The secret of eternal youth – without the invasive cosmetic procedures.

When Natura Bissé’s Inhibit High Definition Serum appeared on our site, we took notice. We are purveyors of some of life’s finer things at MR PORTER, and yet, £600 for a face serum? We nearly choked on our Lorenzi Milano caviar spoon. What could warrant such a lofty charge – human placenta? Actually, not far off, but more on biomimetics later.

We thought it our responsibility, nay, our duty, to do a bit of investigating. What makes this stuff so special, what are its ingredients, and, most importantly, what does it actually do? The goal of the product is closer to the elixir of youth than you may have expected. “It was designed to give the same benefits as fillers and Botox, and to get the same results, but without any invasive procedures and without any downtime,” explains Ms Sarah Herring, one of Natura Bissé’s skincare experts. “So it works as an alternative to treatments that usually involve a needle, and penetrates deep into the skin and inhibits the message from the brain telling the muscles to move. If you are shocked or smiling, it won’t affect your facial expressions, it looks very natural.” In other words, if years of scowling and laughing at the multifarious vagaries of life have etched your face with crow’s feet and frown lines, this will shave the years off.

So how does it all work? “The active ingredients actually put the muscle in a state of relaxation, which stops it receiving subconscious messages from the brain to move,” explains Ms Herring. The magic happens because of two ingredients in the serum, which Natura Bissé has patented. The first is Octamioxyl, which works with conotoxin to help relax the muscles which cause facial lines to form, and the second is Biomimetic placenta. Wait, what? “It means that it copies the cell-repairing properties of actual placenta, but don’t worry, it is all grown in a laboratory and isn’t a real placenta.” The Biomimetic placenta works with another ingredient, platelet-derived growth factor, which also stimulates repair and breathes life back into skin.

Although it won’t give the instant results of something that actually involves needles, it does mean that the results will be natural, and will change over time. “With the serum, the visible changes are cumulative, so you will have to use it for a period of time before you see a difference,” says Ms Herring. But how long until you start seeing noticeable results? “It completely depends on the individual – it could be less than a week or it could be a month. Usually you’d start off using it twice a day in the morning and evening, and then once you’ve got results go down to once a day in the evening or every other day to keep it topped up.”

Ms Herring adds: “Because you’re investing a lot into this product anyway, it’s also worth investing some time into it to make sure you’re getting results. After cleansing, dab some of the serum in the areas you want to treat, and gently massage it in for a few minutes to make sure it’s completely absorbed by the skin. After that, you can follow with your normal moisturiser.”

When you stop using the magic serum, you can expect your haggard face to eventually make a comeback, but for keeping ageing at bay, there are few things that will bring the clock to a halt like this. And that might just be worth it.

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