CAN YOU BIOHACK YOUR SKIN?

GROOM SERVICE HI-TECH SKINCARE The best skincare products on shelves today can help slow or prevent the signs of ageing. But the high-tech options you will use in the near future might erase them

Imagine a moisturiser that works with your genetics to reduce cancer risk. Or a serum that communicates with your skin cells to keep collagen pumping. That may sound Blade Runner-y, but the next wave of products that will revolutionise your grooming routine is either hitting shelves now or very soon. ‘We are moving towards changing how we age by reversing what happens to our cells,’ says Julie Russak, a New Yorkbased dermatologist. We asked experts about the four game changers in grooming – and what it all means for the future of your face.

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EXOSOMES

How They Work

These nanoparticles allow skin cells to communicate with one another. ‘They are the active component of stem cells and tell the cell what to do,’ says Los Angeles–based plastic surgeon Jason Diamond. ‘They’re an important part of the body repairing itself’ because they carry proteins, lipids and growth factors from cell to cell, he explains.

The Promise

Some skincare brands claim their exosometargeting serums improve cell-to-cell communication. This results in enhanced collagen and elastin production, processes that battle wrinkles, among other effects of ageing.

Dr. Barbara Sturm Exoso-Metic Eye Serum, £350

Apply it around your eyes and the exosomes and growth factors in the formula may help reduce signs of ageing, such as fine lines.

The Science Still developing. There aren’t many studies on exosomes and ‘none looking at them in humans’, says Evan Rieder, a dermatologist. Yet some manufacturers are running with their claims – despite the fact that no FDA-approved exosome products are currently on the market. THE PRODUCT