What do you get when you fuse a medley of the most potent age-defying and skin firming actives inside a lavish facial oil? You get your secret weapon for a firmer, plumper rejuvenated visage -you get Gatineau’s Defi Lift Firming Facial Oil! A godsend for perpetually slackened complexions that are no stranger to lines and wrinkles, our expertly formulated Defi Lift Firming Facial Oil works to reveal a more defined and lifted profile, all whilst bathing the complexion with a profusion of age-defying and nutrient rich goodness.

Firm skin basically refers to your skin’s ability to bounce back into place after you stretch or pull at it. Two proteins – collagen and elastin – are responsible for providing your skin with the required amount of suppleness, firmness, softness, and flexibility. Both of these proteins naturally deplete with age – in fact, you can lose 1% of collagen per year from the age of 25 and sadly, we only produce elastin in large quantities up until the age of around 22 years old. There are numerous factors that can hasten skin to lose that all important volume and bounce and if you’ve just hit your 40’s then you should expect to be a little less firm in places. It can also be down to ‘genetic lottery’ and chances are if your mum has a prematurely ageing skin, you could be a lottery loser! And then there’s lifestyle factors such as prolonged exposure to the sun, smoking, stress, or sudden weight loss which can all exaggerate a saggy complexion.

This high-performance formula is powered by next generation peptides which help your skin to deal with the daily onslaught of life (stress, pollution and growing old) all whilst reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles encouraging a beautifully supple, and youthful finish. Peptides are some of the most innovative ingredients out there for improving the elasticity, firmness, and smoothness of your complexion as they cleverly act as messaging agents, prompting it to get into rejuvenation mode. They can stimulate the body to generate collagen and elastin, which helps maintain the structure of the skin and promises a pillow-plumped appearance. Our Biopeptide Complex even goes one step further as it repairs and strengthens the epidermal-dermal adhesion zone, an important junction that can flatten with age impacting your skin’s texture, density and hydration levels and eventually resulting in it losing firmness, elasticity, and resilience.  

Infused with Bio-Retinol Bidens Pilosa, this tropical plant otherwise known as Blackjack, serves as a natural retinol alternative. Enriched with phytanic acid, Bidens Pilosa can activate the same receptors in your skin that retinol does and once these receptors are activated, it increases the production of those skin-plumping proteins whilst reducing inflammation and controlling pigmentation and unlike retinol, it does all this without irritation. This ingredient is rocketing through the beauty industry for its ability to behave like retinol but without any of the drawbacks – ‘it’s like opening the lock, but with a different key’ to keep those skin-firming proteins that start to slack in check!

And playing a starring role in this superlative formula is Alaria Esculenta Oil, an intelligent marine kelp derived from Greenland’s glacial waters, and studied extensively for its incredible reverse-ageing effects. Packed full of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and essential omegas it is a secret weapon against time as it dramatically boosts Hyaluronic Acid production within the skin and has a powerful antioxidant action which helps protect against damaging free radicals. Hyaluronic Acid makes the perfect moisturiser for parched complexions because it can hold 1000x its weight in water and locks in moisture translating to deeply hydrated skin. What’s more, Hyaluronic Acid also protects the skin against harsh UVB rays (and the nasty reactive molecules they generate), which can cause sunspots.

Boasting a hefty dose of antioxidant rich Nigella Sativa, a gem of an ingredient, it is best known for its “Three A” properties: antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and age-defying. Otherwise known as Black Seed Oil, it is brimming with essential fatty acids, vitamins, amino acids, and flavonoids, which work together to provide the skin with wondrously moisturising, nourishing and age-defying results. The hefty supply of antioxidants (skin's number one age-defying agent) creates an undetectable barrier between face and free radical onslaught whilst strengthening barrier defences.

And carefully selected for its high levels of Oleic Acid, Gatineau scientists have extracted precious Algae Oil from the sap of the Chestnut Tree as its boasts a rich quantity (over 90% in fact) of this beneficial and essential fatty acid which allows it to rapidly restore skin with essential moisture and nutrient loss whilst boosting resiliency and elasticity, 

And lastly your complexion will happily lap up the medley of nourishing oils including Olive, Myrtle, Linseed and Cotton Seed, all which will work to form a ‘triple threat’ approach to ‘seal, restore and soothe’ the skin barrier rescuing dry inflamed skin, deeply nourishing, and restoring balance to a compromised moisture barrier.  

This carefully crafted ‘youth reviving’ formula provides immediate improvement with long-term payoff and is truly game-changing as it comes to the rescue to defy the visible signs of gravity whilst cocooning skin with a wealth of skin nourishing heroes. Think opulent, think luxurious, think ageless.  This will definitely be one of my ‘firm’ favourites!

Lucy x