At first glance, these soft, cohesive and elastic jellies look a bit like English"jelly" (they are used in molecular cooking !), but what characterizes the texture with memory of shape is, just like the pillows of the same name, that it marries the skin and always returns to its initial shape. Deformed by the finger, its surface recovers as soon as it is"at rest" and becomes completely smooth again. And what she does in the jar, she does on the skin too! That is, it recreates a flexible"frame" for the application. It forms a stretch film, then repositions itself to sheath the surface of the epidermis or nail. Fresh, thin and enveloping, non-greasy, non-sticky and film-forming, these"fabric" textures do not only offer a playful and sensory experience. They limit bacterial contamination and gradually and durably release their active ingredients. They also allow an ideal dosage of the product, because they cling (and even cling!) particularly well to the finger. They are therefore ideal for all skin care and make-up products applied locally, whether blush, nail polish or targeted facial care.

Gelled textures, always based on polymers

The brands speak of"intelligent polymers", as in the latest anti-ageing care from Garnier that has just been released (Miracle Sleeping Cream, Anti-ageing Skin Transformer, 50 ml, 11.90 € - see the Zoom News The sleeping pack ). Without any stress, these"resilient" polymers are able to maintain within the texture oil droplets and active aqueous. This configuration makes it possible to best maintain their qualities. On contact with the finger, the polymer, irresistibly attracted by the skin, spreads on the face an ultra flexible film.

In Revitalift Laser X 3 Nuit (50 ml, €18.50), L'Oréal Paris combines two polymers acting like magnets and forming a"self-smoothing" cream mask texture, which releases its anti-aging active ingredients throughout the night.

Fresh and gelled, shape memory textures often contain a lot of water. This is why they are so appealing to Asians, who are always on the lookout for watery and moisturizing textures because of their humid climate. Shiseido thus proposes, from March 1st, the Ibuki Multi-Solutions Gel for the thirty-something (30 ml, 40 €), an SOS facial treatment, to compensate for small beauty emergencies (skin imperfections, pimples, dilated pores, but also dry areas such as dryness or roughness…). Due to its shape memory texture, it deposits a thin film only on the area concerned. It can be applied by tapping on bare skin or over makeup. Thanks to its film-forming profile, it strengthens the skin's natural protective film, promotes the penetration of active ingredients (flower micelles, trehalose, MLS water, serine, horse chestnut seed extract, salicylic acid, peony root extract, etc.) and optimises the barrier function. "Formulated with amphiphilic polymers, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, our shape memory texture consists of micelles that bind to each other and create a network on the skin. Thanks to these very particular polymers, we can put a lot of water and water-soluble actives in our formula, without having a liquid texture, but a dense gel, not compact and moving, which releases a lot of freshness to the application. Because of the richness of the aqueous phase, our texture which does not contain an ounce of fat or oil should resemble that of a lotion of care. Technically, it's a feat to get." says Mouna Ghoul, Shiseido Scientific Communication Manager.

Multiple applications in make-up

We saw the flowering of shape memory textures in make-up this winter at Givenchy : Blush Mémoire de Forme (collection Extravagancia, 36 €). This jelly blush, formulated with 70% water, offers long-lasting, high adhesion and right dosage. With him, we're sure we don't look like a Russian doll!

In May, the shape memory textures will appear in Gemey-Maybelline nail polishes (Vernis Tenue & Strong Pro, 10 ml, 7.60 €, Summer Bliss Collection Summer 2015, 4 shades). Their structure called"thixotropic" has the particularity to be modified at will. When shaken, the texture becomes thinner to better coat the nail. At rest, it solidifies and keeps the colour in suspension. Thanks to this property, the varnish offers a texture whose viscosity is perfectly adjusted to slide on the nail and ensure an ideal coating, a shine gel to any proof and seven days of deep color.

Ariane Le Febvre