Science Nature Beauty

Self-Care – scientific solutions to an emotional need

Health is a great good. The global Covid-19 pandemic made us more than aware of this, but even before the pandemic, health was already a focus for many consumers. Much more than in the past, people have a healthy lifestyle and this approach has become increasingly holistic over the past years. Most people try to eat healthily, exercise regularly and are aware of how important it is to sleep well and long enough. Mental health is another topic which is focused on a lot.  Psychological stress affects well-being and mental health and the pandemic has greatly exacerbated this. Serious concerns about our health and safety on the one hand, and fear of the future due to closings and short-time work on the other, have led to increased stress levels and insomnia for many people. This phenomenon seems to be a global problem.

According to Mintel, 3 in 5 Americans say they measure their personal success by their mental and physical health. 47% of Mexican consumers agree that “I am actively seeking ways to reduce my stress” is a statement which describes them very well. And 90% of consumers in Japan think that it is important to manage their emotional well-being.

People are aware of the importance of regulating stress levels is important for physical health. Consumers are actively looking for ways to increase their well-being. From Japanese Zen and Indian Ayurveda to the Danish Hygge – concepts of balance and holistic health do resonate with consumers all over the world.

According to Mintel, 59% of UK customers aged 18-55 said they felt more confident in their own skin after weeks of a reformed beauty routine at home. 53% of consumers in Japan think that beauty and grooming routines are a good way to reduce stress. And 71% of US consumers will continue to use showering/ bathing as a way to improve mental well-being, also after the pandemic.

The use of cosmetic products contributes strongly to overall well-being of consumers around the world.

Why do cosmetic products work?

There is a profoundly emotional part in consumer perception of cosmetic products. Products that provide a wellness, spa-like experience, provoke a feeling of comfort and doing something good for you and your skin. It is the overall experience from the promise that packaging and the look and feel of the product give, to its scent and texture while applying the product to the scent and feel the product leaves on skin afterwards.

Using a cosmetic product is also an experience of touch. It starts with how the product feels on your skin. Then touching yourself when massaging in the product. And finally, the skin feel the product leaves behind. The meaning of touch for us humans has been scientifically investigated. Regular touch strengthens our immune system, calms our heartbeat and lowers our blood pressure. On the psychological level, touch can reduce the release of stress hormones and increase that of happiness hormones. This makes touch an extremely important factor for our well-being. Another reason why cosmetics have a positive effect on our well-being is the cosmetic effect. Skin that looks and feels good, improves our well-being and self-confidence.  The biological processes behind the reasons why skin looks and feels good are as interesting as they are complex. Skin feel and look, they both originate from something which sounds simple enough, though: skin health.

Urban and unhealthy lifestyles, working and living indoors, they all have a big impact on skin. Psychological stress is a common trigger for skin irritation, redness and tension, which further reduce well-being. The prevalence of common skin ailments is increasing and approx. 50% of all people in the industrialized world perceive their skin to be sensitive.

Cosmetic products which are intended to improve overall well-being need to be formulated smartly and requires highly effective and goal-oriented ingredients substantiated by real science and relevant efficacy and safety studies. CLR supports you to keep it simple and effective. With an in-depth knowledge of the skin, its complex biological processes and daily needs, we develop actives that make skin healthy and simply beautiful, addressing the four cornerstones of skin health.

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The four cornerstones of skin health

1.Moisturization

Water is not only soothing for the mind it is also essential for the skin. To provide skin with a feeling of comfort it is essential to keep it hydrated. Dry skin is rough and feels uncomfortable, also wrinkles are more visible.

Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in successful epidermal differentiation and, therefore, the skin‘s moisture level. There is not much we can do about vitamin D deficiency, unfortunately.

The goal is, however, to make the most of the vitamin D we have to provide skin with optimum health, even in times with little daylight. To achieve this goal, it is essential to activate the vitamin D receptor and this is what our MultiMoist CLR™ does.

2. Nutrition

The health of skin depends on a delicate balance betwen biological processes. To ensure that all these processes work in harmony, skin needs support and highly effective beneficial nutrition.

Milk is well known as a vital source of nutrition which sustains life processes. By fractioning the different proteins and peptides from milk, active ingredients are obtained with a multitude of extremely beneficial effects on skin, whether they are anti-wrinkle and firming effects as in our MPC™ – Milk Peptide Complex or ingredients which are especially suitable for the care of strongly inflamed and troubled skin as our Modukine™.

Whereas probiotic food supports protective mechanisms from the inside and a healthy lifestyle, probiotic cosmetics transfer those benefits to the skin. Cosmetic active ingredients on the basis of lysates of probiotic bacteria have shown to lead to powerful active ingredients for skincare, especially when combined with milk proteins as in our ProBioBalance CLR™.

3. Balance

The condition of the skin plays an important role in the overall process of well-being. Imbalances in the skin (whatever they are) negatively influence our whole appearance and charisma. The more delicate skin is, the more pronounced these biological processes are. This is especially the case with babies and people with sensitive skin.

In order to provide skin with the ability to deal with these influences effectively, it is essential to use an active ingredient such as our AnnonaSense CLR™ which has a significant influence on all biological processes involved in these phenomena.

4. Protection

Healthy-looking skin is closely related to the actual main purpose of our skin: to function as a physical barrier between our body and the harmful outside world. It is exposed to a variety of environmental stress factors that may result in specific skin conditions. Our skin’s top layer, the epidermis is responsible for maintaining this function.

Effective active ingredients such as our ProRenew Complex CLR™ are in a position not only to improve the appearance of the skin, but also to maintain its integrity and health.

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Highly effective solutions

CLR offers a wide range of highly effective and safe actives carefully designed to target all skin conditions related to the four cornerstones of healthy skin.

We are a reliable partner and always straight to the point. We launch products that solve a problem and work. The product, its relevance and consumer benefits are always in the center of our work. With a focus on R&D, an in-depth knowledge of the skin, its processes and needs we develop actives that make skin healthy and simply beautiful. They can be combined easily and offer the consumer a solution for holistic well-being.

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Author

Nathalia Gruber

Director Marketing & Corporate Communications