THE BEST GROOMING UPGRADES RIGHT NOW
along with suits and social life, aesthetic upkeep took a backseat for many over the past year. But rather than hitting the pause button, grooming brands got busy developing new, supercharged products. From LED lasers to lotions made with real gold, these standouts will help you rejoin the fray with your best face forward.
TREATMENT Biostimulators
Some men turn to intermittent fasting in pursuit of extended youth and vitality, others scarf next-generation supplements, but it’s the cosmetics industry that’s come up with a smart biohack with instant, tangible results. Broadly known as biostimulators, these injectables rev up the natural production of collagen and elastin, the cellular foundations of healthy skin that deplete over time. Top brands among elite dermatologists, such as London-based aesthetic physician Wassim Taktouk, include Profhilo, Radiesse and Ellansé.
Unlike conventional fillers, Taktouk says, the draw of biostimulators isn’t simply plumping. Biostimulator gels break down relatively quickly in the body, but “their strength lies in ingredients like calcium hydroxyapatite or polycaprolactone [found in Radiesse and Ellansé, respectively] which are left behind in the tissues, where they can kick-start collagen production.” Unlike dermal fillers, which pay instant dividends but fade within months, think of biostimulators as long-term investments in skin health.
TOOL LED Lasers
High-tech grooming gadgets have seen a recent boom, though few devices have been effective enough to replace, rather than complement, your daily routine. But two devices do stand out. Foremost is Flex by Dermalux ($2,495), the most powerful LED treatment approved for home use. It’s cumbersomely large, in part because it houses an impressive 360 LED bulbs— including blue light at 415 nm, red at 633 nm and near-infrared at 830 nm— to target skin aging, acne, pigmentation and even muscle and joint pain, all with significantly more strength than other masks on the market. For a more portable solution, the $2,499 skinrenewing laser by Lyma is powered by a clinical-grade 500 mw, nearinfrared laser (operating at 808 nm) to tackle wrinkles, scarring, pigmentation and bruising.
PRODUCT La Prairie Pure Gold
In its quest to bottle a healthful glow, La Prairie looked to the one ingredient that has proved to keep its luster over the centuries: gold. After breaking it down on an atomic level, the brand’s scientists found that the precious metal’s unique light-reflecting and refracting properties could be utilized in skincare. The Pure Gold collection, comprising a serum, moisturizer and eye cream (from $635) employs submicron particles of real gold to impart just-back-fromvacation health to sullen, Zoomedout complexions—and that’s just the immediate effect. Gold’s atomic structure carries other active ingredients that, over time, penetrate deeper into the dermis to help repair time-worn, nutrient-depleted skin and deliver a youthful bounce.
FRAGRANCE Amaffi Intrigant
Swiss perfume house Amaffi doesn’t cut corners, even those deemed prohibitively expensive by most. As a result, it produces only between 20 and 50 bottles of each of its scents each year. The brand’s stringent standards include using only natural ingredients, meaning each note that goes into a fragrance is distilled down from several tons of raw material. Each bottle averages a 20 percent concentration of pure perfume and is formulated without water, which results in scents of exceptional depth and staying power. The standout is Intrigant ($4,300), a masculine, vetiver-based fougère with fresh, woody notes balanced by the resinous warmth of oud oil. It may run you four figures, but it smells like a million bucks.
Impart just-back-from-vacation health to sullen, Zoomed-out complexions.