The beauty industry has long marketed ways for people to appear younger.
Dior is taking it a step further, announcing a significant investment in aging research—with the goal of reversing skin aging.
Last week, the fashion house announced the formation of the first International Reverse Aging Scientific Advisory Board at the 21st Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress in Monaco. Six hundred researchers and 18 experts comprise the board, including Dr. Nicola Neretti, a biologist at the Institute for Brain & Neural Systems at Brown University and Dr. David Furman, the director of the 1000 Immunomes Project at Stanford University.
“Dior has always been a house of beauty, but today it is also a house of science,” Claudia Marcocci, the brand general director of parfumes at Christian Dior, says in a statement.
Skin products can help hide the realities of aging, like wrinkles and lines. But Dior claims their new research board may pave the way for products to turn back the clock so the skin stays more youthful for longer.
“We believe in long-lasting beauty. Bringing together the world’s top anti-aging scientists, including our 600 researchers, will open up endless possibilities in Reverse Aging,” the company’s press release reads. “Beauty is precious; it’s only nature that we would want to make it last.”
Dior’s research will add to the knowledge base on aging science around stem cells, inflammation, and cell communication, Virginie Couturaud, Dior’s scientific communications director, tells Fortune.
“Skin care products are becoming increasingly precise in their targeting and can really boost [and] slow down a dysfunction or reverse the signs of aging,” she says.
Dior has worked with medical experts like dermatologists and pharmacists in the past as part of their research arm, Dior Science, which launched in the 1970s. The company has released products in the name of “preventive care.” But their new endeavor follows a growing trend to find ways to age slower, or at least appear to be aging slower. Dior’s reverse aging agenda capitalizes on the growing desire many have to live longer healthier lives, while appearing younger. The body's largest organ, the skin, seemed like a good place to invest, the company says.
The board debuts with 12 fundamental science experts primarily focused on the hallmarks of aging, such as chronic inflammation and stem cell exhaustion; three skin science experts; two floral science experts to continue the study of the “regenerative power of flowers to restore cell and tissue health” according to the company, and one psychology of aging expert.
“Although many elements are yet to be corroborated and tested in clinical trials, we know today in which direction to proceed and which elements to work on in order to push the limits of science and make this scientific revolution a reality in the field of skin care,” the press release continues.
Couturaud says new reverse aging skin products will likely be available in the next four or five years.
“We are sure that it is possible to maintain the skin in good functioning with a good radiance,” she says.
