Beauty bites: Clinique

Source: Best Health magazine, November/December 2013

Forty-five years ago, Evelyn Lauder, daughter-in-law of Estée Lauder and an executive at that company, came up with an idea and name for the world’s first allergy-tested, dermatologist-created and fragrance-free line of beauty products: Clinique was born. One product that gained a vast and loyal following was Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (or DDML in Clinique-speak); it’s now the number one brand in premium facial moisturizers globally, Kelly Amsterdam, director of global communications for Clinique in Canada, told Best Health.

DDML+ is a reformulation by Clinique’s research and development team in conjunction with dermatologists Dr. David and Dr. Catherine Orentreich. (They are the son and daughter of Manhattan dermatologist Dr. Norman Orentreich, who, along with then Vogue beauty editor Carol Phillips, helped the Lauder family develop the original formula in 1968.) Its new moisturizing ingredients include hyaluronic acid, glycerine and urea. A barrier repair complex’a blend including barley extract and cucumber fruit extract’is also new to the formula.

The boost in hydrating ingredients helps strengthen the skin barrier, giving it more resilience against environmental and lifestyle stressors. ‘You can have the best moisturizer in the world, but if your barrier is not intact, moisture evaporates,‘ explains Janet Pardo, Clinique’s senior vice-president of global product development.

Was Clinique worried about messing with a good thing? ‘The update improves hydration without compromising the light, silky texture DDML fans are attached to,’ says Amsterdam.

Another thing that has barely changed after 45 years is the bottle’its sleek minimalist design has stood the test of time.

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2013 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!