Crème of Society
The luxe Decorté AQ Meliority skincare line turned 10 in lavish style, with a celebration that took Tokyo’s beauty world by storm, flaunting its celebrity connections and exquisite new formula
We woke up in Tokyo with the most exciting activities as Decorté threw a massive celebration for its AQ Meliority skincare line, plus an exclusive interview with Kate Moss
Come every new season, the world looks to Japanese cosmetic brands in anticipation of the next industry breakthroughs. For Decorté, this year is made a little more special, in an occasion celebrating its high-end skincare line, AQ Meliority. The anniversary called for a grand party in Tokyo, of which Malaysia Tatler was privy to. The brand had organised a string of exclusive meetings for us, and as we moved through the effervescent city, the appeal of its graceful sophistication stood out, which the new wave AQ Meliority strives to capture. We carried these thoughts into a dialogue with Marcel Wanders, the designer behind its new packaging, which spilled over into an exclusive interview with Decorté’s own brand ambassador, Kate Moss.
“I love that it’s from the forest and it uses natural elements—a holistic approach.” – Kate Moss
CURATED COMPLEX
The AQ Meliority is not just another anti-ageing product: the third-generation skincare returns with a formula powered for regeneration. Designed to awaken skin’s true vitality and beauty beyond the surface, Decorté tapped into techniques and ingredients for the senses. Composed of a carefully selected beauty complex gleaned from a decade of research, the updated AQ Meliority boasts a core Benifuuki ingredient, an organic green tea hailing from the Unesco World Heritage Yakushima island, alongside extracts of tea leaf, white mucuna and birch, applied with sophisticated technology for efficient delivery.
To ensure its efficacy, Decorté must first understand the connection of cell growth and scaffolds to skin regeneration. This AQ Meliority line, according to product planner Yudai Fujii, casts a deeper focus on skin’s growthh ffactors, usingi a patentedd capsule l technology of high-oleic delaysomes that slowly melts into the skin, through a rich base, silky texture and luxurious scent.
DESIGN CODES
Since its inception, AQ Meliority has stood out with its elegant designer packaging, replicating its exquisite formula. From the product line’s first days, designer Marcel Wanders has collaborated with Decorté and turned their visions into a reality with a distinctive white and shapely packaging. “Nothing is beautiful on its own,” Marcel declared, on his design ethos. “The study of beauty is the study of relationships.”
The design authority behind visionary furniture, shops and architecture has carved a name for himself as the art director of Decorté. This one-of-a-kind bond between him and the brand has added a streak of
“Nothing is beautiful on its own; the study of beauty is the study of relationships.” – Marcel Wanders
colour to a diverse portfolio. For one, it is rare for a designer to collaborate with a beauty brand, and second, the brand’s Asian values posed challenges on Marcel’s creativity. “Decorté’s sensitivities and their refinement to stories and style is of a higher level, and the work is different because you create a design that has functionality, besides it speaking to you and respecting you,” Marcel noted.
REWARDING COLLABORATIONS
What made the partnership between Marcel and Decorté a time-honed one is their commitment and shared values. While they give him free reign to create the design, Marcel also credits them for finishing his designs with the right packaging. “Basically, I’m the mother and the company is the father,” he described. “You make something out of the relationship that’s supposed to project our energy.” From top left: Marcel Wanders flanked by executive director Masanori Kobayashi and president Kazutoshi Kobayashi of Decorté; Yudai Fujii, Decorte’s product planner; product testing in progress
Marcel used his experience with crystal, bringing out the allure and cutting of the precious stone into the product design, finishing in a multi-dimensional shine through the bottle cap.
The pride of the new AQ Meliority though, would be in the bottle’s form as a woman’s slender arm, clasped by a bracelet that is the bottle cap. This shape represents feminine curves as an empowering symbol. “This is a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer, she decides for herself, she chooses,” related Marcel.
THE KATE MOSS EFFECT
One such person who embodies the refined woman AQ Meliority is dedicated to is its own brand ambassador, Kate Moss. An ardent fan of Decorté, Kate also expressed a love for the Japanese approach to self-care and beauty. “I love that it’s from the forest and it uses natural elements—a holistic approach,” she shared.
Kate’s main concern is hydration, which she has found her perfect solution to in the range’s high-performance Intensive Cream and Eye Cream. She revealed how others have noticed the improvements on her skin, having absorbed the cream’s rich properties.
Although the main stars are the creams, Kate has taken a liking to the serums as well, and incorporates it into her regular skincare routine. “They’re very rich and velvety, and it’s really good for the skin,” she said. She is a huge fan of the brand’s Intensive Radiance Glow Ritual day and night serums, which are used and applied as a quick-working sevenday programme.
One question that frequently cropped up was raised halfway through my conversation with the supermodel. When duty calls, Kate has invented her very own nifty little tricks for instant skin-awakening, and it involves her favourite Decorté products. “I add a couple of drops of the Tincture to the cream, and let it work its magic,” she revealed with a cheeky smile.
Whether your beauty ritual is to preserve your youth, or to adopt to Japanese skincare culture, female empowerment is merely one of the ways that we can describe the new Decorté AQ Meliority line. It not only strengthens a woman’s beauty regime, it also encourages women to look at beauty in a wholesome, more sustainable light. Once you’re confident with age and comfortable in your own skin, that’s the hidden message behind AQ Meliority.