One of my favourite places on earth is the Department store Beauty Hall. In particular, the Tudor-walled beauty room at
Liberty of London. All those pretty counters laden with skincare products screaming “Pick me!!!! Pick me!!!” This must be how Angelina Jolie feels when she visits an orphanage. Do I stray into uncharted territory and take home a brand new bundle of joy; running the risk of clashing, gnashing and tears before bedtime? Is it time to add some excitement to the daily routine of my ever-expanding brood back at home? Are my lips plump and hydrated enough? Such drama. Hype. Glamour. I love it!
Over the years (and countless counters), I’ve lived with one big, beautiful extended family of skincare. But sanity eventually prevailed and I settled down with my close-knit family of four;
Eve Lom cleanser/moisturiser/masks (French),
Shu Uemera deepsea water/serums (Japanese),
Sisley Paris for pure pampering and
Ren Clean Skincare for everything else (British). That was until two months ago, when my whole world got turned upside down.
My book (
To Daylesford with Love) was being featured at a Lifestyle Expo in Melbourne… so I popped by to sign books, meet the press and be generally supportive. Public duties over and out, there was time for a wee exploratory amble around the exhibition hall. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me, until the
Hepburn Bathhouse and
La Gaia skincare stand drew me, almost hypnotically, to its warm, open arms.
 |
| Christina Laing- Herbert |
Instantly, I was wrapped in a reassuring familial embrace by Australian naturaceuticals brand,
La Gaia (meaning Mother Earth), its founder,
Dr Jean Laing and daughter
Christina. A refreshing breath of fresh air in the jungle of Beauty products. There’s no glitz, glamour or hype to this product. No cosmetics surgeons. No fancy packaging. Dr Jean Laing is the epitome of glowing good health and youthfulness (mentally kicking her), with just the minimum of makeup. Skin envy aside, few can argue with her simple “health and beauty are inseparable” scientifically-proven philosophy. Just wish I knew what this really means, beyond drinking 3 litres a day; because it seems virtually impossible to decipher the (literally) millions of beauty products claiming scientific, natural or organic genie-in-a-bottle skin innovations and transformations. Not unsurprising then that Dr Jean ,the founder of yet another skincare regime, believes that women can be guilty of using way too many different types products on their skin (oh dear, is 3 too many?). Seeing my slightly glazed (and let’s be honest, somewhat skeptical) look, Jean took me and a handful of La Gaia products to a quiet corner. Apparently, it was time to jump into the deep end and talk pH, active ingredients and what science has really proven. Starting at Ground Zero.
When it comes to looking young and healthy, the scale we should be worried about tipping has nothing to do with weight. For the last 25 years, scientists have been adamantly that our skin is the best visible signpost of youth and vitality, with pH levels determining the direction. Hence the reason most skincare companies use the marketing catch-phrase “pH balanced” somewhere in their brand story. The definition itself doesn't help much: pH stands for pouvoir hydrogene (power of hydrogen). Jean explained that you don’t need to be a scientist… just a balanced human being. The scale, devised by a Danish chemist in the early 1900s, ranges from 0 (most acidic e.g. battery acid) to 14 (most alkaline e.g. drain cleaner). Pure water is 7pH. Perfect skin is between 5pH -6pH, with changes (up or down) in our skin’s pH occurring almost hourly due to stress, weather, diet, even washing hands. Long story short. Deviate too often or too long from around pH 5.5 and you’re in for a world of aging. Keep skin around 5.5pH and its stays plump, bright and firm." Looking in the mirror, I suspect my skin’s going through a mid-life crisis, however in the infamous words of Mark Twain, “If it is a Miracle, any sort of evidence will answer. But if it is a Fact, proof is necessary.”
Eight weeks on… I’m not only a convert... but evangelical about
La Gaia naturaceuticals. (It was difficult saying goodbye to Eve, Shu & Ren, but a brighter future beckoned). Compliments from friends (and in one instance, a complete stranger) started within two weeks. “Your face looks so fresh and bright” and “Your cheeks look really young and flawless!” Seven words every woman wants to hear.
How
La Gaia achieves anti-aging VISIBLE RESULTS isn’t exactly a secret. They use only the SEVEN scientifically proven ingredients that effectively reduce aging and balance skin pH; Vitamin A (e.g. Retinol), concentrated Antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C & E), Alpha-Hydroxy Acids –AHAs (e.g. glycolic acid), Hydroquinone, Copper Peptides and Quartz. Now almost every skincare brand is using one or all of these ingredients… so why is La Gaia different? Now this is the important part…. La Gaia is only skincare brand in the world that formulates these ingredients in concentrated doses so that they are optimized for pH balance and anti-aging properties.
Apparently it’s simpler than we realise. There’s no need for different products for different skin types, times of the day/night or sections of the face (dry, t-zone, oily, combination, night cream, neck, decolletage etc)… that’s just marketing cleverness to get us to adopt more brands for our bathroom cupboards. We just need to ensure that our skin (face, body, hands and lips) always has a well balanced pH… then good things will naturally follow. If brands like
Palazzo Versace,
Etihad (best airline in
World Travel Awards 2012) are peeling away the glitzy hyperbole and working with the beautifully simple (and good value) La Gaia…. then it’s true… the world really is paring back to natural beautiful simplicity that works. All the rest is simply very expensive fluff.
In the pursuit of thoroughness, I found one other skincare brand in the world promoting a similar pH ethos to La Gaia naturceuticals. Interesting
Dr Cohen’s pH Advantage cosmeceutical range are medical strength products based on the principle that optimal pH level for skincare is 3.0. After consulting with skincare specialists, I learn this highly acid pH level is consistent with chemical peels. Dramatic instant results yes, but goodness knows what it does to your skin after prolonged use. And not cheap at AUS$135 for 50ml.
If I had to name just four
La Gaia Superstars, they’d be
Tone (seriously hydrating gel that the skin slurps up, creating instant hydration and firming),
Amethyst Masque (leave-on super rich treatment that’s like an instant facial),
C-Serum (adds to the plumped-up effect beneath rose quartz Nourish moisturiser or
Amethyst masque) and
Balm (so rich and nourishing, am positive my lips are only days away from being stand-ins for Angelina).
The French philosophy on beauty is simple; skincare lasts a lifetime, while makeup lasts a day. So when
Marionne De Candia (featured in List of
Top 5 world-class facialists,
Net-A-Porter magazine, June 2012) says, “Stop overcomplicating with so many products; listen to your skin” and chooses
La Gaia over every other brand in the world… I sat up and listened. It’s that simple.
La Gaia products available for purchase online
here
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