Bulgari's new 17-piece luxury line called Gem Essence Skincare debuts exclusively in New York at Bergdorf Goodman on April 7, 2009. The collaboration between Bulgari and Bergdorf Goodman will kick off from 5 to 8 p.m. at Goodman's Café on the Beauty Level, where a Bulgari gemologist and skin-care expert will be on-hand to discuss the product. Other events follow throughout the week, including mini-facials on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
The Bulgari Gem Essence collection consists of 3 product categories--the Cleansing Line, Lumiere Line and Precieux Line. Prices range from $50 for demaquillant yeux eclat (radiance eye makeup remover) to $320 for serum precieux (an anti-aging, moisturizing serum). Bulgari initially launched the Gem Essence line of skincare in Rome Italy for Fall 2007. It then proceeded to hit several other European countries before appearing now in the United States. Launches in Japan and Latin America are expected in the next 12-18 months.
The gems are said to have healing capabilities, and have been tailored to Bulgari’s latest cosmetic offering. It is composed of three distinct treatment lines and each treatment line is tailored to meet specific needs; anti-ageing care, revitalization care, and daily cleansing.
What’s totally unique about Bulgari’s skincare is that, taking inspiration from the company’s soul, gemology, the key ingredient is a formula containing extracts of precious stones such as citrine, malachite, blue sapphire and red tourmaline. Combined to create Bulgari Gem Essence a formula that blends micronized powders and, thanks to a complicated process, liquid extracts from the stones that are then added to active ingredients. Among the precious stones benefits for the skin, studied for years in Swiss laboratories before the line was officially born, are anti-wrinkle properties and skin radiance improvement.
To achieve the science behind its line, Bulgari hired Jean-Paul Marty, a well-known French scientist, to lead a research team studying the use of gems in beauty treatments. “We took every gemstone you could imagine and examined each one’s chemical structure,” explains Laurence Laubreaux, head of Bulgari’s skincare department. “We examined their crystallographic structure, which shows how the atoms in them are arranged. We looked at their trace elements, which are the levels of minerals they contain. Copper and magnesium are two examples—they’re powerful antioxidants and help revitalize skin.” Bulgari believes its wet and dry quartet surpasses the competition. “We’ve done two things that have never been done in skincare,” says Laubreaux. “Not only the association between the four gemstones, but between the powders and liquids. It’s all about the synergy they have with each other.”
Of course Bulgari has been famous for many years creating fine jewelery, leather goods, and even fragrance, but they are not the first company that comes to one's mind for skincare.
Although I have heard about the healing quality of wearing various gem stones, I wonder if there is really much of a benefit to adding them to a skincare line.
Is this just a gimmick to connect the name Bulgari to the world of cosmetics? I am sure the very rich, and often bored group of women out there, will be thinking "I love gem stones, and at these prices, it must be good". So it doesn't surprise me that Bulgari has opened its first luxury skincare counter in the Middle East exclusively at Harvey Nichols, in Dubai.
Bulgari did say that not all the gem stones could be used. Emeralds, for example, contain chrome, which can cause allergic reactions, and diamonds, though used in professional treatments as exfoliators, don’t contain any penetrating minerals.
Hmmmm and I thought diamonds were a girls best friend. Not when it comes to skincare evidently.
No comments:
Post a Comment