On Wednesday, La Mer launches a digital campaign supporting its hero Concentrate serum; this will dovetail into the brand’s first-ever dermatologist partnership in mid-July called the Derm Collective.
The Concentrate campaign on social media will feature new research on the product’s skin barrier-enhancing properties. With its proprietary ingredient formulation called Concentrated Miracle Broth, the product prepares skin ahead of chemical peels and laser treatments, and supports recovery post-procedure. The Derm Collective includes NYC-based dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Hale and London-based dermatologist Dr. Ifeoma Ejikeme. The Collective marks the launch of a long-term partnership with these dermatologists, while The Concentrate campaign is La Mer’s largest of the summer. One ounce of the Concentrate retails for $425 and is sold in department stores, Sephora and Cos Bar, among other retailers.
“With the new findings around the Concentrated Miracle Broth and The Concentrate’s ability to improve the barrier and support barrier recovery pre-and post-procedure, we felt it was the right time to add dermatologists to La Mer’s roster of experts,” said Justin Boxford, global brand president for La Mer. “We recognize that many of our consumers are incorporating in-office aesthetic procedures, like lasers and peels, into their skin-care regimens, so the natural next question became, ‘What effect does use of the Concentrate have on skin that is undergoing these types of procedures?’”
The campaign derives its messaging from research the brand did with the Max Huber Research Labs, which studies La Mer’s Miracle Broth for new benefits and efficacy, and has a formulation team for product development. Dr. Jaime Emmetsberger, lead scientist at Max Huber Research Labs for La Mer, presented the results of four clinical studies and ex-vivo research done with participants ages 31-65 at the Society of Investigative Dermatology in May. The studies focused on skin barrier integrity, strength and benefits following non-ablative lasers and glycolic acid skin peels.
The studies found that, overall, La Mer’s The Concentrate improves skin barrier qualities like trans-epidermal water loss and improves barrier repair time. For the studies done specifically with peels and lasers, an undisclosed brand referred to as a “standard of care” moisturizer was used as a comparison. The final component of Emmetsberger’s research was understanding why The Concentrate and its proprietary ingredient formulation improved the skin barrier. Emmetsberger said the team zoomed in on the glycolic skin peel study and found that The Concentrate appeared to boost the production of skin cell proteins which overall strengthens the skin barrier.
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“The goal [of presenting our findings] was to show that there is an option for patients undergoing dermatological procedures to help prepare their skin or to have a post-treatment option to help the skin recover faster,” said Emmetsberger. “If the dermatology and scientific community knows this, this could potentially be a recommendation pre- or post-procedure to prep the skin and help to accelerate recovery.”
As Glossy has extensively reported, focus on the skin barrier and its close cousin, the microbiome, has come to the forefront of the beauty conversation in 2022. Indie brands like Skinfix and Byoma have positioned their branding around the skin barrier. At the same time, L’Oréal-owned Thayer’s Natural Remedies launched a new skin barrier toner on Monday, and heritage brand Bliss launched a “barrier aid” cleansing balm in March. Though Boxford declined to discuss industry trends, he noted that The Concentrate was developed nearly 20 years ago to support the skin barrier.
How La Mer plans to translate and educate customers on its recent research is yet to be determined, but the Derm Collective is likely to help bridge the gap. This aligns with La Mer’s current strategy on Instagram, where it has 1 million followers. A look at its posts reveals a light touch regarding pushing products, an approach that began around February. Instead, La Mer posts highlight ingredients like sea kelp, artistic and charitable partnerships, and ocean-focused lifestyle photography. La Mer maintains an official TikTok account but has no posts as of yet. It also has active Pinterest and Facebook pages. The dermatologist partners will appear in social posts on La Mer channels, in campaign content for La Mer websites and emails, and at live and virtual brand events.
