How super can a serum be? - The Times
Challenge yourself with today's puzzles.
With an array of high-performance skincare, including the hyaluronic acid serum that helped to establish her name a decade ago, Dr Barbara Sturm is not short of hero products. So what makes a formula special enough to join her Super Anti-Aging collection? The answer is that it must be super.
Sturm began her career in orthopaedics before applying her expertise in anti-inflammatory science to skincare. After developing her signature “blood facial” (not as scary as it sounds), she launched her Molecular Cosmetics line in 2014. Since then her science-led inflammation-conscious approach has attracted a devoted international following.
This September Sturm welcomes two additions to the line: a new and enhanced Super Anti-Aging Serum and the new Super Anti-Aging Face Mask Rich. Both combine molecular science with high-performance actives. Time may march on but Sturm is not letting it pass unchallenged.
For the mask, the focus is elasticity, something that naturally diminishes with age, declining by approximately 1 per cent each year from the age of 25. Sturm describes elasticity as a defining characteristic of youthful skin and, since it is determined by the dermal network of collagen and elastin, it is also one of the most challenging skin parameters to improve, she explains.
The solution? Sturm has “cracked the code” of restoring skin elasticity with the Super Anti-Aging Face Mask Rich, an intensive cream-to-oil treatment powered by lipid-rich actives, antioxidants and multi-weight hydrators. According to the brand’s clinical studies, it can restore skin elasticity by 84 per cent in just 5 applications.
At the heart of the formula are Japanese camellia and passion-fruit oils, both rich in omega-9 fatty acids. A blend of hyaluronic acids, glycolipids and barley extract provides long-lasting hydration and helps to soften the appearance of fine lines. Antioxidants, including cherimoya extract, are intended to soothe visible signs of stress, support the skin barrier and improve resilience.
Happily, the texture is neither sticky nor gloopy but cooling, soothing and an excellent excuse to lie down for ten minutes. The mask also comes with a stainless-steel gua sha, designed to aid application, encourage lymphatic drainage and help sculpt the facial contours. Think of it as one of Sturm’s glow-making facials, without having to leave the sofa.
The serum, however, remains centre stage. An evolution of Sturm’s original Super Anti-Aging Serum — a cornerstone of her Molecular Cosmetics collection since 2015 — the new formula introduces additional bioactives, antioxidants and ingredients intended to support NAD+, a molecule involved in cellular energy production.
The serum is designed to address the loss of hydration, firmness, elasticity, plumpness and radiance that occurs with age, as well as visible changes associated with environmental and lifestyle stressors, including fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and uneven texture.
At the forefront of the enhanced formula is superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme that helps to neutralise free radicals and protect skin cells from oxidative stress. Sunflower sprout extract is included to support the skin’s NAD+ levels and healthy function. Biofermented purslane (one of Sturm’s signature ingredients) appears alongside skullcap and glutathione, two further antioxidants.
Whether any serum can genuinely outwit time remains debatable. But Sturm’s new formula — clinically proven to reactivate all the hallmarks of youthful skin in three months, with 97 per cent of volunteers reporting visibly smoother skin and 93 per cent saying it felt hydrated and nourished — seems a good place to start. And if ageing gracefully now involves reclining with a cream-to-oil mask and a chilled steel gua sha, there are surely worse ways to go about it.
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