Don’t apply on your skin on its own, advised Tess, the facialist at the Clarins Skin Spa in Rustan’s Makati, after an express facial session to introduce Clarins’ new trio of skin “boosters.”
It’s highly concentrated, so mix it with your regular face cream before application, she added. The eye area, which has thinner skin, must be avoided.
Pam Aguirre, Clarins’ education manager, echoed the advice. If you must use two of the boosters, don’t use it at the same time, she said. Use one in the morning, and the other at night. The products are so potent they could cause redness on sensitive skin if not used as indicated.
Clarins’ breakthrough line is the result of the French luxury skincare company’s 10-year research on booster products. The Clarins Booster trio has super-concentrated formulations that guarantee immediate results—meaning, they’re quick fixes to skin’s specific needs at any given time.
We’ve all experienced one or two of these at one point: overworked, or partied late; had a little too much to drink, or not enough to eat from constant dieting; didn’t get enough sleep, or jet-lagged; spent too much time under the sun, or soaked too long in the pool. These are just a few of the reasons we get up the next day with skin that’s not in its best shape.
That’s where the Clarins boosters come in: they’re designed for use for just a day, a week, or a month, depending on your skin’s needs.
Medicinal benefits
Clarins Booster Energy (orange bottle) is formulated for cell renewal. Cell metabolism slows down when a person is constantly tired, resulting in dull, lifeless complexion.
Booster Energy’s key ingredient is ginseng, a root treasured in China and Korea for its medicinal benefits. Elixirs made from ginseng were once reserved exclusively for emperors in China. In modern science, it’s used in cosmetics for its ability to stimulate the skin to renew itself through the production of collagen fibers. Booster Energy’s promise is to revive skin radiance.
The blue bottle, Booster Repair, is targeted for skin weakened by external aggressors like extreme temperatures and UV rays, resulting in rough skin and redness. To heal it, this booster contains mimosa tenuiflora, a shrub from Mexico that’s touted for its efficacy in healing wounds.
This so-called “skin tree” got its superstar status when its therapeutic benefits were proven in 1985, following an earthquake in Mexico and there was shortage of medicine. The extract from its bark is used in cosmetics for its antibacterial, soothing and regenerative benefits.
Booster Detox (green) is made for congested skin owing to a lifestyle of hedonistic over-indulgence. It’s made with green coffee from Africa, whose high caffeine content is a powerful antioxidant.
If you ever get confused as to what booster you might need, just tick off the checklist on the box of each bottle. Orange is for “late nights, hectic lifestyle, jet lag, dieting, exhausted parents.” Blue: “sunburn, extreme climates; hard, salt or chlorinated water; minor cosmetic treatments.” Green: “partying, overindulging, smoky environments, extreme pollution.”
The booster serums have nanoparticles designed to be absorbed deep into the skin. They come in tiny 15-ml pump bottles, and you need only 3-5 drops mixed with your face cream, BB cream or foundation.
Each booster retails for P2,250, and is available at Clarins in Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La, Alabang and Cebu.
