A lot can happen in 15 years. Think, for example, back to 2003: Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California; Apple launched a little something called iTunes; Lost in Translation hit the big screen. Those moments almost feel like a lifetime ago, and yet, over the 15 years since we were first introduced to Dory in Finding Nemo, Dr. Daniel Stangl has been working on—perfecting, really—one bottle of cream.
It is not just any cream, though; Stangl is director of innovation at La Prairie, so years of research and development are necessary to achieve the high level of efficacy that the Swiss luxury skin care brand’s products are known for. And the White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire, launched March 2018, is no exception.
The newest addition to the ultra-luxe White Caviar line harnesses the power of a component called lumidose (that is, after over 50,000 other ingredients were tested by Stangl and team). By disrupting melanin formation, lumidose helps to brighten the skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots for an overall glow.
“We have tested lumidose on age spots and the surrounding skin and have seen the fast appearance of results,” Stangl says over the phone from the La Prairie headquarters in Volketswil. “In two weeks, there’s a lightening effect. There is a visual effect after four weeks. That increases after eight and 12 weeks. So it’s a very fast result.”
Other coveted ingredients in Crème Extraordinaire include golden caviar extract, which helps increase firmness and smooth wrinkles, and salicylic acid, which refines and levels the surface of the skin. One single pump from the silver container (beautiful enough to display on the powder room counter) is all that is needed for application; the soft-smelling, silky formula glides onto skin and is promptly absorbed.
Vancouverites can get a special look at this product and others at La Prairie’s pop-up lounge inside the Holt Renfrew Vancouver Beauty Hall. Taking place every day until March 31 from noon to 6 p.m., the shop-in-shop features experts ready to share the latest in the White Caviar line, plus fashion illustrations by Lily Qian, on-the-go treatments such as the Relaxing Hand Massage, and even portrait photography. The event is open to the public, with two luxurious 45-minute options that require advance booking: the White Caviar Facial Treatment (firming and brightening) and The Science of Light (a close analysis of skin’s hyperpigmentation).
So it may have taken 15 years to get the Crème Extraordinaire, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. “This is quite an exciting journey that we have now completed,” agrees Stangl. As Jay-Z raps on Beyonce’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love,” this is history in the making.
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