French beauty house Lancôme’s ultra-luxurious Absolue range promises true skin transformation via the regenerative power of the rose.
For centuries, the rose has been claimed by art and literature as the enduring symbol of true love and beauty. “Deep-hearted and pure” as described by Dorothy Parker, the rose fires the imagination and stokes the embers of the heart.
And in the world of beauty, this botanical marvel promises to accelerate skin repair and regeneration, and features as the miracle ingredient in Lancôme’s premium skincare range, Absolue. But how does one harness the transformational magic of the sublime rose? The Lancôme process is a meticulous, painstaking one – employing the full expertise and scientific rigour of its renowned Lancôme Laboratories.
A Rose Above the Rest
It starts with breeding the ultimate rose. Lancôme founder Armand Petitjean was deeply in love with roses, and cultivated them with great enthusiasm in his garden in Ville d’Avray near Paris. The Lancôme logo, after all, is a rose and was reportedly inspired by the blooms around the ruins of the Château de Lancosme, and the lush paintings of Belgian botanist Pierre-Joseph Redoute.
The iconic Lancôme Rose was first developed in 1973 by George Delbard, France’s most esteemed rose cultivator and founder of the Delbard nursery. Bred from tens of thousands of rose hybridisations, the iconic long-stemmed fuchsia beauty was originally created for the express purpose of designing perfumes, but its exceptional resilience led to its stem cells being extracted via a harvesting process called fermogenesis, and features as the rare active ingredient in Lancôme’s pioneering regenerative elixir, Absolue L’Extrait, in 2012.
And it doesn’t come easy – a single drop of this rose’s concentrate requires no less than 3kg of rose petals.
For the Lancôme Absolue range, these native rose cells have been combined with two other exclusive rose extracts – Damask Rose to expedite healing, and Centifolia Rose for its soothing, anti-inflammatory action. This potent trio makes up the regenerating Grand Rose Extract that powers this ultra-luxe skincare range and promises absolute skin transformation in just 30 days.
The Bloom of Youth
The Lancôme Absolue Soft Cream shines as the star product of the Absolue range, and features a dreamy delicate cream in a sumptuous gold tub. And it promises big things: in 1 week, skin looks revitalised and regains luminosity; in 1 month, skin is regenerated and visibly transformed.
And how does this happen? The Lancôme rose native cells, which serve to regenerate cells in the plant, has a similar effect on human dermal cells – stimulating fibroblasts to produce more collagen and elastin. Skin cell renewal is accelerated up to 42 percent, and skin looks firmer and plumper.
The Absolue Soft Cream is light but luxurious enough for use as both a day and night cream. Makeup feels good on top of it and glides on more evenly, and skin feels lush and comfortable the whole day. For night, the Absolue Soft Cream acts as an intensive skin recharging treatment.
Unlike other intensive skin-recharging creams though, Lancôme Absolue Soft Cream doesn’t feel heavy or overly unctuous – its unique “TtT – Thick Thin Thick” texture is a dream to apply on skin, and melts under your fingers from creamy to liquid-light for smoother application and quicker absorption, then back to thick again for luscious plumpness.
All in all, a one-of-a-kind cream to rule them all – flexible enough for day and night use, a sensorial delight with its specially formulated texture and remarkable scent, and the results speak for themselves.
Garden of Delights
With its premium Absolue range, Lancôme has set the new gold standard for anti-ageing. All its skincare products are enriched with the rejuvenating power of Grand Rose Extracts, and are available as a full range including cleansers, lotions, oils and serums, face, eye and lip creams and masks.
Here are some of our stand-out favourites from the Lancôme Absolue range:
Absolue Rose 80 is a brightening and revitalising toning lotion formulated with a blend of 80 percent rose extracts. It absorbs quickly into the skin and restores radiance by helping the complexion appear clearer and brighter – and it smells absolutely heavenly. Use just 2 drops for added hydration and freshness to your morning and night regime.
Absolue Revitalizing Oleo Serum is a sublime serum formulated with a special hybrid oil-to-serum texture that melts into your skin and activates skin regeneration. Chock-full of Grand Rose Extracts, it targets wrinkles and dryness, leaving skin plumper and more supple in just one day.
Specially formulated for the delicate skin around your peepers, the Absolue Revitalizing Eye Cream and Absolue Revitalizing Eye Serum promise to reduce visible signs of fatigue and ageing, like fine lines and puffiness.
The full Absolue range is now available at all Lancôme counters.
Images courtesy of Lancôme, additional l images by Yong Kwang Wei . Artwork by Curatedition, all rights reserved.
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