Dior provided Wallpaper* with insiders to visit its high-tech work at the LVMH Hélios Center in the French Cosmetic Valley
On the left, a researcher modulates sunscreen lotion. Yes, the spatula is going to be used in one of the laboratories, and the research covers everything from stem cells to character extracts. Photography: Photographic group.
When Edouard Mauvais-Jarvis was fascinated by skin care products, he was a veterinarian who studied pharmacology. "People often think that cosmetics are superfluous," he said. "But cosmetics play a vital role in social relationships. When we make personal connections, the skin on your face is the first thing others see. There is also an evolutionary aspect-our initial impressions We attract a healthy person as a potential partner, or warn us away from an unhealthy person who may be carrying a disease.
As France gradually reopened after the COVID-19 lockdown last spring, Mauvais-Jarvis, Dior’s International Director of Science and Environment, took a Wallpaper* to visit Helios, the most advanced center conducted by Dior’s parent company LVMH to focus on perfume and cosmetics. About 14 different brands conduct research, creation and innovation. Dior is the largest beauty brand in the luxury group, accounting for 70% of the center's activities.
Hélios was inaugurated in St-Jean-de-Braye near Orléans in 2013. It is part of the Cosmetic Valley and is the so-called “competitiveness cluster” in France (a geographical area that brings together companies, research centers, suppliers, etc.). One department). The building is located in the fingerprints of grassland surrounded by trees and is located in the 55-hectare production site of Parfums Christian Dior. French construction company Arte Charpentier designed the 18,000 square meter structure as a three-story equilateral triangle surrounding the atrium. As the name suggests, this almost all-white building is full of natural light, which enters from the roof made of translucent ETFE (fluoro-based plastic) mats, which can adjust the internal temperature. The soft edges and white screen-printed glass facade help the building blend into the landscape.
A researcher developed a sunscreen lotion. Yes, the materials used by Hélios researchers. Their work covers skin care, cosmetics and perfume development
Within Hélios, there are approximately 350 researchers working on different stages of research and development. The laboratories are arranged on each side of the triangle, and their windows can see the atrium and forest. Mauvais-Jarvis showed us a counter dedicated to skin care formulas. On the counter were glass jars containing dried flower buds, powders and extracts. He pointed to an excerpt from Rose de Granville, a seventh-generation hybrid of wild rose growing on the cliffs of Normandy, bravely resisting salty air and sea breeze. Hélios researchers isolated eight unique molecules from hardy roses as the active ingredients in Dior Prestige's new Micro-Huile de Rose Advanced Serum.
Nearby, a scientist in a white lab coat is using a device similar to a kitchen mixer to whip a smooth white lotion as sunscreen. Except for her, the contents of the laboratory strictly prohibit visitors from entering, including the creams arranged on the windowsill to observe how they react to the natural light in the bathroom of the hypothetical client.
If Helios is worried about outsiders seeing its secrets, it is because the stakes are very high. France dominates the global cosmetics industry, controlling nearly a quarter of the market share. One of the main reasons for this advantage is its investment in research and development-according to a 2019 report by consulting firm Asterès, the French cosmetics industry spends 2% of its annual turnover on innovation. For large groups like LVMH, this investment rises to 3%.
When asked how Hélios is different from other research centers in the Cosmetic Valley, Mauvais-Jarvis replied: “Our R&D covers a series of disciplines integrated in a building, which is very good.” Botanist, Chemist Scientists, biologists and other experts work together to specialize in more than 20 scientific fields, including ethnobotany, physical chemistry, powder formulation, delivery systems, sensory analysis, toxicology, and cell biology.
An example of this range is Dior’s collaboration with a neuroscientist at the University of Tours in the past few years to test how changes in the skin affect our perception of a person’s age. Their research found that our brain can determine the apparent age of another person in less than 100 milliseconds based on the visible health signals of the skin, such as tone, luster, and texture. Mauvais-Jarvis said: "These signs may even have a greater impact on apparent age than wrinkles." Subsequently, Dior used artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a face database, teaching computers to assess age in the same way as the human brain. It also measures the relationship between visible indicators of health and perceived youth.
Designed by architect Arte Charpentier and opened in 2013, the 18,000 square meter Hélios R&D center brings together all LVMH research teams
Researchers have found that signs of skin health (or lack) can make a 43-year-old person look as young as 38 or 49 years old. Mauvais-Jarvis said that Dior is using this information to create products that target wrinkles and firmness, but also "focus on corrections that may seem trivial but have a huge impact on appearance and perception."
For the past two decades, Dior has also been studying stem cells. Stem cells are the only cells that can continuously renew themselves and rejuvenate the skin. In 2018, Dior Science surprisingly found that the number of stem cells will not decrease over time. Instead, they lost their energy potential. This finding was so impressive that Dior Science subsequently signed a research partnership with the CiRA laboratory at Kyoto University, under the guidance of Nobel Prize winner and stem cell expert Shinya Yamanaka. "We are very honored to be a partner with them," Mauvais-Jarvis said. "Their interest in working with us is a testament to the quality of our scientific research." Flower science is another Dior specialty, with a history dating back more than 50 years. Plants are rich in powerful molecules, and scientists are just beginning to touch the surface of their beauty and healing properties. In the past 25 years, Dior has planted 8 gardens around the world, all of which are organic or as close to organic as possible. The laboratory is in
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Hélios analyzed the flowers and developed his own custom method to extract individual molecules, which Mauvais-Jarvis said accounted for 60-80% of Dior's active ingredients. "We cultivate specific flowers in a specific way, harvest them at a specific time, and use our own extraction technology to develop something that is very high-quality and difficult to replicate." After screening nearly 1,700 floral components to enable After restarting tired stem cells, ethnobotanists chose four particularly vigorous varieties for the new formula of Dior’s Capture Totale CELL energy anti-aging cream and essence: Madagascar Longoza (it can even grow on burning ground ), Chinese peony, white lily and Chinese jasmine.
The new Capture Totale series contains an average of 84% natural ingredients, as sustainability has become a key theme of Dior. Helios' laboratories strive to make their formulations as natural as possible and remove any suspicious or non-biodegradable ingredients. Dior's packaging has also changed-plastic bottles have been replaced by glass, the outer packaging is made of recyclable FSC cardboard, and the packaging volume has been reduced by 30%. As Mauvais-Jarvis pointed out, “You can have the cleanest formula in the world, but if the packaging is dirty, they are useless.” He emphasized that while maintaining its performance and sensory experience, the Dior is redesigned. The products and formulas of the company are a difficult task-the same smell, consistency, slippage, etc. He likened the challenge to "making meringue without eggs." However, proper use is essential: "You use skin care products for a long time. If there is no sensory pleasure, people will stop using it after a week.
Since the ancient Egyptians used lead eyeliner pencils and the Renaissance Italians used mercury sulfite as a blusher, science has made great strides in skin care and makeup. "People have used cosmetics for thousands of years for a reason," said Morvez-Jarvis. 'By putting something on the skin, we can improve our appearance. For a long time, this method has been empirical. You applied something, and if it did something, that would be great. Then, little by little, we started to understand how and why it works. §
As it originally appeared in the wallpaper in September 2020*
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