Dior’s Skin-Care Range L’Or de Vie Harnesses the Power of French Wine
A magical elixir.
Longevity is a timeless fascination. The science of it has started a race between medical companies and beauty brands exploring how to tap into a new and more advanced concept than anti-aging. “When you think about LVMH, you don’t think about science,” says Bruno Bavouzet, executive vice-president of R&D at LVMH, “but we do.” Bavouzet, who has a PhD in physical chemistry and focuses on reverse aging research, is responsible for the 800 scientists working in the Dior laboratories in Saint-Jean-de-Braye, France. “We have a responsibility as R&D to create the future of cosmetics,” he says. And with “more than 3,000 ingredients in our portfolio,” the team is a tour de force.
And while many brands employ the antioxidant benefits of grapes, Dior’s L’Or de Vie skin-care line harnesses the power of noble rot, the natural occurrence of Botrytis cinerea, which affects wine grapes at the legendary Château d’Yquem, the centuries-old estate in Sauternes, creating some of the highest-quality sweet wines. For years, Dior scientists sought to dissect and study the secrets of the vines at Château d’Yquem, and in 2006, they launched L’Or de Vie, the brand’s high-end skin-care line (which includes two face creams—original Crème and Riche Crème—as well as a serum, lotion, and eye and lip cream) that reverses the oxidation process on the skin. This year, the line received its first update since its launch.
The new formulation, which Dior calls Golden Drop Life Technology, is the latest vintage to multiply the anti-aging benefits for its wearers. Internal studies show 30 per cent increased collagen production after use of the cream, with results synergistically magnified when paired with the serum or lotion. “The efficacy of this golden drop technology is quite amazing, reversing the signs of aging on more than 700 longevity genes,” Bavouzet says, mentioning numbers like a mad scientist. Adds Virginie Couturaud, scientific communication director at Christian Dior Parfums, “Thirty kilograms of vine shoots are needed to create one kilogram of gold sap—it’s very, very rare and very important.” Using biotechnology, the active ingredients are carefully infused in L’Or de Vie skin care to suppress the skin’s aggressors whilst promoting collagen production on a superior level. “We successfully targeted 35 signs of aging, including wrinkles, firmness, and lifting effect, texture, density—all the signs of aging you can see on our face.”
To commemorate the new formulation, Dior commissioned French painter and sculptor Aristide Najean to produce hand-blown glass pieces at his Murano studio in Venice. Its delicate construction is sized to house La Crème, but there are only five in existence. Beyond the collectible piece, the refillable gold and glass lineup that houses the magical elixir is like a bottle of fine wine: the restorative and reverse aging properties of L’Or de Vie help skin get better with age.
