Both feminine and high-tech, the pearls that encapsulate the cosmetic active ingredients have the wind in their sails. You have to admit that they have a magical side and transform banal serums and white creams into precious and highly desirable ornaments! Similar to caviar with their ultra-thin transparent membrane and multi-phase liquid core, these pearls represent a new approach to formulation. Variable in size and colour, they contain an oil core surrounded by a water bead, separating the water-soluble actives from the fat-soluble actives. A process that protects the active substances until they are applied to the skin and preserves the effectiveness of the care throughout its use. There is no alteration in the power of the assets, as they are not in contact with the air. This technology becomes particularly interesting when assets are fragile or incompatible with each other, since it allows them to coexist without interaction. It is also a guarantee of"fresh" formulas in a way (you mix the active ingredients at the last minute, when you open your jar or pump bottle). Explicit, the cosmetic beads stage the content of the product (the active ingredients are made visible). But they not only make our care attractive, they can also reduce or even eliminate many chemical additives. This innovation makes it possible to use fewer preservatives, the active ingredients being protected by the pearl until application on the skin. And to remove emulsifiers. Because the oily actives are separated from the aqueous actives, they no longer require surfactants to be bound, since by nature, they are immiscible. It's always about the skin. The result is advanced formulas with unique sensory qualities. A surprising care experience!

More accessible care

This technology is expensive, we can imagine, which is why the first to have proposed it are luxury brands like La Prairie, particularly legitimate to exploit this beauty caviar (Concentré Liftant Dermo Caviar, 50 ml, 414 €) and Guerlain (Abeille Royale Cure Jeunesse 1 month, 40 ml, 217 €). Guerlain was one of the first to bet on cosmetic pearls in the famous Météorites Perfectrice Perles bases (Anti-Terne Perfecting Base, 30 ml, 59 €; Blanc de Perle, P.E.A.R.L Fusion Traitement Blanchissant, 9.4 ml, 113 €…).

But this encapsulation process is becoming more democratic. In this month of January, we see cosmetic pearl treatments blossoming for less than 100 €. The case of Clémascience, a brand dedicated to Pomotherapy (active ingredients from apples) and its Apple Pomissime Jeunesse Pearl Anti-Aging Serum (50 ml, 59.90 €, at Parashop). And Dr. Brandt who is now launching Transforming Pearl Serum (40 ml, 99 €, at Sephora) in the D.N.A (Do Not Age, a word game on DNA) range. This anti-wrinkle serum, lifting and firming, improves cell longevity and energy, promoting their quality of life. With each application, a pearl breaks, releasing at the last minute the revitalizing complex Juvenessence .

Two types of applications

Suitable for packaging, there are in fact two types of applications. In the case of a pump bottle (Clémascience, Dr. Brandt), the pearls suspended in the gel dissolve with each pressure on the pump. For the Dermo Caviar Liftant Concentrate from La Prairie, the pump bottle requires pressing on the activator and vigorously shaking the bottle until the pearls dissolve. When it is a cream (Guerlain), the royal jelly pearls being packaged separately, they must be mixed with the cream just before application using the spatula that is provided (they then melt exactly like sugar in coffee). Close the jar, wait ten minutes for the pearls to release their contents into the cream and apply this freshly prepared mixture every day for a month. This resolutely innovative concept makes it the first concentrated, pure and perfectly preserved"royal jelly cure", which can deliver all its repairing and nutritive power to the skin.

A French invention

All these pearls are the fruit of the Capsum company, a Marseille start-up born in 2008. In 2012, Capsum received the INPI innovation prize for this process and, in 2013, the prize for the company of the future. And Sébastien Gardon, one of its founders (formerly of Saint-Gobain) received last year the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Mediterranean region. Cosmetic beads, on a micrometer scale, are produced one by one and drip cosmetic emulsions, but at high speed, with patented technology and sophisticated production equipment. More than 30 patents have been filed to protect this technological advance. The young company is full of projects. For example, it is"working" on the development of a new type of fragrance, with Givaudan, a global fragrance manufacturer. A beautiful, alcohol-free serum fragrance whose texture and method of application extend the diffusion period. A real innovation that invents a new gesture. This project should be completed in 2014. To be continued…

Ariane Le Febvre