The world of skincare can be confusing at the best of times.  Though you may have your cleanser, serum and moisturiser on repeat, chances are you’re missing one simple step that could transform your skincare routine and your skin: an essence. Like many stellar beauty innovations, essences originated from Korea, and have been at the centre of elaborate K-Beauty routines for decades. 

The essence versus toner debate is a common point of confusion - an essence feels like a toner– yet it is not a toner.  In fact, it is neither a toner nor a serum and in China they are nicknamed ‘skin appetizers’ because essences kickstart the health of the skin whilst preparing it to receive all of the benefits of other products, facilitating their absorption and simultaneously deeply hydrating each layer of skin. Imagine a dry sponge and trying to put washing up liquid on it – it doesn’t penetrate properly because the sponge is not wet.  It’s the same with the skin - it must be sufficiently moisturised so that it is more receptive to the subsequent products and their ingredients to easily flow through the layers of the skin where you most need moisture – it’s all about priming your skin and that’s where an essence comes in.  Traditionally more lightweight than a serum, essences themselves tend to have a water-like consistency (which is why they are often confused with toners) and are infused with higher concentrations of active ingredients with targeted effects.

A wise man once said, ‘moisture is the essence of wetness and wetness is the essence of beauty.’  He was certainly on to something because hydrated skin is one of the pillars for healthy skin.

If a skincare product was ever worthy of a side eye its Collagene Expert Hydra Essence, the beauty secret to every day gorgeous skin. Powered by science and balanced by nature this supercharged essence has a silent overachiever energy and barely-there finish and is the perfect partner to your morning and evening youth-boosting routine. With Gatineau’s meticulous approach to formulations, it has been carefully infused with a cocktail of industry adored ingredients that can penetrate deeply and quickly bringing immediate improvement to your complexion’s needs (no matter what your skin type) with long term pay off.

Formulated with Tripeptide 5, a chain of three specifically linked amino acids this unique structured peptide deeply penetrates the skin revving up collagen production whilst mimicking the body’s natural defence mechanism to flush out the toxins from the skin – think smooth, supple, luminous skin.

Joining the team of hardworking actives is the industrious blend of Vitamin C and Niacinamide, two of the most popular skincare ingredients because they boast a huge number of incredible benefits. A dynamic duo they tackle many of the same skincare concerns, they just work on them from different angles. Take Vitamin C – it is clinically proven to brighten, promote collagen production, reduce hyperpigmentation, provide protection against photo-aging, and prevent skin laxity, whereas Niacinamide soothes inflammation, reduces the appearance of pore size, regulates oil production, and addresses abnormal pigmentation production, thus evening out skin tone – what a killer duo!

And with a concentrated dose of a best-in-class humectant Hyaluronic Acid, these pocket rocket molecules optimise hydration at different levels in your skin forming a film on the skin’s surface, while working on the layers below. Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar that occurs naturally in the skin. It binds water with collagen in the skin’s dermis to trap moisture in – meaning a hydrated, dewy complexion but our own levels deplete as we age, so adding it back in through an essence is a sure fire way to take over nature’s job.

With the addition of replenishing ceramides (lipids created naturally by the skin to form your natural moisture barrier) you can only imagine how well the complexion is bathed in some serious nourishment for a divinely soft finish whilst addressing the multiple sources of redness making it great if you’re sensitive skinned.

And to add a splash of zen-like calmness to reactive skin this essence has been injected with a healthy dose of prebiotics to balance the skin’s microbiome and feed the good bacteria to help it thrive, further strengthening and reinforcing the skin barrier.  You can rest easy knowing your barrier is being protected and healthy-looking skin is incoming...

Our skin is our shelter. We're born with it; we grow with it, and we should love it. With just a few pats of Collagene Expert Hydra Essence each day you can give your skin what is needs to thrive and optimise your ageless radiance - this can only bring you supreme confidence in life.

Lucy x