These days, almost anything can be personalized to fit our needs—and it often happens without us even asking for it. We’ve come to expect that our music streaming platform will deliver us custom playlists, and that our web browser will offer us tailored product suggestions. So why shouldn’t our skin care products, something that’s so different and personal for everyone, do the same thing? Up until now, we’ve always had to be thinking about our skin’s changing needs: Is it dry? Dull? Feeling lifeless? Dermalogica designed the new Smart Response Serum so we never have to think about what our skin needs again—the serum gives it just what it needs, exactly when it needs it.
“We all have so many smart devices that can anticipate our needs before we can. So we got to thinking, why can’t we have that same level of responsiveness and intelligence in our skincare?” says Dr. Angela Murphy, VP of Technology and Development for the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica (a company that was founded by a skin therapist). “That’s exactly what we’ve done with our Smart Response Serum. We spent over two years doing research on the active ingredients before we even started formulating the product.”
Our skin is constantly sending out signals, and we’ve all experienced them: redness, fine lines, dryness, dark spots. But by the time our skin is telling us what it needs, we can already see and feel the issues. It’s too late. No matter what’s happening beneath the surface, it’s better to address the problems before we see them in the mirror. But how do we do that? What if we could address these issues before they ever became a problem? That’s the idea behind Smart Response Serum. It’s designed to respond to these different signals for us, and without us even having to think about it.
“This product is really exciting because it is a next-generation serum that delivers what your skin needs, where and when you need it. It really micromanages your skin’s changing needs so you don’t have to,” says Murphy. “There is nothing else like this in our portfolio.”
Damage to our skin happens at a micro level and is due to changes in its structure and chemical make-up. This is either the result of damage or self-defense, and can be caused by any number of things, from the changing of the seasons, our diet, or even stress. These factors change all the time and can therefore be hard to predict. That’s why it’s important that our skin’s evolving needs are taken into consideration, which is what this serum was designed to do.
The highly-concentrated serum uses SmartResponse Technology to address four skin concerns: the appearance of wrinkles, dehydration, dark spots, and redness. To tackle these issues the serum relies on four key ingredients to soothe, firm, brighten, and hydrate our skin. Before our skin gets red, gallic acid from Japanese Cornelia Cherry picks up on our skin’s inflammatory response and activates in order to soothe it. The gallic acid also helps to defend against the free radicals our bodies create when exposed to things like the sun, pollution, and cigarette smoke. We know that collagen is related to fine lines and wrinkles. Mannose-6 Phosphate can detect collagen weakness and smooth and firm our face and neck. When the hydrolyzed wheat flour detects too much of an enzyme involved in melanin production—the cause of dark spots—it responds by brightening our skin. And finally, when there are cracks in our skin’s lipid barrier, which can lead to dehydration, hydrolyzed beta glucan is ready to help maintain hydration levels.
It sounds like magic, but it’s actually just science. This team of powerful ingredients works together to uncomplicate our skin care routine (plus, we actually looked forward to applying the silky-smooth serum everyday). Use Smart Response Serum every morning and evening after you cleanse and tone. Give it one minute to absorb before following it up with your normal moisturizer. It’s that simple. And the best part, says Dr. Murphy, is that it can replace any serums that you use in your existing routine. (Dermalogica can do a quick analysis of your skin’s needs at SmartResponseSerum.com. Just take a quick selfie to get your results).
Think about it, many approaches to skin care are about responding and reacting when something goes awry with our skin. So, in addition to not being able to deal with issues before they crop up on our face, our skin might actually need something entirely different by that point. What we do know for certain is that our skin’s needs are going to be different tomorrow than they are today. And according to Dr. Murphy, it’s important to also consider that different parts of your face may need different attention and treatment at the same time—maybe there’s a dark spot developing on your cheek, but incoming dryness on your forehead.
“Whatever your skin is experiencing, this serum will respond to what it needs,” says Dr. Murphy. Smart Response Serum is a custom skin care solution that actually works: It's been proven to lead to healthier-looking skin over time. We noticed it, too. Our skin felt healthier—and just generally looked better—without us even trying. The serum did all the hard work for us. “In a clinical study we saw a significant improvement in all four skin concerns in just four weeks.”
The future of skin care has arrived, and it’s looking bright (or at least your face will be). Smart Response Serum takes the guesswork out of skin care and lets its powerhouse ingredients do the heavy lifting for a personalized response every time.
This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Dermalogica
