New advancements: Pond’s brand rejuvenation underscored by research and innovation

Pond’s new Age Miracle Ultimate and Bright Miracle Ultimate ranges were developed with the clearance and repair philosophy. At the core of this approach is the autophagy process, which plays a crucial role in clearing out damaged or dysfunctional cellular components.

The body’s autophagy ability diminishes not just with age but as the body is exposed to external stressors such as UV rays, pollution, and even heat, explained Erica Liang, senior R&D manager for skin care, Unilever.

The company’s goal with its new skin care products was to boost the autophagy process, especially for people in regions like in South East Asia where the environment tends to intensify autophagy decline, she told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.​

Age Miracle Ultimate

The new skin ageing care range features Hexyl-Retinol, a combination of Hexyl-Resorcinol, Niacinamide and Retinol-C.

Unlike retinol, which can cause irritation, this ingredient penetrates the skin and transforms into retinal and retinoic acid, thus minimising the chances of skin irritation.

Hexyl-Retinol acts on 10 collagen types and affects 56 gene expressions in the autophagy pathway. According to a clinical study, it can improve five types of wrinkles including crow’s feet and nasolabial lines.

The study concluded that the efficacy of Hexyl-Retinol was comparable to 0.02% tretinoin in reducing wrinkles and 2% hydroquinone in reducing spots.

Bright Miracle Ultimate

Another new ingredient introduced at WCD 2023 was Niasorcinol, featured in Pond’s Bright Miracle Ultimate.

According to the company, it mimics tyrosine to block melanin synthesis 5000x better than kojic acid to reduce melanin.

Niasorcinol also works to inhibit keratinocyte growth factors, which cause rete ridges elongation – sunken pockets in the skin which accumulate melanin and worsen pigmentation issues.

According to Liang, such cases could only be treated with aesthetic procedures like lasers, which are rising in popularity. However, the effect of laser treatments is often not permanent and more skin care solutions like Bright Miracle Ultimate are needed.

The firm’s clinical studies have shown that Niasorcinol works twice as fast as hydroquinone when it comes to spot reduction. It has also been proven to reduce five types of spots, including age spots and acne scars.

Pond’s is targeting markets including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, where heightened external stressors can exacerbate autophagy decline.

The brand aims to tap into the trend of preventative skin care among younger consumers, and is targeting those aged 20 and above, said Anna Sze, global assistant brand manager of Pond’s.

More innovations at Unilever

Age Miracle Ultimate and Bright Miracle Ultimate were among Unilever’s many showcases at the influential dermatology conference.

Among them were Dove’s Ultracare Amino Acid Mask, which was based on the company’s research on scalp disorders and how it causes significant hair fibre damage. The mask, which is exclusive to China at the moment, can repair hair damage from the use of ketoconazole.

Ketoconazole is an antifungal medication that is commonly used to treat scalp conditions such as dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and scalp psoriasis. However, it often worsens the condition of the hair itself.

Unilever also showcased new body care innovations from Vaseline, such as the Pro Derma and GLUTA-HYA lines, which were developed in line with the trend of skinification in body care.

The new products feature not only popular skin care ingredients such as niacinamide and centella asiatica but also boast sophisticated skin care-like textures to cater to a more demanding body care consumer.