Secrets Of Youth

Secrets Of Youth

The latest research helps define visual signs of ageing, helping us to work towards effectively maintaining youthful skin.

There are lots of positive things about ageing. As we get older, we become wiser and more experienced, and we tend to have a more rational approach based on logic and careful judgement. What’s more, with age we become less dependent on the opinions of other people and therefore it is easier to get focused on thing that really matter for us.

If only age had no effect on our appearance, and in particular on the condition of skin! It is quite impossible to stop this process, but to significantly slow it down and keep skin youthful for longer is possible – and as science advances every day, it becomes easier.

Here’s what Holly Greenfield, Oriflame skincare expert, says, 

Secrets Of Youth

“A woman of around 35 might suddenly notice changes to her face that she hadn’t noticed before. Of course, these changes don’t occur overnight, but we can do everything in our power to minimize damage to the collagen in the skin, to stimulate its production and therefore reduce the severity of our first wrinkles.”

When we talk about ageing skin, we usually mean the outward signs: wrinkles, dry skin, which increases with age, redness, an uneven complexion or dark spots.


The scientific approach to skincare is to first evaluate exactly which signs of ageing are most influential in making us appear older. We can then target them through procedures or skin care products.

At Oriflame, specialists have developed an innovative research method for the visual assessment of women’s age: Age Reflect. The study has three stages. At the first stage, close-up pictures of women's faces were taken with a device known as the Visia, which is used for the integrated analysis of the skin and complexion, but also helps to reveal the typical signs of ageing. Next, each image is evaluated by experts in order to determine the signs of ageing compared with the age of the participants. Finally, the same images are evaluated by independent jury members to determine the ages of the women in the photos.

Secrets Of Youth

This combination of estimating visual age and actual age, along with the results of focus groups and expert assessment, allowed these experts to determine exactly which signs of ageing have the strongest impact on the visual perception of age. They have used this knowledge to develop innovative new solutions and effective anti-ageing skincare.

One of the priorities of the Oriflame research centre is to work in the field of plant stem cells. Director of the Skin Research Centre, Alain Mavon says, “In the course of research, we found that plant stem cells have potent effects on the skin. We’ve developed innovative complex contains peptides – amino acid molecules – that penetrate the skin and trigger the synthesis of collagen. The result is a product with a dual action: the first is that it helps to increase the production of skin collagen by 200%. And the second is that it prevents the destruction of collagen in cells, ‘pushing out’ the wrinkles from within.”

The ultimate goal of studies such Age Reflect is to help people find skincare products that are right for them. Oriflame uses the technology at its disposal to create products that allow women to look up to eight years younger, according to an independent evaluation of the focus group... meaning you can enjoy all the positive aspects of age, without its visual impact.

Words by: Photographs by: Getty Images