in France, is a count. His mother bought over Talika in the 1980s and he took over ownership of the business in 1996.
"Talika creates its own niche as our starting points are technological discoveries, not marketing,'' says the Frenchman, who was in Singapore earlier this month to attend a trade event. The bachelor and father-to-be also points out that the brand's products are made to be simple, innovative and efficient.
So far, the brand may have delivered just that.
One of its bestsellers is the Eye Therapy Patch, which Mr de Brosses discovered when he visited a clinic in the United States.
"I saw that the doctors applied these reusable patches on patients with burns and they healed well," he recounts.
Soon after, he created similar patches to treat the undereye area. He claims that the patches will smoothen wrinkles, and reduce puffiness and dark circles in 30 minutes. The best part: the patches, which come in a set of three pairs, can be washed and reused up to five times.
There are many handheld LED skin-reinvigorating beauty devices that are made based on Nasa space technology on the market these days. Clinical studies have shown that certain wavelengths of light from LEDs can help speed up the skin's healing process.
Talika was one of the first to produce such gadgets a decade ago. Its latest version is the Light Duo +, which promises to reduce skin redness instantly; smoothen wrinkles in 28 days; and lighten dark spots in 60 days.
The device - which also uses ionotherapy and micro-vibrations to stimulate the skin - is to be placed on, or near the skin for a few minutes each day.
And while Talika taps the latest modern technology for cosmetic purposes, it also turns to age-old medicinal practices for insights.
For instance, its popular Vital Oil is based on ancient Egyptian skincare recipes and is a blend of lavender, rose and other plant extracts. It was produced with the help of Mr de Brosses' uncle, a biologist, and can be used on both the face and body to keep skin supple.
Meanwhile, the starting point for the formula of the Bust Phytoserum, which is said to firm and lift breasts in six weeks, is ayurveda, an ancient form of holistic medicine.
Mr de Brosses, a lanky and devout yogi, was in India when an ayurvedic doctor told him that he should "fatten up".
"He said I was too skinny and told me about a plant that you can apply on the skin and get fatter," he says.
"Then I remembered how some of my female friends have been asking about breast-enlarging products."
He put two and two together, added the said plant extract (guggul, a resin from an Indian bush), mangosteen, quince and sea kelp bioferment into a bottle, and launched the bust-firming product.
When Mr de Brosses took over Talika, it had just two products, Vital Oil and the Eyelash Cream. Today, there are around 50 products and they are stocked at about 3,000 doors globally. Sales have been growing at 15 per cent year-on-year since 2013.
In Singapore, Talika is available at Sephora stores.
The count says he has plenty of products ready in his arsenal, but he wants to be judicious.
"The products must bring something that does not exist in the market, or it will just add to the issues of pollution," he says matter-of-factly.
To continue to get inspiration for unique Talika cosmetic products, Mr de Brosses says he turns to meditation, yoga and travel.
"Big ideas come when your mind is full of space. I like to travel without any planned programmes to make time for emptiness. And when I have good intentions, I will attract good ideas and feed my brand with good products."
TALIKA LIPOCILS EXPERT
Photo: Talika
$69, from Sephora stores
The brand's bestseller. Made to thicken, darken and curl lashes, naturally.
TALIKA LIGHT DUO PLUS
$539, from Sephora stores
Think of this as a high-tech facial device that can fit in your pocket.
About the size of a bar of soap, it is made to rejuvenate skin with light of different wavelengths that penetrate various layers of the skin. It promises to firm, brighten, smoothen and even out the skin tone.
Based on aerospace LED research, the chargeable gadget can be used with or without skincare.
TALIKA LASH CONDITIONING CLEANSER
Photo: Talika
$49, from Sephora stores
Removes waterproof mascara with a non-greasy formula while treating the lashes with silk proteins to strengthen them.
This article was first published on May 29, 2015.
Get a copy of Urban, The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Source : http://women.asiaone.com/women/beauty/uncommon-beauty%C2%A0%C2%A0?page=0%2C0
Comments