The buzz around 2012's must-have anti-wrinkle cream has begun, with a product reportedly set for release by French cosmetics company L'Oréal generating interest in the anti-aging industry.
A report published January 2 by The Daily Mail claims a new line of anti-wrinkle creams which "trick" skin cells into regenerating themselves is expected for release this year.
According to the publication, L'Oréal will use a special type of technology registered as Glycanactif for a product line in which artificial chemicals can mimic natural chemical behavior, penetrating the skin's surface and stimulating cell regeneration.
"There is still much more to cell signaling and the ageing process, but all the cosmetics we had before were acting on the surface," explained L'Oréal's research director Bruno Bernard.
"Now we are able to create a rejuvenating effect on the deeper levels of the skin."
Meanwhile, Richard Gallo, a professor of dermatology at the University of California in San Diego, described the results of the study into cell regeneration technology as "surprisingly good."
Gallo told The Sunday Times the technology could have a huge impact on releases from across the beauty industry, although urged a cautious approach.
"There are a number of companies looking into this area. The optimistic side of me says it does have the potential... but the pessimist in me says it might be just another piece of hype," he warned.
One product developed using L'Oréal's glycobiology technology to have already made the headlines is Yves Saint Laurent's Forever Youth Liberator.
Following its January launch in Europe and Japan with a US unveiling in March, the Forever Youth Liberator line has benefited from parent company L'Oréal's research into glycans. The new line containing the glycan complex is aimed at women over 30 and comprises a serum, cleansing mousse, lotion, cream, rich cream, eye cream and SPF 15 cream and lotion.
Glycanactif technology looks set to be L'Oréal's latest anti-aging buzz phrase, following from the 2010 launch of its Youth Code Day Cream, which had been ten years in development and was the brand's first mass market product based on genomic trials.
