Custom Comfort

The latest anti-aging product from Chanel causes a gasp of wonder from the very beginning. The sleek black pot comes with a spatula so you don’t contaminate the product on a daily basis, and the three formulae are designed to be used intuitively, so you could choose Le Lift Crème Riche for an indulgent caress, Le Lift Crème for a comfortable finish or Le Lift Crème Fine for a light veil of moisture.

For the first time ever, the science of epigenetics has been harnessed, taking into account environmental, lifestyle-based, and even emotional factors that cause accelerations in the aging process. Three specific MicroRNAs, or miRs, that modulate protein synthesis, were found to be the main culprits – the more numerous miR-130a, miR-138 and miR-191 present, the less the expression of youth proteins.

The Edulis plant is key to halting the aging process, allowing skin to be restored to its natural balance. Grown outside of soil in mobile greenhouses where the roots are treated with a nourishing mist every three minutes as part of an original extraction process, the plant is treated with positive stress in order to extract the active ingredient 3.5 DA, which is exclusive to Chanel. Thus the pretty pink roots of Edulis are considered to be the fountain of youth, for their production of the antioxidant and anti-free radical super ingredient.

The Kano method was used wherein 32 sensorial attributes were tested to determine the anti-aging perception of a skincare product among women in four countries. Twenty textures were created initially, and ranked on visual and tactile qualities, and finally fine-tuned to create the three formulae, each of which promises an immediate perception of effectiveness. 3.5 DA inhibits the expression of certain MicroRNAs and stimulates the production of youth proteins, so skin tissues are rejuvenated on a daily basis, restoring suppleness and smoothing even the deepest of wrinkles, for a face you just can’t stop yourself from touching over and over again.

Since 2008, Professor Gerry Melino, a doctor of molecular biology, has worked with Chanel Research to explore the aging process of skin. Professor Melino explains the science behind Le Lift, exclusively to Verve

What brought about the collaboration with Chanel Research?
In my laboratory, we are particularly interested in P63 which is a gene that was discovered less than 10 years ago. Through in vivo studies, we revealed that this gene plays a vital role in skin formation. Skin cannot form if this gene mutates or disappears. Our laboratory and Chanel Research joined forces because we have exactly the same goal: to understand the molecular mechanisms by which P63 acts on skin aging.

How do micro-RNA or miRs play a role in aging?
MiRs belong to the large portion of RNA outside the cell nucleus that we once considered to be waste. However, today we know that miRs influence the expression and functions of proteins. These proteins are the molecules that regulate cellular function. Thanks to this collaboration with Chanel, we identified miRs linked to P63. These miRs directly control the skin’s aging process. The information contained in the P63 gene is transmitted by the messenger RNA, which exits the nucleus and synthesises the youth proteins. We identified three miRs that play a crucial role. By attaching themselves to the messenger RNA, these miRs can diminish the production of proteins essential to the skin’s youthfulness, thus accelerating the aging process.

What is the significance of this discovery?
It is very important because it allowed us to test, analyse and be able to select active ingredients that are capable of interacting with miRs in order to regulate the production of youth proteins. This is important for a House such as Chanel and it’s important for us as a laboratory and for our scientific publications.