This Caviar-Infused Skincare Extract Marries Architecture and Science

Allow us to introduce you to skin ligaments.

Science is an art — this is a universal truth. The intricacies of chemistry and DNA fall nothing short of amazing. So, when there's a breakthrough in science and you learn about the ins and outs of a discovery first-hand, it makes you feel something. And isn't that exactly what art aims to do?

La Prairie's new Skin Caviar Harmony L'Extrait is the epitome of this.

Facial composition is complex, so advanced skincare should rise up to match that. La Prairie's newest innovation targets skin ligaments, which are the structural units that form a strong network throughout the hypodermis and anchor the skin to its foundation.

"To understand this new approach, let's look at the skin architecture which is composed of several horizontal elements and vertical elements," begins Dr. Jacqueline Hill, La Prairie's director of strategic innovation and science, while giving the product presentation in Zurich earlier this year. She goes on to explain that most skincare focuses on the horizontal ligaments, but Harmony L'Extrait focuses on the vertical ones.

"With age, these vertical pillars weaken and the entire skin follows gravity. Facial sagging sets in, firmness and contours are lost. The formation of deep wrinkles is accelerated, and facial volume decreases," she furthers. Given the importance of skin ligaments, La Prairie collaborated with a Swiss bio analytical lab to look into whether or not they could be strengthened to prevent and reverse physical signs of aging. Needless to say, this task was achieved — then bottled.

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Dr. Daniel Stangl, La Prairie's Director of Innovation and R&D tells InStyle that when they discovered a possible correlation between the quality of skin ligaments and sagging in 2016, the team got to work. He shares that it took more or less four years to get the right combination of caviar extract and non-caviar actives (a blend they keep top secret) to get it just right.

"It's has a very rich source of nutrients. Caviar nourishes the development and growth of fish — it has everything that's needed to build new cells," Dr. Stangl says of the line's standout skincare ingredient. As such, it has unparalleled skincare benefits.

So, 35 years after La Prairie introduced its first Skin Caviar product in 1987, Harmony L'Extrait emerges as the brand's newest breakthrough, which promises to provide skin with stability and strengthened architecture for a more youthful, contoured complexion.

La Prairie conducted a series of clinical studies that found remarkable and significant results on the three elements that determine facial harmony: facial contour, facial volume, and skin smoothness. For example, after just eight weeks of use, ultrasound technology detected a 58% increase in hypodermic thickness. "These results are a first for both the brand And the institute," says Dr. Hill.

Furthermore, high resolution imaging technology recorded a 13% reduction in the size of wrinkles, while 11% of wrinkles disappeared. "These results were further confirmed through the measured impact on overall facial harmony," says Dr. Hill, referring to the golden ratio used by artists and scientists. "We applied this equation to the face and recorded a statistically significant improvement, approaching the golden ratio after eight weeks of product usage."

To shop: $820; laprairie.com

I began using Skin Caviar Harmony L'Extrait a few months ahead of its release. As someone without any major signs of aging other than a few fine lines thanks to tech neck and smiling, I was unsure if the formula would render any obvious results. But daily, I applied the gel-like product onto my face and neck in the morning and evening, after cleansing and before applying serum and moisturizer. Skincare typically takes around a month to start showing results, and after about that amount of time, I realized that this product had surpassed my expectations.

My smile lines were slightly less obvious — the creases had been plumped and knocked a few years off my face. My tech neck, which I've grown accustomed to, looked like it had been stretched back to reveal a tighter appearance. The dynamic lines on the outskirts of my eyes were less present when I smiled at myself in the mirror.

To others, the difference may not have seemed obvious. But many can relate to the fact that often, we notice things about ourselves that others don't. Even when invisible to the world, we think about our insecurities and are hyper-aware of them. I'm not saying this was my case, but I did notice a change, and without realizing it, others did too.

Just call Skin Caviar Harmony L'Extrait an exquisite bottle of je ne sais quoi. No one can put their finger on what exactly has changed in my complexion, but with a slightly more defined facial contour and a complete reduction in fine lines, the evidence is more than obvious.