A new line of custom-made serums from France takes your daily skincare regimen to the next level…
The concept of ‘bespoke’ is having a moment, and advancements in technology are taking truly personalized skincare regimens from novelty to mainstream. In recent years, consumer demand for more tailored beauty and grooming regimens has skyrocketed and, as a result, personalized personal care products have become a reality.
“It’s definitely where skin care is going, and it makes sense,” says Dr. Stephen Mulholland of SpaMedica in Toronto. “It’s a part of a larger cultural trend to individualized, bespoke products in virtually every category; no one wants anything ‘cookie-cutter’ anymore. But it especially makes sense in skin care. While there are only so many skincare concerns that people have, the degree to which one can have them and the combination of concerns make everyone’s issues unique.”
Generally we are sold skincare products to suit about five different categories: dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, aging skin and problem skin. But what if you have aging skin, and are still prone to oiliness? Traditional over-the-counter products will focus on only one category and you may be doing more harm than good by tackling what seems to be your biggest skin problem.
Ahead of the ‘bespoke’ trend, a panel of expert dermatologists and plastic surgeons from France developed a new concept of custom-made serums, called Universkin. First introduced in Europe and the UK, the individualized skincare line has nally made its way west, offering a potency of ingredients and formulations that drugstore, department store, boutique and mass brands simply cannot match.
“No other skincare [brand] is doing this—for most brands, customization means a base formula and a handful of serums to choose from and add to it,” says Dr. Mulholland.
That’s not the case here.
From the individualization standpoint, Universkin has 19 pharmaceutical- grade “Actives” available in 57 possible concentrations, which can be used to create a staggering 1,159 unique formulations. The serums are highly active, to target various conditions from pigmentation, acne and sensitive or eczema-prone skin, to wrinkles or loss of volume.
The journey to personalized skin care begins with a comprehensive consultation with a Universkin-trained medical aesthetician to determine a customer’s specific skin condition and skincare needs before determining their individual formulation.
The aesthetician works with the customer to determine what needs to be addressed and what is the biggest concern, and then creates one-of-a-kind formulations to help, whether it is stressed skin; wrinkled skin and loss of volume; in ammation including redness, inflammatory acne and rosacea; dry skin; thick skin that may have blackheads and comedones; oily skin; or lentigo, melasma or post-in ammatory hyperpigmentation. Products are then mixed with a unique system and can be adjusted to accommodate different seasonal needs or tweaked over time as the customer’s skin changes and improves.
It’s simple and efficient—and more in-depth than picking a product from the beauty counter of your favourite department store. After all, it’s incredibly easy to waste a lot of money on products that not only aren’t effective but also can potentially do your skin more harm than good.
Professional guidance and the right skincare system inevitably puts you on the right track.
“When I talk to my patients, I call Universkin the big guns,” says Dr. Mulholland, who regularly recommends Universkin to his patients at SpaMedica. “The Actives are powerful and the base formula to which they are added is, in itself, strong and effective. Department-store brands, even the most potent, have to be concerned about a wide range of people and they keep things moderate. With Universkin, we can tweak it and the concentration of Actives can be increased. We can alter your formulation at any point. That’s important when you are using powerful skincare ingredients.”
The days of 10 different skincare products—and buying skincare products that aren’t right for you—are over. And this is just the beginning…
UNIVERSKIN P SERUM suggested retail price: $199
For more information: Universkin.ca
CHRISTOPHER TURNER acted as guest editor for this issue of IN magazine. He is a Toronto-based writer, editor and lifelong fashionisto with a passion for pop culture and sneakers. Follow him on social media at @Turnstylin.
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